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Today’s newsletter is 896 words — a 3.5-minute read.

Before Wednesday night, it'd been 1,309 days since Damian Lillard suited up in the Blazers red and black for a regular season game.

Why it matters: The wait is over.

The latest: Lillard dazzled in his first outing since re-signing with the team, sinking six three-pointers on his way to 25 points as the Blazers blotted out the Phoenix Suns in a massive blowout win.

Catch up quick: Rip City's all-time leading scorer was traded to Milwaukee in 2023 after his relationship with the team soured.

• Lillard averaged nearly 25 points per game with the Bucks, but never really gelled with the team and tore his Achilles during the 2025 playoffs.
• The team waived him, freeing up the Portland hero to re-sign with the only other team he ever played for.

"I should have never left," he told The Athletic recently.

The vibe: The Moda Center was electric well before tip off, with loud cheers as Lillard thanked the sellout crowd of 19,367 before the game.

• Those cheers swelled to roars when he was announced in the opening lineup and peaked into a deafening eruption when he sank his first three-pointer.
• It didn't hurt that the Blazers demolished the Suns out of the gate, holding Phoenix scoreless for the first nearly seven minutes.
• The Blazers were ahead by 31 after the first quarter, the biggest lead in a first quarter of a season opener in NBA history, on their way to a 124-83 victory.

What they're saying: Trevor Steinberg, a Blazers fan for all of his 35 years in Portland, said he was sad when Lillard was traded, but understood the superstar's frustrations with the team's performance.

• Now that he's back? "I'm ecstatic. I'm elated. I'm beyond thrilled," Steinberg told Axios as he rushed to get into the arena to hear the lineups announced.

Zoom out: Lillard led the Blazers, but Ja Morant — the team's biggest offseason acquisition — looked right at home chipping in 14 points. Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara each added another 18.

State of play: Most of the Blazers' offseason was consumed by drama unrelated to basketball.

• The team's new owners, led by Tom Dundon, continue to clash with the city over a nearly $600 million Moda Center renovation package, amid concerns the team could relocate.

What's next: The Blazers will look to get their second win against the Sacramento Kings on Friday at 7pm.

Tell someone it's Dame time

Frequent readers of this newsletter might remember earlier this week when I complained about our lack of "I voted" stickers. Well, one of our readers has created a workaround.

Catch up quick: In 2020, Allison McGillivray started offering to send the stickers to friends and family because "friends around the country were sharing their voting moments on social media, sporting the stickers they got at the polls, and I was jealous!" she told Axios.

• "I knew I wasn't the only one, so I ordered a roll of stickers and offered to send them to anyone interested. I don't ask who anyone voted for, I just ask them to promise me that they voted."

How it works: McGillivray set up a dedicated email and a website to field requests for stickers.

• She doesn't share mailing addresses, ask about voting choices or even correspond with people who request stickers.
• "I just send them a sticker!" she said.
• To claim one of your own, just email [email protected] or fill out the form on the website.

The bottom line: McGillivray said she hopes someday every Oregonian who votes gets a sticker.

• "In the meantime, I'll keep sending stickers and leaving strips of them near ballot drop boxes so that people can proudly show they exercised their very important right to vote!"

Tell someone who votes from home

Federal and state investigators are looking into potential links between violent online extremist groups and the teen who killed three students and a teacher in Bend last week. (OPB)

🫨 A group of Portland Public Schools parents are raising concerns over the district's plans to close up to 14 schools, saying students could be funneled into schools that are seismically unsafe, while schools retrofitted for earthquakes could be shut down. (Willamette Week)

PacificSource said it plans to lay off some 134 employees in Portland, Salem, Bend and Springfield as the nonprofit insurer, owned in part by Legacy Health, continues to shrink its footprint in Oregon. (The Oregonian)

📬 KGW mailed 100 letters from dozens of locations across the state, but only 14 were postmarked the same day, underscoring the importance of using ballot drop boxes instead of the postal service for voting. (KGW)

Drive past Portland's iconic "White Stag" sign and you might notice a curious new addition.

• That's Ja Morant, the Blazers' biggest offseason acquisition, dunking all over the poor stag.

If you needed any more indication Rip City was pumped about the season starting, there you go.

• Nothing against our favorite stag, but it looks like he could use a few more reps on defense before he's ready for primetime.

🥡 Meira is ordering takeout from the new Thai spot in her neighborhood, Saen Sook.

🐦‍⬛ Kale is excited to see "Wildwood" tomorrow.

This newsletter was edited by Geoff Ziezulewicz.