What do John Lennon and Eliot spitzer have in common? Number 9, Number 9.

[March 12th, 2008]

»The FBI on Tuesday morning arrested international fugitive Jayant Patel , a.k.a. “Dr. Death,” at his Beaverton McMansion. The arrest came more than two years after Australia sought his extradition on charges ranging from manslaughter to fraud (“Dr. Death’s Doomsday,” WW, Feb. 15, 2006). Patel, an Indian-born U.S. citizen accused of a series of botched operations in rural Queensland, made in his initial court appearance and is scheduled for an extradition trial April 10 (see WWire for more). Why did his arrest take two years? “International arrest and extradition is not an easy process,” says FBI spokeswoman Beth Anne Steele.

»Truth-testing in the Warm Springs tribe’s effort to plunk a casino in the Columbia Gorge : Tribal spokesman Len Bergstein labels as “an outrageous lie” an ad in Sunday’s O that said “a Gorge casino complex the size of 60 Portland city blocks could destroy our national treasure.” Bergstein cites the source as Friends of the Gorge spokesman Michael Lang, telling KOIN-TV that the project covered about five city blocks. The truth, from a federal Environmental Impact Statement: The tribes will acquire 25 acres for the “casino and related entertainment facilities” and lease 35 adjacent acres for other uses such as parking. That’s 60 acres, which equals 65 Portland city blocks . Another dispute: A key criterion for federal approval is whether an off-rez casino is within “commuting distance.” Bergstein says it’s 37 miles from the tip of the rez to the casino. True…if you’re a bird. Lang says it’s a 109-mile drive each way from the town of Warm Springs, where most tribal members live, to the casino site. Bergstein says two shuttle stops will reduce those commutes to 83 and 69 miles, one way.

»Next up at City Council, one of the most controversial ordinances since the Mount Hood Freeway: Commissioner Randy Leonard ’s plan to ban the use of duct tape or spray paint to reserve sidewalk space at parades, like the Rose Parade. Leonard staffer Sara Petrocine says the office got between 150-175 emails, phone calls and letters regarding the ban, about 80 percent of them in favor. Leonard’s duct-tape proposal would punish violators with a $100 fine—or $500 for repeat offenders. Corporate representatives from Trust E. Duck in Avon, Ohio, were unavailable for comment. If you want to comment, Council takes up this monumental issue Wednesday, March 12, at 2:30 pm.

»Switch and bait? Local conservative talk-radio host Victoria Taft is urging Oregon Republican voters to switch parties and vote for U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) in the state’s May 20 presidential primary. Taft’s website, victoriataft.com, urges Republicans to become a “Dummocrat for a Day” to keep the race going so long that it hurts the eventual Democratic nominee. “I just want this to keep going on and on,” Taft tells Murmurs. “This is a wonderful meltdown.” Scott Moore, spokesman for the Oregon Secretary of State’s office, says switching is perfectly legal: “We don’t at any time ask them for their reasons,” Moore says. “Nor can we peek into their hearts to know if they are genuine.”

»A TriMet “Deep Throat” emails Murmurs to report that managers had technicians remove bulbs from MAX ticket machines Feb. 1 and 2 to hide flashing yellow lights that indicate outages. TriMet spokeswoman Mary Fetsch confirms, “Yes, we disabled the bulbs,” but says the move aims to avert MAX rider confusion. The lights don’t mean a machine is out of service but that it requires upcoming service. Meantime, from the “we’re checking up” department: Fetsch told WW last month that 80 to 85 percent of TriMet’s ticket-vending machines for MAX were working and the agency aimed to have at least 95 percent functional by March 1 (see “Maximum Hassle,” WW, Feb. 13, 2008). Well, March 1 has come and gone, so…TriMet is up to 92 percent, Fetsch says, and now expects to have the job done by mid-March.