North Portland’s Community Newspaper - Bi-Weekly - PO Box 83068, Port. OR 97283
Congratulations:
RHS Junior Baseball
team takes 1st in State
R
oosevelt Junior Rough
Riders JBO (Junior Base-
ball Organization) is a
feeder team into Roosevelt High
School. This year’s season con-
sisted of 18 wins and 0 losses
played during the normal season.
The team then played for league
champion and took fi rst unde-
feated. The team went onto “Dis-
tricts,” which were held July 10,
11 & 12 in Welches, Oregon, and
took fi rst giving up just one loss.
On July 16, 17, 18 & 19 they then
played for the State Championship
tournament in Corvallis, Oregon.
The team went undefeated during
the tournament and brought home
a fi rst place win. This is the second
year in a row that the Junior Rough
Riders have taken a state champi-
onship. The team is coached by
Don Wilkinson, Kevin Arrington
and Daryl Cox.
Team players for this year were:
John Alvarez #41
Tyler Arrington #28
Sebastian Campsey #35
Hunter Cox #43
Ethan Crawford #9
Monyell Hedgmon #7
Brady Johnson #33
Luke Meyerink #36
Jackson Monfort #34
Michael Noil #42
Markus Nordin #47
Story & Photo
AJ Olson #3
Submitted by:
Lisa Arrington
Page 2: Crossword Puzzle
Page 3: Radke Car Show; Letters; Spirit of Portland Awards;
CPJF wrap-up article
Page 4 & 5: Fire Bureau article; More Protester pictures
Page 6: Letters (Continued from Page 3)
Pages 7 & 8: Police & Fire Calls
SEND YOUR
BRIDGE PICTURES
#16 AUG 7, 2015
St Johns Review PO Box 83068 Port. OR 97238
reviewnewspaper@gmail.com WEB: www.stjohnsreview.com
Dangling Protesters surprise everyone
By Gayla Patton
The Review
I
t was a photographer’s
dream come true to awak-
en Wednesday, July 29 to
see 13 people with large red
and yellow banners suspended
from the bottom of the St. Johns
Bridge. The sight was starling,
but beautiful. Under blue sunny
skies, the dangling protesters
made for wonderful pictures.
Authorities expected Green
Peace kayaktivist (demonstra-
tors) to be in the Willamette
River, but they did not expect
to see people hanging from the
bridge. State, City, and Federal
Bureaus immediately put their
heads together to devise a plan
to peacefully remove them.
Green Peace was protesting
the Royal Dutch Shell Icebreak-
er Fennica, which was in Swan
Island for repairs, after which it
was to join Shell’s exploration
fl eet in the Chukchi Sea for an
Arctic drilling operation. The
protesters were hoping to detour
and/or stop the vessel, which
they had successfully done a
day earlier.
After leaving them alone
Wednesday, it was Thursday
morning the various agencies,
in full gear, in 100-degree tem-
peratures, commenced with
their plans. After closing the
WINNER:
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Photo submitted by
Paula & Norman
Sylvester
bridge to foot and vehicular traf-
fi c, and closing the Willamette
River from Kelly Point Park to
Swan Island to all boat traffi c,
Portland Fire Bureau brought their
big rigs onto the bridge with mem-
bers from their high-angle rescue
team. Carefully they began lower-
ing themselves from the bridge to
cut the connecting ropes between
several of the protesters and set up
rigs that would lower three of the
hanging protesters if they did not
cooperate.
At approximately 4:30pm Res-
cue workers asked protesters if
they would leave voluntarily be-
fore action was taken. They denied
the request before eventually low-
ering themselves voluntarily one
at a time into waiting boats below.
“Our number one priority was
safety,” said Sgt. Pete Simpson of
the Portland Police Bureau.
It was unknown at the time, but
law enforcement’s plan was to just
remove three protesters allowing
enough room for the Fennica,
(which had already left Swan Is-
land,) to pass between the rest of
the danglers.
After a lone protesters was re-
moved from the Railroad Bridge,
it was raised and the Fennica
Story & Pictures
Continued on Pages 4 & 5
St. Johns Central Hotel begins
Inside This Issue:
Send your unique
(and personally taken)
photos of the
St. Johns Bridge
to the Review.
You could win $100.
See page two for full details
=====================
This week’s winner
(above) was sent in by
Paula &
Norman Sylvestor.
515-840
503-283-5086
fi ve-week campaign toward restoration
By Barbara Quinn
St. Johns Review
ue to increasing developer pres-
sure in St. Johns, Risa and Brent
Davis, local proprietors of Central
Hotel, have been turned down for
contract renewal for purchasing the
hotel building. “We went to renew our
contract with the owner and she said
there is another offer in,” said Risa.
The couple, who have envisioned res-
toration of the building to its original
1800s storefront style, including add-
ing several stories that burned, said
they discovered good structural bones
beneath the stucco 1960’s exterior.
Since signing the original contract
for purchase of the hotel, they have
worked many hours at its restaurant
and also at outside jobs to support
their vision.
They fear an outside developer
would likely tear down the building
rather than take the time to restore the
underlying structure. Risa Davis has
been a board member of the Architec-
tural Heritage Foundation and has tak-
en classes through the National Trust
D
for Historic Properties on repurposing
old buildings. She values the original
Central Hotel and would like to restore
the building to its original character.
The Davises have taken an active role
in the adjacent St. Johns Plaza by ask-
ing Portland Parks to post signs pro-
hibiting alcohol use beyond the restau-
rant’s outdoor seating area. They’ve
also recently completed several thou-
sand dollars worth of improvements to
the hotel including painting the exte-
rior and adding new signage with the
help of St. Johns Main Street.
The Davises have put in another
offer on the building of $980,000 and
must come up with a 30% cash down
payment, $300,000, for the bank loan
by September 5, fi ve weeks away.
They will use $50,000 of their own
savings and have kicked off a cam-
paign to raise the remaining $250,000
on Indiegogo at indiegogo.com/
projects/the-central-hotel-st-johns#/
where you can see a video about the
project.
The campaign offers several levels
of participation that start at $1 and go
to $5,000+. Donors at the $5000 level
and above will gain coop ownership in
the building. “People can own a little
piece of St. Johns,” said the couple.
The coop would then be the purchaser
of the building, which would be sold to
the Hotel Project to start work on res-
toration. A similar plan has worked in
the Cully neighborhood where locals
combined resources to cooperatively
buy the Sugar Shack in order to repur-
pose the building. The hotel purchase
would help preserve the character and
history of St. Johns town center, once
a bustling, independent city in its own
right say the Davises.
The headquarters for the campaign
will be the hotel restaurant at 8608 N.
Lombard where a graphic will show
the climb of funding toward the fi nal
goal. Participants can bring contribu-
tions directly to the restaurant at any
time. Risa is also available 1-3pm ev-
ery Friday to answer questions, accept
funds or offer help with Indiegogo.
Call 503-477-5489 or email them at
centralhotelstjohns@gmail.com with
support, questions or suggestions.