In spite of a lack of widespread support, the mayor continues to push for a major league baseball stadium in town. After a season of lackluster crowds for the city’s minor league baseball team, Vera Katz had the gall to announce last week that a financing deal for a major league stadium was in the […]
Phil Busse
Posted inNews
Here’s Mud in Your Eye
Police Union Dumps Francesconi for Dirty Ads
The radio ad begins with the distant sound of gunshots. A voiceover begins to spin a story about a police officer who was excused from the force after roughing up a citizen. The voiceover continues to explain that this officer was then remarkably reinstated–only to shoot at a fleeing suspect 23 times a month later. […]
Posted inMovies & TV
Unfair, Unbalanced
Outfoxed vs. Rupert Murdoch
Outfoxed dir. Greenwald Opens Fri Aug 20 Clinton Street Theater President Ronald Reagan’s gift to American culture was spurring on legions of angry punk bands. Likewise, George W. Bush has served as a wicked anti-muse for independent documentary filmmakers. Of course there’s Michael Moore, but there’s also a rowdy group of filmmakers who have struck […]
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Campaign Games
It´s Less than 100 Days Until the Next Election–Do You Know Where Your Candidates Are?
In less than 100 days, we will elect a new mayor and new city council member. It’s the best chance in more than a decade to fundamentally change politics in Portland–but what have the candidates done to prove they’re the men for the job? After the primary election in mid-May, the field for mayor was […]
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Kopy Katz
Mayor’s Police Accountability Ordinance Looks Suspiciously Familiar
“You don’t empower any organization by telling them what to do,” said Mayor Vera Katz at last Wednesday morning’s city council meeting. The subject: the political hot potato of police accountability. Three weeks earlier, city council members Jim Francesconi and Randy Leonard had abruptly demanded an ordinance forcing the police chief to provide updates on […]
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Bad Lieutenant, Bad!
A Police Bureau Promotion for Portland’s “Most Rotten Cop”
Sgt. Mark Kruger has a bad reputation. At almost any given protest, activists point him out as the one to keep a wary eye on. While other officers stand guard, Kruger stalks the grounds like a prowling lion. Currently, Sgt. Kruger is perhaps the most notorious police officer on the city’s force. Wait… make that […]
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Not Just For Horses Anymore!
Is There a Future For Bike Polo?
You won’t see “bike polo” at this summer’s Olympics–not even as one of those obscure exhibition sports. And, you may not see it much longer here in Portland parks, one of the few places in the world where the sport is played. Starting two years ago, a group of local bike messengers picked up the […]
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MY, WHAT A BUSY “HIGHWAY 30” WEEK
ZZ Top Columbia Meadows (Hwy 30, 2 miles north of St. Helens), August 5, 8 pm Stock Car Races Columbia County Fairgrounds (turn left off Hwy 30 at the Safeway in St. Helens and follow signs for 1 mile), August 14 St. Helens American Music Fest Including Papa Salty, Watermelon Slim, Strat Daddies Reunion, August […]
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Dick Pops In and Out
The Elusive VP Returns to Portland Begging for Money
It was the very same remote field as six months ago. But this time around, the sun was shining. There were no standing puddles of mud and water; instead the grass was baked to a crisp. And, after negotiations with activists, the police had taken down an eight-foot high hurricane fence and replaced it with […]
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Young, Restless… and Fed Up!
Bureaucrats Pay Big Bucks to Learn What’s “Hip”
This is not a story about a young graphic artist who moved to Portland and watched her professional dreams blossom. This is not the story of a burgeoning fashion industry that is developing in spite of benign neglect from the city government. This is a story about a group of bureaucrats and business leaders who […]
Posted inUncategorized
Saint Bangs
Pasta Bangs Feeds the Community
Pasta Bangs 3950 N Mississippi 287-2782 Pasta Bangs has only been open for a month, but it’s already bustling with customers. The latest addition to North Mississippi, the small, yet airy bistro is shaped like a boxcar, a narrow storefront filled with comfortable booths and inviting atmosphere. The food, much like the interior design, is […]
Posted inNews
Who Elected Him Mayor Already?
With Police Accountability Proposal, Francesconi Steps on Katz’s Toes
The first email came on Thursday afternoon. It announced that city commissioner and mayoral hopeful Jim Francesconi was proposing a resolution calling for better police training and more diversity in hiring practices. Within two minutes, another email arrived. This time from Mayor Vera Katz, furious that Francesconi was trampling on her political turf. “This type […]