5-31-2007



Warlem Campos Jacomini came to Oregon from New York a little while back. He was hoping to meet up with a man named "Armando." Armando, according to reports, helps people who are not documented citizens obtain legal ID cards like driver's licenses (according to statements by Jacomini he was one of twelve clients Armando had at that time). Jacomini hoped to take advantage of one of Oregon's rules at the DMV that very few states share.



According to reps at the DMV, in Oregon (and nine other states including Washington) you need only present evidence of residency in order to obtain a license. All other states require a proof of citizenship. (Driver's licenses open the door to myriad social benefits . . . currently the Real ID Act is pushing this kind of verification nationwide).



Dozens of people like Jacomini come to Oregon from out of state every week offering phony utility bills in an effort to gain a driver's license.



Jacomini is facing forgery charges but very few people even get arrested for trying to pass bogus material. The DMV says if it's a formal ID document (like a birth certificate) they call the cops. If it's something like a bad utility bill, all they can do is refuse service. They say it's because the bad utility bill is just a misrepresentation of your address . . . not an attempt to lie about who you are.

5-22-2007



"I hope you rot in Hell." Eric Nagle quaked with rage, the pad in his hand shaking violently, his voice choked with emotion, tears streaming down his face . . . all while he stared at the man who stabbed his 15-year-old son and ex-wife to death five months ago.



Sentencing can be some of the most intense moments in a court room. For many family members, it is their only time to address the person who wronged their loved one. For supporters of the defendant, it may be their only time to plead for mercy on behalf of their loved one. Today's proceedings in Clark County, although incredibly one-sided, filled a small courtroom with tension that made it difficult for this reporter to breathe.



In January, 25-year-old Dylan Peterson was staying with Sandra Torrell and Matthew Nagle. The young man had spent the holidays with the family, even exchanging Christmas gifts. Then, one cold, rainy day, he stabbed the two to death, waited to be sure they were dead, then called 9-1-1 and confessed.



At no point in his trial did Peterson plead not guilty, eventually agreeing to plead guilty to two counts of First Degree Murder for which he will serve more than 57 years.



As that sentence was handed down, family of Nagle and Torrell sobbed openly in court, calling the defendant a rat and a demon. Wearing white t-shirts with Nagle's photo and nickname, friends and family took turns addressing the court, expressing their sorrow.



In contrast, members of Peterson's family were on hand, bawling throughout the proceedings but choosing NOT to speak on the defendant's behalf.



Peterson's attorney offered no excuse for the crime, merely pointing out issues with alcohol and the defendant's early admission and compliance throughout the trial.



Even Peterson himself did not rise in his own defense, hanging his head throughout the proceeding. He shifted in his shackles and orange jumpsuit, often weeping silently as he listened.



When both sides were finished, Judge John Wulle had his own thoughts to add, claiming that this crime is one of the worst he has ever presided over. At a loss for anything else to say, the Judge told Peterson the agreement struck in court would amount to a life sentence (Peterson will be up for release in his 80's).

5-21-2007

The man charged with smashing a woman in the head with a hammer in an unprovoked attack, says he is not guilty. 65-year-old Eric Osterholme was in court today for an arraignment on three charges.

The hearing itself was surprisingly swift. Osterholme only stood in front of the judge for 30 seconds (yes, I timed it). Arraignments are typically quick but I've never seen one THAT speedy (they're usually about 3-5 minutes). No give and take between the judge and the attorneys, no discussion about whether or not the defendant should remain in custody, just the plea.

What makes this so startling is the fact that LAST week at a preliminary hearing, Osterholme was one of the most COMBATIVE defendants I've ever seen. He refused to answer questions, refused to listen to the judge, talked OVER the judge (which is a BIG no-no) and repeatedly complained about the food (Osterholme says he's pre-diabetic and the meals would induce a heart attack).

Today, not a peep out of the man who stood in full shackles and a bright orange jumpsuit. He's facing charges including attempted murder. His trial is set to begin in mid-August

As for the victim, 56-year-old Sharon Weil had to go to the hospital but it sounds like she's doing OK.

5-14-2007

A simple building near the Portland airport was approached by a few white and blue school buses Monday afternoon. While the average passer by might look at the combination and not notice the significance, to dozens of families that building and those buses mean their lives are once again whole.

The building is the Jackson Armory and those buses carried dozens of National Guard Soldiers home from Afghanistan.

Serving as part of the largest wartime deployment from our state since World War Two, these men and women have been away from their families for at least a year, some much longer. They were greeted by a wall of hand painted signs, Mylar balloons and tear-streaked faces.

I had the honor of being on hand as these families were reunited a tad bit earlier than expected. thanks to some speedy flying, the plane landed an hour early which means family and friends were trickling in well after the soldiers arrived.

It seemed like sheer torture for some children and spouses as the soldiers unloaded form the buses and then had to wait for instruction, just yards from the waiting arms of their loved ones.

As soon as they were released, the soldiers received a roar of applause as they marched into the spacious armory.

I saw a grandfather serving as Chaplain handing out gift bags he'd brought back for his grandkids.

I talked with a young couple who got engaged over the internet in January (he left the ring behind for her). They're planning to tie the knot in early July.

But most importantly I saw all of those families become whole once again.

5-14-2007

In the shade of the Hawthorne Bridge, a group of about 100-200 people gathered at a small cement monument around noon. Even if you've lived in Portland your whole life, you may never have noticed the brick wall emblazoned with 26 names placed close to Naito parkway in waterfront park.

It's the Portland Police Memorial designed to recognize the lives of those men and women who died serving in the line of duty.

Every year, local cops and citizens gather to remember those who have given their lives in service to our city. A special roll call takes place as each name is read ... echoing against the silent section of the park. A single rose rests above each name. (after the roll call, when the wail of bag pipes swelled, I had chills for about ten minutes after)

This year, the police bureau paid special tribute to Officer Charles Schoppe (pronounced shop-ee). In 1874, Schoppe was the second Portland police officer to die in the line of duty and he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Valor for his actions.

I had a chance to speak with Schoppe's great-grandson, Fred Cormack after he accepted the award. He says Schoppe was heading home on his last day as an officer (he'd taken a new job with county) when he heard gunfire in a local saloon. Schoppe entered and was shot in the chest. Despite his wound, Schoppe charged the shooter and tackled him before losing his life.

Cormack says he feels a little odd about all of the fuss, saying we should be focused on the families of officers who have passed on recently. But Sgt Brian Schmautz quickly set Cormack at ease by pointing out that every fallen officer receives special recognition and this was the time to remember his great grandfather.

At one point in the ceremony, Chief Rosie Sizer took to the podium and said that every time an officer dies, we honor him or her with parades, salutes and memorials. But that is all meaningless unless we carry on their memory.

Portland Police Memorial Week runs through Friday.

5-9-2007

You walk into a department store and pick up a pair of jeans. You look at the label.

Waist: 36
Length: 32
100% Cotton
Made in the USA

Seems straight forward, right? What if you later found out the waist was actually 45? Or it was half cotton half polyester? Well it turns out some labels may have that EXACT problem when it comes to the claim that the jeans or shirt or whatever was "Made in the USA."

Dave Hansen has worked for Langlitz Leather for decades (he's now the general manager). It's a small, crowded shop in South East off of Division. He says leather is a competitive business, and he's constantly getting e-mails and phone calls from foreign companies offering up their own products for sale.

Hansen believes in providing a quality product and prefers selling items that were Made in America so it's a habit to politely decline offers from outside the country. But one e-mailer left Hansen thoroughly upset.

After declining the typical offer from a company in Pakistan, the sales rep replied stating that it's commonplace for them to provide products to American dealers . . . with "Made in the USA" labels sewn in.

Hansen again declined (this time a bit more forcefully using words like immoral and illegal).

I took the case to Jan Margosian with the Attorney General's office. She says there are no CURRENT complaints for this kind of thing but there have been issues in the past ... and the Department of Justice doesn't take this kind of thing lightly. If you're busted sending or receiving bogus labels, you are looking at a $25,000 dollar fine PER ITEM. Hansen and Margosian say these guys deal in bulk orders . . . try 50,000 coats at a time. Some quick math means ONE BUST can amount to over a BILLION dollars in fines.

And if you think this type of thing is not pursued, just ask Mike Korpi of Forest Grove. He took a recent trip to China and tried to bring a few fake Rolexes back as souvenirs for family. He was stopped at customs but didn't think much of it at first.

He's facing a fine of $55,300 . . . the watches originally cost him less than 15 bucks. At this point there's no word on whether Korpi will be allowed to appeal his fine which he claims will take him YEARS to pay off.

In the mean time, I've made several attempts at reaching the salesman in Pakistan that originally contacted hansen (by phone at every time of day and e-mail). So far, he's not responded.

5-2-2007

I spent all of Tuesday covering the May day rallies in Salem and Portland. Comparing with last year, the demonstrations were actually kind of small. Less than HALF the number of protesters. (I talked with some other reporters about that . . . we're guessing that without the Sensenbrenner Bill on the table like last year, it's less of a hot button issue).

In Salem, the focus split between education and the Real ID Act. Hundreds of local teens were bussed in from high schools to lobby congress in favor of tuition equity (policies that would open the door for immigrants, legal or illegal, to obtain a college education). The split among the kids was striking. Some teens I spoke with really know their stuff and went on at length about the various obstacles and possible ways to open the academic door for everyone. At the same time, it seemed like some of the students there were simply looking for a free day off from class.

Elsewhere in the sea of Mexican and American flags, adults marched with signs bearing slogans like "Driving is a Privilege not a Crime" referencing the Real ID Act. They're fighting for everyone (legal or illegal) to have the capability to get a license, which they say is about safety. Some members of congress see it differently.

I managed to meet up with Rep. Kim Thatcher from Keizer inside the Capitol. She's pushing several immigration reform bills (although she says moving anything through has proven difficult due to partisan politics). In a nutshell, she says the Real ID Act, passed by the federal government, requires states to be sure of a person's citizenship before giving them a license. Thatcher points out that once you have a license, you have access to a plethora of other services.

Some counter protesters were on hand waving signs encouraging the real ID Act and so forth but, aside from a few verbal altercations (at one point I saw a woman with the rally and a man holding a sign urging a closure of the border screaming back and forth "you are offending me!" "No, YOU are offending me!") there were no major issues between the two sides.

The Salem demonstrators spent most of the late morning and early afternoon chanting and singing on the capitol steps before moving inside to meet with law makers.

A few hours later, the south park blocks near the Arlene Schnitzer Concert hall swarmed with a different rally. This one was focused more on the issue of jobs (and allowing legal and illegal immigrants the ability to secure a job paying fair wages).

The vibe at this protest was . . . .well . . . kind of creepy at first. I don't really know why (and I'm just speaking as an impartial observer). Maybe it was because it started later in the day (4 PM) or maybe it was the weather. Whatever it was, there was just something in the air that kind of made me shiver as a reporter (other journalists at the march shared the vibe . . . not that something was wrong . . . just that feeling that things COULD get interesting rather quickly).

About twenty minutes before the rally started, a handful of mounted patrol members had to break up a fist fight at one end of the block. A few minutes later, security had to get between a counter protester marching with a "Pass the real ID ACT" sign and some demonstrators.

Once the actual march began, the eerie sensation wore off. Participants stretched about four to six blocks long as they wound their way through south west. There were some pretty creative folks . . . . one guy walked the whole route on stilts . . . a few people dressed up as "working class clowns" and juggled as they walked. Mainly, like the marchers in Salem, the Portland rally chanted "Si Se Puede" (yes we can), beat drums and made as much noise as possible.

The rally worked it's way back to the park blocks a little after six where people hung out listening to music for about an hour before calling it a day. Cops called the day pretty low key (several dozen officers in uniform lined the route as we walked) and there were only a few reported arrests.

"Eyes on You," the spring program offered by Oregon ballet Theatre is truly a sampler platter of dance and a must see for ANY fan of the theatre.

The show opens with Apollo, one of Balanchine's works from the first half of the twentieth-century (Erik Jones with OBT tells me this was the catalyst for neo-classicism . . . a return to the classical form of dance). Stunningly beautiful from start to finish, this piece focuses on the abilities to the male dancer while also incorporating some truly mind-boggling pas de deux (I had no idea you could DO PDD with one guy and three women but they pull it off).

After a brief intermission, the audience settles in for Il Nodo, an original piece by Julia Adam. I'm not sure how you would classify this dance (modern, experimental) but I would give it the title "Cirque-Du Soleil-esq." A corps of about a half-dozen dancers tackle the stage portraying various games from child hood (hop-scotch, tug-of-war) but they do so while manipulating large lengths of rope. At one point, the dancers weave themselves into a human-sized game of Cats Cradle. The music and style are truly unique and the performance is hypnotic.

Finally, the program concludes with a repeat performance of Christopher Stowell's "Eyes on You." This piece may sound a bit familiar as it originally premiered a few years back at OBT . . . it ALSO might sound a bit familiar because the entire piece is set to the music of Cole Porter (one of the legends of Musical Theatre). The cast perform classical ballet steps with a blockbuster Broadway vibe. I'm not kidding, even if you've never seen a live ballet before but simply love musicals you will love this piece.

Tickets are going fast so be sure to check out OBT.org for ticket info.