The sister of Pfc. Thomas Tucker, the Madras soldier kidnapped and brutally killed last month by insurgents in Iraq, told Murmurs last week she thought her brother's slaying might have been retaliation for alleged atrocities by other U.S. military personnel in March. Tayva Tucker's suspicion may have been confirmed Tuesday when a group linked to al Qaeda claimed Tucker's murder was, in fact, revenge for other soldiers' alleged rape of an Iraqi woman and the alleged murder of her and her family. Tucker was stationed in Baghdad with the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division out of Fort Campbell, Ky. The first person to be implicated in the March rape and murder was formerly a soldier with the 101st Airborne Division. "They're from the same unit," U.S. Army spokesman Sheldon Smith said, also noting, "It happened in the same general area."

A Portland police officer with a history of sexual and physical aggression is up for a promotion to sergeant. Officer David Golliday was demoted from sergeant five years ago after another cop's fiancée accused him of grabbing her breasts and reaching up her skirt at a party ("Four Portland Cops Who Worry Us," WW, June 29, 2005). Making the list for promotion to sergeant means passing some tests, which Golliday has done; getting the job means he'll have to wow a board of lieutenants in an interview this week.

Former Oregon Secretary of State Phil Keisling combined old and new job skills in his attempt to qualify a ballot measure that would create nonpartisan political primaries. A policy wonk responsible for the state's innovative vote-by-mail system, Keisling stumped for the nonpartisan initiative like a veteran pol. But when it came to vetting the signatures needed to get the idea on the ballot, he used his high-tech exec contacts to outsource the creation of a database to India—believed to be another first in Oregon politics. He says the move eliminated hundreds of duplicate signatures. But he'll still need validation of more than eight out of 10 signatures—a very high bar—to qualify for the November ballot.

Remember the "public" yellow bikes scattered around town in the 1990s, free for anyone to "borrow" and take for a ride? A nonprofit picked up the tab for upkeep, while thieves picked up the bikes for themselves, eventually. Now some smartypants has come up with the ultimate riff: a yellow car. The car (right) was parked at Northwest 12th Avenue and Flanders Street for several days last week, with a leaflet attached welcoming any driver to take a spin. Observers, however, noted that the car appeared to be locked, with no keys in sight. Murmurs suspects our trickster calls himself or herself an artist.

In Remembering Garrett, U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith's new book about his son's depression and ultimate suicide, the Oregon Republican writes how the September 2003 tragedy led him to consider resigning and to bury "many personal ambitions." But that doesn't mean Smith won't run again. When the senator was asked about his political future on a recent taping of the public-affairs TV program Outlook Portland with Nick Fish, Smith said, "My intention, my every action is to run for re-election in 2008.'' The entire 30-minute interview with Smith can be seen at 6:30 am Sunday, July 16, on KWBP (Channel 3 on Comcast or Channel 32 in standard broadcast).

WEB ONLY MURMURS

Need to blow off some steam this weekend about the Iraq war? Head up to Fort Lewis, where the mother of a Eugene soldier arrested for refusing to redeploy to Iraq is organizing a rally at noon Saturday, July 15, outside the fort's gates. The base near Tacoma is where U.S. Army Spc. Suzanne Swift was taken after her arrest last month. Swift refused to redeploy, alleging she was sexually harassed by three of her commanding officers in Iraq and raped by one of them. Swift's supporters, including her mother, Sara Rich, want her to get an honorable discharge as well as all medical and veteran's benefits for her post-traumatic stress disorder. More details about the "Meet Me in Fort Lewis" demonstration, which falls on Swift's 22nd birthday, is at www.suzanneswift.org.

Portland's new "peak oil" task force will feature names familiar to avid WW readers. On the 11-member panel announced last week by Portland City Commissioner Dan Saltzman are former WW cover boy Randy White (see "My Name Is Randy, and I'm Addicted to Oil," WW, Feb. 22, 2006) and Flexcar director Bill Scott (the subject of last week's Q&A). The group's task: develop concrete recommendations to the city by early 2007 in response to an expected decline in global oil production and the looming rise in prices.

Independent gubernatorial candidate Ben Westlund must be hoping his new staff hire, Alisa Simmons, is overdue for some election success. Simmons has recently been both a political organizer and co-head of the political action committee for Basic Rights Oregon, which failed to stave off a statewide gay marriage ban in 2004. In the spring, Simmons was campaign manager for Multnomah County Chairwoman Diane Linn, who was trounced in her re-election bid.