Portland Tribune

First there was the E. coli scare. Now there’s an E. coli scam. Portland’s Water Bureau is warning customers that someone — it’s still not known who — is pretending to be a bureau employee who calls customers and tries to set up an appointment to test water at houses ... Full Story »

Despite an appeal from Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski, the bi-state panel appointed to advise on the Columbia River Crossing took no action on the revised project at its Friday morning meeting. On Wednesday, Kulongoski praised the changes intended to trim $650 million from the Interstate 5 bridge and ... Full Story »

The Buttes Natural Area – a 100-acre expanse in the Johnson Creek Watershed – is now a tiny bit bigger. Portland Parks & Recreation has purchased property to expand three existing natural areas, including The Buttes Natural Area, Forest Park and The Woods Memorial Natural ... Full Story »

A Multnomah County grand jury has indicted a local woman accused of stealing purses from local churches and schools on 20 charges of everything from burglary to identity theft. Gresham police arrested Kamila “Kami” Rhodes, 44, of Gresham on Tuesday, Nov. 24, in connection with what ... Full Story »

The national unemployment rate slid down slightly in November to 10 percent, with the nation losing only about 11,000 jobs. It was 10.2 percent in October, a 26-year high for the nation. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday morning that there were still about 15.4 million people ... Full Story »

Earlier this month six Catlin Gabel students and two adult leaders set out to find a 90-year-old “donkey” in the forests of Oregon’s coast. Yet this donkey was of the machine, not mammal variety. The group found a steam donkey, an iron engine that was commonly used in logging at ... Full Story »

EUGENE — A 60-minute battle it was between two of the best teams ever to compete in the 113 years of Civil War. (MORE CIVIL WAR STORIES IN SPORTS) At the end of four quarters — or was it 15 rounds? — only one team was left standing, as Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli took a ... Full Story »

A small fire on Thursday afternoon damaged part of the Multnomah County Inverness Jail that has been closed for construction. No inmates were in the area and no one was injured. The fire apparently started at about 12:40 p.m. in a bathroom area of Dorm 8, which is under construction. A small ... Full Story »

A Portland police officer’s unmarked police vehicle was stolen early Thursday, Dec. 3, from the officer’s home in Damascus. The vehicle was parked in the officer’s driveway. After starting the vehicle, the officer went back inside the home to get his or her child, said Detective ... Full Story »

EUGENE – The game everyone's been waiting for – Oregon State at Oregon. It's a chilly, overcast evening at Autzen Stadium, with temperatures possibly to drop below the freezing level. The winner goes to the Rose Bowl. The loser goes bowling elsewhere. The game is being broadcast on ... Full Story »

Rena Schlachter grew up in Gresham and has watched the city change for better and for worse. Now the University of Oregon graduate student is taking part in shaping the city’s more sustainable future. She’s one of approximately 250 students in the UO’s School of Architecture and ... Full Story »

Cindy Romaine is an expert when it comes to providing information consulting services and providing in-depth research strategies to corporations. The Beaverton resident plans to put those skills to work as the president-elect of the Special Libraries Association by positioning the organization to ... Full Story »

More than $3.5 million in federal stimulus dollars are flowing through the city of Beaverton, helping boost energy efficiency in residential and city buildings, complete traffic improvement projects, and aid police with additional training and staff. The most personal effect of the stimulus money ... Full Story »

When it comes to transporting sewage you want to avoid the big bulge. That is why the city of Lake Oswego is using S-shaped pipes for its LOIS project. The result is a lot of little — and manageable — bulges in the highly pliant plastic pipe; not a big bulge that would result if an ... Full Story »

A caveman walks the halls at West Linn High School each day. His name is Claude Koch. With long peppered hair, a full beard and roaring laugh, Koch fits the part. Students recognize him from the hallways, and have most likely explored one of his favorite caves. Working as a custodian full time at ... Full Story »

The great Iron Age of Lake Oswego could be rising again. A special subcommittee of the Lake Oswego Historic Resources Advisory Board (HRAB) is now promoting the Oswego Iron Heritage Trail as a way to preserve this city’s historic past and also to boost its economic future. As far as HRAB ... Full Story »

See Dick. See Dick illustrate. See Dick illustrate children’s books. For more than 40 years, Richard Wiley, of Tigard, had a long and distinguished career as one of Portland’s premier commercial illustrators, designing advertisements for Portland clothing giants such as White Stag, ... Full Story »

Multnomah County Chairman Ted Wheeler is a champion of government using the news media and technology to reach more people. But when Wheeler got hurt skiing in Bend during the Thanksgiving weekend, he also offered an example of the clash between the new and old media. Wheeler suffered numerous ... Full Story »

Age 65 seems far away to Diane Charlton. But for the Northeast Portland resident – and an increasing number of Oregonians like her – the magic age to become eligible to receive Medicare health coverage cannot arrive too quickly. Charlton is 55. Her husband is self-employed, so she has ... Full Story »

Expect Commissioner Dan Saltzman’s handling of the Portland Police Bureau to be an issue in his re-election campaign. Three candidates who have already filed for Saltzman’s seat are questioning whether he caved into pressure from the Portland Police Association. Spencer Burton, Ed ... Full Story »

State economist Tom Potiowsky turned to lyrics from a classic song by The Doors to sum up his outlook Wednesday morning during the Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Portland’s annual housing forecast. “I’ve been down so long that it looks like up to me,” he said. ... Full Story »

You might want to rethink that “I only drink tap water” bumper sticker. The E. coli bacteria has been detected 15 times in the city water system since 1990 – not just the one time during the past Thanksgiving weekend that prompted the Portland Water Bureau to issue a boil-water ... Full Story »

Some people chase storms, celebrities or UFOs. Scott Johnston chases photo radar. On any given day, the 43-year-old Beaverton resident picks a known police photo radar hotspot in Beaverton or Portland, takes to the streets and waves to motorists with a sign that reads: “Warning, photo radar ... Full Story »

Cara Nardini, a junior at Lakeridge High School, is the new Miss Oregon Teen USA. Her crowning moment came on Sunday at the Sheraton Portland Airport Hotel. “It was such a great feeling. I started to cry, but then remembered that I didn’t want to mess up my makeup,” said ... Full Story »

One thing Matt Milletto doesn’t have to worry about is getting his morning cup of coffee before starting work. That’s because Southwest Portland resident Milletto is director of training for the American Barista & Coffee School in Southeast Portland. He’s surrounded by coffee ... Full Story »