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LEGISLATIVE CANDIDATE CAUGHT INFLATING RESUME: The Oregon Voters' Pamphlet statement for Lynnette Shaw, the Democratic nominee for House District 24, falsely claims she received a bachelor of science degree from the University of Minnesota. District 24 covers parts of Yamhill and Washington counties, where Shaw is challenging incumbent Rep. Ron Noble (R-McMinnville) in November. Lying in the Voters' Pamphlet is a class C felony. Shaw's campaign acknowledges Shaw overstated her credentials. "This was an unfortunate mistake," says Shaw's campaign manager, Dustin Daniel. "In Lynnette's primary race voter pamphlet statement, her education was correctly listed as having attended the University of Minnesota. Unfortunately, due to staff oversight, in her general election statement, her education was mistakenly changed."
CASINO COMPETITION RENEWED: Reversing course, the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde is seeking to develop a casino in Wood Village in east Multnomah County on property the tribe owns but had earlier decided to sell. The tribe, which operate the state's largest casino, Spirit Mountain, 71 miles southwest of Portland, faces increasing competition from online gambling; a new proposal by the Siletz tribe to open a casino in Salem; and, most recently, the expansion of the Cowlitz tribe's Ilani casino 26 miles north of Portland. The news was first reported by Smoke Signals, an independent tribal publication. The Grand Ronde faces a lengthy and difficult process to gain federal approval for the Wood Village casino since the property is not currently part of its trust lands and competing tribes will oppose it. Tribal spokeswoman Sara Thompson says the Grand Ronde will file its federal application in 2021. "Wood Village is an amazing location and the city is a great partner," Thompson says. "We look forward to continuing that relationship."
FEDERAL DEPUTY CONTROVERSY SIMMERS: Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell is the latest local official to say he was not aware Portland Police Bureau officers would remain federally deputies through the end of 2020 when he consented to their deputization on behalf of the city ahead of a Sept. 26 Proud Boys rally in Delta Park, according to bureau spokesman Derek Carmon. It remains unclear whether Lovell will formally withdraw consent from the agreement, or if that would affect U.S. Attorney for Oregon Billy Williams' assertion the deputizations remain in place through December. Mayor Ted Wheeler says neither he nor any other elected officials in the city were consulted before Lovell consented to federally deputize Portland police officers. "The problem is that the decision apparently lasts beyond the governor's stated emergency," Wheeler says. Ahead of the November election, the mayor plans to convene city, county, state and federal officials to create a contingency plan for mutual aid agreements. "Cities all across the United States are preparing to protect the public during what could be a time of unrest or unease or anxiety," Wheeler says. "And we need to do that here." His opponent in the November election, Sarah Iannarone, says the deputized officers should be pulled from street duty. "So long as an officer is only accountable to Donald Trump," Iannarone tells WW, "they should not be policing Portlanders."
REMEMBERING NICK FISH: The Portland City Council found an issue its five members could all agree on last week: their shared love and respect for the late Commissioner Nick Fish, who died in office in January from cancer. Sept. 30 would have been Fish's 62nd birthday, and the council both proclaimed that day to be Nick Fish Day in Portland and announced that a new, 75-unit affordable housing complex in the Gateway District will be named "The Nick Fish." The late commissioner devoted much of his nearly 12 years on the council to preserving and developing affordable housing. Joining the council session via Zoom, Fish's widow, Patricia Schechter, said: "Here to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for the kindness of people at City Hall."