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WINNERS
Ninth time's the charm? Although Portland voters have rejected overhauling the city's governing charter eight times since 1913, Mayor Tom Potter got the support he needed last week from Commissioner Sam Adams to ask again this May. The biggest proposed change: whether mayors should have more power at the expense of those nosy other elected council members.
Oregon prison inmates may be getting a menu break from green bologna and food that's marked "for bait fish only." Why? Because the feds are investigating allegations that might put Department of Corrections food buyer Fred Monem out of commission. The investigation is looking into whether Monem took kickbacks from food-service companies selling low-grade eats to Oregon's prison system.
If the Legislature doesn't OK $665 million for a new statewide radio system for public-safety officers, the terrorists may already have won! Sunday's Oregonian detailed skimpy due diligence on the proposed program, which would put contractors in a position to feed at the state treasury trough.
LOSERS
One last broken tram promise as the pods make their all-riders debut this week: The ticket price for Walt and Jean's passengers was set at $4 instead of the now-dead pledge that it would be the price of a two-zone TriMet ticket (currently $1.70).
Beer-loving breeders lost out when the Oregon Liquor Control Commission decided to ban minors from the summer Oregon Brewers Festival at Waterfront Park. The OLCC decision, first reported on BlueOregon.com, could also ruin the family-friendly fun for other beer and wine fests around the state.
Another blow for Portland's Rust Belt with news that Freightliner will lay off 800 employees and stop making its signature truck in Portland. This may be adiós for workers, whose jobs are unlikely to return: If and when demand picks up, the company is set to open a 1-million-square-foot plant in Mexico.
