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WINNERS
1. Russian mobsters lurking in smoky Portland back
rooms hoisted a shot of Stoli and yelled a toast of "Na
zdorovje!" to the news that the FBI suspended an undercover
investigation into their operations in light of a recent
Oregon Supreme Court ruling.
2. Payback in C Major: The archdiocese of Portland
finally saw the light and settled lawsuits from 23 former
altar boys who alleged sexual abuse at the hands
of the Rev. Maurice Grammond between 1959 and 1986. The
settlement includes an apology from the archbishop, a task
force to examine child abuse involving archdiocese employees,
and undisclosed payments to each plaintiff.
3. U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden continues his march
out of Gordon Smith's shadow. Last week he squeezed $115
million in federal timber money for rural Oregon counties
out of Sen. Don Nickles, in spite of Nickles' long-standing
irritation at Wyden for defending assisted suicide.
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LOSERS
1. Pea-picking U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith got
his ears boxed by Gov. John Kitzhaber for remaining stone-silent
in the face of Measure 91, which would cost the state $1
billion a year in revenue and which the Wrangler-wearing
guv says the garment-girded senator opposes.
2. The summer's over for Northeast Portlanders
who basked in a delicious August survey showing falling
crime rates. Following a spate of recent shootings, last
week an unknown assailant shot four men in front of a liquor
store.
3. Timberrrrr! Congress ruffled the feathers of
owls and other arboreals by increasing the timber
harvest on federal land. By a 95-to-1 margin, the Senate
passed a bill permitting the Forest Service to sell 3.6
billion board feet next year--an increase of two-thirds.
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