News The saga of former Portland State University vice-provost Mike Burton is not over. Burton, a former longtime lawmaker and Metro chair, abruptly left the university last summer ahead of a damning audit, first reported in August by WW, that found he took an 11-day European junket on PSU's dime under highly questionable circumstances. Burton claimed he was going to attend professional conferences but ...   More

News Multnomah County Chief Deputy District Attorney Rod Underhill got the endorsement of the Multnomah County Prosecutors Association this week (not a huge surprise since most the group reports to him). Perhaps more usefully, the group also gave Underhill a $25,000 check. That check brought Underhill, who is current District Attorney Mike Schrunk's hand-picked successor, up to $111,000 raised so far. ...   More

News The first candidate to replace longtime Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schrunk has officially jumped into the race.Kellie Johnson, a disciplinary counsel at the Oregon State Bar who previously worked as a deputy in Schrunk's office, sent an email to potential supporters this morning saying she'll make the DA's office "a more active partner in taking on the public safety challenges we face ...   More

News With the news out that long-time Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schrunk is contemplating retirement, insiders have mentioned one interesting possible replacement: Lisa Naito.Naito was a deputy district attorney in Schrunk's office before going on to serve one term on the Metro Council, three terms in the Legislature and 10 years as a Multnomah County commissioner. She left the county board ...   More

News As reported in this week's Murmurs column, word in political circles is that longtime Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schrunk (pictured left) is considering stepping down after 30 years on the job.Sean Riddell, a former deputy for Schrunk who now heads the criminal division at the Oregon Department of Justice, is already gunning to take over the DA's office.But the lawyer often viewed as the ...   More

News African-American leaders from Portland this morning blasted City Hall and Portland police, calling for reforms at a rally in the wake of a Multnomah County grand jury's decision not to indict an officer involved in a fatal shooting. Nearly 100 people including religious leaders, former state lawmakers, political candidates and activists gathered on the steps on the downtown Justice Center. They ...   More

News Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schrunk just released a three-page letter that a six-person grand jury wrote him regarding the police shooting of 25-year-old Aaron Campbell. The grand jury's assessment of the Portland Police Bureau can only be described as devastating. The grand jury agreed unanimously on Tuesday that Officer Ronald Frashour did not break the law when he shot Campbell, ...   More

News Like clockwork each year, Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schrunk rides into battle against the county chair's office to fend off budget cuts in the DA's office. After 29 years in office and 10 straight years of shrinking county budgets, Schrunk is regarded as a quiet master at such fights. This year he's found allies in traditionally law-and-order-oriented East County with county Commissioner ...   More

News The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners this morning unanimously approved a $392 million general-fund budget that gives District Attorney Mike Schrunk greater flexibility in setting priorities for his office. The dust-up over Schrunk's budget has been the big county story in a year when the county had to cut $5.4 million from its general-fund budget, the 10th straight year of cuts. County ...   More

News Last week, Multnomah County Sheriff Dan Staton said the search for missing 7-year-old Kyron Horman has cost his office nearly $300,000. But if you want a more complete account of how much the five-week search and accompanying criminal investigation has cost cash-strapped Multnomah County, you have to include the District Attorney's Office. Last week, DA Mike Schrunk's staff reported (PDF) ...   More