BOMB RACK

The Zoobombers met Wednesday, December 13, with representatives from Portland's Department of Transportation, the Regional Arts and Culture Council, and City Commissioner Sam Adams' office to finalize plans for a permanent storage rack for their miniature bikes. The rack was first suggested by Adams in October as a compromise, after the manager of upscale restaurant Aura—which is opposite where the 'Bombers had stored their pile of cycles—complained to Adams that it looked "junky" ["Bombs Away," News, Aug 24].

The Zoobombers are reluctant to discuss their plans until the project has been rubber stamped—fearing too much publicity could incite resistance where none currently exists, but an announcement of the rack's final design and site is expected shortly. MATT DAVIS

PARTY SWITCH

On Tuesday, December 12—as reported by the Bend Bulletin, and broadcast at BlueOregon— State Senator and former gubernatorial candidate Ben Westlund joined the Democratic Party. Westlund, formerly a Republican, ran for governor as an independent, before pulling out of the race and endorsing Democrat Ted Kulongoski.

"During the campaign it became very clear to me that I shared many more of the Democratic Party's values than the Republicans," Westlund told the Bend Bulletin. Indeed, Westlund sponsored SB1000—which would have created civil unions—in 2005, and pushed for universal healthcare during his bid for governor. AMY JENNIGES

TREE FIGHT

Micki Carrier, a resident of SW Portland's Maplewood neighborhood, is on a mission to save Portland's trees. Last August, she organized a tree funeral to protest a development's threat to neighborhood trees.

On Wednesday, December 13, Carrier booked time in front of the city council to broaden her agenda past Maplewood. She's planning to "encourage Portland to adopt more stringent practices that protect trees at construction sites," she says, by creating a "Tree Patrol" team to proactively check up on construction sites, rather than wait for complaints. She'd also like to see metal fences around trees in construction zones, instead of the current orange plastic mesh, which Carrier says are "worthless" to protect the tree's root zone.

"These efforts, combined with incentives and education, would save hundreds of trees each year," Carrier says. AJ