http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/index.php Portland and surrounding area community news and information http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=121027865275430700 Friday’s forecast: It’s raining Democratic presidential contenders. Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama both will make appearances Friday morning at separate invitation-only Portland-area events, discussing health care and technology issues. The events are not open to the general ... http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=121030370693633600 Metro-area voters will be asked to approve a $125 million bond measure to help fund the Oregon Zoo at the November general election. The elected Metro Council voted to place the measure on the ballot Thursday afternoon. Metro is the regional government charged with managing growth in most of the ... http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=121019794841419700 The executive director of the Oregon State Board of Nursing has files on 26 Oregon nurses who appear to have committed crimes. And Holly Mercer would like to hand those files over to criminal justice authorities – either district attorneys or police. But she can’t. The files are ... http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=121028481318913200 Food Front, the long-time Northwest Portland cooperative grocery store, is taking over the vacant Wild Oats space in the Hillsdale Shopping Center and expects to have its second store open there in August. Tom Mattox, Food Front spokesman, said Thursday that renovation of the 6,000-square-foot ... http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=121028180042008500 The opening of Portland’s first official day labor hire site, which was set for May 6, has now been delayed until June 16. For some opponents of the project, that’s not long enough. “It’s still ticks me off about the illegal aspect of it,” said Ernie Richmond, ... http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=121019797135917100 After years of heavily supporting Republican candidates and conservative causes, the Freres Lumber Co. of Eugene is throwing its support behind a Democratic candidate for attorney general, Greg Macpherson, with a $10,000 contribution. Meanwhile, after decades as a staunch Republican, crime ... http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=121019792633854200 Emily Kirkpatrick knows what little girls want. We’re talking very little girls, in the 5- to 7-year-old range usually. And maybe not all little girls, but, well, never mind about that. You want Cinderella? Kirkpatrick is Cinderella, in aquamarine strapless gown with blond hair bundled high. ... http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=121013432470049200 It’s official. We had a cold spring. George Miller, retired weather forecaster and author of books on local weather, has the numbers. Miller has kept records since 1993 of Gresham’s official temperature for monthly records of the National Weather Service and the Bonneville Power ... http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=121019784460617500 A Lake Oswego attorney has resigned from the Oregon State Bar rather than face discipline for allegedly mismanaging millions in client investments. Matthew D. Samwick, who practices law through the Oswego Law Group at 460 Fifth St., was under investigation by the Oregon State Bar for allegedly ... http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=121019975851718300 One thing that everyone should know about the influx of coyotes into Lake Oswego is this: You had better get used to them. As Capt. Mike Hammons of the Lake Oswego Police Department said, “They live here, we live here, we’re encroaching on their territory.” With that in mind, ... http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=121019876101454100 Four more men joined a lawsuit against the Lake Oswego School District on the grounds that former teacher Judd Johnson sexually abused them between the late 60s and early 80s, bringing the total filing to seven. The original three men filed suit back in February, seeking $2 million each for ... http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=121019854948811200 A development idea proposed in Old Town could plant seven stories of condominiums on the hillside between Furnace Street and the Willamette River, but residents there say they plan to stop it. On the table is a proposal made by developer John Tercek, who wants to demolish a single-family house at ... http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=121021267841951500 A trio of run-ins between coyotes and residents living near Durham Park has prompted a federal effort to try to catch, and kill, the offending canines. Three confrontations have triggered the effort, the latest last Thursday when a resident discovered his Dachshund had been snatched from his yard ... http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=121019090819810400 The vacant houses that litter the site of a future Wal-Mart in Cornelius will be demolished soon, but eager shoppers shouldn’t pull out their Visa cards just yet. There’s no set date for a groundbreaking on the project, and the store could open its doors as late as 2010. Wal-Mart ... http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=121013408949178400 On any given day, the crossroads of 223rd Avenue and Halsey Street in Fairview processes thousands of cars. Businesses located in the area reap the commercial harvest of trucks traveling north, south, east and west. Some business owners are concerned, however, about how they’ll fare when the ... http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=121019785571252900 Despite promising to cap their campaign spending, both Sho Dozono and Sam Adams are poised to break their self-proclaimed limits — and to blame their opponents for it. According to recent campaign finance reports, Dozono already has raised more than $21,000 over his self-declared $200,000 ... http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=121019787837184300 When Rob Hergenrader opened his Mocha Master coffee shop on Foster Road six years ago, he could tell some of his customers were hooked on meth. It wasn’t a very good neighborhood, Hergenrader recalled, with “a lot of meth and theft and graffiti.” But in the past couple of years, ... http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=121019790287115000 This month, when Oregonians cast their votes on a ballot measure intended to help law enforcement officials seize property from convicted criminals, few are likely to remember the issue’s controversial history. Events in Portland, and specifically the activities of a specialized unit of the ... http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=121019783411484900 Between fourth and eighth grades, Brittney Kestor says, she did little if any homework. She didn’t do it because she felt she didn’t have to. “They didn’t hold me back because my mom wouldn’t let them,” Kestor said. Now, the freshman at Southeast ... http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=121019803480719500 Must be a primary or something coming up, because Hillary Clinton’s here again. Yes, the same Hillary who several weeks ago knocked down a beer and a shot to demonstrate her solidarity with the Pennsylvania electorate. … So the question is: What’s she going to do to endear ... http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=121019799139895200 Beginning this week, the Portland Tribune has initiated a new era in Portland journalism by launching a more complete daily online newspaper at our Web site – www.portlandtribune.com. This effort will be accompanied by a single weekly print edition of the Tribune to be published each ... http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=121018050238758200 A plan to move the old Sauvie Island Bridge to downtown Portland is dead, a victim of higher gasoline prices and possible cuts in city transportation services. City Commissioner Sam Adams told reporters Wednesday morning that he was no longer confident that the bridge could be moved to the Pearl ... http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=121010661123766700 The supplemental draft environmental impact statement for the proposed light-rail line from Portland to Milwaukie has been released on Metro's Web site as the clock starts ticking on public comments. The report contains in-depth analysis of expected costs and impacts, including effects on traffic ... http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=121018631116985000 Portland’s City Council voted Wednesday morning to spend an additional $18.5 million to upgrade the city’s central computer system, pushing the price of the project from $31 million to $49.5 million. The vote was unanimous. Commissioner Dan Saltzman said he would not usually support ... http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=121004216353343800 Citing timing and events beyond their control, two Lake Oswego businessmen say they will not pursue signature gathering to place a Wood Village casino proposal before voters in the November election. Investment adviser Bruce Studer and lawyer Matt Rossman announced Friday, May 2, that they will ... http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=121011253015420500 A body that washed up on a Lincoln City area beach April 8 has been positively identified as that of Ross Barfuss, a 16-year-old Aloha youth. On Tuesday, May 6, the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office, along with the assistance of the Oregon State Police Forensic Services Division, made ... http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=120978242094766100 Some traditions never change — for instance, parades. Gateway’s upcoming May 17 Fun-O-Rama Parade and Community Fair dates back to 1951. And, aside from new faces, new businesses and a new generation of children, the basic concept is the same — a parade featuring scores of ...