Foaming at the Mouth

[February 9th, 2005] Controversy is brewing over Widmer Brothers' spring seasonal beer, a limited-edition India pale ale that bears the label W '05. A handful of pissed-off liberals think the bottle's bold logo bears uncanny resemblance to Prezident Dubya's least-verbose campaign sticker, and talk of a boycott is...foaming. Company president and brewmaster Kurt Widmer, however, tells Murmurs the W is only "as political as the name Widmer," for which it stands. Hmmm: GOP-leaning Anheuser-Busch is a minority owner of Widmer; on the other hand, Kurt was a registered Democrat until last December, when he turned nonpartisan. Some connoisseurs say the beer's "pronounced bitterness" is in itself a commentary on the election.

Bad news for bus riders: Not only is TriMet considering a bump in fares starting April 1, with a two-zone bus ticket jumping from $1.35 to $1.40, but the transit authority also plans to cut service. According to a recent internal memo, TriMet plans to trim bus runs on 28 different lines in March. On the 9 Broadway, for example, buses will run every 30 minutes instead of every 15 on Saturday mornings. The 14 Hawthorne's midday buses will run every 15 minutes instead of every 12. Other lines will see cut-back evening schedules kick in an hour earlier.

Party on in PICA Land: Now that Queen Kristy Edmunds is heading out the door, Murmurs hears her loyal subjects have decided to bring back the most popular performance piece this arty group has ever produced, the Dada Ball. Returning from a three-year hiatus, "Dada Resurrection" will reportedly take place on the last night of this year's TBA Festival.

Why are cackling Canada geese dropping dead from the sky near Salem? That's what Oregon Fish and Wildlife would like to know. Something's killing the migratory fowl, and felling at an unusually high rate—40 or 50 at a time—for the last four or five winters. State wildlife officials are trying to solve the mystery, testing for bacteria, spores, mold, parasites, chemicals and other fatal nastiness. One possibility: dreaded bird flu.

Paul and Sally Taylor, both 65, will hear the music of Pink Martini for the first time Thursday night. It's also the first concert they'll be able to hear at all. The previously deaf couple is the subject of Hear and Now, a documentary-in-the-making that follows the Taylors' controversial decision to undergo cochlear-implant surgery. Thomas Lauderdale will open his downtown loft Thursday and perform with Martini chanteuse China Forbes in a benefit concert for the film, which is being made by the couple's daughter, Irene Taylor, an Emmy-winning filmmaker (and Northwest Academy instructor). For tickets ($50 apiece), call 281-4257.

Last week City Council punted a vote on South Waterfront developers' request to hike the square-footage allowed in the bling-bling new riverside neighborhood; it's now slated for a special evening session next Thursday, Feb. 17, at 6 pm. Residents of Southwest Portland neighborhoods fear bulkier high-rises will block views of Mount Hood, while developers say it ain't so. Mayor Tom Potter brought both sides to the negotiating table last week, so stay tuned.