September 3rd, 2008
News That’s Pregnant When Teenagers Are, Too.1 comment
August 27th, 2008
Hope. Change. Capitalism. Barbed Wire.0 comments
August 20th, 2008
News That Will Never Accept A No. 2 Spot.3 comments
August 13th, 2008
Presented Without Tape Delay0 comments
August 6th, 2008
And the gold medal for sprinting from reporters goes to… John Edwards.2 comments
July 30th, 2008
Our weekly Olympian effort.3 comments
July 23rd, 2008
We still believe in Harvey Dent.0 comments
July 16th, 2008
News as hot as a driver-cyclist fight.1 comment
July 9th, 2008
We’re stronger than Madonna and Kabbalah.1 comment
July 2nd, 2008
Scoundrels seeking a refuge besides patriotism? You’re always welcome here.2 comments
![]() A FITTING SUIT: More fallout from this student protest. |
[June 18th, 2008]
• The popular Madison High counselor whose “involuntary transfer” to another school triggered a student walkout June 3 plans to sue Portland Public Schools and a Madison administrator, David Hamilton. Counselor David Colton ’s tort claim notice alleges Hamilton told about 200 students and 20 teachers in a meeting two days after the walkout that “I can’t tell you what Mr. Colton has done, but you need to know that there are things you don’t know about Mr. Colton’s actions.” Colton’s student supporters say their counselor was unfairly punished for helping them get around school policies that limit their course choices. PPS spokesman Matt Shelby said he could not comment on ongoing litigation.
• Multnomah County Commissioner Jeff Cogen has nearly sealed a deal to create the biggest solar-energy project in Oregon. The county Board of Commissioners is set to vote June 26 on a 20-year agreement with Maryland-based energy provider SunEdison LLC for a one-megawatt project that would put solar panels on the Multnomah Building, Juvenile Justice Center and the John B. Yeon building in outer East Portland. In exchange for the rooftop real estate, SunEdison would give the county discounted electricity, and the project would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 700 tons a year. Cogen says if the deal is jeopardized by the current halt in Oregon solar projects (see “Blocking Out the Sun,” WW, June 11, 2008), the county will fight for it at the state Public Utility Commission.
• Travel-increase projections being used to justify the need for a new Columbia River crossing (see “A Bridge Over the River Why?,” WW, May 21, 2008) may be moot, thanks to soaring fuel prices . Metro’s transportation demand model forecasting a 40 percent travel increase across the I-5 bridge between now and 2030 relies on AAA auto operating cost data that includes gas, tires and maintenance. That data has ranged between 11 and 13 cents per mile for years, and Metro’s Dick Walker says, “We assume vehicle operating costs to be stable over time.” Yet with gas at over $4 per gallon, the average vehicle operating cost doubles to about 25.3 cents per mile . Walker’s response? Two historical factors smooth operating cost spikes: New technology increases efficiency and gas demand drops. Time to get in line for a Prius?
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• The estimated 260 visitors who use TriMet to get around this week’s Towards Carfree Cities conference beat the transit agency’s proposed 25-cent fare hike taking effect in September. Here’s another fun fact for our carfree guests: TriMet aims to raise about $8.5 million from its fare increase. That will cover higher fuel costs if diesel stays at $4 a gallon. Lane Transit District in the Eugene area is also raising fares, but with a 15 percent service cut. Lane Transit spokesman Andy Vobora says, “You can raise fares, but that’s not going to solve the problem.” So is TriMet planning cuts, too? “That’s not what we want to do,” says TriMet spokeswoman Mary Fetsch. In other words, if gas keeps going up, save your bus fare—and buy some good sneakers.
• WEB-ONLY TRIMET SCUTTLEBUTT: At least somebody might get a free transit ride outside Fareless Square (besides streetcar riders who giggle each day over the absence of fare inspectors): Portland City Council last week endorsed a proposal from the Multnomah Youth Commission to provide free transit passes to students in grade 6 through 12. The kids' fares would be covered by state Business Energy Tax Credits, which contribute $2.3 million a year to a similar program in Eugene. But Portland's youth pass program is far from a done deal, especially with TriMet scrambling to cover high fuel prices. "We probably have more questions than answers [about the youth pass] right now," says TriMet's Fetsch.
RECENT COMMENTS ON “Meet The Press goes on. So do we.”
Silly watcher. The only way to "dump the honor system" is to hire a lot of new staff to check tickets. Tell us how to do that without raising rates.
Fernando,
You do it like they do it in every other transit system in the nation and the world. Fences and turnstyles. The retrofit will cost money, but no personnel required.
The Youth Pass is a great strategy to not only reduce the number of cars on the road but also to provide increased access to school, employment, social support, and leadership opportunities for youth....
Go Mr Colton....I realize that the notion that a public school counselor would actually try to get students the classes they need and want....that would be thinking outside the box, and if you check t...








