Hot Jeff and Cold Beavers.

[March 12th, 2008]

Winners

1 The Democratic-nominee wannabes in the U.S. Senate race, hook-handed lawyer Steve Novick and clean-cut Oregon House Speaker Jeff Merkley , have been splitting hairs on the issues. Now they’re sharing gold stars. The powerful Oregon Education Association endorsed Novick on Saturday. Then Merkley nabbed an endorsement from the potent Service Employees International Union. Who gets the “most improved” award?

2 Portland mayoral candidate Sho Dozono has finally been certified as a publicly financed candidate, which means he gets nearly $160,000 in city cash pending an appeal from three other candidates (see WWire for more). Hizzoner, Mayor Tom Potter, also came out for Dozono. If Potter will drop a dime on Sam Adams, the commish-turned-mayoral candidate, that endorsement may mean something.

3 With or without Potter’s support, Jefferson High’s girls’ basketball team ended its undefeated season Saturday with a state 5A championship. The Lady Demos beat a gritty Hermiston team 67-58 in the title game. Meanwhile, Jeff’s boys try to win their own title in the 5A boys tourney this week.

4 Miracle on ice: The Portland Winter Hawks ended an epic losing streak (22 games) with a 4-3 win Saturday over rival Seattle (as fierce as the Soviets! Grr). Hold the confetti, though: The next night, the Hawks returned to form with a 6-2 loss to Tri-City.

Losers

1Margaret Seltzer of Eugene, a.k.a. Margaret B. Jones of the ’hood, was the latest memoirist to get caught making it all up—after the favorable reviews were printed, and her obligatory Powell’s appearance was scheduled. Don’t worry about Seltzer’s shattered literary career. She can always move to Portland and sign up for voter-owned elections.

2Shoulda stuck with dishwashing: After months of grumbling by some students (see “Kitchen Bitchin’,” WW, Dec. 12, 2007), Western Culinary Institute now faces a class-action lawsuit by ex-students who say the school misled them about all the money they’d make in the exciting, fast-paced world of food service.

3What in the name of Lonnie Shelton, Mark Radford, Ray Blume and Gary Payton has happened to OSU basketball? The Beavers finished an unprecedented winless Pac-10 season with their 18th straight loss. Memo to whoever gets hired as the new coach: Recruit anybody who knows the rules to horse.

4As much as the Score wholeheartedly approves of naughty nurses, this is going too far: The state Board of Nursing has let nurses who violated work probation—for things like blowing drug tests—keep their licenses, the Portland Tribune reports. Let’s keep drugs where they belong: in trace amounts throughout the water supply.