Willamette Week, September 28, 2022 - Volume 48, Issue 47 - "Fishy Fuel"

NEWS: Sassy’s Sues Stripper. P. 11

DRINK: Bad Habits Die Hard. P. 22

MUSIC: The Adventures of J. Graves. P. 25

Turning fish grease into diesel fuel could solve Oregon’s carbon problem. Why are enviros so queasy?

BY ANTHONY EFFINGER PAGE 12

WHAT WE LEARNED FROM READING THIS WEEK’S PAPER

48, ISSUE 47

Portland has fewer cops per capita than all but two of America’s 50 largest cities. 6

John Piacentini built Plaid Pantry to 161 stores in 25 years. 7

The FX2 was supposed to take passengers to Mount Hood Community College. It doesn’t. 8

Sassy’s sued a dancer for defamation. 11

A Portland man runs his 47 trucks on “fish Crisco” imported from Singapore. 13

The grower of Burgerville’s peppermint doesn’t like carpetbaggers. 14

When the Willamette River recedes in summer, radio-controlled car enthusiasts convene at Elk Rock . 18

You can take the stage with acts like The Supremes and

The Temptations at the Oregon Historical Society. 21

Saraveza’s elegant speakeasy, Bad Habit Room , has reopened and added evening service after a two-year pandemic closure. 22

It’s the most wonderful time of the year at Double Mountain Brewery, when heirloom tomato pie season and fresh hop season briefly coincide. 23

Garlic Cookies tastes way better than it sounds. 24

J. Graves bassist Kelly Clifton owns her own chainmail, broadsword and horse bow. 25

Guam activist Julian Aguon’s new book was partly inspired by Joni Mitchell’s 1979 Rolling Stone interview by Cameron Crowe. 26

As a rule, you should never trust a guy whose profession is “the development of progressive materials.” 28

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A slow-motion catastrophe is unfolding at the Oregon State Hospital, which doesn’t have enough room to accept the severely mentally ill patients who need beds. To create that space, a federal judge ordered the locked psychiatric hospi tal to fix the backlog by releasing patients facing criminal charges (“Balloon Effect,” WW, Sept. 21). But the counties where patients are being sent don’t have enough capacity to treat them, and some will end up back on the streets. Here’s what our readers had to say:

DUBIOUS, VIA WWEEK.COM: “So much of what is wrong in Oregon, and especially the metro area, is directly attributable to the persistent failure of the state to establish and manage an effec tive behavioral health system.”

SCRAPPYMUTT, VIA WWEEK. COM: “Whether you’re a NIMBY conservative that wants to end street camping or an activist for homeless rights that wants to protect the unhoused, it’s tough to see how releasing a bunch of dangerous people with untreated mental illness into the communi ty is anything but a colossal step in the wrong direction.”

LDIABLOROBOTICO, VIA REDDIT: “Conservatives: We need to do something about these crazy homeless people!

“Society: How about we tax the ultra0rich at the same rate they were 50 to 60 years ago to pay for better mental health services?

“Also conservatives: No, we’ve tried nothing and we’re all out of ideas.”

CROWSBY, VIA REDDIT: “Probably good to bear in mind

that meth is the core reason hos pitals have become overcrowded, though the word doesn’t appear anywhere in the WW story.”

SOPHLADY, VIA WWEEK.

COM: “This is a problem that can be partly solved with bricks and mortar. There needs to be more than one facility in Oregon that can treat the severely mentally ill. It would be helpful if smaller hospitals were opened in other cities, including Portland. Being closer to family and social services workers would enhance improving the psychological stability of the patients.

“I believe holding people, many charged with misdemeanors, for three years is too long. Judge Mosman made a pragmatic decision in this regard. How ever, there needs to be viable housing and treatment for those released.”

SIONNACHREALTA, VIA RED DIT: “Hi, disabled mental health practitioner here! More funding for programs would be great, and it also needs to come with more housing assistance without the requirement of being free of

addiction to attain it. In addition, we desperately need that funding to cover the programs with higher staff salaries. I can barely keep a roof over my own head, let alone help others, and we’re in a SERIOUS staffing crisis due to the ridiculous expectations that come from being understaffed, underpaid, and overwhelmed with clients in crisis.

“We need programs for adults, and we also need programs that focus on helping folks as they’re entering adulthood to make sure they don’t end up in desperate situations to begin with. Another thing that would make a huge, positive impact would be Uni versal Health Care. Folks don’t end up in those kinds of facilities the first time they face mental health challenges. That comes after years of being neglected economically and denied access to care.

“Most disabled folks are barely scraping by. Disability is extremely difficult to access, and it also doesn’t provide enough to live off of, especially if you’re married. Even if folks could access housing, odds are they won’t be able to hold down a fulltime job to afford it long term… as if a full-time job paid enough in the first place. We’re all being slowly bled dry, and it tends to hit those of us struggling with health challenges, and those of us who help them, harder than most.”

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR must include the author's street address and phone number for verification. Letters must be 250 or fewer words.

Submit to: PO Box 10770, Portland OR, 97296

Email: mzusman@wweek.com

BY MARTY SMITH @martysmithxxx

Who are all these pricey condos being built for? A new development within blocks of me is asking $1.2 million for a two-bedroom with no yard. Were these built with real people’s housing needs in mind, or just as investments intended to remain vacant, à la Vancouver, B.C.? —Perpetual Renter

Most of us have gotten in the habit of assuming that if something fucked up is going on in the housing market, Portland is probably the capital of it. So you may be surprised to learn that, accord ing to Redfin, only 11% of our recent home sales have gone to real estate investors, compared to 19% for the nation as a whole. Yay, us.

Now, if you’re like me, you’re wondering: Who the hell are these people? I don’t know anyone who can a ord to buy a million-dollar home, Perpetual, and it sounds like you don’t either. Are there really enough rich people to buy all these dumps?

It turns out, to my mild horror, that there prob ably are. (Maybe we don’t see them because they can a ord to avoid us.) Around 9% of Portland households are at or above the $265,000 income level where you can ask about a mortgage for a

million-dollar house without having the banker call security. That’s actually right in proportion with the 15% of current Portland home listings priced over $1 million (as long as you squint and pretend the bottom two quintiles of the income distribution don’t exist, a trick that comes in handy for many kinds of economic analyses).

The real question is whether there are enough slightly less rich people to buy all the slightly less than million-dollar homes. A dispatch from Ore gon’s O ce of Economic Analysis reported in July that just 23% of Portland households could a ord an average ($550,000) home. Surely with so few buyers the market will return to earth soon, right?

Here’s the thing: That estimate was based on household income alone. But the flip side of needing a million dollars to buy a house is that everybody who already has a house now has a million dollars.

So, if your parents are homeowners (especially if they also smoke and don’t get a lot of exercise), you’ll get your house soon enough. Then you can join the homeowner class that will spend eternity swapping houses back and forth among themselves like mahjong tiles. If you chose your ancestors less carefully, however—well, you can always come live with me in my van.

PORTLAND VOTERS ARE OPEN TO CHARTER

REFORM: A Sept. 21 poll gauging Portlanders’ support for a charter reform measure on the ballot this November shows they are eager for change. The top-line results, first reported Sept. 26 by The Oregonian, show 63% of respondents would vote for the measure, which shifts power to a city administrator, expands the Portland City Council to 12 members, and elects them with ranked-choice voting. But pollster John Horvick of DHM Research tells WW the survey suggests voters are malleable and could change their minds depending on the messaging they hear between now and the election. When respondents were presented with a message of opposition to the measure, support dropped to 49%. When presented with a message of support only, support rose to 69%. When presented with a modified charter reform measure that City Commissioner Mingus Mapps aims to put on the ballot in spring 2023, 60% of respondents said they would vote for that one. “To me that says people are starting from the position of being upset with the city,” Horvick says, “but they’re not unmovable.”

RENE GONZALEZ CHALLENGES CITY FINE FOR OFFICE DISCOUNT: Last week, the city’s Small Donor Elections program fined City Council candidate Gonzalez’s campaign $77,000 for renting deeply discounted downtown o ce space from prominent developer Jordan Schnitzer. On Tuesday, the campaign challenged the fine in a request for reconsideration sent to program director Susan Mottet. The campaign argued no transgression was committed because $250 a month for 3,185 square feet is, in fact, not an unreasonable amount to pay for o ce space in downtown Portland these days and other entities have been o ered similar deals. The campaign wrote: “Such a penalty is unjustified for multiple reasons: (1) it lacks factual basis, because other entities can receive (and have received) similar discounts; (2) it does not comply with the relevant legal standards, because there was no opportunity to cure; and (3) it improperly relies on a grossly inflated value of them supposed fair market value of the Space.” Mottet says the city will respond in writing to the request in the coming days.

JUDGE SIDES WITH PUBLIC IN ODOT RECORDS

TRIAL: Marion County Circuit Judge Tracy Prall ruled in favor of Portland lawyer Alan Kessler on Sept. 26 in a trial to determine whether the Oregon Department of Transportation had complied with the state’s public records law. In 2019, Kessler requested information from ODOT about public comment on the proposed expansion of Interstate 5 at the Rose Quarter. ODOT dragged its feet and finally produced records after prodding from the Oregon Department of Justice. But

Kessler argued—and Judge Prall agreed—that the documents the agency released were less than the law required. “I’m pleased that the court saw this malfeasance by a public agency the same way I did,” Kessler says. “The court seemed very concerned about transparency and public trust and ODOT’s accountability to the people of Oregon.” “ODOT made a mistake, and we are committed to improving,” says department spokesman Kevin Glenn. “We are reviewing our public records request processes and trainings to ensure we follow the law and provide timely and accurate records to the public.”

STATE SUGGESTS FIXES FOR JAIL STAFFING SHORTAGE: For years, Oregon sheri s have begged the state for help with spiraling health care costs and sta ng shortages at local jails that have had deadly consequences. A 2021 report by Disability Rights Oregon slammed the state, alleging that many of Oregon’s jail deaths were preventable with better medical care. Last year, legislators passed a law ordering the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission to look into the issue. The commission convened a panel that released its recommendations earlier this month. They include the creation of a 10-member oversight commission with the authority to conduct unannounced inspections of jails across the state. Among the other recommendations: The state should buy common medications in bulk to save counties money and create “regional provider teams” that could step in when local jails are short sta ed.

ROSS ISLAND’S FUTURE DEBATED: Four environmental groups registered serious concerns with the Department of State Lands on Sept. 22 about Ross Island Sand & Gravel’s November 2021 request to extend the amount of time allowed to complete reclamation of the Willamette River island. The company mined it from 1926 to 2001. Ross Island asked the state last year to extend its deadline to 2035; cut the amount of required fill in half; and allow reclamation on a di erent part of the company’s property. The environmental groups—Willamette Riverkeeper, Northwest Environmental Defense Center, the Audubon Society of Portland, and the Urban Greenspaces Institute—expressed skepticism about the requested modifications as well as the company’s financial performance, given that Ross Island transferred ownership from R.B. Pamplin Corp. to a related pension fund without notifying state or federal regulators (“Fantasy Island,” WW, March 2). They say that failure raises “concerns about the responsibility of the parties as well as financial assurances for the future of the project” and mirrors Ross Island’s “habitual failure to abide by minimum requirements of the reclamation plan.” The state will respond to the company’s request by April 2023.

CITY

COMMISSIONERS CANDACE AVALOS AND BECCA UHERBELAU

TRENDING

NEED

BY SOPHIE PEEL speel@wweek.com

When the pandemic hit in early 2020, parking citations doled out by the city to drivers plummeted by more than half. That’s to be expected: Fewer people were commuting—and crossing their fingers that meter officers hadn’t noticed they’d parked half an hour over their allotted time.

But as the pandemic’s effect on car and foot traffic has ebbed, and Portlanders again have begun to drive to and from the office, there’s been little rebound in parking citations and warnings.

PBOT gets much of its funding from two streams: parking fees and gas taxes. And as motor vehicles in Portland becomes increasingly more efficient and gas taxes lower, PBOT must find a way to curb the decline in revenue. The bureau is attempting to remedy some of that already: In

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the past two years, it’s expanded paid parking to more residential neighborhoods and, earlier this year, increased parking meter rates in parts of the city.

Parking citations do not, by themselves, increase the bureau’s net revenue, according to PBOT spokesman Dylan Rivera. That’s largely because courts take a portion of parking fines before routing the remaining dollars to PBOT, and because the cost of issuing tickets is more than the revenue brought in by fines.

Parking citations “have always been a money loser, and lost even more revenue for the bureau during the pandemic,” Rivera says. But such citations serve as an incentive to feed the meter; without them, paid parking operates on an honor system.

If it seems Portland has fewer parking officers roaming the streets since the start of the pandemic, Rivera says, that’s because their ranks have indeed thinned. “Some of those officers have been reassigned to other duties,” he says, “such as abandoned auto response and response to people living in vehicles.”

City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, who oversees the bureau, tells WW that despite more money allocated to the parking enforcement team last fall, she “directed [the team] to prioritize towing abandoned RVs compared to general parking enforcement.” She adds that PBOT “needs more resources across the board.”

The chart to the right shows the number of traffic citations issued in Portland since 2019 and each year’s revenues. (Because of the lag between when citations are issued and fines are paid, revenue collected is not necessarily generated by citations issued in the same year.)

City leaders have promised for months to expand Portland’s police force—while struggling to actually do it. Cops have retired or resigned from the force faster than Portland could hire them. As of last week, the Portland Police Bureau had the lowest number of sworn employees since 1989.

But that all changed Sept. 22. The city announced it had hired 20 new officers, “representing the first measurable staffing increase in years.”

With 791 cops, Portland now has 1.2 for every 1,000 people in the city. Using 2020 federal data, WW crunched the numbers to see how Portland now fares compared with other large U.S. cities.

Among the 50 largest cities in the United States, Portland ranks near the bottom in police per capita. It’s joined by a group of California municipalities. Portland tied with San Diego and Sacramento.

The national average is 2.4 officers per 1,000, according to the FBI, which tracks law enforcement staffing across the country. The median among the top 50 largest cities is 1.8.

WW reached out to the 10 cities at the bottom of the list for more granular detail to break a three-way tie for third-to-last place. Even with the infusion of recruits, Portland ranks 48th, ahead of only San Jose and Bakersfield.

Still, experts in police staffing say not to read too much into this number. “You could be 48th and still have enough,” says James McCabe, a two-decade veteran of the New York City Police Department who is now a professor at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. He pointed to a steep reduction in size of New York’s police force in the early 2000s that coincided with a drop in crime.

“It’s not necessarily how many you have, it’s what you do with them,” he adds. Still, McCabe says, Portland likely needs more officers.

The bureau is experimenting with new ways of allocating officers’ time. It now employs 26 public safety support specialists, who are unarmed and respond to low-priority calls. The Central Precinct recently assigned PS3s, as they are known, to

take over midday shifts and reallocated officers to a new patrol unit focused on weekend club activity in Old Town.

It has also tried to speed up recruiting. Earlier this year, it hired more background investigators and began offering $5,000 signing bonuses.

Last year, investigators sorted through 675 applicants, according to the bureau’s annual report. They hired 27. That 4% acceptance rate is lower than Harvard’s.

In 2019, Assistant Chief Chris Davis told the Portland City Council that drug use and dishonesty were the most common reasons for rejection.

Earlier that year, The Oregonian reported that the turnaround time for applications averaged 340 days, which caused the bureau to lose out on qualified applicants.

Now, police spokesman Sgt. Kevin Allen tells WW that the bureau tells applicants to “plan for about a six-month process.” And that delay is dropping thanks to the beefed-up investigation team.

Parking tickets plummeted when the pandemic hit. Enforcement is still spotty.

Even with new cops, Portland ranks 48th among 50 big cities for police officers per capita.

Felicia Gilliam Capps

Joe Gilliam’s guardian gets bad news about the investigation into her brother’s poisoning.

he sent out [suggesting Joe be taken off life support]. I had to get a protective order because of that.

But Joe’s girlfriend Christina Marini is not allowed to see him, is that correct?

That’s correct. Christina and Ron Smith and Tim Mooney were the three people that are on the list in Arizona of investigative leads because they were the three people that seemed to be present when Joe was poisoned.

Who do you think poisoned him?

I don’t know who did it. I don’t know what they [Marini, Smith and Mooney] know. None of them have come for ward with any information.

In January, you gave the FBI permission to test Joe’s hair for thallium, and Olivia also got tested. Do you finally have the results?

Not from the FBI, but [Maricopa County Sheriff’s] De tective [Tyler] Thompson let me know last Monday that the results had come back negative.

What’s the implication of that?

FOREVER PLAID

More than two years after somebody tried—twice—to kill Joe Gilliam by poisoning him with the toxic metal thallium, the investigation of that crime, which author ities believe happened in Cave Creek, Ariz., appears to have hit a wall.

Gilliam, who led the Northwest Grocery Association for 20 years before his poisoning (“Who Poisoned Joe Gilliam…Twice?” WW, Nov. 3, 2021), remains in a longterm care facility in Clark County, Wash., unable to feed or care for himself. Prosecutors charged his only son, Earl Joe “Joey” Gilliam III, in August with a slew of felonies for allegedly stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from his father after he was poisoned. But no suspect in the poisoning has been identified.

Last week, Felicia Gilliam Capps, 70, Joe’s older sister and his court-appointed guardian, gave her first on-therecord interview about her brother and the faltering investigation into his case. NIGEL JAQUISS.

WW: How’s Joe doing?

Felicia Gilliam Capps: He’s not in a coma. But he still is incapacitated as far as doing anything for himself. He’s on a feeding tube, and about a month ago, he was having some breathing problems and they had to put him back on a ventilator. They’re still running tests to see what caused that.

He does respond to me when he sees me. He responds to Olivia [his daughter] when she comes to visit. He will look in my direction that he hears my voice. He doesn’t speak but he can indicate “yes” or “no” answers to ques tions with a thumbs up or down.

At this point, who is allowed to see Joe?

Well, family, except Joey is not allowed because of an email

Olivia had been fearful that she had been poisoned with thallium. She wasn’t. To me, it means the investigation needed to go a different direction because Olivia had thought that maybe Christina had poisoned her and Joe. It would appear that that’s not what happened. And Christina was the only person that Thompson was really looking at.

He told me that the case is going cold and they’ll close it. He said it’s just not solvable. [Sheriff’s spokeswoman Sgt. Monica Bretado disputes that conclusion. “Per the detective, this case has not been closed,” Bretado says. “This is still an open and active case at this time.” ]

What did you say to that?

I was arguing. I wanted him to follow some other avenues. And he said, “I’m not going to, it’s not going to happen.” In that conversation, he took all my hope away of getting this solved. It left me very devastated, very devastated.

Did you feel the Maricopa County Sheri ’s O ce had adequately investigated all possible leads?

No, I did not. But Thompson said it’s just not solvable. And I said, well, I can’t accept that. We went round and round. That’s how it ended.

Your brother is on a ventilator and feeding tube, and your nephew stands charged with serious felonies. How does that feel?

I feel so sad. I hardly can think about anything, but who did this to Joe? Why did they do it? I want to find out. And I’m sad about Joey. I wished he hadn’t done what he did. I’ve known him and his dad since they were babies and I’ve loved them. It’s very disappointing. I’ve just had a lot of hurt and disappointment from all of it. It has obsessed my thoughts.

Address: Southeast 60th Avenue and Belmont Street

Year built: Never

Square footage: 16,680

Market value: $776,690

Owner: Rosehill Investments LLC

How long it’s been empty: At least 39 years

Why it’s empty: Lack of urgency

Several WW readers have inquired about a long-vacant lot in the heart of the Tabor neighborhood.

“There is a large vacant lot on the northeast corner of Southeast Belmont Street and 60th Avenue,” wrote one of them, Gerard Lilly. “My wife and I moved to Portland in 1983 and it was vacant then and still is.”

The history of the property goes back to the untimely death of John Piacentini in 1988 at age 58. Piacentini founded Plaid Pantry in 1963 and built the chain to 161 stores before his death (106 stores remain today).

He sold the company but left his wife and six children a handsome estate. In a 2016 letter to city officials, a consultant working for the family said family members own 30 Portland investment properties through various entities, including Rosehill Investments LLC, the owner of the lot in question.

Richard Piacentini of Seattle, one of John’s sons and a manager of the family’s properties, wrote separately to the city that year seeking a zoning change for the vacant Tabor property. That was granted, giving the lot more flexibility for development. But the new zoning—CM2, which allows residential development over ground floor commercial—didn’t change anything. (Neither Piacentini nor his consultant responded to requests for comment.)

The property’s permitting history shows that Rosehill Invest ments sought an earlier land use review in 2005, but did not move forward with development that time either. Over the years, people have filed three nuisance complaints against the lot: in 2007 for tall grass; in 2016 for an abandoned couch; and earlier this year, when somebody left a mattress and pet bed on the gravel lot.

On Sept. 25, evidence of a brief, recent habitation appeared—the charred remains of a tent and its abandoned contents, including a canned ham, an unused condom (size large), and a pair of men’s underpants. A neighbor, May Ross, says the property hasn’t been used for much of anything in the 25 years she’s lived nearby, except occasionally as a staging area for city street projects. As long as campers stay away, she says, the lot’s fallow condition doesn’t bother her.

“It’s no big deal,” Ross says. “It’s private property.” NIGEL JAQUISS.

Every week, WW examines one mysteriously vacant property in the city of Portland, explains why it’s empty, and considers what might arrive there next.

Send addresses to newstips@wweek.com.

The heirs to a convenience-store fortune have allowed a sizable property to lie fallow.

BEFORE: Joe Gilliam and Felicia Capps Gilliam.

Speed Limits

Portland’s new Bus Rapid Transit line is many things. But is it faster?

BY LUCAS MANFIELD lmanfield@wweek.com

In the 1994 Hollywood blockbuster Speed, Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves take drastic measures to keep a city bus moving at least 50 miles per hour: blowing red lights, leaping a drawbridge, crashing into a jet plane.

No such fiery dramatics were on view last week as state, city and county leaders converged on Portland Community College’s Southeast campus to celebrate the arrival of TriMet’s long-awaited “Bus Rapid Transit” line on Southeast Division Street.

But Keanu’s old dilemma—keeping the bus moving at a baseline speed—lurked on the edges of the happy scene.

After nine years and $175 million, the Frequent Express 2, or FX2 for short, replaces the existing Line 2 with fewer stops, new 60-foot, articulated buses, and timed signals.

Officials herald the project as a way out of a difficult bind the region’s transit planners now face. As population has increased, ridership has decreased, adding to gridlock. TriMet badly needs new projects like FX2 to lure riders back with the promise of escaping traffic jams in state-of-the-art comfort.

That’s why TriMet promised the new project would result in a faster ride. A Q&A posted on its website in 2016 estimated a 15% to 20% decrease in travel times.

But in order to provide a faster commute, TriMet had to make trade-offs.

The agency abandoned plans to extend the route to Mt. Hood Community College, which would have attracted a new cohort of riders. It also altered the route to run through inner Division after initial plans to use Southeast Powell Boulevard proved too slow

and expensive. And it closed dozens of bus stops along Line 2, many in East Portland and Gresham.

For all of that, it’s unclear just how much faster TriMet’s new bus line really is.

Thanks to congestion and other trade-offs forced on the project by TriMet planners, the bus isn’t faster for all trips, WW has found, especially when compared with transit times when the project was first announced.

In 2013, it took at most 66 minutes to travel from Gresham Transit Center to the Taylor Street stop in downtown Portland.

It now takes 67 minutes using the new rapid transit line at peak commute hours.

“That’s freaking hilarious,” says Kem Marks, a transit advocate who served on the project’s steering committee back in 2014. “The whole purpose was to allow people to go farther and go faster.”

To be sure, Line 2 has gotten slower in recent years as Division has developed and the pandemic has sent commuters back to their cars. FX2 is offering relief, says TriMet spokeswoman Roberta Altstadt. “FX is providing faster trips for the vast majority of riders,” she says, pointing to the section of the route between Southeast 82nd and 162nd avenues, which is now 29% faster than the local line.

But in response to questions from WW about whether the line was meeting its speed goals, TriMet said it has been “stepping away” from the 20% claim. The agency no longer contracts with the company that came up with that estimate and could not update it, Altstadt says.

In fact, TriMet no longer wants the line to be called “Bus Rapid Transit,” even though that’s how it referred

to the line in its federal grant application and in promotional materials from 2020 on its website.

The term is notoriously difficult to define. People associate BRT with dedicated bus lanes, says Altstadt, which FX2 only has in limited spots.

In 2009, planners at the regional government Metro brainstormed options for expanding high-speed transit in Portland. They made a short list. At the top was the Highway 26 corridor in East Portland.

Rather than pursuing the billions of dollars necessary to build light rail—as the agency tried unsuccessfully to do in 2020 when it attempted to raise money to build a new line to Tualatin—planners focused on improving buses. They would be faster to build and cheaper.

Metro then convened a steering committee of 22 local politicians, policymakers and community advocates. They spent two years hammering out the details with TriMet planners.

The committee quickly settled on a “preferred” route, which would extend the line from Mt. Hood Community College to the South Waterfront. Key to the route’s success, committee members said in a meeting summary, was a “discernibly quicker trip.”

Achieving this, planners quickly realized, was going to be a challenge. Despite the dedicated bus lane, the detour along the South Waterfront cost time. As did maneuvering buses on congested 82nd Avenue to get to Powell Boulevard.

Planners warned the committee the new line was projected to be slower than the line it replaced, members of the committee told WW

To compete for a federal grant, TriMet needed the new FX2 line to go faster than the old Division Street Line 2 it replaced, while staying under budget. So it removed the Powell Boulevard diversion and, as a cost-saving measure, cut the Mt. Hood Community College extension.

The result? Buses move faster up and down Division, at least until they hit the detour across the Tilikum Crossing bridge or freight traffic on the Pacific Union tracks.

But these advantages came at a cost: Bus stops dis-

appeared.

This was a contentious issue back in 2015 as Metro planned the line. “We heard person after person after person come and speak to the steering committee about how they didn’t want to lose stops that were right near their house,” says Michael Calcagno, a former board member at Mt. Hood Community College and member of the steering committee.

TriMet planners took the criticism seriously but pointed out that speeding up the bus was necessary to win federal funding. Without removing stops, Calcagno recalls, “there would be no rapid transit line because we would have no federal funding. The testimony was sort of moot.”

TriMet says the eliminated stops have had minimal effects. “All but 1% of riders will find a station within a few blocks of their current stop,” the agency claims.

But Gresham blocks can be long, and the lost stops had a big effect on John Bildsoe’s household. He represented the Gresham Coalition of Neighborhood Associations on the steering committee and lives by one of the eliminated stops. Before FX2, his kids walked to the bus stop to ride to PCC and Portland State University.

But that stop is gone, and the result, at least for the Bildsoe family, is fewer bus riders.

“I’m finding it cheaper and faster to get cars for my kids,” Bildsoe says.

Vivian Satterfield, who sat on the committee and is now a director at the nonprofit Verde, explains why she ultimately supported the compromise. “I’m never going to vote against transit,” Satterfield says, “especially when this region is looking to expand our public transit capacity by applying for federal funds.”

But aspects of the final proposal still bug her. She thinks a lack of dedicated bus lanes along the entire route and the decision to divert away from Mt. Hood Community College and Powell Boulevard are going to prove significant hurdles to increased ridership.

“We need people to ride transit,” Satterfield says, but she remains “unconvinced” the new line can attract enough ridership to “show success” for the BRT concept.

For Duncan Hwang, a director at the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon, the benefits of the project are broader than just a faster bus.

“When viewed holistically as a community development project rather than just a transit project, we got some real benefits for East Portland,” he says.

He ticked off wins: The contract to build the project went to a majority Black company, Raimore Construction. New sidewalks and lighting have made Division Street safer and more walkable. Mt. Hood Community College won concessions as well, including faster service on a neighboring bus line.

On a recent Friday afternoon, commuters on FX2’s Bus 4523 said they were pleased with the new service. The buses were clean and spacious— and at least somewhat faster.

Jason Rohman was coming back from his job at an environmental restoration firm in Tigard. The new route had shaved six minutes off his commute, he said.

That afternoon, Todd Pomerening was behind the wheel. He used to drive the line when it was a local route and said the new express service was an improvement.

The biggest complaint he heard from riders was the eliminated stops.

“Overall, I think it’s going to be much better,” Pomerening said, “at least once people get used to it.”

ALL ABOARD: TriMet’s is “stepping away” from its early speed projections for FX2.

MICK HANGLAND-SKILL

“We got some real benefits for East Portland.”

CHILD FIND

Do you have concerns about how a child… Walks? Talks? Plays? Learns? Interacts with Others? Hears or Sees?

Public schools will ensure that all students with disabilities who are eligible for kindergarten through 21 years of age, residing within their attendance area, have available to them a free and appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment. The rights of children with disabilities and their parents will be protected in accordance with state and federal laws.

School districts must locate and identify individuals who have disabilities from birth to age 21. If you, or someone you know, has a child with a disability who may be in need of special education and related services, you can initiate a referral through your local schools.

The following is a list of Multnomah County School Districts:

Centennial School District (503) 760 7990

Corbett School District (503) 261 4200

David Douglas School District (503) 261 8209

Gresham Barlow School District (503) 261 4650

Parkrose School District (503) 408 2100

Portland Public Schools (503) 916 2000

Reynolds School District (503) 661 7200

Riverdale School District (503) 262 4840

Multnomah Early Childhood Program (503) 262 4100

“CHILD FIND”

¿Tienes preocupaciones acerca de cómo tu hijo/a… Camina? Habla? Juega Aprende? Interactúa con otros? Ve o escucha?

Las escuelas públicas se asegurarán de que todos los estudiantes con discapacidades que sean elegibles para el kinder hasta los 21 años de edad y que residan dentro de su área de asistencia, tengan disponible una educación pública gratuita y apropiada en un ambiente lo menos restringido. Los derechos de los niños con discapacidades y sus padres estarán protegidos de acuerdo con las leyes federales

Not So Sassy

Portland club Sassy’s sues a stripper strike organizer for defamation.

BY SUSAN ELIZABETH SHEPARD susan@susanshepard.com

It’s not unusual for strippers to sue strip clubs. As independent contractors, it’s sometimes the only recourse they have.

What is unusual is for a strip club to sue a stripper, which is what Sassy’s, one of Portland’s most popular clubs, has done.

The club’s parent company, R & R Restaurants Inc., filed a defamation suit in Multnomah County Circuit Court on Sept. 9 against Cat Hollis, a former dancer at the Southeast Portland club who led the PDX Stripper Strike, a movement that became a workers’ aid nonprofit called the Haymarket Pole Collective.

The lawsuit concerns quotes that Hollis and their attorney, Amanda Marshall, gave to The Oregonian in a September 2021 story about multiple misclassification suits filed against Oregon strip clubs. (Hollis, who uses they/them pronouns, is the plaintiff in a federal worker misclassification suit against Sassy’s filed last summer that alleges the club wrongfully treated dancers as employees.)

Hollis told the paper that some nights they’d walk out with nothing, and Marshall said that dancing talent wasn’t a prerequisite for getting a job stripping at Sassy’s. In the same story, Marshall—a former U.S. attorney for Oregon—also told the paper that Frank Faillace, a co-owner of Sassy’s who has ownership stakes in multiple Portland clubs and venues, blackballed Hollis from working at his other clubs

after the Sassy’s lawsuit was filed.

The lawsuit says by making those statements, Hollis and their attorney defamed the club.

The attorney representing R & R Restaurants, Anthony Kuchulis, provided WW with a statement on behalf of Sassy’s. “Any suggestion that Sassy’s performers are not creative or skilled in their work, like those examples we cited in the complaint, Sassy’s believes is false and demeaning to those women,” he wrote. “Our clients seek to protect their performers and business by holding people accountable for such statements. Sassy’s also believes any suggestion that Sassy’s performers do not receive significant benefit financially from their effort, talent, and independent business skills is also false.”

Marshall says Sassy’s is trying to muzzle a prominent local activist. And she points out that Kuchulis’ law firm, Littler Mendelson, has a reputation for its work opposing labor organizing (it represents Starbucks against unionizing workers and locally represents Schoolhouse Electric as production workers there seek a union).

“The case filed by Sassy’s against Hollis is clear retaliation,” Marshall says. “It flies in the face of state anti-SLAPP [strategic lawsuits against public participation] and federal retaliation statutes, which we will use to fight their spurious claim. We won’t let bullies from

union-busting law firms trample on the rights of working people.”

A defamation case requires that statements be false and do harm, says attorney Lake Perriguey, who represented dancers with wage and discrimination claims against Casa Diablo in 2015. Those clients were quoted in local and national media about their working conditions.

Perriguey sees the lawsuit is part of a national pattern of using the courts to silence people from discussing how they were treated. He hears echoes of the inescapable defamation trial earlier this year between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard.

“Whether it’s environmental activists or fair wage activists or any other kind of advocate or plaintiff seeking to redress a wrong, it’s a tactic, a strategy to scare people from coming forward,” Perriguey says. “We’ve seen it a lot [when] women who allege that they’ve been abused are then sued for defamation. I’m not saying [Hollis] was abused—they were a worker. I’m just saying we saw that play out in the Heard-Depp situation.”

That Sassy’s has taken the step of suing Portland’s most visible advocate for Black dancers is noteworthy for its power dynamics. It also provides a window into the labor upheaval rocking strip clubs up and down the West Coast.

An interesting detail of Hollis’ case, and several others in Oregon courts, is that they’re connected to a California law firm that’s been

running a social media campaign to enlist plaintiffs to sue strip clubs. That’s how Hollis ended up filing suit against Sassy’s—after seeing a post on Instagram in the summer of 2021 seeking dancers for suits against multiple Oregon clubs.

Meanwhile, dancers in Oregon worry about the possible unintended consequences of misclassification lawsuits like Hollis’, after two chains of clubs in California used them as a rationale for imposing employee status on dancers in a manner that cut their income drastically by creating private dance quotas.

The series of events in California, where class action settlements with strip clubs were followed in short order by state law changing the definition of independent contractor status, are very different from what’s happening in Oregon so far, but the impact on dancers there was so drastic that they might get their first unionized club since the 1990s.

“What happened in California is pretty terrifying to dancers in Oregon because we’re not very far away,” says Jane, a dancer who’s worked in Portland for more than a decade, and spoke to WW on condition of anonymity. “I’ve been nervous about that for several years because every dancer I know in L.A. has quit or found a second job. It kind of destroyed their income.”

Hollis is a key figure advocating for Portland stripper and sex worker rights because they launched the PDX Stripper Strike two years ago.

Although its name evoked a work stoppage, the PDX Stripper Strike of 2020 wasn’t focused on getting dancers employee wages or protections. As with its predecessor in New York in 2015, it called on clubs to address racist hiring and scheduling practices and sexual harassment and assault on the job. In its current form as Haymarket Pole Collective, it’s a nonprofit focused on distributing grant money to sex workers of color and connecting them to services like culturally specific therapy.

The public record shows that Sassy’s isn’t the only club they’ve brought allegations of retaliation against.

Hollis and another plaintiff have an open federal civil rights complaint against Club 205 alleging retaliation for raising issues of race and sex discrimination at the club as part of their involvement with the Stripper Strike. Their prior actions through the National Labor Review Board against Club 205 and The Venue have been settled in the dancers’ favor, requiring clubs to fork over back pay and post notices about dancers’ rights under the National Labor Relations Act.

There are signs the stripper strike moved the needle in Portland. One of Faillace’s other venues, the Kit Kat Club, started an inclusive “all bodies, all genders” stripping night called Kit-N-Kaboodle, and Sinferno’s bookings have also become more diverse.

Hollis declined to comment on their case, or to provide other Haymarket Pole representatives to comment.

Disclosure: The author of this story has danced at several Portland clubs, but not at any of the clubs discussed in this story.

SUED: Cat Hollis led the PDX Stripper Strike in 2020 to demand more equitable workplace conditions.

JOY BOGDAN

“I’m just saying we saw that play out in the Heard-Depp situation.”

Turning fish grease into diesel fuel could solve Oregon’s carbon problem. Why are enviros so queasy?

BY ANTHONY EFFINGER aeffinger@wweek.com ILLUSTRATIONS BY ALEX BLAIS @alexblaisart

At the Quincy Grange Hall near Clatskanie last week, 75 farmers and residents of the lowlands along the Columbia River debated the future of a clean-fuels project that could slash carbon emissions by 7 million metric tons a year.

That’s the equivalent of taking a million cars off Oregon roads.

If the proposed refinery sold all of its green output in Oregon alone, the benefit would exceed the state’s goal of sequestering 5 million tons of CO2 a year by 2030.

The seemingly magical plant, 63 miles northwest of Portland and proposed by a startup called Next Renewable Fuels, is designed to produce “renewable diesel,” a clean-burning alternative to petroleum that can be made from discarded vegetable oil, wood waste and animal carcasses.

It’s like biodiesel but refined differently, so it can be pumped into an 18-wheeler with no modifications. Using it cuts carbon emissions by 60%, and it doesn’t produce as much soot.

Even better, Next says it plans to make much of its renewable diesel from fish carcasses, which abound here and in Asia.

After taking everything that can be used for fillets, cat food, fish oil pills and fertilizer, the rest of a salmon, say, is rendered into a paste that is discarded. That “fish Crisco” is full of the long-chain fats that

make great raw material for renewable diesel, says Chris Efird, a charismatic Texan who co-founded Next in 2016.

“It’s very, very high in lipid content, so it’s great feedstock,” Efird, 58, says.

Keith Wilson, owner of Portland trucking company Titan Freight Systems, is a big fan. He runs his 47 trucks on renewable diesel about half the time. It burns cleaner, reducing his maintenance costs. The only problem, Wilson says, is getting enough of it. He currently gets his supply from a Finnish company called Neste that delivers it from a refinery in Singapore.

The market is heating up because Oregon and California offer valuable credits for renewable diesel that can be sold for cash to big polluters, and Washington is set to follow suit next year. Next would find eager customers.

“Should they succeed,” Wilson says, “it would be a tailwind for Oregon.”

Next has a valuable Oregon ally: gubernatorial candidate Betsy Johnson, whose old legislative district includes Port Westward, the site near Clatskanie where Next wants to put its plant.

“There is no question that the Next Renewable Fuels development in Clatskanie is a good idea,” Johnson says. “Renewable diesel is good for the environment and good for jobs.”

The Next plant would produce 50,000 barrels a day (enough to fill more than three Olympic-sized swimming pools), making it the biggest U.S. producer of a precious commodity. Oregon would become the Kuwait of renewable die sel. And it would happen in a place that needs an economic lift: Clatskanie, Ore., halfway between Portland and Astoria on Highway 30. Once a thriving timber town, Clatskanie shriveled when that industry contracted.

Columbia County leaders have looked to Port Westward for a revival. One of just five deep-water ports in Oregon, it has both rail and ship access, and a dock that’s ready made for importing feedstock and exporting diesel.

But the underused port has struggled to attract tenants for decades. In 2009, it became notorious for a spectacular cor porate collapse. An ethanol plant run by Cascade Grain operated for seven months before going bankrupt (“Corndoggle,” WW, April 8, 2009).

Efird says he will succeed where others have failed and that his $2.5 billion plant will shower $700 million in wages on the 3,500 construction work ers needed to build it. Once it’s operating, the plant will employ 240 people at $90,000 a year each, and it will generate $45 million in property tax revenue— without any subsidies.

“We are taking no tax breaks,” Efird told Co lumbia County commis sioners in January. “We are taking no incentives. We want to position Co lumbia County as a key node in the transition to a post-carbon future.”

Next hopes to complete permitting next year and start refining in 2025. The com pany cleared a major hurdle last month when the Oregon Department of Envi

ronmental Quality granted the project an air quality permit. Efird says big players are lining up to do business with Next. BP will supply raw materials, Efird says, and Shell plans to buy his output. And, he says, Wall Street giant Goldman Sachs has signed on as Next’s banker. (Goldman declined to comment.)

Next’s potential is tantalizing: With a few more permits, the company could turn fish guts into green gold, helping Or egon achieve its lofty climate goals and breathing life into a struggling backwater. But locals have heard a series of pitches from out-of-state developers of coal de pots, liquefied natural gas terminals and chemical plants. Interviews with farmers and environmental groups, and an ex amination of voluminous public records detailing Efird’s history suggest Next may be another in the long line of fast-buck artists seeking to exploit Oregon’s natural resources.

“They’re a bunch of carpetbaggers,” says Mike Seely, a third-generation farm

er who grows heirloom Black Mitcham peppermint that flavors Burgerville shakes and Salt & Straw ice cream. “I’m not opposed to industry. I’m opposed to bad players.”

The best argument for the Next plant is climate change. Despite aggressive goals for carbon reduction, Oregonians have made little progress. Nonetheless, leading environmentalist groups oppose Next.

Dan Serres, conservation director at Columbia Riverkeeper, has dug deeply into Efird’s plan. Serres says his organi zation has no problem with renewable diesel. He just doesn’t think Port West ward is the place for it.

Mary Kyle McCurdy, deputy director at 1000 Friends of Oregon, agrees. “Location matters,” McCurdy says. “We don’t need to pit climate change against farmland. We believe there are alternative sites. This land doesn’t have to be put at risk.”

Among Next’s most voluble critics is Jasmine Lillich, 29, a fifth-generation

farmer from Clatskanie, and her fiancé, Brandon Schilling, 33. They speak for a group of farmers who worry how the plant might harm their land.

Port Westward lies amid 5,717 acres of farmland that’s protected from the Columbia River by levees and pumps that date from 1915. Much of that land is below river level. When there’s heavy rain, the Beaver Drainage Improvement Company, the nonprofit that manages the diked land, switches on electric pumps to drain the deluge.

The diked lands are hyperrich—formed from thousands of years of organic depos its from the Columbia River—and well irrigated. Lillich says it’s madness to turn 118 acres of prime farmland into a refinery complex.

“You can’t get these soils back,” Lillich says. “They took 150,000 years to create.”

According to a state formula, Next must restore almost 4 acres to wetlands for every 1 acre it covers. The company plans to do that by stripping the top 6 inches of

“They’re a bunch of carpetbaggers. I’m not opposed to industry. I’m opposed to bad players.”

BLOWBACK: The Beaver Drainage board considered an offer from Next on Sept. 21.

ANTHONY

“

can’t get these soils back.

soil off 483 acres in the Beaver drainage to keep native plants wet year round, and dig ponds and channels up to 6 feet deep.

Farmers like Seely say the excavation will reveal artisan springs and “sand boils” that will flood their land.

“The water is going to seep into the drainage, and we’re going to have to pump it out,” he says.

Efird says the farmers have it all wrong. The wetlands will act as a vast sponge for winter rains, he says, one that can be wrung out in summer for irrigation.

Lillich and Seely also fret about what will happen in an earthquake to the 1 million gallons of renewable diesel that Next plans to store on the site. Silty soils like the ones in the Beaver drainage liquefy in quakes. Efird dismisses that concern, saying the plant will be engineered for safety, with thousands of piles driven 50 feet into the earth.

There’s also the question of whether Next can deliver a highly complex, mul-

tibillion-dollar project. So far, precious little renewable diesel has been made from fish waste, according to Cerulogy, a clean-fuels consultancy. In 2020, fish waste accounted for just 10 million of the 600 million gallons burned in the U.S. Next says it will produce 750 million gallons of renewable diesel a year, more than all U.S. consumption in 2020. It plans to make a lot of it from fish paste.

That’s a big job for anyone, and Efird, who spent much of his career selling penny stocks, has been involved in at least two other fuel projects that failed.

The first one, TransMessis Columbia Plateau LLC in Odessa, Wash., 75 miles west of Spokane, opened in November 2013. Efird, an investor, was on the board.

TransMessis crushed grain from local farmers and turned the oil into biodiesel. It operated for just eight months, then shut down in June 2014 because, Efird says, “the equipment wasn’t working right.”

Nine months later, documents show,

the Washington Department of Ecology inspected the abandoned plant and found corroded containers leaking sulfuric acid and other chemicals. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency spent $400,000 to clean up the mess.

“The presence of large quantities of various process chemicals, hazardous materials and waste that had been abandoned at the site presented a threat of release to the air, and fire/explosion,” the EPA wrote in May 2015.

TransMesssis left farmers in the lurch, too. One company, Wolfkill Feed & Fertilizer Corp., sued TransMessis, saying it had lied about its creditworthiness and that the firm owed Wolfkill $1.7 million.

Efird says he paid back taxes, settled with

took

to create.”

Jasmine Lillich.

A BUSY MAN

Chris Efird, founder of Next Renewable Fuels, has a long résumé. His LinkedIn profile lists seven positions since 1993, and fi lings with the Securities and Exchange Commission show he’s been involved with some two dozen companies, many of them penny stocks that went nowhere.

They had names like Matador Acquisition, Ruby Growth, and Emerald Acquisition. Many were shell companies set up in the Cayman Islands. A shell company has no operations—just a legal structure that lets it sell shares to investors, often for a fraction of a cent each.

The goal of a shell is to merge with a company that actually does something, then get listed on a stock exchange, where other investors can buy the shares, hopefully at higher prices.

Shell companies are perfectly legal, but they have at times been used in pump-and-dump schemes in which promoters buy up shares in a shell, claim it has a new product, or tal-

ented new management, to drive up the share price, then sell their shares and disappear.

“The vast majority of people are trying to do the right thing,” says Florida securities lawyer Laura Anthony. “There are some bad actors who give the business a bad name.”

One of Efi rd’s companies was Tiger Growth, a Cayman Islands company formed in March 2006. A month after Tiger’s founding, according to SEC filings, Tiger sold 1 million shares to a company called Nautilus Global Partners for 0.1 cent a share. Efird owned a 40% stake in Nautilus. A month later, Tiger sold 177,500 shares to investors at 20 cents a share—a significant premium, making Nautilus’ shares worth lots more than what it paid.

In February 2008, Tiger bought a Greek construction company called Aegean Earth SA that had four employees and owned no property. Even so, in April 2008, Aegean said it planned to sell 1.4 million shares at $3 a share to private investors—shares that insiders like Efird had acquired for a fraction of a cent.

A month after the notice of the share sale, Aegean told the SEC that it couldn’t file a quarterly report on time. By September 2010, the company—now called Hellenic Solutions Corp.—had just $172,189 in cash on hand and loans and other liabilities of $42.3 million. In 2013, the SEC ruled that Hellenic could not sell shares to the public because it hadn’t filed financial reports on time for several years.

Efird admits to WW the shells were risky business.

“You have to be very candid with your investors,” he says. “You have to say, hey, listen, this has the possibility of being great and it has the possibility of being a train wreck.” AE.

Wolfkill, and paid employees money they were owed since the sudden shutdown.

“I had to write a very large check,” Efird says.

As for the toxic mess, Efird says many of the toxic chemicals were left by a previous operator, and the containers corroded after TransMessis left the facility.

In August 2014, two months after TransMessis failed, Efird formed a company called Waterside Energy Development LLC. Efird became chairman and managing director. Through a subsidiary, Riverside Refining LLC, documents show, Waterside proposed to build a refinery at the Port of Longview, Wash., to handle 30,000 barrels a day of crude from North Dakota. Riverside promised 400 construction jobs and 150 permanent jobs.

The deal never happened. Waterside missed the deadline to provide financial information, and the data it did submit was “heavily redacted and failed to communicate financial support of the project,” the port said in a statement on Feb. 23, 2016.

Efird moved on and formed Next that same year. Lou Soumas, Efird’s partner in TransMessis and Waterside, became the public face of Next, attending town halls and meeting with locals. But, in late 2020,

NEXT BOSS: Chris Efird.

Soumas, now 63, was arrested in Texas on two felony charges: indecency with a child by exposure and indecency with a child by sexual contact. Soumas didn’t return a phone call seeking comment.

Efird says Next fired Soumas immediately.

“It was a very, very unfortunate situation,” Efird says.

Behind his Texas accent, Efird has the gentle, earnest manner of an accountant. He wears rimless eyeglasses and a monogrammed shirt. He talks in humbled tones about how hard it is to build a refinery in Oregon, where the environmental rules are strict.

“People said, ‘Chris, what are you doing?’ Oregon is where energy projects go to die,” Efird says. “I’m not looking for a medal, but this is tough sledding.”

Efird got his start in business in 1993 at a Houston firm called Benchmark Equity Group.

He left in 2000 and went on to start a series of investment firms (see “A Busy Man,” page 16). Much of his business was setting up penny-stock shell companies that could be listed on stock exchanges without the more rigorous process of an initial public offering. Filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission show Efird has been involved in no fewer

than 20 different companies, investment funds, and LLCs.

Despite his spotty track record, Efird can still raise money. One of Efird’s biggest backers at Next is Robert Russell, 73, a San Diego investor who specializes in commercial real estate. Russell’s website says he has been in business for 45 years and has developed properties worth more than $900 million.

Russell says he met Efird in Houston. They share a passion for Scouting. Russell says he served on the board of the Boy Scouts of America, and Efird still volunteers as an assistant scoutmaster.

Russell invested in Waterside Energy. He also helped Next by buying 860 acres near Port Westward through a company called Oregon Port AG Investors LLC for $1.7 million, according to property records. Next plans to turn part of Russell’s acreage into new wetlands to offset the land it grades and fills for the plant.

“My role was money more than anything else,” Russell tells WW

Earlier this year, Russell considered running for a seat on the Beaver Drainage board, raising concern about a takeover by Next, local farmers said. He made a strong impression on board members when he met with them at Farmhouse Coffee in Clatskanie and bragged about

his days at Goldman Sachs, where, he said, he was known as “El Diablo because I would do anything to make a buck, including gouging a person’s eyes out and pissing in their dead eye sockets,” recounts a person familiar with the meeting who declined to be named because he fears retribution from Next.

Russell says he never made the comments.

Efird says Next isn’t taking any state money to build its plant, unlike the failed Cascade Grain, which got tens of millions in subsidies.

For him, the secret sauce is green energy credits. In Oregon, producers of low-carbon-intensity fuels—like renewable diesel—earn credits that they can sell for real money to producers of dirty fuels—like petroleum diesel—who need the credits to comply with state restrictions on carbon emissions. The system offers more credits for fuels made from nonpetroleum waste products. If Next uses more fish grease than virgin soybean oil, it will make more money.

Efird admits the Next project was risky at first. Risk increased when Soumas, the former president, got arrested. Now that Soumas is gone, and Next has the air quality permit from DEQ, things are looking

good. “It would have been very easy to give up,” Efird says.

Next must still pass a review by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and obtain a state water quality permit that he’s been denied twice. He also has to pacify locals at the Quincy Grange.

Last week, farmers met there to consider a proposal by Next to pay $3.5 million to the Beaver Drainage Improvement Company over 10 years to stop opposing Next’s diesel plant. The three-member board could have voted to accept the deal, but people in the drainage district protested, saying the issue should go to a vote of all the landowners.

One of them, a contractor named Craig Worsham, says he knows how he will vote.

“A company like Next is a small coven of millionaires sitting on their cellphones at the golf course trying to make another million dollars,” Worsham said at the grange meeting. “And this little drainage district is a thorn in their side. The best thing that they can do to move on with their next million is to get us the fuck out of the way.”

The crowd cheered. The three board members dismissed the audience, deliberated for 20 minutes, then announced they had put off a decision on the Next offer until Oct. 12.

ROCK ON

Every summer, Elk Rock Island becomes a local hot spot for swimming, sun tanning and picnics. Inaccessible for most of the year, the path to the Willamette River landmark is only revealed once dry conditions are consistent and the water has receded. For some, this route isn’t just a bridge to the island; it’s a rugged landscape where they can push their o -road vehicles to the limit by climbing epic rock walls and plummeting down enormous cli s. That may sound extremely dangerous, but these “vehicles” aren’t large enough to hold a human. In fact, they’re elaborately built toys. For members of Elk Rock RC Crawlers, a group of miniature o -road rig enthusiasts, September (typically Sundays) is the last month to race across the terrain before it’s swallowed up by the river once the fall rains move in.

Photos by Michael Raines

On Instagram: @michaelraines

WATCH: Poderoso Victoria (The Mighty Victoria)

If you’re tired of the typical morose o erings of many indie film festi vals, Poderoso Victoria is the ray of sunshine you’ve been looking for. The Spanish-language movie (with English subtitles) follows the re maining inhabitants of a remote town whose mine—its main economic engine—has just closed, triggering the cancellation of the railroad route. Determined to reconnect with the outside world, the townspeople begin building a steam engine with their bare hands. Poderoso Victoria has racked up multiple film festival wins since it debuted last year. Screens as part of the Portland Latin American Film Festival, which runs through Dec. 7. Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy Blvd., 503-493-1128, holly woodtheatre.org. 7:30 pm Wednesday, Sept. 28. $10-$12.

 LISTEN: Low Bar Chorale Presents Back to Schoolhouse Rock

Let’s be honest—many of us wouldn’t know what a conjunction is, how a bill becomes a law, or the basic rules of gram mar, government, math and science if not for the brief interludes of Schoolhouse Rock that broke up our cartoon watching on weekend mornings. Low Bar Chorale is reviving some of the greatest songs from the long-running segments via an interactive singalong experience. Dancers, pop-trivia questions and adult beverages round out the evening. Alberta Rose The atre, 3000 NE Alberta St., 503-719-6055, albertarosetheatre.com. 7:30 pm Thursday, Sept. 29. $20 in advance, $25 at the door.

 EAT: Mezcal & Mariscos—

Dinner Inspired by a Sense of Place

We’ve all heard of the term “terroir” by

now, and have an appreciation for the way soil, climate and topography imparts fla vor. But did you know the sea can do the same thing? Both merroir and terroir are at the heart of this pop-up dinner, which takes you on a journey through Oaxacan cuisine. Brush up on your small-talk skills (a mezcal cocktail should help): This event features mostly communal seating unless you make advance arrangements. House of Tasty, 726 SE 6th Ave., 971-346-3280, houseoftastypdx.com. 6 pm Saturday, Oct. 1. $120.

 GO: Resilience—A Sansei Sense of Legacy

Executive Order 9066 initiated the reloca tion and internment of more than 100,000 Japanese Americans in the 1940s, forcing them to abandon their homes, businesses and other valuables. The consequenc es of this exodus are examined in the Japanese American Museum of Oregon’s

newest exhibit, which features eight sansei (third-generation) Japanese American artists’ expressions of the pain and reluc tant acceptance of incarceration during World War II. Japanese American Museum of Oregon, 411 NW Flanders St., Suite 100, 503-224-1458, jamo.org. 11 am-3 pm Fri day-Sunday, Oct. 2-Dec.22. $5-$8.

 GO: Live Wire Radio’s Annual Fancy Pants Fundraising Gala

Public radio is anything but fancy, but for one night, Live Wire is encouraging its listeners to put on their snazziest britches for this fête. While you’re enjoying the live auction, craft cocktails and hearty appetizers, just know that you’ll also be supporting the nonprofit’s ability to continue bringing riveting, insightful and entertaining conversations to the air waves. Who knows? There may even be an ice sculpture. Portland Center Stage at the Armory, 128 NW 11th Ave., livewireradio. org/fancy-pants-gala. 7:30 pm Tuesday, Oct. 4. $95 general admission, $150 VIP.

 SEE: The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity

The American Dream, neoliberal capital ism, piledrivers and ankle locks come to gether in The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity. Kristo er Diaz’s Obie Award-win ning dramatic comedy about a profes sional wrestler kicks o Profile Theatre’s 15th season. Settle in for an exploration of identity and BIPOC disenfranchisement as seen through the lens of good ol’ Ameri can satire. Oh, and there should be plenty of body slams. Imago Theatre, 17 SE 8th Ave., 503-231-9581, profiletheatre.org/ chaddeity/. 7:30 pm Wednesday-Saturday, 2 pm Sunday, Oct. 5-23. $45.

 GO: Motown: The Sound of Young America

For folks who have always wanted to don a sequined evening gown and join a trio of backup singers, here’s your opportunity. Doo-wop your way through the Oregon Historical Society’s newest exhibit curated by the Grammy Museum. It celebrates Motown Records, one of America’s most iconic labels, with interactive installa tions designed to put visitors onstage singing with the Supremes and dancing with the Temptations. OHS doesn’t list a dress code, so we can assume sequined evening gowns (or capes or pantaloons) are OK. Oregon Historical Society, 1200 SW Park Ave., 503-222-1741, ohs.org. 10 am-5 pm Monday-Saturday, noon-5 pm Sunday, through March 26, 2023. Free for Multnomah County residents, $5-$10 for nonresidents.

PHOTO

& DRINK

Editor: Andi Prewitt Contact: aprewitt@wweek.com

Hot Plates

WHERE TO EAT THIS WEEK.

1. CANARD OREGON CITY

1500 Washington St., Oregon City, 503-3444247, canardrestaurant.com. 11 am-2 pm and 4-9 pm daily.

Would you travel 20 miles for a Salisbury steak? We’re not talking about the Swanson TV dinner of your youth, but a deliciously beefy slab of seared-and-seasoned, dry-aged ground brisket and chuck. The dish is now being served at Canard’s new Oregon City location, and it’s meant to be a “more comforting version” of the restaurant’s original duck frites. You’ll find more ri s on classics and novel o erings at the spino , as well as a heck of a lot more seating thanks to its spacious home in the former Grano Bakery.

2. NOTHING BUNDT CAKES

11629 SW Beaverton Hillsdale Highway, 503718-7070, nothingbundtcakes.com. 10 am-6 pm daily.

If you’re the type of person who leans into fall hard—we’re talking boots and leggings daily, decorative wreaths, and trips to go “leaf-peeping” (a semi-perverted term that, really, no one should ever use)—then you’ll want to pair your Starbucks’ PSL with Nothing Bundt Cakes’ pumpkin spice dessert. The seasonal favorite will be on the menu for only a limited time, and it comes in 10- and 8-inch cakes as well as mini Bundtlets and bite-sized Bundtinis.

3. TODO

1935 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 503-208-3948, todotaco.com. 5-9 pm, Sunday-Monday, 5-10 pm Tuesday-Saturday.

Build-Your-Own-Taco Night is a weekly staple for many families, and it’s easy to understand why. There’s something so playful and satisfying about the creative construction. That fun, familial feeling is a big part of the experience of dining at Todo, where you can choose from half- or full-pound plates of taco fillings and adventurously shu e them with various toppings on soft corn tortillas or crisp tostadas. Our go-to: the pastor de trompo.

4. PONO BREW LABS

1728 NE 40th Ave., 503-432-8143, ponobrewing.com. 4-10 pm Sunday-Thursday, 4 pm-midnight Friday-Saturday.

Pono fans now have a dependable place to find the brewery’s beer on tap and can accompany those pints with some stellar Pacific Island- and Asian-inspired food. You really couldn’t go wrong with building an entire meal out of the starters, which include Filipino lumpia, kalua pork sliders, french fries topped with either more of that pig or beef bulgogi and sticky garlic shoyu wings.

5. TARTUCA

3951 N Mississippi Ave., 503-477-8008, tartucapdx.com. 4-10 pm Tuesday-Thursday, 11:30 am-10 pm Friday-Saturday, 11:30 am-9 pm Sunday.

If you’ve been craving some of that good ol’ Pacific Northwest farm-to-table elegance, it’s hiding in plain sight at Tartuca. Chef Jamie Wilcox is running a bustling machine of an open kitchen, pumping out dishes that are at once iconically Italian and quintessentially Oregon. She also makes sure to take advantage of the bounty of Sauvie Island and fresh herbs from neighbors’ home gardens. Since every dish is hyperseasonal, don’t expect to see the

Kicking the Habit

Saraveza’s sophisticated spinoff, Bad Habit Room, is back following a lengthy pandemic closure.

BY EZRA JOHNSON-GREENOUGH PHOTOS BY ALLISON BARR

Casual Midwest beer bar Saraveza has given birth to a more elegant cocktail bar with date-night vibes.

The small, brick-laden and oak-accented Bad Habit Room is tucked behind the entrance to a second-floor apartment building just around the corner from Saraveza. Behind partially pulled curtains is a candlelit nook with a Prohibition backroom bar atmosphere and the hushed whimsy of one of those secret rooms inside every McMenamins hotel.

Bad Habit Room has technically been around for about a decade, but was previously only open for weekend brunch and special events. After staying completely shuttered for two years due to the pandemic, it’s back and catering to a different crowd in the evenings.

The space was always meant to be a counterpoint to Saraveza’s down-home, Packers-and-pasty beer bar scene, but never really had a chance to shine pre-COVID. Now, it feels like a hidden gem—perhaps a little too hidden based on a recent Saturday night visit when the bar was nearly empty.

To fill those seats and keep things interesting, Bad Habit Room has been inviting brewers to step behind the bar and create beer cocktails with local mixologists. Concocting those drinks can sometimes be as easy as subbing in the appropriate beer as a mixer; other times, it involves a little more magic, but ultimately reveals how wonderfully hops and yeast interact with herbal liqueurs. At a recent Fort George Brewery night, for instance, a ginger- and vanilla-spiced barrel-aged stout was used as a roasty substitution for soda in a dark ’n’ stormy, while one of the Astoria brewery’s hazy IPAs was reduced to a floral, bittersweet syrup that was then mixed with tequila and fresh juices for a riff on a margarita.

While Bad Habit Room always has a few handles pouring craft beer and a small selection of bottles, as well as a pretty great wine list, the focus here is cocktails that seem to take their inspiration as much from the modern craft beer revolution as they do from the 1920s. Drinks like Moon Shoes ($10) are not as strange as they sound: Its marshmallow-infused vodka is a light, puffy cloud for lemon and orgeat to

bounce off of, while a splash of Son of Man harvest vermouth acts as a grounding agent.

Another balanced, easy drinker, the Groggy Froggy ($13), is a rumbased drink made with the freshest available tropical fruit, Galliano and Harlequin liqueurs. I expected it to be tiki sweet, but the coconut water lightens up the concoction, leaving you feeling refreshed. And the creative incorporation of spirulina—a nutrient-packed blue-green algae—is really more decorative but gives you the impression that you’re drinking something semi-healthy.

Saraveza has always relied on a menu of buttery, rich comfort food— described as Portland takes on Midwest favorites—but Bad Habit Room primarily offers small bites and salads. It’s not exactly a spot where you’d go to have dinner, but it’s a perfect destination for pre- or post-dining drinks and snacks. Though you could easily fill yourself up by tackling the entire appetizer portion of the menu. On a recent trip, our group of four did just that by making a meal out of the pimento cheese ball ($8), Crystal Hot Sauce-doused deviled eggs with pickled jalapeños ($4) and Pigs in Scarves ($8)—a plate of smoky sausages wrapped in a flaky pastry with a side of beer cheese dipping sauce. We didn’t even need the more filling bierocks, or German stuffed rolls ($14).

Bad Habit Room is a bar, first and foremost, and there may be no better dish to pair with a craft beverage than a well-made charcuterie board. The one served here is stacked with crusty bread, house-smoked meats and housemade pickles ($16), the perfect accompaniment to the spicy Hotter Than Mojave (Olmeca Altos Añejo tequila, grapefruit, mezcal, Velvet Falernum Liqueur and Firewater Tincture; $12).

Bad Habit Room bills itself as a speakeasy-style cocktail bar, which feels fairly accurate despite the sign out front advertising its existence. Hopefully, it doesn’t stay too hidden. It would be unfortunate if this wonderful respite from the raucous North Killingsworth Street bar scene never found an audience. The area could use more sophisticated watering holes like this one.

DRINK: Bad Habit Room, 5433 N Michigan Ave., 503-303-8550, saraveza.com/the-bad-habit-room. 4-10 pm Wednesday-Friday, 9 am-2 pm and 4-10 pm Saturday-Sunday.

Buzz List

WHERE TO DRINK THIS WEEK.

1. DOUBLE MOUNTAIN TAPROOM

4336 SE Woodstock Blvd., 503-2065495, doublemountainbrewery.com. Noon-9 pm daily.

Late summer and early fall see the wonderful collision of two very brief events at Double Mountain: heirloom tomato pie season and fresh hop season. The pizzas returned to the menu a few weeks ago, but the brewery just announced that Killer Red, Green and Juicy are all back on tap. There’s even a fresh hop edition of the Fa La La La La Winter Ale, which has been loaded with piney Centennials, so you can drink like it’s Christmas in September.

2. HETTY ALICE BREWING AT BELMONT STATION

4500 SE Stark St., 503-232-8538, belmont-station.com. Noon-11 pm daily.

After launching Living Häus Beer Company with two other Portland brewers at the former Modern Times location this summer, pFriem vet Gavin Lord has spun o his own project inside that same space. The brewery is named after his grandmother, who had a rough upbringing yet became known for her hospitality, a legacy he hopes to carry on with this business. Beer nerds know Lord best for his time as head brewer at Hood River’s pFriem and, after his year o from the industry, are undoubtedly pumped by his return.

3. OYATSUPAN BAKERS

16025 SW Regatta Lane, Beaverton, 503-941-5251, oyatsupan.com. 8 am3:30 pm daily.

Though best known for its milk bread and sweet rolls, Oyatsupan also serves a variety of warm beverages to go with those baked goods. The newest menu item is a hojicha latte, a Japanese green tea typically steamed to stop the oxidation process and then roasted, resulting in little to no bitterness as well as a low ca eine content. Oyatsupan promises that it is the perfect drink to transition from summer to fall thanks to the nutty notes from the tea and the creaminess of the oat milk.

4. ROCKABILLY CAFE

8537 N Lombard St., 503-384-2076, rockabillycafe.com. 8 am-8 pm Wednesday-Thursday and Sunday, 8 am-9 pm Friday-Saturday.

About a month after opening last winter, Rockabilly added alcohol-soaked shakes to its menu, as if it knew we’d need another painkiller as the year wore on. Right now, you should be drinking the White Ukrainian, and not just because it’s trendy to protest the Russian invasion by boycotting the country’s exports along with its name. The shake’s soothing rum-and-co ee flavor is like slipping into that first light sweater of the season as we transition into fall.

5. RALLY PIZZA

8070 E Mill Plain Blvd., Vancouver, Wash., 360-524-9000, rallypizza.com. 3-8 pm Monday-Thursday, noon-8 pm Friday-Sunday.

Rally Pizza serves some of Southwest Washington’s best Neapolitan-style pies, hand-stretched pasta, and frozen custard milkshakes, like the piña colada. The use of fresh-squeezed, sweettart pineapple juice makes all the di erence. The custard floats across the tongue as smoothly as a whipped cloud of meringue, while flavors of the tropics, from coconut cream to molasses rum, slowly dissolve like a sunset.

HOP ON

Humulene, perhaps best known as the dominant terpene in hops, has potential uses beyond imparting a distinctly herbal aroma to both beer and weed.

BY BRIANNA WHEELER

Have you ever smoked a deliciously dank strain that reminded you of a distinctly pungent beer, or maybe sipped a particularly bitter ale that reminded you of a skunky eighth? For beer and weed aficionados out there, that crossover is a common occur rence; cannabis and hops are cousins, and they share a common oil profile, including the unmistakable terpene humulene.

Most of us are familiar with humulene, or α-humulene (or, if you want to get all scientific, alpha-caryophyllene), because it plays a large role in creating the grassy, earthy, or woody aro mas we expect from different varieties of beer. When it comes to cannabis, however, humulene does more than contribute to a strain’s scent. The terpene has been known to provide numerous therapeutic benefits.

What is humulene?

Humulene is a naturally occurring monocyclic sesquiterpene, which is science talk for a terpene with ring-shaped molecules. In cannabis, it plays an integral role in the entourage effect, which is the theory that cannabinoids, terpenes and flavo noids work in concert, enhancing psychoactive or medicinal properties.

Humulene has a well-established history in Chinese medicine and is used as an anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antibacterial agent. Studies have shown its effects to be indistinguishable from those of dexamethasone, a steroid commonly prescribed to treat inflammation, and in a clinical setting, it has been shown to provide relief to patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Cannabis strains bred for their humulene-forward terpene profiles have even demonstrated an ability to kill cancer cells

and reduce tumor growth. Additionally, studies have shown that humulene promotes healing by assisting in the creation of new blood cells.

Humulene is found in all manner of botanicals, but is super common in sativa, indica and hybrid cultivars. We rounded up a few humulene-dominant cannabis strains so that you can explore how the terpene’s traditional therapeutic properties can not only enhance and expand a high, but also maybe leave you less inflamed and/or bacteria-ridden. Pair these with your favorite local craft beer or hop soda for maximum enjoyment.

Ghost Rider OG

Bred from The White and either Biker Kush or Lucifer OG (depending on whom you ask), these super-snowy buds have a nuanced terpene profile. Rather than resulting in a hoppy mouthful, users report that Ghost Rider OG is more peppery yet still robust and funky. Therapeutic uses may include treatment of chronic pain and insomnia, but if you’re simply smoking it for fun, you’ll appreciate the deeply stoney body and head effects. Expect a piney, hoppy perfume and a sharp, almost astringent aftertaste.

BUY: Orchards Cannabis Market, 11800 NE 65th St., Vancouver, Wash., 360-258-1880, orchardscannabismarket.com.

Ice Cream Cake

A great example of complexity in a humulene-rich terpene profile is Ice Cream Cake. It has a creamy mouthfeel and nut ty-sweet flavor, as well as a pungent aroma. The strain’s effects are both euphoric and tranquilizing. Users report cozy, syrupy head highs with a strong dissociative streak, while your body will likely feel like it’s been covered in a wet blanket. Ice Cream Cake is known to help people suffering from nausea, chronic

pain and insomnia. However, its recreational reputation tends to overshadow any therapeutic benefits because the strain leads to such a strong, sedating body high. Expect a nutty, cake-sweet nose and a silky, earthy exhale.

BUY: Green Muse, 5515 NE 16th Ave., 971-420-4917, gogreen muse.com.

Garlic Cookies

Hear me out: Garlic Cookies tastes freaking delicious. This cross of Chemdawg and perennial fave Girl Scout Cookies is an extra-potent 30% THC and higher cultivar that typically delivers heavy, sedative effects. Full disclosure, though: When I smoke this strain, I get spontaneous dancies, so your experi ence, as with all cultivars, may vary. Users report sometimes overwhelming feelings of euphoria and relaxation that often give way to epic munchies. Expect a dank, pungent aroma and a nutty, earthy-sweet aftertaste.

BUY: Electric Lettuce, all locations.

Alien Rock Candy

ARC, as it is colloquially known, is a semi-rare hybrid cross of Sour Dubble and Tahoe Alien. The resulting cultivar is an indica-forward, medium-potency (15% to 20% THC on aver age) smoke with a seriously memorable sour exhale. Users report bright, staggering onsets and extra-languid body and head highs that are great for low-stakes creative activities. Therapeutic users recommend this strain for chronic pain, arthritis, fibromyalgia and spasms. Expect a skunky-citrus perfume and a lemony, grassy flavor.

BUY: The Dispensary on 52nd, 4452 SE 52nd Ave., 503-4208000, thedispensaryon52nd.com.

Adventure Time

Post-punk trio J. Graves returns with the choose your own adventure album Fortress of Fun.

BY ROBERT HAM

Being in a band, much like being in a long-term romantic relationship, provides ample opportunity to be surprised by the people you’re partnered with. For example, when Jessa Graves, the main creative force behind frayed-edge post-punk Portland trio J. Graves, was in a Bay Area studio working on the 2020 EP Deathbed, she found out that her drummer, Aaron MacDonald, had recently taught himself to speed read.

“The walls of the studio were covered in these paperback sci-fi novels,” Graves remembers, still sounding impressed. “Aaron grabbed a book, thumbed through it, and said, ‘Oh, that was pretty good.’”

The next book MacDonald grabbed and whizzed through helped set the course for the band’s next creative phase. “It was a choose your own adventure book,” says Graves. “After he finished, I looked at him and was like, ‘What if we did a choose your own adventure record? That’d be funny, wouldn’t it?’”

That offhand remark became the core concept behind the release of J. Graves’ new album, Fortress of Fun. The seven-song collection is being released Friday, Sept. 30, in all the traditional ways—vinyl, CD and streaming—but the group also filmed a series of videos for each song on the record that play out an elaborate storyline involving enchanted chainmail and an oceanside adventure. Where the tale goes depends on which link visitors to J. Graves’ website click on.

The more fantastical elements of these videos came via another bandmate revelation. During the pandemic, the trio took a group vacation to the coast that dovetailed with Halloween weekend. Naturally, that included bringing along costumes, which is how Graves and MacDonald learned that the third member of their triad, bassist Kelly Clifton, not only had her own chainmail, but also a broadsword and a huge horse bow.

“She said, ‘Oh yeah, I’m into archery,’” Graves says. “I’m like, ‘Kelly, what?!’ She has this amazing ability to nonchalantly mention something that blows our mind. We were like, ‘How could

you casually say that and not understand that it’s the furthest thing from casual?’”

By the following year, the trio was back at the beach, spending two days slipping on the chainmail and wielding medieval weapons when they weren’t miming performances of their songs while ankle deep in the sand.

Lying just below the surface of the buoyant dance punk and the playful videos is a rich vein of anger. Graves wrote the material for Fortress of Fun as she was still reeling from the slow dissolution of a romantic relationship—and, while recording the album, she was processing the end of another.

The jolt of these songs came a little later for Graves as she realized who she was truly pissed off at. “When I started these songs, I thought I was saying them to someone,” she admits, “but, by the end, they’re actually reflected back at me. It’s like I’m accepting this and now I’m angry about it and now I don’t know what the hell is going on inside of me.”

In addition to regular visits to a therapist, Graves has found solace in the support of her bandmates. From the start of their creative partnership, the three have become fast, close friends, thanks to their shared passion for music of all stripes and very compatible senses of humor.

“I can’t count the number of inside jokes we have,” Graves says. “We have something like a twin language. For instance, when we leave a place together or separately, we say ‘Sade’ because Kelly loves Sade and, in a group text, she wrote something to the effect of, ‘Let me know when you get home safe,’ and her phone autocorrected safe to Sade.”

Over the years, the three musicians have only gotten more tightly intertwined in each other’s lives. Graves and Clifton now share a home, and the five-year-plan is for the trio to buy some land together and create a kind of J. Graves commune.

First, the band has to get to work promoting Fortress of Fun “I think we as humans crave experience,” Graves says. “So here is something that you can experience.”

WHAT TO SEE AND WHAT TO HEAR BY DANIEL BROMFIELD @bromf3

FRIDAY, SEPT. 30:

Gwar is either a gang of barbaric alien warriors hell-bent on conquering Earth or the greatest shock-rock band since Kiss. But whereas Gene Simmons simply spat blood, Gwar sprays their entire audience in various viscous substances while dressed like the mutant spawn of Orcs and monster trucks. Though the band had a brief moment of mainstream notoriety in the ’90s, their home is in clubs like the Roseland, where the crowd is like fish in a barrel for their barrage of bodily fluids. Bring a change of clothes. Roseland Theater, 8 NW 6th Ave., 971-230-0033, roselandpdx.com. 7 pm. $30. All ages.

SATURDAY, OCT. 1:

The Comet Is Coming leader Shabaka Hutchings might be the brightest young talent in a London jazz scene that’s proven one of the world’s most fertile. On the Comet’s new album, Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam, the saxophonist dives into a corner of U.K. musical history rarely explored in jazz: rave music, for which the band’s unconventional keyboard-drums rhythm section is perfectly suited. If you think you know what to expect from a jazz concert, see the Comet and have your preconceptions obliterated. Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark St., 971-808-5094, revolutionhall.com. 7 pm. $30. All ages.

TUESDAY, OCT. 4:

Melt-Banana has been twisting punk and metal into unrecognizable shapes for 30 years, centered on singer Yasuko Onuki’s bizarre avian chirps and shrieks and Ichiro Agata’s guitar histrionics (he was wearing a surgical mask as a prop long before COVID). Though they’ve adopted avant-metal weirdos like Primus, Mr. Bungle and the Melvins as tourmates, the prankish streak of those bands is supplanted in Melt-Banana’s work by an air of inexplicability: Where do they even get the idea for this shit? Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE 39th Ave., 503233-7100, hawthornetheatre.com. 8 pm. $20. 21+.

ALL IN: Aaron MacDonald, Kelly Clifton and Jessa Graves.

COURTESY OF J GRAVES

BY MICHELLE KICHERER @michellekicherer

“I want to sing like the birds sing, not worrying about who hears or what they think.” —Rumi

As a Chamorro climate activist and human rights lawyer in Guam, much of Julian Aguon’s work has been providing legal protection for Indigenous peoples. The Pulitzer-nominated writer believes they hold the key answers to many questions: How do we get out of the climate mess we’re in? How do we get to someplace better? How do we evoke enough empathy from the global community to do something?

One piece of the answer is Aguon’s definition-defying No Country for Eight-Spot Butterflies (Astra House, 128 pages, $23). It’s

storytelling, it’s poetry, it’s memoir, it’s essay, it’s manifesto.

“The book is very queer in that way,” Aguon tells WW. “We as queer people are always sort of in the business of doing this thing where we have to define a category…but we refuse to be categorizable. And this book does that. It refuses to obey…and it’s sort of like a party, you know?”

Throughout the book (which features everything from picture-painting vignettes about Indigenous medicine women and racism and queerness to the passionate title essay about the U.S. military’s bludgeoning of Guam’s land), there is a sense of duty coupled with a sense of humor.

“Me, on my sixth birthday, when I lived in the village of Tamuning and the hula hoop was my jam,” says one photo’s caption, which features young Aguon blowing out his birthday candles.

Aguon keeps readers constantly pivoting. Following that sweet photo is a piece called “Fighting Words,” the commencement speech Aguon gave to the 2018 graduating class at the University of Guam. To deliver a speech that wasn’t full of the same ol’ The Future Is Yours rigmarole, he had to dig deeper.

In the speech, he explains: “I drew open the drawers of my own interior life and scanned their disheveled contents with an exacting eye. Memories and milestones and music albums.” That pretty much sums up Butterflies

The collection’s stories are told by a person in varying stages of vulnerability, growth and understanding. They compose a poetic bildungsroman of an activist—and whether he’s writing about his aunt (a medicine woman) or ancestors who escaped a leper colony in Tumon, Aguon makes the political personal.

Not all of the stories in Butterflies are environmentally focused (though one could argue that everything connects to that theme).

Take “Nikki and Me,” the three-page vignette about a bus ride home from school. Mr. Q., a bus driver who “hated Chuukese people” tries to turn one student against the one Chuukese kid on the bus. The story concludes with a message: “But clearest of all is what I learned that day about what happens when we stand up for each other. We find our friends. And our way home.”

Then there’s the poem “Sherman Alexie Looked Me Dead in the Eye Once,” about a young and starstruck Aguon approaching Alexie at a reading in Spokane, Wash. After confessing he wants to be a writer, “Sherman smirks and says, kid, tell me something I don’t already know…I see it in your eyes, clear as day.” Unable to find enough of the right words after such a moment, 19-year-old Aguon leaves, “dragging my wordlessness with me, out into the busy street.”

When I first saw the poem’s title, I couldn’t help but bristle a little, now that Alexie’s name has been added to the list of icons accused of sexual misconduct. But Aguon’s awareness of (sensitivity to) the grief surrounding that topic is addressed in an honest and revealing footnote.

Aguon didn’t plan to include footnotes, but they became an integral part of the book. They serve as side conversations, allowing him to, as he says, “smuggle in an almost astonishing level of intimacy in the project.” He references Joni Mitchell’s 1979 Rolling Stone interview by Cameron Crowe, in which she refers to feeling “like a cellophane wrapper on a pack of cigarettes” when she created her famed breakup album Blue

“That album was transparent. There was no hiding,” Aguon says. “So I wondered if I could possibly do that with a book. If I could write a book where there were no corners and no hiding.”

GO: Julian Aguon appears in conversation with Karen Russell at Powell’s City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St., 503228-4651, powells.com. 7 pm Monday, Oct. 3. Free.

“We as queer people are always sort of in the business of doing this thing where we have to define a category, but we refuse to be categorizable.”

MOVIES

Editor: Bennett Campbell Ferguson Contact: bennett@wweek.com

To Badly Go…

How William Shatner nearly destroyed a franchise with Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.

BY BENNETT CAMPBELL FERGUSON @thobennett

“Oh my God. What are we going to do?” According to Robert Schnakenberg’s The Encyclopedia Shatnerica, that’s what George Takei said when he learned that Capt. Kirk himself, William Shatner, would be making his feature directorial debut with Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.

Takei had good reason to fear his co-star’s ascension to the director’s chair. During the original Star Trek TV series, Shatner had found numerous ways to torment his castmates, from cutting their dialogue to repeatedly stealing Leonard Nimoy’s red bicycle.

Still, it’s unlikely that any of the actors imagined the delusional heights Shatner would reach as a filmmaker. Released June 9, 1989, The Final Frontier (which screens Thursday at Hollywood Theatre) is so hokey and pretentious that it became Star Trek’s version of The Room: A hilariously self-serious dud that achieves bad-movie nirvana.

The Final Frontier pits the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise against Sybok (Laurence Luckinbill), a holy man (and half-brother to Nimoy’s Spock) who forces Kirk to ferry him to the center of the galaxy, where he believes he will meet God (!).

Believe it or not, the premise was almost even stranger. Shatner originally wanted to suggest that both God and the devil exist in Star Trek, include a literal trip to hell, and feature Sybok (then called Zar) riding a unicorn that spears someone with its horn.

Luckily, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry quashed Shatner’s more outré ideas, according to Captain’s Log: William Shatner’s Personal Account of the Making of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (in particular, Roddenberry, an atheist since he was a teenager, opposed the inclusion of any overtly religious content).

Captain’s Log was actually written by Shatner’s daughter, Lisabeth. While she wrote that her father compromised with the script’s detractors (including Nimoy, who objected to a scene where the ever-loyal Spock would have betrayed Kirk), his troubles didn’t end when the screenplay was finished.

During principal photography (which began Oct. 11, 1988), a Teamsters Union strike left the production with inexperienced drivers, costumes were stolen, film prints were damaged, and Shatner went ballistic while struggling to film the opening scene in the Mojave Desert.

“My father’s distress gradually mounted as he watched

several unsuccessful attempts, until finally he exploded and started yelling,” Lisabeth wrote. “In a half-joking gesture of frustration, he even flung himself down on the ground and pounded the cracked earth. Unfortunately, his dramatic gesture didn’t solve anything.”

Just as unsettling was the decision to subject beloved characters to humiliating ordeals—including the scene where Uhura (Nichelle Nichols, who died in July) dances nearly naked to distract a group of leering Sybok followers.

In Captain’s Log, Shatner recalled conceiving the scene with screenwriter David Loughery and producer Harve Bennett. “Well, we became so unglued by the thought that I was literally on the floor laughing,” he said. “Harve was hysterical with laughter, and David was looking at us with a peculiar laugh saying, ‘All right, guys, let’s get serious.’”

The scene made it into the film with the vomit-worthy line “Hello, boys! I’ve always wanted to play to a captive audience!” On TV, Uhura broke barriers as a Black woman on relatively equal footing with a majority-white bridge crew. In The Final Frontier, she became just another victim of Shatner’s degrading humor.

Amazingly, the film survived still more creative turbulence, including a failed attempt at an action scene with a rock monster (actually a stunt man in a latex suit). But there was no salvaging Shatner’s baffling vision: The film’s final box office tally was a mediocre $52 million, down by half from Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Yet for all its flaws, The Final Frontier has a peculiar charm. Thanks to its unintentionally uproarious mystical melodrama, the film at least stinks in an entertaining fashion, especially when Kirk dramatically wonders, “What does God need…with a starship?!”

In 1991, Star Trek rebounded at the movies with Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Shatner wasn’t invited back to direct (shocking!), but he refused to fully disown The Final Frontier, telling The Washington Post that it was “very special” to him.

As for Lisabeth Shatner, she continued to be involved with the film, joining her father for a DVD commentary in which Shatner again defended his work. “I think for me, it was a great experience,” he said. Strangely enough, it still is.

SEE IT: Star Trek V: The Final Frontier screens at the Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy Blvd., 503-4931128, hollywoodtheatre.org. 7:30 pm Thursday, Sept. 29. $8-$10.

STREAMING WARS

YOUR WEEKLY FILM QUEUE

BY BENNETT CAMPBELL FERGUSON @thobennett

HOLLYWOOD PICK 1:

The greater the distance, the greater the intimacy. In Alejandro Agresti’s The Lake House (2006), a remake of the South Korean film Il Mare, Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves star as two strangers who live in the same modernist home two years apart, but correspond through a time-defying mailbox. The chemistry between Bullock and Reeves (reuniting 12 years after Speed) is exquisite, especially during the iconic scene in which they dance to Paul McCartney’s “This Never Happened Before.” Netflix.

INDIE PICK 1:

For nearly three decades, Terrence Malick labored over Voyage of Time (2016), his dreamlike documentary about the history of life on Earth. The currently streaming 46-minute version is a rapturous, Brad Pitt-narrated journey from the Big Bang to the present; if you dig it, we recommend the extended edition (available on DVD and Blu-ray), which features more contemporary scenes and the voice of Cate Blanchett. Mubi.

HOLLYWOOD PICK 2:

Today, Tony Gilroy is best known for rescuing Rogue One and executive producing its new prequel series, Andor But in the late aughts, movie bu s knew him as the director of suave and soulful thrillers like Michael Clayton (2007), which stars George Clooney as an unscrupulous legal fixer whose conscience is rekindled by a colleague’s mental breakdown. An Oscar-winning Tilda Swinton costars as Karen Crowder, a ruthless rival lawyer who tends to perspire when she orders an assassination. HBO Max.

INDIE PICK 2:

In 2013, Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi) directed Brie Larson, Rami Malek, LaKeith Stanfield and Kaitlyn Dever in Short Term 12, an emotionally lacerating (and profoundly moving) drama set in a group home for teens. The movie may have been a nexus for future stars, but you won’t think about that as you watch. Every performance is pure, unvarnished truth; it’s as if Cretton just happened to turn on a camera as life unfolded in all its horrible, beautiful glory. Free on Amazon Prime, Peacock, Tubi and Vudu.

HOLY SHAT: William Shatner.

REPS

DON’T WORRY DARLING

A woman walks through a desert in black, flat-soled shoes. Eventually, she comes to a massive white dome, presses her hands against one of its curved windows, and sees…what? That question haunts Don’t Worry Darling, a hallucinatory, sensual and delectably disturbing thriller from filmmaker (and tabloid fixation) Olivia Wilde. While Wilde’s directorial debut, Booksmart, a ectionately lampooned a pair of liberal teens, Don’t Worry Darling satirizes a certain brand of fetishistic conservative nostalgia. Set in a 1950s suburban enclave dubiously named Victory, the film beckons you into the splintering psyche of Alice (Florence Pugh), a housewife who becomes justifiably paranoid after seeing a plane crash no one cares about and a slit throat no one will ac knowledge. Her voraciously amorous husband, Jack (Harry Styles), wants her to believe that she’s delusional, but as a general rule, you should never trust a guy whose work is flimsily described as “the development of progressive materials.” While there is a rumor that the men of Victory are manufacturing weapons, Wilde lets us bask in the community’s sinister beauty before revealing the nauseating truth behind it. Like the Victory’s velvet-voiced leader Frank (Chris Pine), Don’t Worry Darling savors orderly imagery, but the climactic scene in which Alice drives a spotless silver 1953 Corvette as heedlessly as Mad Max suggests that Wilde understands both the allure of regression and the thrill of revolution. Had her movie been released in the 1950s, the poster could have read, “Glamour! Sex! Politics!” What more could you want? R. BENNETT CAMPBELL FERGUSON. Acad emy, Bagdad, Cedar Hills, Cinema 21, City Center, Eastport, Evergreen Parkway, Fox Tower, Laurel hurst, Living Room, Lloyd Center, Pioneer Place, St. Johns, Studio One, Tigard.

THE STORY OF FILM: A NEW GENERATION

In 2011, documentarian Mark Cousins set out to elucidate a little thing called film history. The Story of Film: An Odyssey lasted 15 hours, ran on Turner Classic Movies, and cemented former BBC host Cousins as a recognizable film appreciator. Now, the tastefully soft-spoken cineaste is back with a threehour addendum—The Story of Film: A New Generation. This roving, languid video essay on 2010s cinema finds its strength in Cousins’ ability to unpack scene after scene—it’s part sermon, part clinic (imagine a David At tenborough film about movies). He strolls inquisitively through choice clips and categories, decelerating to the tempo of “slow cinema” like An Elephant Sitting Still, lovingly unpacking Booksmart ’s comedic verve, and marveling inclusively at where VR and mo-cap are whisking cinema. While perhaps unnecessarily split into titles that Cousins views as extensions of historically great films and ones that are truly “new,” the documentary is always more commemorative than criti cal. It can sometimes be hard for cinephiles to trust other cine philes during a movie testament this high-minded (skepticism and fandom often go hand in hand). But Cousins is always humble and affectionate enough to avoid excesses of snark, pretension or even genre bias. He’s just the shepherd through the latest chapter of a 120-year dream. May none of us ever wake. NR. CHANCE SOLEM-PFEIFER. On Demand.

PEARL

When the makers of the A24-bred, tastemaker-approved indie horror flick X announced they were readying an already filmed prequel for release, critics largely dismissed the claim as further evidence of just how much time everyone had to spare amid pandemic doldrums. You’d think that director Ti West (The Innkeepers, The Sacrament), who obsessively re-created ’70s aes thetics for X, would be a poor fit for Pearl, a small-town character study set near the end of the First World War. Yet from the film’s overwrought orchestration to the Technicolor sheen of its opening credits, West seamlessly borrows the cinematographic palette from MGM’s glory days to bright en this old-fashioned yarn about a plucky farm girl’s dreams of silent-movie stardom. Co-screen writer and star Mia Goth’s Baby Jane/Norma Desmond rictus grins and disarming naturalism make it hard to root against Pearl (even as the inevitable violent spree looms), and the playful but never jokey film draws strength from the persistent dread roused by our darkest fears: alligators, maggots, German accents and, yes, the unforeseen bloodlust of a fresh-faced psychotic. The scares are still big; it’s the pitchforks that got small. R. JAY HORTON. Cedar Hills, Cinemagic, City Center, Clackamas, Eastport Plaza, Evergreen Parkway, Laurel hurst, Living Room, Lloyd Center, Oak Grove, Pioneer Place, Studio One, Tigard.

BLONDE

Late in Netflix’s mirthless Marilyn Monroe bio-fantasia Blonde, the starlet searches des perately for her wallet, trying to tip a delivery boy. It’s a standout glimpse of Norma Jeane as a simple, well-meaning person, with the lost wallet epitomizing everything she’s never had—con trol, normalcy, basic individuality. The rest of the nearly threehour film is no less loaded with meaning, but is always more heightened (it was adapted from Joyce Carol Oates’ 2000 novel). Ana de Armas capably evokes Monroe, but authenticity is hardly Blonde ’s north star. It’s a labyrinth of trauma-collapsed time, space and iconography. Monroe is sedated on a plane; no, it’s her movie premiere; no, it’s a forced abortion; wait, the movie camera belongs to the paparazzi. Director Andrew Dominik excels at creating haunted, surreal visu als, but he sometimes masks the sensitivity of de Armas’ perfor mance. Worse, the script flails in hysterical biopic obligation when it comes to Monroe’s miscarriag es, capital-D daddy issues, and childhood trauma. Unpleasant and unidimensional to the last, Blonde retains its power through imagery, an ode to our ceaseless consumption of a lost, largely invented woman. In this way, it is dour kin to Elvis (2022), another mythic ode to the obvious, as accusatory as revelatory. Oh, you haven’t had your fill of poor Marilyn? Load up on this. NC-17. CHANCE SOLEM-PFEIFER. Netflix.

Klute (1971)

In this neo-noir crime-romance, detective John Klute (Donald Sutherland) enlists wily sex worker Bree Daniels (Jane Fonda) to help solve a missing-person case, which quickly escalates into tracking down a serial killer. Fea turing an unforgettable, layered, all-time best perfor mance by Fonda, who won a well-deserved Oscar for Best Actress. Academy, Sept. 28-29.

Carol (2015)

“What a strange girl you are…flung out of space.” In 1950s New York City, aspiring photographer Therese (Rooney Mara) and unhappily married Carol (Cate Blanchett) quietly yearn for each other—until they take a road trip together, igniting a torrid, wintry, hopelessly romantic a air. Directed by Portland’s own Todd Haynes! Living Room, Sept. 30.

Repo! The Genetic Opera ( 2008)

Cut from the same gothic cloth as a My Chemical Ro mance music video, this genre-bending dystopian rock opera is set in a future where organ failures and trans plants are commonplace—and Repo Men, assassins who reclaim the organs of those who can’t pay, are a terrify ing threat. Finally, someone mixed the depravity of body horror with the campy fun of musicals! Clinton, Oct. 1.

The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)

Celebrate the release of the new David Bowie documen tary Moonage Daydream by revisiting Nicholas Roeg’s sci-fi drama about an extraterrestrial (Bowie, cast to out-of-this-world perfection) who travels to Earth. Here, he poses as a human in order to secure a water supply for his home planet, though he’s stymied by our world’s myriad vices (including alcohol, TV and, of course, true love). PAM CUT, Oct. 1.

Evil Dead II (1987)

The second installment of Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead fran chise picks up exactly where the first left o , with Ash (Bruce Campbell) attempting to escape that fateful cab in in the woods. Gorier and goofier than its predecessor, this is one of the rare sequels that improves upon the original. Screens in 35 mm (along with the rest of the trilogy) as part of the Hollywood’s Sam Raimi Weekend series. Hollywood, Oct. 1-2.

ALSO PLAYING:

Academy: Mean Girls (2004), Sept. 28-29. Cinema 21: Casablanca (1942), Oct. 1. Clinton: Even the Wind is Afraid (1968), Sept. 28. Day of the Dead (1985), Sept. 30. Chopping Mall (1986), Oct. 1. Häxan (1922), Oct. 2. Nos feratu (1922), Oct. 2. The Lure (2015), Oct. 3. Hollywood: The Evil Dead (1981), Sept. 30-Oct. 2. Masters of the Universe (1987), Sept. 30. Army of Darkness (1992), Oct. 1-2. PAM CUT: Labyrinth (1986), Oct. 1.

OUR KEY

: THIS MOVIE IS EXCELLENT, ONE OF THE BEST OF THE YEAR.

: THIS MOVIE IS GOOD. WE RECOMMEND YOU WATCH IT.

: THIS MOVIE IS ENTERTAINING BUT FLAWED.

: THIS MOVIE IS A STEAMING PILE.

TRUE

FROM

by Jack Kent

BY MATT JONES

ARIES (March 21-April 19): When you Aries folks are at your best, you are drawn to people who tell you exactly what they think, who aren't intimidated by your high energy, and who dare to be as vigor ous as you. I hope you have an array of allies like that in your sphere right now. In my astrological opinion, you especially need their kind of stimu lation. It's an excellent time to invite influences that will nudge you out of your status quo and help you glide into a new groove. Are you willing to be challenged and changed?

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Author Toni Morrison thought that beauty was "an absolute necessity" and not "a privilege or an indulgence." She said that "finding, incorporating, and then represent ing beauty is what humans do." In her view, we can't live without beauty “any more than we can do without dreams or oxygen.” All she said is even truer for Tauruses and Libras than the other signs. And you Bulls have an extra wrinkle: It's optimal if at least some of the beauty in your life is useful. Your mandate is summed up well by author Anne Michaels: "Find a way to make beauty necessary; find a way to make necessity beautiful." I hope you'll do a lot of that in the coming weeks.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Philosopher Alfred North Whitehead said, "It requires a very un usual mind to make an analysis of the obvious." I nominate you to perform that service in the coming days, both for yourself and your allies. No one will be better able than you to discern the complexities of seemingly simple situations. You will also have extraordinary power to help people appreciate and even embrace paradox. So be a crafty master of candor and transpar ency, Gemini. Demonstrate the benefits of being loyal to the objective evidence rather than to the easy and popular delusions. Tell the interesting truths.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Cancerian poet Lucille Clifton sent us all an invitation: "Won’t you celebrate with me what i have shaped into a kind of life? i had no model. i made it up here on this bridge between starshine and clay, my one hand holding tight my other hand." During October, fellow Cancerian, I propose you draw inspira tion from her heroic efforts to create herself. The coming weeks will be a time when you can achieve small miracles as you bolster your roots, nourish your soulful confidence, and ripen your uniqueness.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “Dear Rob the Astrologer: This morning I put extra mousse on my hair and blow-dried the hell out of it, so now it is huge and curly and impossibly irresistible. I'm wearing bright orange shoes so everyone will stare at my feet, and a blue silk blouse that is much too high-fashion to wear to work. It has princess seams and matches my eyes. I look fantastic. How could anyone of any gender resist drinking in my magnificence? I realize you're a spiritual type and may not approve of my showmanship, but I wanted you to know that what I'm doing is a totally valid way to be a Leo. —Your Leo teacher Brooke." Dear Brooke: Thank you for your help ful instruction! It's true that I periodically need to loosen my tight grip on my high principles. I must be more open to appreciating life's raw feed. I hope you will perform a similar service for everyone you encounter in the coming weeks.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): How to be the best Virgo you can be during the coming weeks: 1. You must relish, not apologize for, your precise obsessions.

2. Be as nosy as you need to be to discover the core truths hidden beneath the surface. Risk asking almost too many questions in your subtle drive to know everything. 3. Help loved ones and allies shrink and heal their insecurities. 4. Generate beauty and truth through your skill at knowing what needs to be purged and shed. 5. Always have your Bullshit Detector with you. Use it liberally. 6. Keep in close touch with the conversations between your mind and body.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The Libran approach to fighting for what's right shouldn’t involve getting into loud arguments or trying to manipulate

people into seeing things your way. If you’re doing what you were born to do, you rely on gentler styles of persuasion. Are you doing what you were born to do? Have you become skilled at using clear, elegant language to say what you mean? Do you work in behalf of the best outcome rather than merely serving your ego? Do you try to understand why others feel the way they do, even if you disagree with their conclusions? I hope you call on these superpowers in the com ing weeks. We all need you to be at the height of your potency.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): "One bad apple spoils the rest" is an idiom in the English language. It refers to the idea that if one apple rots as it rests in a pile of apples, the rest will quickly rot, too. It's based on a scientific fact. As an apple decays, it emanates the gas ethylene, which speeds up decay in nearby apples. A variant of this idiom has recently evolved in relation to police miscon duct, however. When law enforcement officials respond to such allegations, they say that a few "bad apples" in the police force aren't representa tive of all the other cops. So I'm wondering which side of the metaphor is at work for you right now, Scorpio. Should you immediately expunge the bad apple in your life? Or should you critique and tolerate it? Should you worry about the possibil ity of contamination, or can you successfully enforce damage control? Only you know the correct answer.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Of all the signs in the zodiac, you Sagittarians know best how to have fun even when life sucks. Your daily rhythm may temporarily become a tangle of boring or annoying tasks, yet you can still summon a knack for enjoying yourself. But let me ask you this: How are your instincts for drumming up amuse ment when life doesn't suck? Are you as talented at whipping up glee and inspiration when the daily rhythm is smooth and groovy? I suspect we will gather evidence to answer those questions in the coming weeks. Here's my prediction: The good times will spur you to new heights of creat ing even more good times.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): More than you might realize, people look to you for leadership and regard you as a role model. This will be extra true in the coming weeks. Your statements and actions will have an even bigger impact than usual. Your influence will ripple out far beyond your sphere. In light of these developments, which may sometimes be subtle, I encourage you to upgrade your sense of responsibility. Make sure your integrity is impeccable. Another piece of advice, too: Be an inspiring example to people without making them feel like they owe you anything.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Rapper-songwriter Nicki Minaj says, "You should never feel afraid to become a piece of art. It's exhilarating." I will go further, Aquarius. I invite you to summon ingenuity and joy in your efforts to be a work of art. The coming weeks will be an ideal time for you to tease out more of your inner beauty so that more people can benefit from it. I hope you will be dramatic and expressive about showing the world the full array of your interesting qualities.

PS: Please call on the entertainment value of surprise and unpredictability.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Author Robertson Davies declared, "One learns one’s mystery at the price of one’s innocence." It sounds poetic, but it doesn't apply to most of you Pisceans—es pecially now. Here's what I've concluded: The more you learn your mystery, the more innocent you become. Please note I'm using the word "innocence" in the sense defined by author Clarissa Pinkola Estés. She wrote: "Ignorance is not knowing anything and being attracted to the good. Innocence is knowing everything and still being attracted to the good."

Homework: Reward yourself with a gift for an accomplishment few people know about.

Testify: Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com

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