Here's another last refuge for scoundrels this Fourth of July.

[June 28th, 2006] Local grocery chain New Seasons has pulled Dae Han Tofu from its shelves after reading in WW that the company's curd doesn't pack the punch it promises (see Rogue of the Week, WW, June 14, 2006). New Seasons CEO Brian Rohter says Dae Han owner Calvin Chun told him Dae Han would "use up the labels he had" before fixing the labeling violations that federal authorities found. Rohter directed his staff to sack the tofu but says Chun's products are welcome back when they get accurate labeling for things like protein counts.

Not everybody agrees with local TV news' summer forecast of increased teen violence based on what happened last week at Hollywood Bowl . Local TV stations reported that a fight inside the Northeast Portland bowling alley June 19 spilled outside, where swarming teens, some armed, vandalized property and couldn't be controlled by cops. (KOIN, for example, called it an "unruly" crowd that rivaled "Custer's Last Stand" for police). But a 32-year-old witness tells Murmurs that what she saw was alley staff berating kids for having a good time. That witness, Shannon Wiberg, says she saw no fighting and didn't observe anything inside the alley to warrant police presence. Portland Police spokesman Detective Paul Dolbey says only one teen was arrested and charged with rioting. Dolbey adds that there was no evidence of property damage .

Lars Larson censored? That's what "Radio Equalizer" Brian Maloney suggested recently on his media-watching blog, radioequalizer.blogspot.com. Maloney blogged that James Derby , program director for Larson's flagship station, KXL, asked Larson not to criticize a local hospital on air because it's a station advertiser. Derby allegedly said at a Talkers Magazine seminar June 10 in New York that Larson was prohibited from criticizing the hospital "after pressure from the sales department." Derby tells Murmurs that Maloney misinterpreted his comments and that "Lars was never censored." While Larson also denied being censored and called Maloney's blog "inaccurate," he also wouldn't reveal the name of the hospital to Murmurs.

Call me, Al: Who was that sitting next to former VP Al Gore at last month's Los Angeles premiere of the global-warming megahit An Inconvenient Truth? None other than Terry Bean, a Portland real-estate broker and investor who co-founded the Human Rights Campaign (the nation's largest gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender political org). Bean, one of Oregon's most high-powered fundraisers, joined Gore, Tipper and the kids for the May 16 premiere. And though Gore seems in a mindset to stay out of the 2008 race unless hell freezes over, Bean says he believes Gore would make a really good prez. Global cooling, anyone?

Devin Becerril, a 16-month-old boy from Milwaukie, needs a heart transplant. And thanks to local hard-rockers Zek, you can help with his family's devastating medical costs. After considerable legal wrangling, the family's insurance agreed to cover $500,000 of the expenses arising from the severe birth defects in Devin's heart. But the final bill may reach twice that amount. Zek will donate all proceeds from its July 7 show at the Ash St. Saloon (225 SW Ash St.) to the boy's family. Zek will hit the Ash St. stage at 9:30 pm; donation tables are open all night. Contributions can also be made into account #1852917203 at any Washington Mutual branch.

CORRECTION: In last week's story, "Medical Risk Involved," WW incorrectly reported the job status of Dr. Jeffrey Weinreb. His six-year term as chairman of the American College of Radiology's Commission on Quality and Safety ended last month, though he remains involved in various other ACR activities. WW regrets the error.

^WEB ONLY MURMURS

Familiarity doesn't always breed contempt. The troubled tram has a new PR person, David Gonzalez, who knows well the project's cost-overrun travails after working as operations manager for City Commissioner Sam Adams. Gonzalez will make $3,000 more a year as the tram spokesman than he did in Adams' office. But Gonzalez says he "fell in love" with the tram after doing media PR for it as part of his duties for Adams, who oversees the project as the city's transportation commissioner.