A grand jury has cleared the Portland police in the shooting of Keaton Otis, reports the Oregonian.

Earlier this month, police pulled over Otis who allegedly became confrontational with officers who Tased him. The Tasers seemed to have no affect, according to police, and Otis reached for a gun, shooting one officer who is recovering. Otis died shortly after from police gun fire. This is the third officer-involved shooting this year. All were cleared by grand juries.

Larry Matthews stands outside his eatery Yam Yam’s Southern Cooking and Barbecue Restaurant on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. It’s been called a drug front, a characterization he resists.

Jake Thomas
jthomas@portlandobserver.com

At Yam Yam’s Southern Cooking and Barbecue Restaurant on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard greasy plates full of chicken bones are stacked up in bins from the day’s lunch rush. The purple coat of paint on the building’s exterior looks brand new. Smells of barbecue and fried cat fish waft out of the kitchen as an episode of “Cops” quietly blares on the television set in the dining room.

From the looks of it, you’d never guess that it was branded as drug front last fall during a federal investigation that toppled a large cocaine distribution network.

Earlier this week, James Ray “Lonnie” Yoakum was sentenced to 13 years in prison for playing a central role in a $300,000-month Crips gang-affiliated cocaine trafficking ring. Federal investigators have claimed that Yam Yam’s laundered money for the operation, and law enforcement seized $60,000 from the eatery last fall during a raid.

In the aftermath, Larry Matthews, the owner of Yam Yam’s, has been shy about talking to the media. But in an interview with the Portland Observer, shortly after Yoakum was sentenced, he asserted that he has been a positive presence in Portland, his relationship with Yoakum has been overblown, and his restaurant has gotten a bad rap from “snitches” arrested in the sting who were angling for a lighter sentence. He also said that he’s staying in business.

Matthews, a 59-year-old transplant for Birmingham, Ala. whose accent remains strong, said he became friends with Yoakum playing dice in after-hours spots after moving to Portland in 1988. He said he employed Yoakum, whom he still considers a friend, as a cook from 2000 to 2002, and even lived next door to him in a duplex in north Portland. His closeness to Yoakum, said Matthews, has erroneously led law enforcement to believe he was involved in the drug ring.

However, Matthews insists he never knew Yoakum was a drug dealer.

“As far as me knowing, I couldn’t put my hands on the Bible and swear that he’s a drug dealer because I never bought any from him and I never sold him any, and that’s something I don’t do. I’m not a drug person; anybody in this community who know me knows that I don’t deal with drugs,” said Mathews.

Matthews said that drugs may have been dealt in his parking lot over the years, but added that the same is true of many businesses- and it’s something he can’t control.

In September, law enforcement agents raided Yam Yam’s and discovered $60,000 cash in a safe, which investigators claimed came from laundering drug money.

“Why am I not in jail?” said Mathews, who has not been indicted. “Why not arrest me if you can prove these allegations that you are bringing up against me?”

Matthews said that he usually keeps large sums of money on hand because of a sick cousin in Alabama he has attended to from time to time. He also claimed that the seized $60,000 was leftover from refinancing his business, and has recovered a portion of it from the IRS.

In October, the Oregonian reported that an IRS investigation found that he was laundering money and the $60,000 came from drug trafficking.

Calls to the U.S. Attorney’s office, which prosecuted this case, were not returned.

This week, the Oregonian reported that Matthews is $415,000 in default on the property, and it will be sold in June, if not paid.

Matthews, who has owned Yam Yam’s for 13 years, said that business tanked after the story broke in October, and had to lay off all of his employees and run the restaurant by himself. The drop in customers caused him to fall behind on payments, he claimed, but has worked out something with his lender and will keep the eatery open.

He also noted that his restaurant has been community oriented, helping out with fundraisers for high schools and other organizations, giving ex-cons a second chance with a job, and providing food at the annual Juneteenth celebration- an event that commemorates the abolition of slavery in the U.S.

“I’ve never been a thorn in the community,” he said.

Robbin Mayfield, associate pastor at Victory Outreach Church, said Matthews has allowed the use of his parking lot for car washes to benefit the church.

Donnie McPherson said Matthews donated money to Jefferson High School’s wrestling team, which he used to coach, in the late 1980s and 1990s.

Matthews added that not only will he not shut his doors, but has plans for a “new Yam Yam’s” that includes a liquor license, lottery games, more employees and additions to the menu. He said he’ll be open for Juneteenth, just like past years.

“Yam Yam’s will be here,” said Matthews. “I’m not going any place,”

Here’s Matthews in his own words:

Produced by Johnathan Little of Urban Vibe.

Yesterday, Portland Copwatch sent a letter to District Attorney Mike Schrunk raising concerns about the grand jury reviewing the police shooting Keaton Otis. The letter raised concerns that the DA would softball the officers involved in the shooting, and also brought up two court cases Copwatch felt was relevant to the case.

Here’s what Schrunk had to say in response:

Dan Handelman
Portland Copwatch

Thank you for your email of May 25. Be assured that the grand jury will
be instructed on all relevant Oregon law regarding the use of deadly
force, self-defense, and the defense of others. As to the cases you
cite, they are, of course, two among many that deal with these issues.
State v Oliphant, 347 Or 175 (2009), states basic principles of Oregon
law that would obviously be among those the grand jury would be informed
of. I am not sure I agree completely with your summary of Bryan v
McPherson, 590 F2d 767 (2008), and, in any event, it is only one of
many cases in this area.

You can also be assured that all relevant information gathered in the
course of the investigation will be presented to the grand jury and that
we will err on the side of inclusion rather than exclusion.

Very truly yours,

MDS

The Portland Development Commission voted yesterday to contribute $2 million to a Crisis Assessment and Treatment Center, a 16-bed center that will treat people with sub-acute mental health issues.

The center, which is a joint project with the City of Portland and Multnomah County, will be on the second floor of the David P. Hooper Detoxification Center on N. Williams Avenue.

The fraying of the social safety, on the state and federal levels, as well as several high profile deaths of mentally-fragile people by the police has heightened the urgency for the project.

The PDC funds will come out of the. Eastside Urban Renewal Area budget

Portland Copwatch is raising concerns about the grand jury slated to review an incident earlier this month where Keaton Otis, a black mentally-ill Portlander, was shot by police following a confrontation during a traffic stop.

“We’ve outlined to you several times in the past that we have concerns about officers never being charged with crimes for on-duty use of force, not even indictments for criminal negligence or manslaughter,” read the letter from Copwatch to District Attorney Mike Schrunk who will have a large hand in the jury proceedings.

The letter brings up two recent court cases that could prove to be relevant to this case. According to the police account of the shooting, Otis became verbally aggressive with officers after being pulled over in northeast Portland.

Officers Tased Otis twice, and here’s where Copwatch says things might get tricky. The letter references a fairly recent 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that limits the use of Tasers by police officers to incidents where a subject presents an immediate threat.

“From what little information we’ve heard in the media about this incident, it sounds as though Mr. Otis was not accused of having a weapon at the time officers tasered him, he was reportedly in one form or another not complying with their commands. Are you instructing the jury to consider this court ruling when considering criminal charges?” read the letter.

According to police the account, Otis then pulled a gun on officers and shot one in the leg. He was shot dead shortly afterward by police.

The letter references an Oregon Supreme Court decision that gives citizens the right to self-defense against police officers.

“Again, we do not advocate for violence against police–and we’re not even sure from witness testimony that we believe Mr. Otis used a gun against the officers. But if he did, isn’t it possible that, based on the other ruling, the overwhelming number of officers, and the fact that he was a young African American man suffering from mental health issues in a city where people in either one of those groups might reasonably fear for their lives at a police encounter, he had a right to self-defense?” read the letter.

We’ll have Schrunk’s response as soon as we get it.

Here’s the full text of the letter:

Portland Copwatch
(a project of Peace and Justice Works)
PO Box 42456
Portland, OR 97242
(503) 236-3065 (office)
(503) 321-5120 (incident report line)
copwatch@portlandcopwatch.org

http://www.portlandcopwatch.org

District Attorney Mike Schrunk
Multnomah County Courthouse
1021 S.W. Fourth Avenue, Room 600
Portland, OR 97204

May 25, 2010

District Attorney Schrunk

We are writing to you once again regarding the grand jury proceedings for an officer involved shooting in Portland, this time the shooting of Keaton Otis.

We’ve outlined to you several times in the past that we have concerns about officers never being charged with crimes for on-duty use of force, not even indictments for criminal negligence or manslaughter.

We raise the following concerns reminding you that we are part of a peace group, and we do not want to see anyone get shot, be they civilians or police officers, and that everyone’s goal in interactions with police should be for everyone to go home safe at night.

There are two recent court cases (both of which we wrote about in the May issue of our newsletter, the People’s Police Report) relevant to this case.

The first is the Ninth Circuit Court ruling in Bryan v. McPherson which, in essence, limited officers’ use of the Taser to instances in which a person poses an immediate threat. From what little information we’ve heard in the media about this incident, it sounds as though Mr. Otis was not accused of having a weapon at the time officers tasered him, he was reportedly in one form or another not complying with their commands. Are you instructing the jury to consider this court ruling when considering criminal charges?

The second is the Oregon Supreme Court ruling in State v. Oliphant, which boils down to a person’s right to self defense if they reasonably believe an officer is, or is about to, use excessive force against them. Again, we
do not advocate for violence against police–and we’re not even sure from witness testimony that we believe Mr. Otis used a gun against the officers. But if he did, isn’t it possible that, based on the other ruling, the overwhelming number of officers, and the fact that he was a young African American man suffering from mental health issues in a city where people in either one of those groups might reasonably fear for their lives at a police encounter, he had a right to self-defense?

We hope you present all of the facts, and all of this context to the grand jury. As we noted in the Aaron Campbell case, while you follow the questions that the grand jury asks, you also pick and choose what information to present to them.

We look forward to the outcome of the hearings and the publication of the transcripts, thanking you for working to release the transcripts in the Campbell and Jack Collins cases.

Sincerely,
Dan Handelman
Portland Copwatch

FBI statistics released Monday show crime falling in Oregon’s four largest cities.

Violent crime dropped in Portland, Eugene and Gresham in 2009 while it remained essentially unchanged in Salem.

Portland, Eugene and Salem all saw a large decline in property crime while it was up slightly in Gresham.

There were 19 murders in Portland last year, seven fewer than in 2008.

The drop in crime rates follows a national trend, with the FBI saying the violent crime rate in the United States has gone down three years in a row. The property crime rate has fallen for seven consecutive years.

The statistics released Monday are only preliminary. Final figures are due this fall.

Gov. Ted Kulongoski has ordered across-the-board cuts in state spending to make up for a jolt of bad budget news for Oregon.

Kulongoski said Tuesday that state spending will be trimmed 9 percent for the rest of the current budget period.

The governor ordered the cuts after state economists said their revenue forecast had fallen by $500 million.

The shortfall was attributed to greater job losses and lower personal income than expected last year.

The budget for the Oregon Department of Human Services reportedly will be cut by $154 million. State police funds will be cut by $10 million. The Department of Corrections will get $50 million less. And the budget for the Department of Education is being sliced by $252 million.

As part of ongoing efforts to improve the safety of bus operations, TriMet is changing the way the Line 6-Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. bus comes off the Hawthorne Bridge onto Southeast Grand Avenue, as well as making changes to all courtesy stop/night stop procedures.

Currently, vehicles traveling eastbound over the Hawthorne Bridge use a slip lane to veer left onto Grand before the signalized intersection at Grand. Line 6 buses used the slip lane and then merged to the right over four lanes in a space of just under 400 feet.

TriMet requested that the city of Portland change striping at the signalized intersection at Grand. This change means that buses will no longer use the slip lane and instead turn left at the intersection and turn directly into the far right travel lane. This eliminates multiple lane changes in that busy area.

The mass-transit agency is also making changes to its procedures for courtesy stop/Night Stop, where a rider asks the bus driver to make an unscheduled stop.

TriMet will no longer allow non-designated stops in blocks in which a bus makes a left hand turn. In areas without standard city blocks, a minimum of 100 feet between the stop and the intersection is required for each lane change proceeding the left turn.

The changes are in addition to a comprehensive safety review that was ordered after a TriMet bus turning left hit five pedestrians at a downtown intersection, killing two people.

Jake Thomas
jthomas@portlandobserver.com

A community advisory panel gave the green light last week to expand urban renewal in north and northeast Portland. It also expressed support for two measures meant to mitigate gentrification in the area, while delaying to weigh in on a proposal to redevelop the Rose Quarter.

In August, the Portland Development Commission, the city’s economic development arm, assembled a Community Advisory Committee of over 20 citizens, representing various interests, to evaluate the North/Northeast Economic Development Initiative, a proposal to broaden the use of urban renewal in the region.

Meeting about once a month, the committee heard about the nuts and bolts of urban renewal, the historic effects of the controversial economic tool, how residents of the area felt about it, and what it could do for the region.

The committee voted overwhelming to expand the Oregon Convention Center and the Interstate Corridor urban renewal areas to encompass the St. Johns Town Center as well as properties along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Alberta, Killingsworth, Lombard streets. It also voted to prioritize funding for the “Gem List,” a $70 million series of projects in the Interstate Corridor Urban Renewal Area,

The public comment period that preceded the vote revealed strong community support for the expansion of urban renewal, with several chairs of neighborhood association in north and northeast Portland speaking in favor of it

“People are coming to see this process is a necessary and intentional one,” said Chris Duffy, the chair of the Arbor Lodge Neighborhood Association.

Duffy told the Portland Observer after the meeting that residents were beginning to see urban renewal as a being as essential as city planning and a key tool to properly direct the rapid economic growth of the area.

During the meeting, Sarah Carlin Ames, representing Portland Public Schools on the committee, asked Roslyn Hill, a prominent developer on Alberta Street and committee member, for a clarification of why that street needed urban renewal when it appears to have no shortage of “chi-chi boutiques.”

Hill explained that development on the once crime-ridden street has been uneven, with many lots left vacant, and some businesses sorely lacking capital.

“It has certain areas that will never be done [without urban renewal],” said Hill.

However, support isn’t unanimous. The Eliot Neighborhood Association has come out against expanding any urban renewal district into residential areas, citing how it has historically displaced residents.

Paige Coleman, the executive director of the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods and member of the committee, held a series of meetings on the expansion of urban renewal earlier this year, and found that many residents felt that it yielded too few tangible benefits and the process itself was murky.

Coleman, who abstained from voting on the expansions under direction from her organization, brought a letter from the coalition that argued that expanding urban renewal should be put on hold until the PDC could prove that the Interstate Corridor Urban Renewal Area accomplished its original objectives.

The committee also delayed voting on an urban renewal area for the Rose Quarter until November, which has proven to be more complicated.

Last year, Mayor Sam Adams has made redevelopment of the area around Memorial Coliseum a priority, and assembled the Rose Quarter Stakeholder Advisory Committee to review ideas for it. In March, the committee, chaired by Adams, whittled the long list of proposals down to three, including the Portland Trail Blazers’ JumpTown entertainment district.

But action on the Rose Quarter has been delayed, after one of the project sponsors, Doug Obletz, raised strong concerns about the process. He’s pointed out that the city has an agreement with Portland Arena Management, a company with ties to the Blazers, that effectively gives it veto power over the fate of the Rose Quarter. Redevelopment of the area has come to standstill.

The committee also voted to support two proposals aimed at easing the social impact of urban renewal, which has been criticized for causing property values to soar and longtime residents to leave.

Roy Jay, a businessman and committee member who heads the African American Chamber of Commerce, has been steadily building support for a Community Development Agreement, which would direct one percent of all gross revenues generated in the Rose Quarter to community organizations.

Jay, speaking before the committee, wanted to make sure that his idea was strongly incorporated into any deal approving a Rose Quarter urban renewal area and included legally-binding language.

“It’s got to be enforceable. It can’t be a recommendation,” said Jay.

The committee voted to request that the Rose Quarter Stakeholder Advisory Committee require that there be a legal obligation to the benefits agreement in any redevelopment deal for the Rose Quarter.

It also expressed support for a community-based housing advocate program run by the Portland Housing Bureau that would assist vulnerable homeowners in north and northeast. It also called for ongoing investments in the area to prevent displacement of established residents.

The committee’s recommendations will be reviewed by the Portland Planning Commission before being sent to City Council, which will give them final approval sometime next spring.

Local leaders promoting the construction of a memorial at Lone Fir Cemetery in southeast Portland stand next to ‘Block 14’ where discriminated Chinese immigrants and mental health patients in the late 1800s and early part of the 20th Century were buried and forgotten.

Jake Thomas
jthomas@portlandobserver.com

A new effort by a coalition of civic organizations and government officials want to make sure that the lives of two previously marginalized groups aren’t forgotten by building a memorial in their honor in a neglected section of a pioneer cemetery in southeast Portland.

The Lone Fir Cemetery has been the resting place of people with names that may be familiar to many Portlanders like Dekum, Hawthorne, Lovejoy and Curry.

It was also the resting place of other people once considered less desirable by a majority population aligned against them. A portion of the 30-acre cemetery was used for the graves of local Chinese, who were widely reviled during the late 1800s, as well as patients from a nearby mental institution.

Referred to as “Block 14,” it has been a long-forgotten part of the resting place. In 1947, the graves were dug up by the county government so that a building could be erected on the site adjacent to Southeast Morrison Street.

Multnomah County had come into ownership of the site and planned to sell it to a developer in 2002, but activists concerned with preserving its heritage rallied, forming Friends of Lone Fir Cemetery. Two years later, tests revealed that the remains of some Chinese were still present at the site, giving their cause added weight.

Working with Metro, which took over the property after it was demolished in 2005, activists are hoping to raise $2 million for a proper tribute to the people who were discriminated against in Portland’s early days.

“We’re trying to memorialize this area so we can recognize their contribution,” said Richard Louie, the president of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, which is one of the groups working on the project. Louie pointed out that the Chinese worked menial jobs, sending their paltry wages back to their families and enduring scorn and discrimination heaped on them by white settlers.

Louie said that the Chinese did a lot of the “heavy lifting”- working on railroads, in mines, and other tough jobs of the 1800s- to make Oregon what it is today.

“This is a pioneer cemetery,” said Marcus Lee, a member of the CCBA, “and these were the Chinese pioneers.”

Metro recently convened a group of local experts to discuss what needs to be done to build the memorial, which is estimated to cost $2 million.

Jane Hansen, a landscape architect with Lango Hansen Landscape Architects, said that she got involved in designing the site after reading coverage of it.

She said that the memorial will include an open meadow in the center, have structures to support vegetation around the edges, and its architectural theme will pay tribute to Chinese immigrants and the patients at the asylum.

Scrapping up the $2 million for the project won’t be easy, and organizers don’t anticipate the project will be completely done until 2013 or 2014.

However, commitment to it remains strong.

“It’s important to remember your past,” said Louie. “If you don’t have some sort of memory of their contribution, it will be lost.”

Norman Sylvester Band – Boogie Cat Norman Sylvester and his band perform Saturday, May 29 at Nehalem Bay Winery; Friday, June 11 at the West Linn Saloon; Saturday, June 12 at Holy Names Heritage Center; and Friday, June 18 at Clyde’s.

Discount Admission – OMSI visitors pay only $2 per person for general admission on the first Sunday of each month as well as discounted admission of $5 to the Planetarium, OMIMAX Theater and USS Blueback Submarine. The discounts are made possible by donations from the Spirit Mountain Community Fund, the Standard, and the Bank of America Charitable Foundation

Rose Festival Waterfront Village — The Rose Festival Waterfront Village opens Friday, beginning three weeks of fun with rides, entertainment, foods, a market and other activities at Tom McCall Waterfront Park, downtown.

Human Rights Film — ‘Made in L.A.,” a compelling, humorous and deeply human story about immigration, the power of unity and the courage it takes to fine your voice, will be show free and open to the public on Thursday, May 27 at 5:30 a.m. at the Portland State University Smith Memorial Student Union, Room 228.

Pearson Air Museum’s Open Cockpit Day – Saturday, May 29, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. is the only day a year visitors can settle into the cockpit of some of the Vancouver airfield’s vintage aircraft and see the planes from the pilot’s perspective. Weather permitting, free airplane rides for kids on a first come, first serve basis. Regular museum admission applies.

Prehistoric Predators – Enormous dinosaurs with lifelike ferocity are represented in an exhibit that continues through Labor Day at the Oregon Zoo. Visitors will follow a trail through an ancient rain forest, surrounded by the realistic animatronic creatures that roar, snarl and move.

Juneteenth Fundraiser – Live entertainment, a fashion show and appetizers will highlight a kick-off fundraiser for the annual freedom celebration on Sunday, May 30 at 8 p.m. at the Curious Comedy Club, 5225 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. For more information, call Doris Rush at 503-605-8252.

Workshops Celebrate Sisterhood – Community residents are invited to join Portland author and activist S. Renee Mitchell and others during a series of workshops that will focus on women of color, healing and expression. The sessions are on Saturdays, through June 26, from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Healing Roots Center, 5432 N. Albina Ave. RSVP at 503-278-8280 or remeemitchellspeaks@yahoo.com.

Summer Camps for Kids – Mt. Hood Community College delivers diverse and inspirational summer camps for kids, including a variety of dance, field trips, outdoor adventure, rock climbing and sports camps. Teamwork and personal growth skills are emphasized. For information, dates and fees, visit mhcc.edu/kidscamp.

Mel Brown Live – Portland jazz giant Mel Brown performs at Salty’s on the Columbia every Friday and Saturday night. Known as the “Gentleman of Jazz,” Brown has a career spanning over 40 years.

King Farmers Market – The King Farmers Market is back each Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. through Oct. 31 at Northeast Seventh Avenue and Wygant Street, adjacent to King School Park. Food stamp users can receive up to $10 in matching tokens.

Live Jazz – Every Friday and Saturday from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., the Third Degrees Lounge at the River Place Hotel, 1510 S.W. Harbor Way. No cover or minimum purchase. For more information, visit pdxjazz.com.

Portland Homes — “At Home in Portland: 1909-1914,” explores the variety of architecture during the city’s boom years between 1900 and 1920. The exhibit runs through July 11 at the Pittock Mansion, 3229 N.W. Pittock Dr.

Music Millennium Free Shows – The Music Millennium, 3158 E. Burnside, hosts in-house live performances. Enjoy free music and the opportunity to meet artists. Call 503-231-8926 for a schedule.

Samson the T. Rex – A magnificent -foot-long Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton, one of the most fearsome carnivores ever to walk the face of the earth is on display at OMSI. The 66-million-year-old fossil known as Samson is one of the most complete Tyrannosaurus rex specimens in existence.

Jake Thomas
jthomas@portlandobserver.com

Plans to redevelop the Rose Quarter appear to have hit a big snag as potential developers seem to be having trouble putting together a joint proposal, reportsNathalie Weinstein at Daily Journal of Commerce.

But given the history behind the project it seems to be no surprise that that developers can’t work together.

Portland Mayor Sam Adams made redeveloping the Rose Quarter a priority, and last year assembled a Stakeholder Advisory Committee to solicit and evaluate proposals for the area.

The committee came up with a shortlist of three proposals that included the Portland Trail Blazers’ “JumpTown” entertainment district, Memorial Athletic and Recreation Center, and the Memorial Arts and Athletic Center.

In April, City Council voted to move the process forward unanimously to the request for proposals stage in the process. The three developers considered putting forth a joint RFP, but that process seems to have stalled. Here’s why:

Shortly after the Stakeholder Advisory Committee produced its shortlist, Douglas Obletz, the sponsor for the Memorial Athletic and Recreation Center, raised concerns over the process.

The city contracts with Portland Arena Management, a company owned by the Blazers, to operate Memorial Coliseum. The contract states that the city can pull out of the agreement, but if it did so it could not use the coliseum for sporting events or concerts.

If another entity took over operations of the Rose Quarter, PAM would lose out big, and appears to be protecting its economic interest. Members of the Stakeholder Advisory Committee brought this issue up in a minority report, and Obletz has been arguing that the company essentially holds all the cards in the deal.

In a letter to City Council, which has final say over the Rose Quarter’s fate, he wrote “… we have determined that proceeding with additional development of our plan, including preparing a response to the proposed Request for Proposals (RFP), represents a considerable risk given what amounts to the right of Portland Arena Management (PAM) to veto any operation of the Memorial Coliseum as a spectator facility by anyone but themselves.”

“The Blazers have been very forthcoming with our team and have repeatedly indicated that there are no circumstances under which they would be willing to relinquish their operating rights to the Coliseum,” read the letter.

Today James Ray “Lonnie” Yoakum was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison for his leading role in cocaine ring that distributed large quantities of the drug throughout Portland.

On February 4, Yoakum pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine.

Yoakum had claimed to work as a cook at Yam Yam’s, a soul food eatery on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard that is believed to have been a front for the cocaine trafficking operation after $60,000 was found in the safe by the police.

The sentencing of Yoakum is the culmination of a year-long investigation by the Metro Gang Task Force’s “Operation Gang Strike,” which ensnared 24 other individuals who were involved in the cocaine trafficking ring.

The Oregon Health Authority today released a report that found that the state is doing better than the national average in preventing two out of three healthcare acquired infections.

From a press release from the OHA:

Oregon is one of 10 states in the country with a mandatory statewide public reporting program for healthcare acquired infections. All hospitals are required to report three of the most common infections: central line-associated bloodstream infections, those that occur after knee replacement surgery, and those connected with coronary bypass grafts.

In 2009, there were 199 reported infections from 50 hospitals. The infection rate breaks down as follows:

• The Oregon infection rate for central line-associated bloodstream infections is 1.2 infections per 1,000 central line days, approximately 38 percent lower than the national average of 1.92. (A central line is a catheter inserted directly into a large vein, which enables rapid administration of fluids, blood or medications.)
• The Oregon coronary bypass graft infection rate is 2.01 percent, approximately 30 percent lower than the national rate of 2.86 percent.
• The Oregon knee replacement infection rate is 0.82 percent, which is similar to the national rate of 0.89 percent.

Preventing healthcare acquired infections is a key way to reduce costs of medical care. They are one of the top 10 leading causes of death and cost $33 billion a year nationally. In Oregon, they increase the cost of a hospital stay by $32,000.

The healthcare reform bill will require all hospitals to begin tracking such infections beginning next year.

The entire report can be read here.

Portland Public schools confirmed to the Portland Observer yesterday that Jefferson High School Principal Cynthia Harris has been put on paid administrative leave.

Matt Shelby, the district spokesperson, said that the district is not talking about the circumstance behind the decision.

Willamette Week is reporting the school’s business manger, Reis Wilbanks, has also been put on leave.

The paper has also learned of an audit that found numerous red flags in the school’s finances. Sixteen of Jefferson’s student body sub accounts had negative balances, and Harris made several purchases with accounts also bearing negative balances.