Happy Friday, Portland. Today's high: 44°F with just a 20% chance of snow — the lightest precipitation odds we've seen all week. Enjoy it. By Sunday we're back to a 70% chance of rain, because the weather read the weekend forecast and made plans accordingly.

Today we've got Oregon Senate Republicans pulling a disappearing act in Salem, a judge extending the peace between protesters and tear gas outside the ICE facility, and the feds coming for a Portland school program designed to help Black students succeed. Plus: John Glenn, Michelle Buteau, and your full weekend lineup.

All twelve Oregon Senate Republicans failed to show up for Wednesday's 1:30 p.m. floor session, denying Democrats the quorum needed to conduct business — and setting off déjà vu alarms across the state. The no-show appears tied to Senate Bill 1599, a Democratic proposal to move a gas tax referendum from November to the May primary, which Republicans are firmly against.

Senate Republican Leader Bruce Starr called it "pausing the process for more meaningful discussions." Senate President Rob Wagner, a Democrat, called it Thursday and reconvened. Here's the problem: Democrats need the bill passed and signed by February 25 to make the May ballot. The clock is ticking, the seats are empty, and Oregon's favorite legislative tradition — the walkout — is back, baby. Three Republican senators already can't run for reelection because of the last one. Some people never learn.

A judge has extended the temporary restraining order limiting federal agents' use of tear gas near the ICE detention facility on South Macadam — a win for both the protesters who've been demonstrating there and the residents of the affordable housing complex next door who just want to make a cup of coffee without chemical irritants in the air. The order had been in place amid an ongoing legal battle backed by Oregon AG Dan Rayfield, who has filed arguments claiming federal agents used excessive force and violated free speech rights. The extension keeps the lid on — for now. The case, like the protests, continues.

The US Department of Education has opened a civil rights investigation into Portland Public Schools' Center for Black Student Excellence. The probe, which comes amid a broader federal push to scrutinize diversity-focused programs in schools, is examining whether the center — designed to support Black students who have historically been underserved by the district — constitutes unlawful discrimination. Let that sink in for a moment. A program built to close an equity gap is being investigated for civil rights violations. PPS says it is cooperating with the inquiry. Portland's education community is watching closely, and the timing — Black History Month, in a district already fighting for its budget in Salem — is not lost on anyone.

On this date 64 years ago, astronaut John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth, completing three laps around the planet in just under five hours aboard Friendship 7. The whole country stopped to watch. Some things still unite us.

That's your Friday, Portland. The weather is cooperating, the senators are not, and the federal government is having a very busy week in this city — in the courts, in the schools, and on the streets of South Macadam.

Dress in layers. Enjoy Zwickelmania tomorrow. Maybe call your kid's principal and let them know someone's paying attention