Pissing off a dangerous demographic, the Oregonian sports section raised the ire of roller derby participants both locally and nationally when it chose not to cover their national championship.

Upset at the lack of news about the championship bouts, which filled the Portland Expo Center with 2,500 rabble-rousing fans each day from November 14 to 16, derby girls and their zealous fans fired off angry phone calls to the sports desk. The Oregonian sports section explained it currently covers only mainstream sports. 

"Perhaps the staff dismisses derby as nothing more than a bunch of roller-skating women in skirts. Skaters work very hard and are most dedicated to our sport," roller Shannon Givens (AKA Dita Von Squeeze from the Tacoma roller derby league) griped via email. In response to the complaints, the Oregonian posted a poll on its website, asking if roller derby should be in the sports section. The results, as of Tuesday afternoon: 85 votes no, 2,381 yes. SM

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A Portland cop shot and killed an aggressive pit bull Monday night, November 24, after officers were dispatched to SE 72nd and Crystal Springs Boulevard at 8:13 pm. By the time the officers arrived, two pit bulls had killed one dog and were in the process of attacking two other dogs. A second dog died as a result of the attacks, and a third dog was injured. An officer shot and killed one of the pit bulls as it charged him, according to the cops. The police bureau will review the officer's use of force to determine if it was within policy. MD