A Week's News, Hung Out To Dry.

[April 19th, 2006] WINNERS

The Oregonian's Rick Attig and Doug Bates have won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing. The presenters of journalism's top prize lauded the two Oregonian writers "for their persuasive, richly reported editorials on abuses inside" the Oregon State Hospital.

South Waterfront property developers got SoWasted celebrating another lucrative deal with the city. The City Council voted last week to give tentative approval to pour more city money into Portland's latest luxury neighborhood, including some sort of gondola thingy they call a tram.

Well, that didn't take long. Proponents of the public purchase of Portland General Electric warned that Enron would get the last laugh from a stock distribution that took effect last week. Sure enough, a hedge fund already owns more than 7 percent of the utility, proving that public-purchase advocates were right to worry about speculators snapping up stock.

Fish, fishermen and their enviro pals won when the state Public Utility Commission voted last week to end an 89-year water-wasting power subsidy that critics say contributed to the closure of Oregon's commercial salmon fishery (see "Fishy Politics," WW, April 12, 2006).

LOSERS

Some of Mayor Tom Potter's public promises seem to have the lifespan of a tsetse fly. One week after insisting he had Police Chief Derrick Foxworth's back, Potter put him on paid leave. That after Potter's vow in January to pass a school tax plan also went buh-bye. Back to "visioning," Mayor.

Those of us still wacky enough to believe in evolution may need to rethink, if a Republican wins the governor's race in November. GOP candidates Kevin Mannix and Jason Atkinson said at a debate last week that the state shouldn't mandate teaching evolution in schools. The third great GOP mind of the 18th century, candidate Ron Saxton, said he had nothing to say on the issue, though his campaign later told The Oregonian he's OK with the teaching of evolution. That's big of you, Ron.

Time for Oregon cougars to get right with God. A commission has approved a plan to unleash dogs on the cats, whose population has soared since voters banned cougar hunting with hounds in 1994.