WINNERS 1. The kudos continues for Oregonian reporter Alex Pulaski and his series on the abysmal working and living conditions of migrant farmworkers. The current issue of media watchdog Brill's Content has labeled Pulaski a journalistic hero for his series, which has spurred legislative action in Salem. 2. When Tazo Tea agreed to be taken over by Starbucks last week, another Portland-based company lost its independence. But unlike that of other recent mergers, the rationale behind this one is easier to swallow. In one gulp, Tazo goes from being a tiny, if successful, niche player to part of one of the world's best marketing operations. 3. After seven months of nasty negotiations between the teachers union and Portland Public Schools, board members Ron Saxton and Marc Abrams and superintendent Ben Canada spent the holiday season quietly hammering out a new teachers contract with union boss Richard Garrett. Although details aren't public yet, both sides are now smiling.

LOSERS 1. A group of North Portlanders filed a lawsuit last week challenging the Multnomah County Commission's plan to build a jail at Bybee Lake. Even if the suit is unsuccessful, it will further delay construction of the long-awaited jail. 2. The University of Portland got slammed to mat last week when the City Council denied its request to expand beyond boundaries established in its 1994 Master Plan. To the delight of neighborhood activists, the council upheld an earlier decision by a hearings officer that essentially rejected UP's attempt to build additional parking and snap up adjacent lands. 3. Last year, North Portland businessman Ted Piccolo helped defeat the $475 million south-north light-rail ballot measure. So he was a bit ticked to hear that Metro councilors are interested in reviving the issue. Last week Piccolo launched a "What Part of 'No' Didn't They Understand?" campaign. Piccolo says he will personally raise $200,000 to unseat any incumbent Metro councilor who pushes for a new south-north line. Which councilor? Piccolo says he'll pick a name out of a hat. "It's totally arbitrary and unfair," says Piccolo, "but some things just stick in my craw."

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Willamette Week | originally published January 27, 1999