- The new fee Mayor Charlie Hales and City Commissioner Steve Novick want to levy against Portland homeowners and businesses will hit an unexpected target as well: other government agencies. As first reported here, Hales says he has personally called leaders at Portland Public Schools, Metro, the Port of Portland, and Oregon Health & Science University to tell them they should expect to pay the fee, as will public universities and other school districts inside city limits. PPS was surprised to learn its bill could be as high as $400,000 a year. Homeowners could pay as much as $12 a month, while businesses and government agencies would be charged based on the size of their properties and the traffic they generate. Hales and Novick will reveal their plan May 22, and the City Council could vote on it in early June.
- Dept. of Shameless Self-Promotion, 2014 Edition: WW won 13 first-place awards at the Society of Professional Journalists banquet May 17, including one for general excellence. WW scored two top prizes among alternative newspapers in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Alaska for stories published in 2013. Only half the results are in, but these are our first-place winners so far: Investigative reporting: Rachel Graham Cody, âExpel Checkâ (Sept. 25, 2013), rising discipline rates levied by Portland Public Schools against African-American students. Sports reporting: Aaron Mesh, Casey Jarman, Aaron Brown, Jonanna Widner and John Locanthi, âRip City vs. No Pityâ (Oct. 9, 2013), Portland Timbers and Portland Trail Blazers competing for fansâ love.
- WW also won the General Excellence prize and 10 first-place awards among Oregon and southwest Washington weekly newspapers, circulation 8,000-plus. Social issues reporting: Nigel Jaquiss, âNo Good Deedâ (July 17, 2013), the adoption of a troubled child. Profiles: Andrea Damewood, âWhack-a-Moleâ (Oct. 23, 2013), an activist accused of being an FBI informant. Government reporting: Damewood, âThe Woman Behind the Bridgeâ (Feb. 27, 2013), an adviser to Gov. John Kitzhaberâs lobbying for the Columbia River Crossing. Investigative reporting: Cody, âExpel Check.â Education reporting: Jaquiss, âFlunk Factoriesâ (Nov. 13, 2013), the truth behind Portland high schoolsâ graduation rates. Science and health reporting: Erin Fenner, âWho Wants to Save a Junkie?â (March 6, 2013), expanding use of a drug to resuscitate overdosed heroin users. Sports feature: staff, âSpoke Addictsâ (April 10, 2013), our 2013 bike issue. Photography: Evan Johnson, âCity of Bridgesâ (Oct. 2, 2013), a photo essay of Portlandâs bridges. Long feature: Matthew Singer, âThe Last of the Sad Bastardsâ (Oct. 16, 2013), a profile of Elliott Smith 10 years after his death. Arts reporting: Singer, âThe Last of the Sad Bastards.â Consumer and lifestyle: staff, âHook It to My Veinsâ (Dec. 4, 2013), our 2013 coffee issue.
WWeek 2015