Skip to main content
Apartment Owners Remove Roofs While Tenants Still Inside
Residents of an 18-unit St. Johns apartment complex received notices of a "no cause" eviction in early June after the building's new owners decided they wanted to renovate the property. Renters were given 90 days to leave. But owners Janos and Sara Bodnar didn't wait that long to start the work on the two-story building. Contractors ripped off the roofs, leaving tenants exposed to the rain. At least half a dozen tenants had to contend with water damage, including light fixtures that filled with rain. The upstairs had "2 feet of water," says Corey Smith, 44, who lives on the first floor, recalling the first time it rained with the roof off. "I was laying in bed. It was like I started getting peed on." Janos Bodnar declined to comment, directing WW to Capital Property Management Services, which manages the apartment and defended the owners' decisions. "The long-term goal in purchasing and renovating this apartment building is to elevate the quality of housing being offered," says Joe St. Onge, CPMS vice president. Two of the three buildings are still using tarps for roofs after the city issued a stop-work order in early September. The city's Bureau of Development Services threatened the owners with a $500 fine, according to the stop-work order posted at the building.
Scott Kveton's Legal Battle Takes Another Turn
In January, WW reported that former Urban Airship CEO Scott Kveton had filed an Oregon State Bar complaint against the lawyer who pursued rape and sexual assault allegations against him by a former girlfriend. (Kveton never faced criminal charges; civil suits were resolved out of court.) Now that lawyer, Scott Upham, has filed a defamation lawsuit against Kveton. The Sept. 2 suit stems from the pending bar complaint, which asserts that Upham attempted to extort Kveton, and from a comment Kveton posted on a subsequent story on OregonLive.com about the complaint. That comment has since been deleted. Upham seeks $10,000. "He continues to wreak havoc," Kveton says. "It's been very trying, but ultimately I'm looking forward to him paying all the attorney fees for this frivolous lawsuit." Upham did not respond to a request for comment.
Candidates Go Wild This Week
Couldn't score a $2,700 ticket to James Taylor's campaign concert for Hillary Clinton, held Oct. 3 at Portland tycoon Jordan Schnitzer's house? Here's another election-season entertainment option: Candidates Gone Wild, the WW-sponsored politics party and talent show featuring City Council candidates Steve Novick and Chloe Eudaly. The event is 7 pm Monday, Oct. 10, at Revolution Hall (1300 SE Stark St.). Tickets are $5 in advance, $10 at the door.
Willamette Week