Gossip: safe at any speed.

[September 8th, 2004] * Did Secretary of State Bill Bradbury, a Democrat, use dirty tricks to keep independent prez hopeful Ralph Nader off the ballot? "Partisanship did not play into the Nader decision at all," says Bradbury spokeswoman Anne Martens of the finding that Nader recently came up just 218 signatures short of the 15,306 he needed for the ballot. Tell that to local prosecutor Norm Frink, who gathered a dozen voters' signatures but had some thrown out--not because they were invalid, but because Frink's signature at the bottom looked funny. "They didn't bother to check," says Frink. Naderite Greg Kafoury, who says Frink's case is one of a thousand, is challenging the decision in court. "His signature is good enough for a murder indictment," Kafoury says.

* For those who missed it, cruel and exacting Marthas judged the Table Setting competition at the Oregon State Fair, which ended Monday. Here are some of their comments:

* "Everything is clean with the exception of the tablecloth which I notice has a few black hairs on it. Are those rabbit hairs?"

* "According to your menu, you begin with your salad, but that plate is buried under your soup bowl."

* "I question whether or not you actually need a teaspoon during the entree course."

* "Your menu, although being very colorful and tropical, is a bit heavy in fruits."

* "I do not feel the Santa canister enhances the table at all."

* Multnomah County Sheriff Bernie Giusto's Sept. 15 confirmation hearing for a second term on the TriMet board will again be pushed back. Earlier, Sen. Vicki Walker, a downstate Democrat, had planned to question Giusto about what he knew about Gov. Neil Goldschmidt's behavior when Giusto served as the then-guv's security chief in the late '80s. Now, Senate Republicans have signaled their unhappiness with the nomination, leading to a second delay.

* Things look increasingly bad for defense lawyer Randy Ray Richardson, facing Portland's first witness-bribery indictment in 15 years ("Randy Richardson Was a Hotshot Criminal Defense Lawyer. Now He Needs One," WW, May 28, 2003). Last Friday his attorney, Larry Matasar, narrowly failed to persuade a judge to split the indictment into two separate bribery cases, which would have made them weaker. Meanwhile, the state bar is set to initiate a prosecution of its own, aimed at stripping Richardson of his license to practice law.

* Amid rumors that the solution to financially troubled PGE Park may be a wrecking ball (Rogue of the Week, WW, Sept. 1, 2004), some serious buyers for the Portland Beavers called on City Hall last week. The ownership group, including at least one local name, enjoys an advantage over several previous prospective buyers: It is advised by Art Savage, the owner of the Sacramento River Cats, whose average attendance is more than twice the Beavers'. (The drama doesn't seem to faze the players, who clinched a first Pacific Coast League playoff spot last week.)

* When Blazers fans return to Paul Allen's bankrupt Rose Garden this fall, they'll find a new alcohol regime in place. The arena's former booze watchdogs wore jackets that prominently proclaimed them "ALCOHOL MONITORS." Now, all the Garden's 100-plus ushers and other front-of-house staff have been trained to keep an eye on sousers. "This way, everyone in the place will be our eyes and ears," says a Garden spokesman. Could the move also be because loudly labeling suds snitches discouraged beer sales? Nah!