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WINNERS
1. Portland City Commissioner Charlie Hales
appears to have dodged a bullet. Connie Hunt, the dynamic
president of the Central Eastside Industrial Council, was
seriously considering challenging Hales next year but is
reconsidering because of her husband's objections. Hunt,
a former neighborhood activist and co-owner of the East
Bank Saloon, had hoped to run a campaign reminiscent of
barkeep-turned-mayor Bud Clark's 1984 bid.
2. Lobbyist John "Darth" DiLorenzo showed
his mastery of Oregon politics after a weak-willed state
Senate voted June 8 to override the courts and let his client,
PGE, stick ratepayers with of an eye-popping $300 million
in phantom interest for the moribund Trojan Nuclear Power
Plant. Qui-Gon Jinn, help us!
3. Most kids don't take the SAT until their junior
year of high school. Lake Oswego eighth grader Vino Vasudevan
couldn't wait. She became the first 12-year-old ever to
score a perfect 1600 on the test. (The average score for
Portland juniors last year was 1045--and that was among
the nation's best.)
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LOSERS
1. Fresh off his victorious effort to pass charter
school legislation in Salem, Sen. Tom Hartung got
slammed to the mat by a tag team of Ben Canada and numerous
Jefferson High supporters, who unanimously panned Hartung's
plan to convert his alma mater to charter status.
2. As if concerns over decent housing, child care
and transportation weren't enough, the working poor
will now have to worry about getting sick. Republicans proposed
to slash $50 million from the Oregon Health Plan. The cuts
would cut off funding to 11,000 low-income Oregonians.
3. Late businessman Charles T. Parker (who
didn't play the saxophone) was dethroned this week by Al
Reser. The Beaverton lunch-meat king got the dubious honor
of having his name replace Parker's on Oregon State University's
football stadium after contributing $5 million. Contacted
by Ouija board, Parker commented, "That's a lot of baloney."
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