March 2000 March 1 | March 8 | March 15 | March 22 | March 29 back to Archives home Volume 26, issue 17, March 1, 2000 NEWS 500 Words Testing Negative: School report cards have attracted a lot of attention. A new book says they don't deserve it. Lead Beating the Odds: After dodging bullets in Old Town, David Walker looks back on coming of age amid urban violence. Politics Food Thoughts: As Gov. John Kitzhaber tries to figure out how Oregon became the hungriest state in the union, a soon-to-be-released report pins part of the blame on the state's top social service agency. Public Safety Seconds Helping: The county's ambulance provider wasn't living up to its 1995 contract. So commissioners "lowered the bar" to allow slower service in some neighborhoods. Politics The Letter of the Law: Controversy over a $1.18 million credit to an influential developer heats up, shedding light on a secret deal at City Hall. Labor PERS Snatching: Public pension fund managers want to sock away some cash for a rainy day. Public employee unions complain that it's coming at the expense of their members. Letters " In last week's story about the Police Accountability Campaign, in focusing on the disputes, Phil Dawdy left out the guiding principles that all those concerned agreed upon. " NewsBuzz Gallows Humor | Over the Hemp | No More Turning the Other Cheek | Art for the Saké of Art | Murmurs | Last Kvetch Call | Corrections Scoreboard This week's winner and losers Rogue of the Week PSU writer-in-residence Abu-Jaber discovered that seven of her letters to her ex-college advisor--along with a copy of her book personally inscribed to him--were advertised for sale on the Web site for a New England bookstore. LIFE Feature The Talk of the Town: When writer Susan Orlean returns to the scene of her publishing debut, a city's past becomes a prologue. Bias Cut Bag Lady: thrift stores Q & A George Taylor Shop Bite the Dust: moplike electrostatic cleaners. CULTURE Feature Slow La Tengo: The churning rock of Yo La Tengo comes down a notch or two on the amp as the threesome from Hoboken hit Portland for a sold-out show of quiet songs. We talk to co-founder Ira Kaplan about what's up with the alterna band most critics want to hug. The Nightcrawler Wet Tuesday Dinner Palace of Love Suey Chow's personals column Music Review Pleasure Is the Boss: New York City's Knoxville Girls stir country, soul and punk into high-octane hedonism. Preview Tacoma Tornado: Fire-voiced singer Neko Case has hometown pride in her veins, but she's ditching the Northwest to push the best damn country record in a long, long time. Allah's Math Under a Spell; D'Angelo's sophomore album Voodoo Daydream Nation High Fidel-ity: Ibrahim Ferrer and Rubén González – Live Recorded Music Reviews of three new releases Screen Review Bodily Harm: In his directorial debut, Tim Roth creates a disquieting work of horror that challenges our voyeuristic tendencies. Dish Review Cappuccino Shoots, Scores: World Cup Coffee & Tea roasts its own beans on-site and redefines the idea of what a coffeehouse is all about. Drink Idyl in the City Graze A rotating guide to restaurants we like. Miss Dish This week's food and drink events Words BiblioFile Reviews of three new books Volume 26, issue 18, March 8, 2000 NEWS Lead Taboo: A Portland newcomer has written the unspeakable: Blacks are genetically superior athletes. Business Board Bills: The city is grappling for a settlement in its fight with billboard companies--and it looks as if it will cost taxpayers a bundle. Law Can I Get a Ruling? The county court is hungry for judges, while the state lets it starve. Last week, Judge Nely Johnson issued a ruling on a jury verdict that had been on her desk for two and a half years. Politics Elephant Fever: Our intrepid political reporter watches state Republicans take the temperature of the party faithful at Dorchester and finds GOP moderates looking a bit peaked. Letters " Unfortunately, the column (Allah's Math) seems to be more of a weekly exercise in narcissism and self-aggrandization for its author. " NewsBuzz A Star is Cast | 'Nuff Daddy | Giant Sucking Sounds | Beers & Barbs | Eggers 4 Prez | Murmurs | Roll Your Own | Corrections Scoreboard This week's winner and losers Rogue of the Week Mr. Washington explained that he had visited Sammy's on a business trip in January and discovered that some "red sauce" on his chair got all over his dinner jacket and pants. But his heart-rending string of bad luck did not end there. LIFE Feature Habit Your Way: What to do when you become known as the one who picks her toes in public. Bias Cut Operation Careerwear Q & A Paula Begoun Shop The Smooth Tip: aftershave. CULTURE Feature Hello Kelly! With her addiction to "cute" and obsessive techno rabble-rousing, Kelly Newcomer is one artist you won't be able to resist. All this according to Kelly Newcomer, of course. The Nightcrawler Wet Tuesday Dinner Palace of Love Suey Chow's personals column Music Profile Zen and the Art of Folk Stardom: Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer, Portland's top folk duo, get tangled up in success. Music Obituary That Old Black Magic: Screamin' Jay Hawkins [1929-2000]: A rhythm and blues legend leaves a legacy of horny horror and mayhem. Allah's Math Hip-Hop and the NBA: Again and Again Daydream Nation Soul on Fire Screen Review/Interview Silent Screen: Jim Jarmusch talks about Ghost Dog, his latest genre experiment delving into exile in guyville. Dish Drink A Rum Thing to Do Graze A rotating guide to restaurants we like. Miss Dish This week's food and drink events Cheap Eats 2000 Willamette Week's guide to great cheap eats. Performance Stage Story A New Stage: Portland's theater scene is quickly becoming interesting and exciting. Believe it or not. Visual Art Review Take Me Down to Paradise City: PICA's first show presents a lot to ponder but not enough to feel. Volume 26, issue 19, March 15, 2000 NEWS Lead Powell's City Divided Urban Pulse Sunnyside Up: Tensions between neighbors and homeless advocates in Southeast Portland are being heightened by misinformation. Politics Ready, Aim, But Don't Fire : A rookie commissioner learns how hard it is to get rid of city employees--even ones who break the rules. Politics Smells Like Politics: A political newcomer in Southwest Portland uses a telephone poll to gather some mud. Letters " What the fuck is wrong with your music reviewers? " NewsBuzz Some Like It Hot (But Fish Don't) |Stringing Them Along | Will Race for Food | Party Crashing | Strength in Numbers | Murmurs | Corrections Scoreboard This week's winner and losers Rogue of the Week Our faith in the Air Force was again shaken this week with the release of a Pentagon report on the King-56 disaster, issued by Department of Defense Acting Inspector General Donald Mancuso. LIFE Feature Hair Raising: Stop hiding behind the brassy curtain of kitsch. Go out and buy yourself a real wig. Bias Cut Learn to be a Model... or just waste your money Q & A Marcie Macfarlane Shop Wonder Wear: boxers. CULTURE Feature Candid Camera: Documentarian Errol Morris brought us up close and personal with a pet cemetery, a town filled with self-amputees and an innocent death-row inmate. A retrospective at the Northwest Film Center lets you get cozy with his entire body of work. The Nightcrawler Walk Like an Egyptian Dinner Palace of Love Suey Chow's personals column Music Preview Don't Hate Her 'Cause She's Beautiful. Admit it: You hate her guts. You think she's a spoiled brat. But despite her reputation, we still love Fiona Apple. Preview Party of One Daydream Nation Irish Blitzkreig! Recorded Music Reviews of three new releases Screen Review (Not)Guilty Pleasure: Director Steven Soderbergh masters yet another genre and proves he's every actor's best friend with the smart Julia Roberts vehicle Erin Brockovich. Dish Review Mixed Use: Billy Reed's, Northeast Portland's newest addition in the redevelopment equation, is stimulation central. Drink Get Your Irish Up Graze A rotating guide to restaurants we like. Miss Dish This week's food and drink events Words BiblioFile Reviews of two new books Volume 26, issue 20, March 22, 2000 NEWS Lead S.O.B., Esq Urban Pulse Feeling the Pinch: Housing advocates want the city to spend more on shelter for those who've been left out of the economic boom. Politics POW! THWACK! THUMP!: The hottest political movie of the year ends before the sex scenes but has plenty of violence. Business A Tiff Over Planning: If diamonds are forever, then Portland simply doesn't have long to live, my dears. Just ask Tiffany & Co. Letters " I wish to point out that the cover story summary appearing on the front page of your March 15 issue contains two glaring inaccuracies regarding the employees of Powell's City of Books " NewsBuzz Natural Alliance |F for Filthy |The Big Omission| Miami Envy | The Bookworm's Turn | Murmurs Scoreboard This week's winner and losers Rogue of the Week This week's offenders, Sgts. Richard Barton and Bradford Bailey--and their bosses, Police Chief Mark Kroeker and Mayor Vera Katz. LIFE Dress My Pretty Pony (And Puppy Too) Q & A "The Rooster Lady" CULTURE Feature fReAKS And gEekS: On an otherwise dull March weekend, an underground group of Oregonians metaphorically came out of the closet. The Nightcrawler Takin' It to the Mat Dinner Palace of Love Suey Chow's personals column Music Scene Report Mouth By Mouthwest: We sent a pair of reporters to South by Southwest, the music industry's biggest blabfest. Hip-Hop Column Allah's Math: Whatever Happened to the Good Ol' Days? Daydream Nation The Great Texan Rock and Roll Obstacle Course. Recorded Music Reviews of three new releases Screen Review/Interview Dead Man Walking: Director Keith Gordon's Waking the Dead is a surprisingly empty and disappointing experience. Dish Review Mama Said KNOCK YOU OUT: Mother's Bistro offers all the home cooking you'd eat every day if you still lived at home or weren't so damn lazy. Drink The Green Fairy Flies Again Graze A rotating guide to restaurants we like. Performance Preview This Ain't No Fairy Tale: Portland Opera taps the creative minds of children for The Cunning Little Vixen, a dark tale of life and death. Dance Preview Oslund's Opus: For anyone interested in the state of regional dance, Mary Oslund's new work Volume 26, issue 21, March 29, 2000 NEWS Lead Properity's Preacher: Heaven really can wait. Former junkie Larry Huch has built one of the nation's fastest-growing churches with the promise of earthly rewards. Sports Can Sabonis Rebound?: It's not the center's aging knees or sprained foot that leave him most vulnerable to a Shaq attack. Letters "If the employees at Powell's want to run a bookstore, they should buy one. " :-/ NewsBuzz Scoreboard This week's winner and losers Rogue of the Week CULTURE Feature BRUCENESS On the Edge of Town: On the eve of Bruce Springsteen's long-awaited visit to Portland, we asked a simple question: What does the Boss mean to us? An homage to an American Hero. The Nightcrawler Shuffle My Way Dinner Palace of Love Suey Chow's personals column Music Interview Dark Side of the Moon: Luna's odes to life after dark have won over thousands of fans--but lost major-label execs. Hip-Hop Column Are You Ready for the Revolution? Daydream Nation Bad Napster! No Biscuit! Recorded Music Reviews of three new releases Screen Review To Klaus with Love: Werner Herzog's documentary about his favorite demon, Klaus Kinski, tells us as much about the director as his subject. Review Tops of the Pops: The top five reasons you should go see High Fidelity, Nick Hornby's novel- turned-John Cusack film. Dish Review TEA: The Other White Meat: A quirky new teahouse in the Pearl brews tasty leaves at a respectably slow pace. Drink The Green Fairy Flies Again Graze A rotating guide to restaurants we like. Performance Zesty Tango Preview Ave Maria: Astor Piazzolla's "nuevo tango" classic Maria de Buenos Aires is the most mysterious, soulful, elegant, decadent and sexy piece of music you'll discover this year. Stage Review Freak Noir: Sowelu unveils a new carnival of souls. Words Feature The Magical Mystery Tour: April Henry spends her mornings as a flack for Kaiser Permanente and her afternoons crafting fiction. Her latest mystery novel is sending her toward the fast track one lane at a time.