Murmurs: Ricketts for Perkins in Timbers Shocker

1. Diane Roark says she’s the victim of retaliation by the U.S. government for allegedly blowing the whistle on illegal wireless wiretapping by the Bush administration. Roark, a former House Intelligence Committee senior staffer, saw the feds raid her Stayton home in 2007, grabbing documents and her computer hard drive. Last week, she filed suit against the U.S. government to get her property back. In 2002, Roark tipped the U.S. Department of Defense’s inspector general to a failed National Security Agency program called Trailblazer, intended to detect terrorist plots from phone calls and emails. She’s also suspected of leaking information about NSA’s warrantless wiretaps to The New York Times, which revealed the activities in 2005. “I have absolutely no idea who [leaked the information],” she told Wired, which first reported her lawsuit. “My reputation has been completely smeared.”

1. For Portland footy fans, pride and shame. Pride in that five of seven goals in the U.S.-Canada Olympic women’s soccer semifinal Aug. 6 came from University of Portland alums. Canadian Christine Sinclair scored three; Megan Rapinoe added two for the U.S. in the Yanks’ 4-3 win…. Shame comes in the Portland Timbers’ inexplicable trade Aug. 7 of goalkeeper Troy Perkins, the backbone of the team. Perkins’ 66 saves this season have helped prevent Merritt Paulson’s woeful Timbers—next to worst in Major League Soccer standings—from even greater humiliation. In trade, the Timbers get Montreal Impact keeper Donovan Ricketts, who now inherits the lousy Timbers defensive players who allowed opponents to shell Perkins all season.

1. City Commissioner Amanda Fritz has forgiven a $50,000 loan she made to her campaign in her tough re-election fight against state Rep. Mary Nolan (D-Portland.) Add this to the $136,000 she spent directly from her own pocket in the primary. As WW reported last month, Fritz in June increased her $25 campaign contribution limits to $250. The new limits have brought in 24 donations totalling $5,750 to her campaign treasury.

1. The lineup for the inaugural Portland Digital eXperience is a doozy. The event, timed to coincide with WW’s MusicfestNW, includes some of the brightest digital minds in America: Flipboard CEO Evan Doll, Chirpify CEO and founder Chris Teso and Andrew McLaughlin, the executive vice president of Tumblr, whose job it once was to explain Twitter to President Obama. The list also includes musicians who have become digital avatars in their own right: John Stirratt, bassist for Wilco; and Maggie Vail, formerly of the Bangs and now founder of nonprofit CASH Music. For details about speakers and a kickass opening party, go to musicfestnw.com/pdx.

WWeek 2015