Portland City Commissioner Amanda Fritz has sued two parties in the September death of her husband, Dr. Steven Fritz, in a crash on Interstate 5. Fritz is asking for $9.5 million, and released a statement to reporters last night that she recently learned the crash was not a “freak accident.” Fritz says an investigation revealed a Carson Oil tanker was driving too fast, and she’s hoping stiff penalties force the company to keep its drivers in check. “I never imagined our family would need to turn to the civil justice system to help hold wrongdoers accountable,” Fritz wrote.
Oregon law’s pretty terrible when it comes to letting localities go their own way. We can’t set our own minimum wage, and we’re prevented from enacting many of the strategies cities around the country have pursued to stop housing displacement (rent control, for instance). One thing we can try—with no real notion of how it’ll pan out—is putting policies into the region’s Comprehensive Plan for growth. So that’s what some groups are trying to do.
Careless parkers owe a collective $32.4 million in back fines, the Oregonian reports. The city could probably collect a big part of that if it took a tougher stance (parking boots!) on scofflaws, but that would disrupt the flow PBOT tries to instill in the city’s parking system.
It’s summer! And the parade of stories griping about the Willamette River’s transient boaters has dutifully begun on time.
Gov. Kate Brown’s first pledge upon becoming governor was to enact new ethics laws that would help prevent another Kitzhaber debacle. She’s succeeded, though supportive Republicans grumble her proposals don’t go far enough.
Sauvie Island residents are upset the Army Corps of Engineers is about to dump a bunch of river sediment off their shores. Meanwhile, the Port of Portland just won special permission to dump polluted sediment on West Hayden Island all it wants.
Hard not gnash one’s teeth at this profile of the Charleston church shooter. A friend of Dylann Roof’s tells the NYT he’d begun spitting racist venom and that ““all he would say was that he was planning to do something crazy.” Friends even took Roof’s gun away… then gave it back. THANKS.
Here are profiles of the nine victims in Wednesday’s massacre.
Roof has allegedly confessed, saying he was trying to start a race war. (I know. SHOCKING Fox News was off base with its “attacks on Christianity” theory!) And South Carolina, of course, is going to try to take his life.
One thing South Carolina isn’t going to do, apparently: Take the Confederate flag from its capitol. Take down that god damn Confederate flag already.
People are so upset that the pope’s getting real on climate change. Positively fuming.
I know, I know. Magic’s stupid and fake. But this guy’s scary good.
The confederate battle flag is treasonous.