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GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND! 👋

Great news for those who enjoy eating: The Mercury's BURGER WEEK kicks off TODAY and runs through Sunday, August 25! Here's your opportunity to devour all 88 (!!) of those delicious burgers from the city's best restaurants—and they're only $8 each! (You're going to need a bigger stomach... and a bigger brain if you're going to pack in all of today's NEWS.)

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• Welp, it's not the first time and it's not gonna be the last, but Rene Gonzalez is in trouble again. As you may remember, Commish (and mayoral hopeful) Gonzalez was accused of using $6,400 in taxpayer money to make edits to his personal Wikipedia page to make himself appear less troublesome to voters in November. Today we find out that Gonzalez is now under investigation by the Portland elections office after three separate complaints were filed with the city auditor, pointing out this apparent misuse of taxpayer money. (Seriously, couldn't he ask one of his rich sugar daddies to pay for that Wiki facelift?) Our Courtney Vaughn has the details!

• How much do you know about the history of Sandy Boulevard? Get ready for some very surprising information, as well as some of the latest news about how activists are making plans to persuade the city to make it more friendly for pedestrians, bikers, and other modes of transport than just cars and trucks! Our Taylor Griggs has all the details (and some terrific old-timey photos) in yet another excellent edition of STREET VIEW.

• MusicPortland—the local musician trade association—plans to do its best to stop a big LiveNation venue from being built in the Central Eastside, by appealing the city's approval for the building's continued development. According to MusicPortland, the LiveNation venue would undermine the integrity of the local independent music scene, and is a bad look for our city to assist the music giant in its continued monopolistic behavior. The venue has also raised the ire of environmentalists who say the building is too close to the river.

• LGBTQ+ organizers in nearby Mollala, Oregon, were forced to cancel their annual Pride event after homophobes in and outside of town threatened to disrupt the event and bring guns (because this is how scared they are of queer people). Organizers hope to bring back the event either this fall or next year.

• Today in "Don't threaten us with a good time!": "Affluent people lead the way among those leaving Multnomah County."

IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:

• The Democratic National Convention kicks off tonight in Chicago, with special guest President Joe Biden who will be on hand to hype up his successor, Kamala Harris. Meanwhile protesters are planning rallies and large marches to hammer home their progressive agenda, including the demand for reproductive rights, economic and climate injustice, and hopefully to stop the administration's support of Israel's continued mass murder of Palestinian people.

• Speaking of the war against Gaza, Secretary of State Antony Blinken says that the continued cease fire talks have reached "a decisive moment," and that this could be "the last opportunity" for the two sides to reach agreement before even more conflict in the middle east kicks off with Iran joining the fray.

• Increasingly desperate members of the GOP-controlled House are trying anything to hold on to their power, including releasing a report of so-called "impeachable" crimes committed by President Joe Biden, accusing him of using his influence to help family members (including son Hunter) to profit from business deals in Ukraine, China, and other countries. Naturally, most of the GOP's leaky theories have already been debunked... but when has being confronted with the truth ever stopped them?

• RIP to talk show host Phil Donahue, who pioneered audience participation in his daily talk show format about social issues, and has died at the age of 88.

• Clear skies are expected tonight, which will give you a great opportunity to peer at the somewhat rare "blue supermoon" in the skies tonight. This celestial combo platter happens when the moon is at its closest point to the earth (the supermoon part), while also being the third of four full moons in a single season (the blue part). Moon, you fancy! 💅

• And finally... and I shall watch it 31 times. (Sound up!)