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Winners 1 Portland Teamster Tom Leedham, running against Jimmy Hoffa Jr. in the race for president of the union, got some good news last week when the feds put the election on hold. Hoffa is the front-runner, and the delay can only help Leedham, a relative unknown nationally. 2 Adding ex-KUFO morning guy Bill Prescott (he got bumped by Howard Stern) to KNRK's "Mike and Daria" morning show seemed kind of like expecting Jerry Springer and Rosie O'Donnell to co-host. If it was a contest, Prescott has won: Mike Chase has been fired in favor of the new kid. Chase, who's known for an aggressive interview style and raunchy pranks, says he's thinking about relocating his act. He doesn't understand how Prescott's more classic-rock style will play on the alternative station. "In the quest for ratings, they're not paying attention to their audience," he says. 3 More proof that the squawking NIMBY gets its way. Residents of Wilsonville celebrated last week when Gov. John Kitzhaber decided against siting a women's prison at Dammasch State Hospital. The site had been chosen by a prison-siting committee--twice--and the governor gave it his formal approval a year ago before caving in to pressure from residents of that growing city. |
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Losers 1 Not all news is good news. Despite propping up Portland as "one of the most civilized cities in the United States," an article in the Travel section of the Sunday New York Times hyping Portland as a "restaurant destination city" also dished out some biting criticism. Alongside the positive reviews of the Heathman, Higgins, Saucebox and Paley's Place, Cafe Azul got slammed for skimpy portions and high prices, Wildwood lost points for poor service and the food at Zefiro was criticized for needing more muscle and spice. 2 Eight PacifiCorp power plants were listed on a "100 worst polluters" list released by OSPIRG last week. The list came from EPA data on 559 coal plants that use a loophole to exceed federal emission levels. 3 When the Portland Teachers Association and the district adjourned contract talks for the summer last week, everybody in Portland lost. No new contract was agreed upon, and the existing contract expired June 30. Teachers can work next fall under the expired contract, but giving negotiators a two-month summer break is unacceptable given the crisis that occurred during the last contract negotiations. |
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