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Good morning, Northwest.
President Donald Trump claimed on social media early this morning that the United States had carried out airstrikes in Venezuela and “captured” President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, following reports of explosions and fires around Caracas in the early morning hours. We begin today’s newsletter with this breaking news from NPR.
Plus, cities across Oregon will be watching Sherwood voters on Jan. 13 as they decide whether to challenge new state planning laws affecting housing development. OPB’s Kristian Foden-Vencil has the details.
Here’s your First Look at Saturday’s news.
— Winston Szeto
Fire at Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela's largest military complex, is seen from a distance after a series of explosions in Caracas on Jan. 3, 2026.
STR
HAPPENING NOW: U.S. hit Venezuela with ‘large-scale strike,’ captured Nicolás Maduro, Trump says
President Trump claimed overnight that the United States carried out airstrikes in Venezuela and “captured” President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, following a series of explosions and fires reported around Caracas in the early hours of the morning.
In a post on Truth Social published this morning, Trump said the U.S. had “successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro,” adding that Maduro and his wife had been “captured” and flown out of the country. Trump said the operation was conducted “in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement” and announced a news conference for 8 a.m. PT at Mar-a-Lago.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on X that Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been indicted in the Southern District of New York on drug, arms and conspiracy charges. (Carrie Kahn and Scott Neuman)
Sherwood Mayor Tim Rosener attends a press conference with several Oregon Mayors to speak against President Trump's decision to deploy the National Guard on Monday, Sept. 29, 2025 in Portland, Ore.
Saskia Hatvany / OPB
City of Sherwood holds vote to challenge new state housing laws
Over the last few years, the Oregon Legislature has passed a number of bills aimed at reducing red tape in the state, so housing can be built faster.
But the new laws tend to reduce a city’s ability to manage growth, and they have rankled some city officials.
For example, it used to be that people living within 1,000 feet had to be notified when a new development was coming. But the state changed the law so only people within 100 feet have to be notified.
Bills like HB 2001, SB 1537 and SB 974 are aimed at making it easier for developers to build the homes that Oregon so desperately needs.
But the mayor of Sherwood, Tim Rosener, says rules in his city aren’t the problem, and he says the state is cutting local residents out of the democratic process. (Kristian Foden-Vencil)
A cougar was caught on camera near Singer Creek Park in Oregon City around 7 a.m. and again around 6 p.m. Jan. 1.
Oregon City Police Department / Courtesy
3 things to know this morning
- University of Oregon researchers say wildfires can form cancer-causing compounds in the soils they burn on top of, based on their findings from soil samples collected from Eight Dollar Mountain in southwest Oregon, an area rich in a typically benign compound called chromium III. (Nathan Wilk)
- Police in Oregon City are urging caution to people living near Singer Creek Park after a cougar was caught on camera in the area twice on New Year’s Day. (Holly Bartholomew)
- The city of Florence will hold a townhall style meeting Monday about whether to continue using private company Flock’s automatic license plate reader cameras, as Eugene, Springfield and Lane County suspended their contracts with Flock after months of public outcry. (Rebecca Hansen-White)
Katie Wilson smiles while speaking to supporters and community members shortly after taking the oath of office and officially becoming mayor of Seattle, during a public ceremony on Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, at Seattle City Hall.
Megan Farmer/KUOW
Headlines from around the Northwest
- Katie Wilson is officially Seattle’s mayor. Her agenda: affordability, housing, and workers’ rights (Eilís O’Neill)
- Nuclear power ventures heat up around Washington state (John Stang)
- Jackson County Board of Commissioners might get involved after Talent library incidents (Jane Vaughan)
The Portland Bureau of Transportation checked its snow plow fleet Thursday in preparation for winter storms. Oct. 23 2025
Kristian Foden-Vencil / OPB
Portland’s latest winter tradition: PBOT once again asks for snow plow name suggestions
It’s still rare to find accumulated snowfall on Portland roads – but it happens often enough that the city has a fleet of 56 snow plows.
And a handful of them are about to get a new name.
The Portland Bureau of Transportation started its snow plow naming contest in 2024. As part of its public service campaign about safe winter driving, PBOT asked Portlanders to submit witty and amusing titles for the city’s plows.
Out of more than 4,000 submissions, city staff picked 20 finalists.
The public selected their top choices using a ranked-choice voting method, similar to what’s used now for city elections.
The new snowplow names are expected to be announced the week of Feb. 2. (Kyra Buckley)
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