Read 'em and weep.

[December 4th, 2002] WINNERS

1) Salmon may receive more protection if a federal judge grants a request from fishing and conservation groups to outlaw pesticides near salmon-bearing streams until the Environmental Protection Agency develops rules on how the chemicals can be used. The request comes on the heels of a court ruling in July that directed the EPA to ban all pesticides that could hurt endangered salmon.

2) No need to worry about the possibility of a shortened school year, as Portland kids will have a great new toy to occupy their free time. The city's latest piece of public art, a 13,000-pound bronze elephant, arrived from China last week and will be installed in the North Park Blocks on Dec. 14. The elephant, based on a Shang Dynasty wine pitcher, even has rounded edges for climbing.

3) Beach bums and luau lovers are that much closer to getting lei'd. Hawaiian Airlines now offers nonstop flights from Portland International Airport to Maui, so travelers can bypass Honolulu's tackiness and jet right to paradise. Aloha!

LOSERS

1) City Commissioner Dan Saltzman deserves credit for having the courage to pull the plug on the Water Bureau's beleaguered billing system last week, but ratepayers who absorbed tens of millions of dollars in extra costs for the bum software will now be on the hook for a new system.

2) Portland Public Schools needn't feel so bad--Beaverton schools are having a hard time finding a superintendent, too. Beaverton, which has cut $13.5 million from its budget and may have to cut $6 million more, has received only five applications for the position first advertised Oct. 15, prompting the school board to push the deadline back a month. Maybe Oregon's reputation for not funding its schools is getting around.

3) NW Natural honchos probably figured that their ratepayers would be too busy shopping to notice their request for a 6.6 percent rate increase last Friday: The city's largest locally controlled utility is looking to roll back about half of the 14 percent rate cut that went into effect just two months ago.