Politicos of all political stripes held a press conference near the Vancouver, Washington, base of the I-5 bridge last Thursday, January 12, to discuss the one thing they could all agree on: Plans for the new Columbia River Crossing (CRC) bridge should be scrapped, in favor of a "smarter bridge." "Please stop the bleeding," said Metro Councilor Carl Hosticka. "It's a bad idea to keep spending over $1 million a month on a project that may never get built." Later in the week, the Irvington Community Association signed off on giving $1,000 to the legal effort to fight the bridge plan in federal court. SARAH MIRK

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A few weeks ago, the Portland Police Bureau humbly crowed at a community meeting that it had won Vancouver Avenue First Baptist Church's Coretta Scott King Award (which honors nonviolence) for its handling of Occupy Portland. But by the time the church's awards ceremony rolled around on Sunday, January 15, things had, let's say, changed. Accepting the award alongside the bureau? Occupy Portland. And the award itself? It was bumped down to a "citation for bridge building and hope," given merely "in the spirit" of Coretta Scott King. Turns out Occupy Portland, acting on a tip from Portland Copwatch, had decided to let Pastor Matt Hennessee know how non-nonviolent the police reaction had been: pepper spray, batons, etc. Fawn Aberson, a spokeswoman for the awards ceremony, confirmed the full-court press: "He took a look and said it was an award for both sides." DENIS C. THERIAULT