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Jesse "The Body" Ventura, Minnesota's new governor, is throwing his weight around in Oregon. Last year, a Minnesota man, David Allen Baker, fled the state for Oregon after being charged with criminal sexual conduct. He was apprehended here and since November has been in the Multnomah County Jail. On Feb. 8, the Body demanded the body. Ventura signed an extradition order asking the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office to turn over Baker to authorities in Minnesota, where he will be promptly pummeled...er, prosecuted. Such extradition orders are not unusual, but it is the first time law-enforcement officials have ever received one from a former pro-wrestler. State officials weren't about to stand up to the Body. On Feb. 22, Chip Lazenby, chief counsel for Gov. John "The Buckle" Kitzhaber, signed an order allowing the extradition to take place. Nor does Sheriff Dan "The Dome" Noelle have plans to stand in the Body's way, according to spokeswoman Barbara Simon. Baker, however, is thumbing his nose at Ventura and has vowed to fight the extradition. There is no word yet whether Baker plans to use the drop kick, sleeper hold or body slam in this grudge match. --Maureen O'Hagan Corpushefe-Weight Challenger After doing a little of his own hands-on research, Nor'Wester Beer Company president Steve Goebel realized his hefeweizen wasn't a contender in Portland-area pubs; in fact, it often wasn't available at all. So he decided to fight back. Goebel has secured the rights to self-distribute his draft beer (previously distributed by Maletis Beverage) in Multnomah, Washington and Yamhill counties. He plans to crack the hefeweizen market that is dominated by No. 1-selling Widmer Hefeweizen. And he'll do it by visiting each pub, keg in hand. "This is the old way to do things," he says. "I feel like a Fuller brush man." Goebel is not banking on the taste of his product alone: He will offer kegs of Nor'Wester HefeWeizen for $69--a cool $30 off the regular price and $26 less than a Widmer keg. In addition, if bars donate a portion of the price break to charity, Nor'Wester will publicize their largess on "table tents"--those ubiquitous cardboard beer promotions found in pub booths. Making substantial inroads into Widmer's virtual lock on the local hefeweizen market won't be an easy task, but after one day of hitting the pavement, Goebel has something to crow about. He says two restaurants, Hall Street Grill and Wildwood, have agreed to switch to Nor'Wester. --Jeff Alworth Consumer FraudsIt's no surprise that US West is under attack from consumers. But the latest "grass-roots" campaign looks more like AstroTurf. A recent letter mailed to 4,000 US West customers by a "consumer alliance" criticizing the phone company may have been bankrolled by a top competitor. The letter is the latest strike in the battle over who gets to provide what kind of phone service in the changing landscape of the telecommunications industry. Right now there's fierce competition in the Legislature between US West and rivals AT&T and MCI over changes in long-distance and local call rates. A Southeast Portland group called the Consumer Alliance for Advanced Telephone Services recently sent out letters and brochures that blast US West for giving its execs "exorbitant salary increases" and for "siphoning off profits from US West's Oregon operations to support questionable investments elsewhere." What the alliance's letters and brochures, humbly addressed from 4326 SE Woodstock Blvd., don't mention is how the group, which charges no membership fees, is financed. Consumer activist Bob Jenks suspects the money trail will lead to AT&T. The giant phone company's "consumer alliances" have been outed in New Mexico, South Dakota, Idaho, Ohio, New Jersey and Maryland. Jenks, executive director of the Citizens Utility Board, says that although his group has plenty of complaints with US West, it is not part of the mysterious coalition. "My assumption is that AT&T is involved," he says. "They're promoting an agenda that two groups have an incentive to push--consumer groups like CUB and competitors like AT&T. My assumption is that it is coming from them, because it's not coming from us." US West Vice-President Larry Huss says he's mad because the state Public Utilities Commission may have helped a competitor beat up on his company. Specifically, Huss is huffy because the PUC supplied the Consumer Alliance with the names and addresses of the 4,000 customers, who had lodged complaints against his company. The alliance, calling itself a "nonprofit, nonpartisan consumer and business advocacy group," mailed brochures to the disgruntled customers, asking them to "Join us now!" Huss says the disclosure made the customers "unwitting political tools in legislative deliberations." PUC spokesman Ron Karten says the commission was obliged to give up the information about the customers because it's public record, regardless of who's behind the alliance. "I suppose it might be some US West competitors. We have a sense that industry people are involved [in the consumer alliance], and that's all right," says Karten. "It could be customers as well. We just don't know." Paul Romain, a lobbyist for MCI, says he has no idea who's behind the group but is certain it's not MCI. "You might want to check with AT&T," he says. Laura Imeson, a lobbyist for AT&T, did not return WW's calls. Why, There Oughta Be a Law...HOUSE BILL 4007 * RELATING TO SPONTANEOUS NIGHTCAPS BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OREGON: (a) State-run liquor stores shall be required to extend business hours on Friday and Saturday nights until 11 pm. Extended hours on weeknights shall be allowed but not required. SECTION 2: Increased revenues to the state General Fund stemming from extended business hours shall be used for opening more liquor stores so that citizens are not forced to drive across half the city for a bottle of gin.
So far, there seems to be little chance. At issue is the Eagle Creek Timber sale, which borders the Salmon Huckleberry wilderness area south of Zigzag. The sale was purchased by Vanport through the controversial 1995 salvage rider. Over the past three years, the Oregon Natural Resources Council and other environmental groups have tried to convince the Forest Service to buy back the sale or swap it with another swath of timber. Hertrich cooperated by postponing cutting some of the most sensitive areas ("Tea for Trees," WW, July 8, 1998). "In this area where wilderness is being cut off from us, we need more, not less," says Regna Merritt of ONRC. "Eagle would be the most obvious addition." Last summer Merritt and others launched an unsuccessful public- Forest Service spokesman Glen Sachet, however, says there is no way his agency will kill the Vanport deal. "There's really nothing to consider on our part right now," he says. "Vanport has a contractual obligation there, and they have expressed their desire to fulfill it." Hertrich maintains that if the Forest Service will buy him out or give him an equivalent set of trees, he'll back off Eagle Creek. If not, he intends to complete logging on Eagle Creek and have the timber milled elsewhere. --Patty Wentz
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