Le Journal

by Taylor Griggs The Mercury provides news and fun every single day—but your help is essential. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support! Good morning, Portland! Weather today: High of 46 degrees and partly cloudy. In my post last week, I predicted there would be some sun, and it was completely cloudy all day. I felt bad for leading my readers astray, but I hope you know I am not actually a meteorologist and we usually just put the weather here to fill some space. (And to help ourselves figure out what we're going to wear that day.) Okay, time for the news. IN LOCAL NEWS: • Two Portland Police officers were shot yesterday by an unidentified suspect. Late Monday evening, the Portland Police Bureau put out a notice that the Special Emergency Response Team had sealed off the perimeter around NE Broadway and NE Multnomah Street, as well as NE 15th and 21st Avenues after a suspect fired at police officers in the Sullivan’s Gulch neighborhood. Two officers were taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital following the shooting. As of Monday morning, both officers’ condition is stable, according to police. Few details were released Monday evening, but KATU reported that “nearly 90 police units” responded to the area in search of the shooting suspect. The search for the suspect has ended, for now, with no arrest. A photo of the suspect has been circulated by PPB. COURTNEY VAUGHN • Here's what's on the Portland events roster this week, courtesy of Do This, Do That: The Clinton Street Theater will be showing Tár tonight (FFO Cate Blanchett, classical music, and fucked up women, so it's a personal favorite of mine). You should also check out the Portland Fine Print Fair at the Portland Art Museum Saturday and Sunday, AND/OR eat delicious seafood and drink wine at the Portland Seafood and Wine Festival (Saturday and Sunday at the Expo Center). Plus, the Hollywood Theatre is finally playing The Testament of Ann Lee (every day through Jan 22). All this and more, brought to you by our wonderful calendar curators. Check out the full list here. • In possibly the most Portland thing in Portland, it’s time to help name the city’s snow plows. You’re probably wondering why we need plows since it rarely snows more than once a year, but someone’s gotta clear the roads when it does. The cherry on top? The city’s transportation bureau is using a ranked choice system that gives voters up to six choices from a list of names. Among the names to choose from: Mississlippy; Sleeter-Kinney; Keep Portland Cleared; Damian Blizzard; Froze City, and a plethora of other pun-ny options. Votes must be in by Sunday, January 25. Knock yourselves out! CV • Some Oregon lawmakers are trying to hold AI chatbot companies responsible for the increasing damage their products are doing to young minds. Democratic Senator Lisa Reynolds is leading the charge on a bill that would require chatbot makers to monitor conversations for signs of self-harm or suicidal thoughts and take action to help vulnerable users. One interesting aspect of the bill is that it would require the AI companies to repeatedly and clearly state that the chatbots users are "conversing" with are not human. The bill comes amid an alarming rise in mental health crises and suicides among prolific AI chatbot users, including the tragic death of 16-year-old Adam Raine last year. Although Reynolds' bill seems completely reasonable, it will likely result in big pushback from the tech companies. Stay tuned. Big tech companies now operate more than 120 data centers in the state. The new committee will be tasked with developing policy recommendations on data centers. The governor's aim: to ensure economic growth while keeping power affordable and protecting water resources.[image or embed] — OPB (@opb.org) January 20, 2026 at 8:30 AM IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS: • Many…

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