Hot weather, hotter news.

[July 11th, 2007]

Portland hasn't seen the last of Zach Randolph. Traded to New York last month, Z-Bo must return before the Knicks' annual visit to the Rose Garden and just before the NBA season for one last embarrassment—his Oct. 22 trial date in Multnomah County Circuit Court. If the case doesn't settle, Randolph faces a $3 million civil lawsuit filed by a woman who alleges he sexually assaulted her last August. In the latest courtroom action, records show Randolph showed up 50 minutes late for a March 2 deposition and was ordered to pay $4,410 to the plaintiff's attorney, Glen McClendon, who'd already left, for the eight hours of time he blocked off for the meeting. McClendon's office declined to say whether Z-Bo showed him the money.

The Idaho woman who hit and killed 66-year-old cyclist Timothy O'Donnell on June 9 in rural Washington County had more than a suspended license in her past when the fatal accident occurred. As first reported at wweek.com, records show that six days before the fatal collision, Jennifer Knight on June 3 failed to yield onto U.S. Route 95 in Hayden, Idaho, and collided with another vehicle. The accident, which authorities attributed to Knight's inattentiveness, caused an estimated $5,300 worth of damage to both cars. As for the fatal accident in Oregon, Knight, 26, got a fine of $1,142 for three citations—but no jail time.

While the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down rulings letting school districts use race as a factor in assigning children to schools, Portland Public Schools are confronting racial segregation and racism in their own way. The district is hiring a consultant and a new administrator to tackle the problem. As the Portland Tribune has already reported, Glenn Singleton, co-author of Courageous Conversations about Race: A Field Guide for Achieving Equity in Schools, has visited Portland as a consultant for $16,000 to talk to educators about dismantling racial bias in classrooms. This summer, sources tell Murmurs, PPS also plans to hire a new human resources "diversity director," an administrative position with a slightly Love Boat -ish ring. Expected annual salary: between $89,434 and $112,431.

Refreshed after a three-week Italian vacation, city Commissioner Randy Leonard is ready to fire away at his next target: graffiti. In the next couple of weeks, Leonard plans to introduce an ordinance that requires stores to place spray paint behind the counter, much like ingredients commonly used to make meth. Leonard's proposal would require all buyers to show identification and would levy stiff fines on stores that don't comply. Leonard, who says such measures have worked in New York and San Francisco, knows his latest crusade will be unpopular with some. But he's unconcerned. "I hope we can rein in what I think is a growing epidemic," he says.

A mysterious MySpacer has created false MySpace accounts for Portland TV anchormen Steve Dunn (KATU-2) and Jeff Gianola (KOIN-6). As first reported at oregonmediainsiders.com, the phony accounts have Dunn and Gianola invading cyberspace to check on their kids or meet girls. Gianola says he's known about the false pages for three years and "finds humor" in them, though he dislikes the sham photos of his daughters. An offended Dunn says of the fakes, "It was very disturbing."