A gallimaufry of gossip.

[December 17th, 2003] * Rumblings in the concrete suggest that Dr. Martens , thelegendary Britain-born shoe company that bases its North American ops in PDX, recently gave a large chunk of its Rose City employees--about two dozen--the boot. The company has struggled for years to regain the iconic cachet its classic Docs workboots enjoyed a decade or so ago; moves have included a succession of different marketing schemes and shoe styles and the transfer of manufacturing operations from England to China. The scrambling hasn't stopped the bleeding, however. The Guardian pegs annual losses at about $35 million.

* Even for the Portland Police Bureau , it was an unusual internal-affairs complaint: Please tell your detective to stop hitting on my wife ! That's what a Hillsboro man asked several weeks ago after a PPB gumshoe allegedly used his city cell phone, computer and pager to romance the man's wife, even after she reportedly asked him to stop. Little birds are a-twittering that the detective's boss, Assistant Chief Jim Ferraris, a noted ladies' man, put the kibosh on the probe.

* Unconfirmed Rumor of the Week: State Sen. Kate Brown , who had previously disavowed interest in the job of Portland mayor, is being lobbied heavily by her former legislator pals to throw her hat into the race against well-funded-but-vulnerable City Commissioner Jim Francesconi.

* Turkeys on Wheels: In past years, we've ignored David Yandell's pleas for publicity, telling him his annual turkey giveaway got sackfuls of free media attention. Not this year. The cabby with a heart of gold has gotten little ink or airtime. "This is the first time we haven't got a big TV hit," says Yandell. He'll be giving free turkeys, spuds and canned veggies to the jobless Dec. 20-21 at the Radio Cab HQ (1613 NW Kearney St.; bring an unemployment stub). But Yandell needs nominations of needy families to receive cab-delivered turkeys next week. If you know someone who could use a free meal, write to him at the above address (ZIP code is 97209).

* On her website, a woman calling herself Jessica of Oregon writes: "I am looking for a friend first, but I am open to romance. Please, no games." Which sounded great to Murmurs, until the fine print: It's Jessica Rydman --the woman whose sex-for-money transaction with West Hills banker Wayne Olson led to his robbery and death three years ago at the hands of her friends, Medero Moon and Calvin Davis. Rydman is now hosted by the website Very Special Women, an "introduction service" to women in prison (don't ask Murmurs how this works--or why men are so stupid). Currently housed at the Coffee Creek Corrections Facility in Wilsonville, Rydman writes that she is "open to relocating ." Unfortunately, it could be a while: According to the Department of Corrections, her earliest release date is March 5, 2008.

* Political Ketchup: Former Democratic state Rep. David Dix , whose political career in Oregon was aborted by his creative interpretation of campaign finance laws, has worn out his welcome in Florida, too. Last Thursday, Dix abruptly resigned as chief of staff to Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, after a 10-month tenure in which he was best known for his creative interpretation of local parking laws. Former Portland top cop Charles Moose , meanwhile, is looking to hop in the saddle again after being pushed out of his job in Montgomery County, Md. Last week he was named a finalist for chief in Minneapolis. And former City Commish Charlie Hales is once again laying tracks in Oregon. Last week the Lake Oswego City Council awarded a $50,000 contract to Hales' employer, the consultant firm HDR, to help the burg push for a link to the Portland streetcar system, which Hales engineered while at City Hall.