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[November 9th, 2005] Multnomah County Sheriff Bernie Giusto (left) is under investigation by the Oregon Attorney General's office over his use of deputies last May to get a prominent local businessman into alcohol rehab ("The Long Arm of the Law," July 20, 2005). County District Attorney Michael Schrunk wrote to the AG's office on Aug. 1 asking for its review of Giusto's actions because Schrunk felt he had a potential conflict due to his working relationship with Giusto and the businessman, Jim Jeddeloh. The probe stems from the sheriff intervening to get Jeddeloh into the Betty Ford Center. Jeddeloh's estranged wife, Lee, whom Giusto describes as a close-but-platonic friend , had accused her husband of alcohol abuse and domestic violence. A Giusto spokesperson said the sheriff is cooperating with the investigation. A county attorney's review in July found no criminal wrongdoing.

Denied a subsidy on your condo development or just plain tired of watching Portland Development Commission staffers hoover down expensive meals at your favorite restaurant? Go to ethicspoint.com , type in PDC and let Big Brother hear your concerns about the urban-renewal commission. An all-staff meeting devolved into a horror show last Friday when PDC boss Bruce Warner introduced the new system, complete with toll-free snitch line, to make sure the scandal-plagued agency is "respectful and accountable to the public trust."

Murmurs won't spill the address, but John Carter , the former Bechtel exec and Neil Goldschmidt partner who is now CEO of Schnitzer Steel, recently plunked down $2.3 million (cash money, people) for a 4,800-square-foot Pearl District townhouse. So what did Carter get for his money? A two-car garage, a 1,300-bottle wine cellar and, best of all, thanks to a tax exemption for living in an historic structure, property taxes last year of $145.69 . And yes, that decimal point is in the right place. The tax bill's less than dinner for two at many Pearl District restaurants—how sweet it is!

Lousy circulation numbers may help explain why The Oregonian's felt a need to move to "high-definition Sundays ," the mid-September makeover much mocked by the paper's reporters. The O's Sunday circulation numbers for the six-month period ending Sept. 30 fell 2.5 percent, to 394,992 Sunday subscribers, a number below the 400,000-subscriber figure that triggers higher ad rates. Not that The Oregonian was alone in the decline: National numbers reported Monday by the Audit Bureau of Circulations showed only one of 17 large papers (The New York Times) gaining readers on Sundays.

Here's some history on Leo Besner, the Portland police officer who shot and killed a gun-wielding suicidal man last week in Northeast. Besner, an 11-year veteran, was involved in two recent cases of alleged misconduct that resulted in the city paying monetary settlements. According to WW's November 2004 review of tort claims filed against Portland cops, Besner also came in with the second-highest number of notices that threatened lawsuits for alleged misbehavior.

Portland-based Mercy Corps is sending 26,000 emergency survival blankets to Pakistan, where winter is coming and an estimated 3 million earthquake survivors lack shelter in the earthquake zone. Mercy Corps persuaded AMF Inc., the maker of the Heatsheets Two Person Emergency Survival Blanket, to sell the blankets at cost. That works out to a dollar apiece, including shipping (they cost $5 at REI). Mercy Corps, which already has 65 aid workers in Pakistan providing earthquake relief, says people can contribute to the effort by going to www.mercycorps.org.

^WEB-ONLY MURMUR!

The test results are in. And WW intern Toby Van Fleet, author of a recent story about Mensa testing ("Get Smart," WW, Oct. 26) can't join the club. We may think she's pretty smart, but it turns out Van Fleet didn't land in the top 2 percent of brainiacs who get invited to join Mensa. Van Fleet's rejection letter from Mensa did not indicate exactly how far short she fell, but we do know she can tie her shoes and whistle at the same time. And that's good enough for us.