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ALCOHOL WATCHDOG PUSHES BACK ON MERKLEY: Dr. Reginald Richardson, executive director of the Oregon Alcohol and Drug Policy Commission, fired off a letter last week urging U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) to drop his sponsorship of legislation that would allow the U.S. Postal Service to ship alcohol to people’s homes. Currently, only private shipping companies such as UPS and FedEx are allowed to ship beer, wine and spirits. For Oregon producers and consumers, that means less competition among shippers and less shipping capacity—and for the financially ailing Postal Service, less revenue. The proposal, which would generate an estimated $180 million a year in revenue, is a top priority for the American Postal Workers Union. In his letter, Richardson acknowledges the size and diversity of Oregon’s alcoholic beverage industry, but he wants Sen. Merkley to focus on the damage alcohol does. He notes that Oregon’s rate of substance abuse disorder ranks second in the nation, and he fears USPS shipping would make alcohol more available to children. “Alcohol harms cost Oregon $4.8 billion annually,” Richardson writes. “The amount of additional revenue to USPS simply can never equate to the economic cost of increasing access to alcohol.” Merkley acknowledged many Oregonians struggle with addiction and says it’s “imperative” to provide services for them. But he still plans to move forward with a bill he says will benefit Oregon businesses and provide greater transparency. “USPS, as a public agency, is more accountable and subject to government oversight than private shippers that are currently allowed to deliver alcohol while the USPS cannot,” Merkley said.
TWO SAFE REST VILLAGES INCH ALONG: Portland City Hall placed 65 tiny sleeping pods over the weekend at two of the city’s planned safe rest villages, a project spearheaded by Commissioner Dan Ryan. The two sites include a portion of the Jerome F. Sears Army Reserve Center in Multnomah Village and the 2300 block of Southwest Naito Parkway, which will serve as a relocation area for Queer Affinity Village residents displaced from the Central Eastside by development. The city used pods held in reserve by the Joint Office of Homeless Services and purchased by the county from Pallet Shelter of Everett, Wash., for $7,000 a pod. The city placed 35 pods at the Naito site and 30 at the Sears site. The Sears site is still awaiting project approval by the Federal Emergency Management Agency because the land was granted to the city by the feds in 2012 for emergency management.
UNIVERSITY OF PORTLAND BREAKS WITH TRADITION: Since its founding in 1901, the University of Portland has always had as its president a priest from the Order of the Holy Cross. But the Catholic university in North Portland pledged to cast a wider net in 2020 when its then-president, the Rev. Mark Poorman, retired. On April 26, UP announced it had followed through with its pledge, hiring Robert D. Kelly, a vice president at Loyola University Maryland, as its first president who is Black and not a priest. (Kelly is Catholic, however.) Kelly, who has a Ph.D. in education, previously worked at Union College, Loyola University Chicago, and Seattle University. “I walk in the footsteps of so many wonderful Holy Cross priests and brothers who have preceded me in their service on the Bluff,” Kelly said in a statement. “And I pledge to the congregation, and to all who call UP home, my commitment to ensuring that our Catholic, Holy Cross mission endures and thrives.”
THIRD OREGON CONGRESSMAN CONTRACTS COVID: U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) is the third member of Oregon’s congressional delegation to test positive for the coronavirus this month. Earlier this month, U.S. Reps. Earl Blumenauer and Peter DeFazio announced they had COVID-19. His office issued the following statement April 26: “As part of routine testing, Sen. Wyden tested positive today for COVID-19. He is fully vaccinated and experiencing minor symptoms. He is in Washington, D.C., and working from his residence while following CDC guidance to quarantine.” Wyden’s office said he last tested negative “right before” he was among the dignitaries greeting President Joe Biden at a Portland visit April 21. He does not know how he got it, but he is not considered a close contact of the president, says spokesman Hank Stern, nor does Wyden believe he exposed anyone.