by Courtney Vaughn 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! We're in for a mostly sunny day with a high of 61 degrees and a low of 41. Savor the few remaining good hair days while they last. The rain returns this weekend. In Local News:  • On Monday, the Portland Auditor’s Office issued a re-determination letter in the investigation into alleged campaign finance violations by City Commissioner Rene Gonzalez. At issue was whether Gonzalez illegally used taxpayer funds to boost his current campaign for mayor. After receiving new documents and taking another look at the case, auditors determined the $6,400 Gonzalez spent to try to edit his Wikipedia page constitutes an unlawful campaign contribution. His campaign was fined $2,400. Ummm...When is the other $4K coming??! • Investigators concluded the Wiki edits were part of a larger campaign strategy to affirm Gonzalez is a Democrat–a point he underscores in campaign materials. What’s most notable about Gonzalez’s boondoggle is his attempt to “obstruct and interfere with” the Auditor’s Office investigation. Among other problems, the Auditor’s Office noted Gonzalez’s staff initially withheld key documents and lied to investigators about whether certain email attachments existed. Gonzalez reportedly called the investigation politically biased, and his chief of staff “verbally chastised” an Elections Division staffer. 🤨 A re-determination by the Portland Auditor's Office finds Portland City Commissioner Rene Gonzalez used taxpayer funds to benefit his campaign. Investigators say he and his staffers lied about key documents and tried to interfere with the investigation. https://t.co/OHJvImYeO1 — Portland Mercury 🗞 (@portlandmercury) October 21, 2024 • Speaking of local politics, election day is just two weeks away. If you haven't yet, do yourself a favor and check out our latest special edition, the 2024 Mercury Election Guide. We’ve vetted all the City Council and mayor candidates, researched the state and local measures, revisited our picks for state and federal representatives, and organized it all into a handy, informative guide. YOU’RE WELCOME! Check it out in print at hundreds of locations across the city, or online. If this kid doesn't grow up into one of our greatest character actors I'll eat my hat. https://t.co/D4HNb0PLXo — ian karmel (@IanKarmel) October 21, 2024 • Renting often sucks. It’s expensive and it’s always exploitative, to some degree. For some, it’s a battle just to get basic repairs or maintenance taken care of. That was the case for tenants at The Russell apartments in Northeast Portland. With the help of some local organizing groups, residents at the apartment complex joined forces and created a group akin to a tenant union. The group has had mixed results, but says banding together gave them leverage they didn’t have before. Check out the latest piece about it from Abe Asher. Unlike other cities like San Francisco, there is no process by which Portland renters can officially unionize, and few renter protection laws exist. But a group of NE Portland tenants are banding together to remedy issues with their property management. https://t.co/KoHwKHwl4B — Portland Mercury 🗞 (@portlandmercury) October 22, 2024 • Portland Police Bureau’s Major Crash Team is investigating not one, but two deaths of bicyclists hit by cars within a 10-hour span. Shortly after 2:30 am Monday, a cyclist was killed by a hit-and-run driver near NE 128th and NE Glisan. Around 9 am, another driver hit and killed a cyclist in the Parkrose Neighborhood, but remained at the scene. Both cyclists were adult men, PPB reported. The fatal crashes have renewed calls for better bicycle infrastructure and safety. • Disappointing news for diner enthusiasts: Oregon no longer has any Shari’s restaurants. The diners, best known for their pies and 24-hour service, have all been closed in Oregon. The news came via the Oregon Lottery, which previously operated Lotto machines in Shari’s restaurants. • Do you secretly gaze at Us Weekly or People magazine at the grocery checkout stand, unwilling to thumb through the pages, but compelled enough by the salacious headlines to be curious? Have you found yourself clicking on low-brow entertainment news once in a while? Do you often gawk at how awful the actual news is? You’re not alone, but you don’t have to waste your time trying to get caught up on the dumpster fire that is…the world. Each week, our lovely and hilarious columnist, Elinor Jones, digs through the garbage heap of celebrity, entertainment, local, and national news. She lays it out for you, dear reader, in a digestible, fun to read column. The latest Trash Report is up! 🍿 Let's go, Trash Pandas! 🦝 It's time for another hilarious edition of THE TRASH REPORT. This week: Trump's dong obsession, giant pumpkin eats cops, and apparently Portland kids know who Justin Timberlake is. https://t.co/BxX3tbrKxS — Portland Mercury 🗞 (@portlandmercury) October 21, 2024 In National/World News: • In news that should surprise no one, a nonpartisan budget group reports Donald Trump’s proposed tax cuts would “make Social Security insolvent in just six years,” CNBC reports. The Social Security program is already projected to run out of money by 2035, meaning future payments to retirees could be dramatically reduced. Trump’s plans to cut corporate taxes, impose hefty tariffs, and cut taxes on other things like tipped wages and Social Security, are projected to cause the program to buckle by 2031. @kiera.ln halloween costume drop #trump #kamala2024 #politics #liberal #vote #election ♬ original sound - Skippy • The Biden administration wants birth control to be free and available without a prescription. A proposal from the US Department of Health and Human Services, along with the Treasury and Labor departments, would require health insurance companies to “cover all recommended over-the-counter contraception products, such as condoms, spermicide and emergency contraception, without a prescription and at no cost, according to senior administration officials,” NPR reports. The goal is to expand access to contraceptives as states pass restrictive abortion policies. • Why do we consume and love carbs and starches? Thanks to DNA sequencing and the latest research, we know that the human body adapted to be able to digest and extract more energy from starchy foods like wheat and yams. In fact, ancient humans had very few salivary amylase genes, called AMY1. Humans now have several copies of that gene, which allows our saliva to break down sugars and starches. Basically, the rise of agriculture yielded an evolutionary adaptation (err…addiction?) to starches. People with more copies of the AMY1 gene are more likely to thrive on wheat and other starches. Personally, my favorite carb is bouncy pork. @lindseybakedthis Moo Deng as a cupcake? Too cute to eat! 🦛🩶🦛🩶 • • • #cupcake #moodeng #moodenghippo #hippo #babyhippo #moodengcupcake #cupcakedecorating ♬ Cute - Aurel Surya Lie