With a red bandana holding his hair back, Todd Kurylowicz sat serenely in front of city council two weeks ago and read a quote from Dr. King: “Somehow this madness must stop; we must stop it now.” It was Wednesday morning, when citizens present three-minute issue statements to city council. For the past several months, […]
Phil Busse
Posted inNews
Sneaky As Ever
Task Force Oversight Conveniently Forgotten
The Joint Terrorism Task Force has been a mysterious force in Portland for years. But what concerns activists is the cooperative agreement allowing FBI agents to work hand in hand with Portland police officers with practically no oversight. No one–not even the mayor–really seems to know what the Task Force does, or who they are […]
Posted inMovies & TV
Slip Sliding Away
Touching The Void Makes Me Touch Myself!
Touching the Void dir. Macdonald Opens Fri Feb 6 Cinema 21 The biggest misconception about Touching the Void is that it is a climbing movie. Granted, the film is about two ice climbers who summit the west face of the Siula Grande in Peru. But it’s about climbing as much as Butch Cassidy and the […]
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Spinning Wheels
Portland Voted for Two New Skateparks– So What are They Doing with Our Money?
For 25,000 skateboarders in Portland, there are only two public skate parks. And, as local skaters will routinely tell you, they outnumber ballplayers, yet our city has over 190 baseball fields. Looking for a resolution to this disparity is Rod Wojtanik, the point person in the city’s ambitious plan for a network of skateboard parks […]
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Mississippi Whitewash
Are Business Owners Feeling a Backlash?
Late on Martin Luther King’s birthday, someone broke into several stores along North Mississippi. Although police have linked a rash of recent house break-ins in the area to junkies trying to score quick money, there was something different about these robberies. “It was orderly,” explained one of the storeowners. Phone lines were snipped and the […]
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The Disappearing Middle Ground
Who Won Last Week’s Cheney Protest?
Vice President Dick Cheney has rarely been seen in public over the past three years–and his fundraising appearance in Portland last Tuesday was no exception. Although about 100 protesters tromped through a soggy field adjacent to the Embassy Suites near the airport, they were not allowed to stand any closer than a football field’s length […]
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Who Are You Going to Sue?
The City is Awash in Lawsuits
The economy may still be sluggish in Oregon, but at least one sector of employment is doing well: Personal injury and civil rights attorneys. Over the past year, there have been several high-profile deaths. But now, as personal grief recedes, an epilogue to those stories is emerging–one that is more about retribution and financial reward. […]
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Kill Dave Matthews
Imbibe: Perhaps Too Generous?
Imbibe 2229 SE Hawthorne 239-4002 With plate glass windows looking out onto a semi-quiet stretch of Hawthorne, a sturdy, bordello-style bar, and a couple of pool tables, Imbibe manages to be both urbane and quaint. But with a TV playing sports and a background soundtrack of Dave Matthews, Paul Simon, and other songs lifted from […]
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More Answers, More Questions
Elliott Smith Investigation Gets Curiouser
As more details regarding the death of Elliott Smith emerge, the truth becomes murkier. Here are the facts so far: On October 21 at a few minutes past midnight, Smith’s live-in girlfriend, Jennifer Chiba, called 911 to report that the maudlin indie singer was bleeding from two chest wounds. She stated she pulled a knife […]
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Strong to the Finish
An Interview with Democratic Presidential Candidate Dennis Kucinich
In early December, Dennis Kucinich squared off in an ABC televised debate with nine other Democratic Party candidates. Ted Koppel, the debate’s moderator, started the evening off by asking about endorsements. Kucinich, a frank motormouth from Ohio, instantly jumped in, chastising Koppel for not talking about relevant issues like health care and foreign policy. Throughout […]
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From Worst To Worstest!
Katz Slices and Dices the City Budget
In July, at her state of the city speech, Mayor Katz promised a brighter future for the city. She spoke with optimism about the city’s resolve and ability to rebound from a stubborn economic downturn. With nearly one in 12 residents still out of work and an untold number grossly underemployed, Katz’s assurances were like […]
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More than a Suicide?
Investigation Into Elliott Smith’s Death Reopened
Over two months ago, Elliott Smith, the brooding folk-rock singer, was found dead in his Los Angeles apartment from two allegedly self-inflicted stab wounds. At the time, rumors quickly circulated as to whether the death was a suicide, a murder, or perhaps the result of a lovers’ quarrel–his girlfriend was reportedly the first person to […]