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WINNERS
1. It may have seemed like bad news for City Commissioner
Charlie Hales when the Portland Homebuilders Association,
his former employer, endorsed conservative gadfly Ted Piccolo
for Hales' City Council seat. In reality, Hales probably
breathed a sigh of relief: State Rep. Randy Leonard, a more
mainstream candidate, was pondering a run, but the homebuilders'
move signals that Leonard will stay put.
2. Prospects for Portland's finest brightened
when former LAPD honcho Mark Kroeker was sworn in as Portland's
43rd police chief. Kroeker, who promised to champion the
concerns of street cops, stood in sharp contrast to rival
Ronald Monroe, a career desk jockey from Washington, D.C.
3. Neighborhood associations won twice last
week. First, Bob Tiernan launched an initiative petition
for the 2000 election requiring group homes serving released
dangerous offenders to alert neighbors living within a third
of a mile of the homes. Then the City Council ordered group
homes to obtain "Good Neighbor Certificates" from neighborhood
associations.
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LOSERS
1. Bill Sizemore's ballot initiative would be a
double hit for the working poor. If it passes, not
only will they shoulder a higher percentage of the total
income-tax load, but the resulting $1 billion deficit would
force cuts in the Oregon Health Plan and other programs
serving the poor.
2. It was a bad week for salmon. First the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers came out against breaching
four Snake River dams. Then the National Marine Fisheries
Service gave the green light to dredging
the Columbia River.
3. The state Department of Corrections is
facing a budget crunch because nearly one in three prisoners--3,000
inmates--are infected with hepatitis C. Last week the DOC
agreed to treat infected inmates for up to one year, at
a cost of $15,000 each, if doctors think the inmate would
benefit.
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