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!

Pierre_Crom___.jpg
Pierre Crom / getty images

Good morning, Portland! Pro tip for the holidays: You don't have to stress so much about the supply chain and shipping delays when you shop local! And we're here to help with that.

Here are the headlines.

• As Portland Monthly reports, Oregon will roll out a digital vaccine card system this coming March. The program will be totally voluntary and optional, though individual counties will have the choice to make vaccine proof mandatory for entry to businesses. Either way, it's better than having a janky picture of your slightly-too-big-to-fit-in-your-wallet, easy-to-fake paper vaccine card in your phone!

• A grand jury has indicted a Portland security guard for killing a man in a North Portland shopping center parking lot this May. An investigation published by OPB in July found that the guard was not approved to carry a firearm while working by the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST), the state agency that regulates security guards and law enforcement.

• And speaking of private security guards, don't miss Part Three of this must-read series:

• In a memo sent Wednesday to county officials, Multnomah County Auditor Jennifer McGuirk raised concerns that the Joint Office of Homelessness (JOHS) may be misleading the public on the number of unhoused individuals that have found housing through its programs. But JOHS officials say the memo itself is misleading. Our own Alex Zielinski has more details.

• Okay, so the omicron variant is present in California, which means it's only a miserable 90 minute Southwest flight or twisty drive through Grant's Pass away from Oregon. So... what does that mean, exactly? There are still a lot of unknowns, but OPB has a breakdown of the questions—and some slightly optimistic info.

• Well, it appears that Congress has managed to avoid another government shutdown, at least through February 18. Can we please get some medals made for them?

• Meanwhile, on Twitter:

• New York City is going to require private and religious school employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19, the same way public school employees must do. Can't wait for this to get challenged, make its way to the Supreme Court, and result in some truly deranged Amy Coney Barrett quotes!

• Oh, and speaking of the Supreme Court: Next week the conservative Court will hear arguments in Carson v. Makin , a case about whether public funding should go to religious schools. Get ready for the wall separating Church and State to dissolve before our very eyes.

• And finally, here are some absolute bangers to bring into your weekend: