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MINNEAPOLIS KILLING REVERBERATES IN PORTLAND: The killing of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis on Jan. 24 looks increasingly like a watershed moment for the nation, as backlash grows to President Donald Trump’s militarized crackdowns in cities that hinder his deportation campaign. The slaying was felt especially keenly in Portland, a city Trump had in his crosshairs only a month ago (“Big Show,” WW, Jan. 7). Over the weekend, protesters marched downtown and massed with renewed vigor at the South Portland facility of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; Portland police arrested four. Oregon’s top elected officials, all Democrats, condemned ICE’s actions. “When you think about it,” said U.S. Rep. Janelle Bynum (D-Ore.) at a Jan. 26 press conference, “we are sending our money to D.C. only to have it come back to us and be used to potentially kill us or stop us from utilizing our First Amendment rights. That is a reign of terror, plain and simple, and it’s unchecked.” The checkpoint could be in the U.S. Senate, where Oregon’s two senators are among the growing opposition to a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security. “As long as more funding for ICE is in the DHS bill,” Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) told WW, “I will vote against it.”
OHSU MULLS CHANGES TO FAMILY MEDICINE CLINIC: In what may be an effort to draw more revenue from a service not known for profitability, Oregon Health & Science University says it is considering whether to seek Federally Qualified Health Center status for its Scappoose family health clinic. FQHCs, as they are known, are safety-net providers that get enhanced reimbursement from the federal government for their outpatient care. They are also generally subject to more federal control. Many clinicians and residents at the Scappoose clinic have signed letters to leaders in recent months expressing wariness about the move, given the political climate at the federal level. OHSU, in a statement to WW, said it was committed to thoroughly evaluating the potential change with clinicians and staff. “Any final decision will be focused on our goal of expanding services—not limiting services—offered to the community,” the statement said, “including ensuring continued access to the full spectrum of reproductive health services.”
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS WEIGH PRESCHOOL FOR ALL RATES: As Multnomah County officials try to plot out the next decade of Preschool for All, the rates reimbursed to providers have come back into the spotlight. That spending affects financial modeling, and such politically dicey topics as indexing the tax to inflation. The bulk of county commissioners are keen to learn how financial choices will affect the program’s operations before making any decisions about the taxing mechanism. Two presentations on Jan. 27 showed providers are increasingly skeptical that the county’s current rates—$16,536 per seat for a six-hour day during the school year, and $23,592 for 10-hour seats during the calendar year—are sustainable long term. Much of the concern centers on inclusion support funding, or funding for young preschoolers with disabilities or developmental delays. Preschool providers told commissioners they are largely left guessing about the makeup of their enrollment ahead of the first day of school, and many have struggled with classrooms where, at times, more than 60% of children require additional support. (Providers said they’re not provided with advance information about their students, and thus are not always prepared to serve them.) The county’s inclusion funds are difficult to access and confusing to wade through, others said. Executive director Angie Garcia of Escuela Viva told commissioners: “Providers need lower ratios and the ability to fund additional staff when classrooms have additional high-need students, [and] hands-on practical training and consultation tied to the children they are actually serving.”
CITY CLUB SERIES TO FEATURE ALL 12 COUNCILORS: The City Club of Portland will host a four-part series of panel discussions this spring that features all 12 Portland city councilors in an interview-style format within their districts. WW City Hall reporter Sophie Peel will moderate all four events. The first—featuring District 3 councilors—will be held Wednesday, Feb. 4, at 6 pm at St. Philip Neri Catholic Church. The District 4 event begins at 6 pm on Feb. 17 at University Place Conference Center. The District 2 event is at the Alberta Rose Theatre on March 4, beginning at 6 pm. On March 10, the final event of the series, in District 1, takes place at Sokhom Tauch Community Center starting at 6:30 pm. Admission is free for all four events.
