Mayor Sam Adams and Washington County Commissioner Tom Brian faced off over a hot and wonky issue on the night of Monday, December 14, during a live taping of Oregon Public Broadcasting's Think out Loud. Politicians are under pressure from developers to add land to the region's urban growth boundary, but Adams and anti-sprawl groups say adding land will damage Portland's much-lauded livability. Adams pointed out that there are 15,000 acres of vacant land currently zoned for development regionally, an area the size of Manhattan. "We should build on that first," said Adams. SARAH MIRK
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Video emerged this week of an altercation between a Pioneer Courthouse Square security guard and a skateboarder. The guard appears to be trying to strike the skateboarder across the face with a skateboard, after having been punched in the face. ["Rent-a-Cop Hits Kid with Skateboard," Blogtown, Dec 14]. This isn't the first time there have been questions raised about the so-called "hands-off" policies of various rent-a-cops working within the city limits ["Hands Off," News, Dec 4, 2008]. Parks Commissioner Nick Fish—who oversees the square and its contract with the security company—says Parks and Recreation will complete a thorough investigation, and that incident reports have been forwarded to the District Attorney's office. MATT DAVIS
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City Commissioner Randy Leonard passed the fire bureau's physical agility test on Monday, December 14, after a complaint about his climbing on the roof of the Marysville Elementary School without proper certification during a fire last month. Leonard completed a series of tests, including lifting an extension ladder twice, taking a 24-foot ladder up and down, twice, and running up five stories with a 50-foot hose. "I did it in seven minutes and one second," Leonard told the Mercury. "The most time you are allowed to take is eight minutes and two seconds." The test is "very tough," he added. "But honestly, if I'm on a fire scene doing the same kind of thing as the fire fighters, I need to be certified." MD
