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WINNERS
1. Two of Portland's leading wackos--state Sen.
Thomas Wilde (above) and neighborhood activist Jack Peek--won
a victory for the NIMBY (not-in-my-backyard) movement
this week. Thanks to Wilde (who is scarier than any halfway
house), the Senate passed a bill that gives neighborhood
groups the power to exclude drug addicts, troubled youths
and ex-cons from rehab homes. If the House approves, the
bill will be referred to voters.
2. Under fire from Republican lawmakers and lefty
unionists, Michael Powell finally had reason to smile
when federal regulators ixnayed Barnes & Noble's planned
takeover of the nation's leading book wholesaler, Ingram
Book Group. Independent-bookstore owners feared the deal
would have wiped them out.
3. Women's hoops fans, left on the bench when the
Portland Power folded last year, have reason to cheer again.
The WNBA, the surviving women's league, tentatively awarded
a franchise to Portland for the season that begins in June
2000.
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LOSERS
1. We suspect it will all blow over, but for the
time being former fave Damon Stoudamire (below) is
in the doghouse with Blazers fans. Two days after publicly
griping over a lack of playing time, the starting guard
was greeted with taunts of "Mighty Mouth" by Rose Garden
faithful. And that was before the Spurs blew out
the Blazers in Games 3 and 4.
2. $499,417.81. That's what taxpayers lost
because the City of Portland insisted on fighting billboard
giant AK Media in a court battle that was more lopsided
than the Spurs' sweep of the Blazers. Legal experts said
the city couldn't enforce its content-based limits on billboards,
and this week Circuit Court Judge Michael Marcus agreed.
3. The City of Portland fared better in federal
court last week as U.S. District Court Judge Owen Panner
ruled that the city could require cable giant AT&T
to allow other Internet service providers access to AT&T's
cable lines. The ruling sets a precedent, allowing local
government to exert control over cable access, traditionally
the bailiwick of federal regulators.
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