Murmurs

[December 4th, 2002] * Since 1977, Portland lawyer Allan Knappenberger has racked up 106 complaints, many by clients who felt neglected, cheated or abused. But he'd never faced serious discipline by the Oregon State Bar--until now. On Nov. 27, a disciplinary panel of the bar recommended suspending Knappenberger for at least three months, and up to a full year if he does not cooperate with bar-mandated psychological evaluation. Though the opinion has to be reviewed by the Oregon Supreme Court, Knappenberger can't be happy at the written comments of Alan Bacharach, the non-lawyer member of the panel. Knappenberger represents "a clear and present danger to the public," Bacharach wrote, adding that the lawyer "seems to have largely dismissed or mitigated the emotional, social and financial havoc that he has caused clients."

* Portland Family Entertainment, which has stiffed the city for nearly $600,000 in rent on PGE Park , apparently hasn't paid some former employees, either. Now some of them are attempting to recoup some shekels by hawking T-shirts , coffee mugs and other items emblazoned with the lament, "Portland Family Entertainment Owes Me Money Too! " To order (and all taxpayers should, since they are subsidizing PFE's tycoons), see www.cafepress.com/pfe.

* Fans of Ripe Catering and their family suppers should look for the darlings of the Portland culinary scene on CBS's Early Show later this month. Correspondent (and former Miss America) Debbye Turner recently came to town to film a family supper in progress.

* An anti-Semitic fan of the King? A rejected suitor of Catherine Deneuve? Or just somebody trying to stay warm? No one knows who set the fire that interrupted the matinees at Northeast Portland's Hollywood Theatre early Saturday evening. Employee John Afryl doused the flames in the emergency-exit stairwell while smoke billowed into the upstairs auditorium where Schmelvis was about to start. The 90 people watching 8 Women in another auditorium had to wait on the sidewalk until the fire department left before they could find out whodunit in the murder mystery-musical. The nonprofit theater is raising money to install a gate at the base of the stairwell in the 76-year-old National Historic Registry building, where there was a smaller fire earlier in the month.

* We know times are tough but.... Former Gov. Barbara Roberts was spotted at the Lloyd Center "everything is a buck" Dollar Store on the busiest shopping weekend of the year. Escorted by a couple of pals, she was loading up on holiday boxes and other Christmas goodies. What's next, John Kitzhaber digging through 501s at Buffalo Exchange?

* Sick and tired of headlines about how the poor are getting shafted by Oregon's budget crisis? Get off your chair and take to the streets. The Metropolitan Alliance for Common Good, a band of churches, unions and community groups, will stage a protest march from Buckman School to the St. Francis Church to "put a human face" on the victims of the Salem squeeze. Show up on at 10:45 am Saturday, Dec. 7, at Buckman School, 320 SE 16th Ave. For more details, call the Alliance at 235-6474, email oproject@hevanet.com or visit www.iafnw.com/portland.asp.