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Andy Wiederhorn's Empire Disappears
One of the final traces of the high-flying career of former Portland financier Andy Wiederhorn disappeared this week as Wiederhorn's mother, Peggy, surrendered her Southwest Portland condominium to foreclosure. Wiederhorn, who briefly made Wilshire Financial Services one of Portland's shining stars 15 years ago before serving time in federal prison after the company collapsed, has remade himself as CEO of the Los Angeles-based Fatburger chain. Wiederhorn says his mother has lived in Los Angeles for 20 years and decided to relinquish her unit in the Vista House condos rather than pay her share of building repairs. "It's a great building," Wiederhorn said in an email. "But the original design and construction defects have been a pain for the homeowners for years."
Irvington Students Boycott Oregon Trail Field Trip
Students at Irvington K-8 School in Northeast Portland won't attend an overnight field trip to study the lives of Oregon pioneers until the education agency that runs the program, the Multnomah Education Service District, revamps curriculum to include the perspectives of Native Americans. On Oct. 18, teachers and parents from Irvington met with MESD officials to complain that the Oregon Trail field trip offered to Portland Public Schools students emphasizes the lives of white settlers, with lessons on sewing and outdoor cooking, but offers no insight on Native American history or broken treaties with Pacific Northwest tribes. Students who previously attended the field trip appear in a YouTube video that describes the trip's shortcomings. "It's like giving someone an M&M that doesn't have all the chocolate in it," one girl complains about MESD's incomplete version of Oregon's history. "It's just wrong."
Wingard Defamation Lawsuit Can Go Forward
A defamation lawsuit filed by former state Rep. Matt Wingard (R-Wilsonville) against Oregon Right to Life and the Oregon Family Council over political mailers the groups paid for in the May primary cleared a key hurdle last week in Multnomah County Circuit Court. Judge Adrienne Nelson rejected the defendants' motion to throw out Wingard's complaint that the groups falsely characterized his relationship with a former legislative aide. "We're planning to appeal the judge's decision," says Oregon Right to Life executive director Gayle Atteberry.
Burning Man Supplies Sought for Homeless Camps
A Portland artist is gathering donations from Burning Man festivalgoers—seeking unwanted, old or damaged equipment in an effort to provide the homeless with supplies for winter. Noah Mickens, ringmaster for the performance group Wanderlust Circus, is giving the supplies to homeless camps like Right 2 Dream Too. He got the idea after helping campers who were cleared out of the Springwater Corridor in Southeast Portland last month. "Looking at all the tents and camp kitchens and bicycles, it reminded me of Burning Man or an encampment at the Oregon Country Fair," Mickens says.
Willamette Week