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Heat wave duration records could be broken in the Pacific Northwest this week and authorities are expanding capacity at some cooling centers as temperatures near triple digits are forecast to extend into the weekend. “For the next several days through Saturday we’re going to be within a few degrees of 100 every day,” said Colby Neuman, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Portland, Oregon. (Rush and Flaccus, 7/28)

A Texas physician filed a $25 million defamation lawsuit against Houston Methodist Hospital and its CEO Monday, claiming public statements they made harmed her reputation, career and safety. Dr. Mary Talley Bowden, an otolaryngologist who formerly worked at the health system, has used social media to make claims about harmful side effects from COVID-19 vaccines. Bowden filed a separate lawsuit in January; both cases are in the Harris County District Courts in Texas. (Berryman, 7/27)

Massachusetts legislative leaders reached a deal Wednesday on legislation that would reshape oversight of the state’s two soldiers’ homes, promising change more than two years after dozens of veterans died at the Holyoke facility in one of the most notorious and deadly COVID-19 outbreaks in the country. (Gross, 7/27)

Los Angeles County officials are moving forward with a plan to convert the mostly vacant General Hospital building, on the site of L.A. County-USC Medical Center, into affordable housing units. The Board of Supervisors approved a motion Tuesday to begin creating construction and financial plans for the project. The motion directs county departments to report back within four months on a potential timeline and allocate up to $194.7 million in funding for the project, according to a news release from Supervisor Hilda Solis. (Lin, 7/27)