Murmurs: York Sculptor Reveals Identity

YORK SCULPTOR REVEALS IDENTITY: The sculptor who surreptitiously installed a bust of York atop Mount Tabor in February has revealed his identity exclusively to WW. Todd McGrain is a onetime Guggenheim fellow who creates bronze sculptures in his Richmond neighborhood studio. McGrain, 60, is best known for enormous sculptures of extinct birds, installed in the places where they were last seen. In February, he built a bust of York, the only Black man in the Corps of Discovery, out of styrofoam painted bronze, and installed it on the pedestal where a statue of Oregonian editor Harvey Scott once stood. “It really just came to me, all at once: That’s where York belonged, on the top of Mount Tabor,” he tells WW. “That empty pedestal, to a sculptor, just looks like an invitation.” The installation was destroyed last month by a vandal. McGrain says he’s identifying himself now in order to offer to sculpt a permanent bronze bust of York for the site without pay for his time or effort. (The casting itself would require fundraising.) Read a full interview with McGrain at wweek.com.

COUNTY DEFUNDS WEEKEND JAIL PROGRAM: A popular, long-running Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office program called “Turn Self In,” which allows people to serve jail time on weekends in the courthouse rather than disrupting their lives with traditional incarceration, ends this week. It’s counterintuitive that the county would ax an alternative to incarceration, even as it reduces jail capacity. The county has slashed the number of available jail beds from 2,073 two decades ago to 1,039 this year. That reflects criminal justice reform and the county’s chronic financial difficulties. Sheriff Mike Reese says he didn’t want to end the program but needed the $280,000 it cost to balance his budget. “TSI is a valuable program that provided judges an alternative to traditional incarnation,” Reese says. “We also acknowledge the fiscal constraint on the county budget and the difficult decisions the chair and commissioners have to make.”

NIKE DELAYS RETURN TO CAMPUS: Sources tell WW that Nike, Oregon’s flagship company, has delayed requiring the part-time return of employees to its Beaverton campus due to the surge in Delta variant cases of COVID-19. The company initially set the return date for Sept. 1, but have since announced that date would be pushed forward. Workers at Nike, who spoke to WW on condition of anonymity, say the Beaverton sportswear giant has issued no announcement of a vaccine mandate for its employees. Nike did not respond to WW’s requests for comment. Its silence on the matter is particularly surprising in light of Intel, Oregon’s largest private employer, offering monetary bonuses to employees in August for getting the vaccine. On Aug. 30, the city of Portland announced a vaccine mandate for all city employees—one of only a handful of cities that have made such a move.

DEPUTY POLICE CHIEF DEPARTS FOR WISCONSIN: Portland Police Bureau Deputy Chief Chris Davis’ last day with the city of Portland is slated for Thursday, Sept. 2. Davis, who has worked for PPB for more than two decades, is heading to Wisconsin, where he will be chief of the Green Bay Police Department. Davis is one of 145 sworn officers to leave the Police Bureau since July 1, 2020, according to spokeswoman Terri Wallo Strauss. The departures include 87 retirements and 53 resignations. PPB announced Tuesday that Davis will be succeeded by Assistant Chief Mike Frome. Davis’ departure isn’t a surprise: As WW previously reported, he was one of four finalists vying to become chief of the Akron Police Department in June. Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell announced Davis’ departure July 29 on Twitter. “Chris has been a valued member of the PPB for almost 23 years, and he will be missed,” Lovell wrote. “His experience will be invaluable; Green Bay is gaining a dedicated public servant!” Davis did not respond by press deadline to WW’s request for comment.