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Murmurs has learned that a Portland Fire and Rescue captain has been placed on administrative leave effective Wednesday, April 19, following
. The captain allegedly requested that pregnant and postpartum female firefighters provide him with pictures of themselves. Two sources have identified that captain as
. Fire Chief Dave Sprando declined to confirm that ID but did say he has placed an officer on leave and that the bureau takes allegations of workplace harassment "very seriously." An investigation led by the city's Human Resources office is continuing. Reached at home on Tuesday, Ennis declined to comment.
Asian Americans in Portland are blasting Adidas America for peddling what they consider racist sneakers. Produced as part of Portland-based Adidas' limited-edition "Yellow Series," the shoes bear an embroidered caricature of an Asian man reminiscent of R.F. Outcalt's The Yellow Kid, complete with slanted eyes, buckteeth and a bowl cut. John Kodachi, president of the Portland chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League, says the shoes are "racist, offensive and derogatory." Adidas' response: The shoes are a work of art not meant to be offensive, and graffiti artist Barry McGee, whose character appears on the shoes, is himself part Chinese.
There's an interesting twist in Portland police's search last week of two lingerie studios for evidence that the businesses serve as fronts for prostitution. A quick check of the state business registry shows the studios, Private Pleasures and Secret Rendezvous have a connection to Exotic magazine, a guide to Portland's escort services. One man, Bryan Bybee, runs all three operations. Bybee didn't return calls seeking comment.
One of U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith's aides will soon leave to begin work at Viacom Inc. But the aide, Keith Murphy, also continues working for the Oregon Republican on his bill seeking wider use of "broadcast flag" code in digital audio-video transmissions to restrict copying. The twist, notes the D.C. newspaper Legal Times, which first reported Murphy's exit, is that the Motion Picture Association of America (of which Viacom's Paramount Pictures is a member) is a leading proponent of broadcast flag technology. Smith spokesman Chris Matthews says there's no conflict because Viacom hasn't lobbied Smith on this bill. The campaign-finance website fecinfo.com shows Smith has received more than $122,000 from entertainment interests since 2001, including $12,000 from Viacom.
It's not quite in the tradition of Concord and Lexington, but state Rep. Jeff Kropf has been flying his own plane as part of a self-designated Minutemen group to spot Mexicans coming over the Arizona border. The intrepid Republican represents mostly rural parts of Linn and Marion counties. But he's better known to Portlanders for filling the air weekend mornings on 750 KXL with his conservative talk show. Kropf was still in transit back from spotting the southern invaders at press time. But his chief of staff, Agena Almero, says her boss "finds it incredibly frustrating" how illegals are breaking the law.
A clarification from last week's Murmur reporting that Multnomah County chair candidate Ted Wheeler netted $1,000 from the Trail Blazers. That's true, but the NBA's losingest team also ponied up $1,000 for Chair Diane Linn's re-election bid, despite her public butchering last summer of Coach Nate McMillan's last name.
WEB-ONLY MURMURS.
Oregon enviros are fuming at U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) for helping to kill breezes of support for the nation's first offshore wind farm 3,000 miles away in Massachusetts. The farm would provide about three-quarters of the power demand for Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. Smith was on a conference committee that added a provision to a Coast Guard appropriations bill that, if approved, would give the governor of Massachusetts the power to torpedo the project.
At a time when the cash-strapped Portland Public Schools system has more schools than it can afford to staff, one new charter school is running an ad in The Oregonian to find a home. The K-3 Portland Village School is seeking a spot for its 106 kids. And Gay Harris, who helped found the charter alternative school, says the ad in last Sunday's paper comes after months of searching for suitable classroom space. No word on how much the ad cost.
Got the $3-a-gallon gas blues yet? Perhaps you'll take an ounce of cheer in learning that a city task force to study local implications of the looming global energy crisis, known as peak oil, may be up and running within the next month. The group could issue recommendations to the Portland City Council by the end of the year. Last week, San Francisco's became the first U.S. city council to pass a resolution acknowledging peak oil's dangers and urging a plan to respond.
A civilian watchdog group in Portland known as Perverted Justice will now get paid to take center stage next month as part of Dateline's popular "To Catch a Predator" segments. The San Francisco Chronicle reported last week that the NBC TV program is paying more than $100,000 to members of Perverted Justice to create a pedophile sting operation. The group's members usually volunteer to pose as youngsters in Internet chat rooms in hopes of catching adult men seeking sex with kids. Jeopardizing the protection of "shield laws" and blurring the distinction between journalists, law enforcement and a paid agent of the media in one fell swoop? Priceless.
WWeek 2015