by Wm. Steven Humphrey If you’re reading this, you probably know the value of the Mercury’s news reporting, arts and culture coverage, event calendar, and the bevy of events we host throughout the year. The work we do helps our city shine, but we can’t do it without your support. 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 (and welcome to 2025)! 👋 And wait... what the fuck?? It's a brand new year and IT'S STILL RAINING? And it proposes to continue raining throughout the rest of the week, with highs hitting the upper 40s? Christ on a cracker, why do we even bother changing years if everything's going to remain exactly the same? And why am I perseverating on unanswerable questions, when there's a bunch of NEWS to write about? IN LOCAL NEWS: • Before we leap into the new year, let's take a quick (and entertaining) look back at how Portland spent its 2024, thanks to the Mercury's news and culture crew! Check out the biggest stories about City Hall, the environment, and election news, as well as peeping our fave picks of movies, books, and cultural events! (Maybe I should just sleep through 2025 and wake up in time to read our wrap-ups at the end of the year! 💡) A City Council's uphill battle to regulate homelessness. A commissioner shrouded in controversy. A city government, transformed. Check out some of the biggest stories out of Portland City Hall in 2024.[image or embed] — Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.bsky.social) January 1, 2025 at 3:46 PM • In disappointing football news (and since I despise football, any news about the subject tends to be disappointing), the number one ranked Oregon Ducks got their tail feathers kicked by the number eight ranked Ohio State in a 41-21 Rose Bowl blowout yesterday. The Buckeyes had built a 34-0 lead in the first half, leaving the Ducks with the unenviable task of desperately trying to battle back against Ohio's explosive offense, and with only limited results. The good news is that the season is over. (Okay, fine, that's just good news for me. In any case, I know football means a lot to some of you, so I'm sorry for your loss.) • ICYMIOTHB (in case you missed it over the holiday break), departing commissioner and failed mayoral candidate Rene Gonzalez is threatening to sue the City of Portland, claiming the city was “too slow to respond to increased threats" against elected officials—referencing his father's car which was set ablaze outside the commissioner's home a year ago. (Here's your regular reminder that Gonzalez dialed 911 on a Black woman last year for allegedly physically "accosting" him on a TriMet train, even though security video showed that she only brushed up against him at best.) And even though his last day in office is this coming Tuesday, Gonzalez has also asked a judge to examine the City Auditor's ruling that the commissioner had used $6,400 in taxpayer (YOUR) money to scrub uncomfortable facts from his personal Wikipedia page ahead of his failed memorial run. Tuesday cannot come too soon. • New Year's Eve was a very busy night indeed for police in Vancouver, WA, who reported a 500 percent increase (!) in drunk driving arrests over the previous year. According to the cops, more than half of these arrests stemmed from crashes, including one that resulted in the driver smashing into someone's home. Have a horny holiday season by taking the Mercury's annual SEX SURVEY! We want to know what you do, how you do it, and who you're doing it with... and don't worry, it's completely anonymous. But hurry, hurry, the survey ends soon! 🍆🍑😋[image or embed] — Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.bsky.social) December 26, 2024 at 11:56 AM IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS: • Were it not for minor injuries and the death of one person, the story of the exploding Cybertruck in front of a Trump hotel in Las Vegas would've been a contender for "best news story of 2025." Unfortunately the driver—who authorities say was a current US Army soldier—was killed by the explosion, which was set off by gas canisters and large firework mortars that were in the back of the Cybertruck. Seven other bystanders sustained minor injuries. While officials are not ruling out a connection to a domestic terrorist attack in New Orleans on Tuesday (see below), at this point the explosion appears to be more of a political statement aimed at Trump and his interim vice president, Elon Musk. Fireworks, gas tanks and camping fuel were used to blow up a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas, law enforcement official tells CNN.[image or embed] — CNN (@cnn.com) January 1, 2025 at 3:30 PM • A suspect has been identified in the case of a man who drove his pickup truck into a Bourbon Street crowd in New Orleans on Tuesday, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens more. The FBI is pointing the finger at Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar, a Texas Army vet, who reportedly loaded up his pickup with weapons and a "potential" explosive device, and displayed an ISIS flag on the vehicle before attacking the defenseless crowd. Police also suspect the driver was not working alone. It should also be noted that, despite the attackers being identified as being associated with the US military, incoming Prez Trump blamed both the Las Vegas and New Orleans attacks on the nation's "open borders." 🤔 • In a ceremony being held today in the White House, President Biden will be awarding the Presidential Citizens Medal—the second highest presidential commendation—to Liz Cheney and Bennie Thompson, who led the congressional investigation into the January 6 domestic terrorist attack and were subsequently threatened with imprisonment from incoming orange turd Donald Trump. (No, the medal is not a "get out of jail free" card.) Breaking News: Tesla’s sales fell slightly in 2024, in the first annual decline in its history, as the electric-car maker faced growing global competition.[image or embed] — The New York Times (@nytimes.com) January 2, 2025 at 7:23 AM • Meanwhile Trump announced there will be a gathering of his fave Christian Nationalist cult members for a "victory rally" on January 19, the day before his inauguration. Considering how 2025 has already started, what could possibly go wrong? • And finally... if you're still undecided about your New Year's resolutions, here's some very good advice for YOU: @secondsight_ #fyp ♬ original sound - HoneeyBeee