The Only Thing You Have To Fear Is This Column Itself.

[January 14th, 2009]

• Oregon AFL-CIO President Tom Chamberlain faces a labor complaint from Mari Anne Gest, a longtime political activist in Salem who filed a National Labor Relations Board complaint last month against the union boss. Gest worked in the AFL-CIO’s Salem office for three months beginning in April 2008 and alleges she was fired without cause the day after she had an informal grievance meeting with her own labor rep about the way Chamberlain treated her. Oregon AFL-CIO spokeswoman Elana Guiney calls the complaint “unsubstantiated.”

• Multnomah County Sheriff Bob Skipper has won some time in his fight to keep secret the 12,000 names of concealed-handgun permit holders. Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schrunk this week declined to consider a petition from WW to release the names, after Skipper refused to release them last month in response to a WW public-records request (see “Gunning for Secrecy,” WW, Dec. 24, 2008). A county attorney argued that Schrunk has no jurisdiction to hear the case and it should go before a circuit court judge. Schrunk agreed. We don’t.

• Hundreds of people, mostly over the age of 50, flooded a Portland Parks Rec meeting on Jan. 10 to talk about proposed cuts to the bureau’s budget. Two proposals fanning the flames of park lovers’ passion? A $25 increase in the $50 fee for community gardeners who rent plots from city parks. The other change irking the crowd? A cut in the 3 1/2 staff members who work specifically with senior citizens. The proposal would reduce that to 1 1/2 employees.

• Failed Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Steve Novick is keeping his name in the game. Multnomah County commissioners approved their designated successors on Jan. 8, and Novick was newly elected Commissioner Deborah Kafoury’s choice to replace her if Kafoury can’t complete her term. As for the other newbie commissioners: Diane McKeel chose Gresham real-estate agent Sue O’Halloran as her backup. And Judy Shiprack went with former state Rep. (and one-time county auditor candidate) Steve March.

• Made evening plans yet for the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade? How about dinner and an anti-abortion movie produced by 40 home-schooled students? A Tualatin screening of Come What May, a romantic drama about a college debater who argues to overturn Roe, has been organized by “a number of concerned people” and promoted by past WW cover boys/teen evangelical sensations Alex and Brett Harris (“New Kids in the Flock,” WW, June 18, 2008). The movie will be shown at Rolling Hills Community Church at 7 pm Thursday, Jan. 22.

• Four members of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals descended upon downtown streets last week as part of a national anti-fur campaign. Using copious amounts of fake blood and other press grabbers from the PETA arsenal, two “bloody” ladies in fur coats sprawled on the sidewalk outside Nordstrom with their high-heeled feet near a giant steel animal trap. PETA’s Nicole Matthews says the fur was donated by people who have had a “change of heart” about their purchase. See the WWire post for photos.