Winners

1. Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (better known as PCUN), the labor group that works on behalf of Oregon's farmworkers, gained some ground on July 2 when board members of Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon voted overwhelmingly to continue supporting PCUN's boycott of local food packagers. The Rev. Anthony Thurston, the sole supporter of an EMO measure to abandon the boycott, resigned from the board after his proposal was bagged.

2.Commuter rail advocates scored a victory this week when the Southwest Washington Regional Transportation Council announced it will conduct a feasibility study for peak-hour service between Vancouver and Portland. Even better, commuters may soon get to test such service if local transit agencies approve a trial run while the Interstate Bridge closes for three weeks this fall.

3. Legislators made a last-minute decision to pack the Multnomah County courts with one new judge and five new referees (who mainly process misdemeanors like traffic infractions), giving presiding Judge Donald Londer the personnel he wants to keep the docket running smoothly.

Losers

1. Local library patrons were snubbed by the 1997 Legislature, which rejected their plea for $1.5 million to expand library hours and restore services cut due to recent voter-mandated property tax limits.

2. You can't blame Fourth of July revelers if their sense of patriotism was dampened a bit last week. During the city's downtown fireworks display, the sprinkler system in Waterfront Park went on, sending spectators scurrying to the sidewalks.

 3. Proving he's right at home among the Jail Blazers, 18-year-old Jermaine O'Neal failed to appear at a court hearing in Columbia, S.C., last week to face charges of disorderly conduct. The rookie forward's attorneys chalked it up to a misunderstanding.