Nobody Panic. OK, Everybody Panic.

[April 22nd, 2009]

• YAOUCH: The Trail Blazers had their first playoff game since 2003 on Saturday night—and got trampled at home by Yao Ming and the Houston Rockets, 108-81.

  

• WE’RE NO. 2! Oregon’s 12.1 percent unemployment rate places us second-worst in the nation, just behind Michigan’s 12.6 percent.

  

• NAH: The Oregonian calculated last week that Paulson’s promise of 300 Portland Timbers and Beavers jobs at new and revamped stadiums includes only 160 full-time jobs under his control.

  

• LEGISLATIVE CYCLE: The Oregon Legislature moved closer to passing a bill that would keep secret who gets concealed-handgun permits (see Murmurs, page 14, for more), while squelching another bill to allow cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs.

  

• SEAFOOD DIET: The state House passed a bill proposed by West Linn fourth-graders to make the Dungeness crab the official state crustacean.