Cheers: The thrill of victory spilled over into Clark County last week as the Portland Timbers won the MLS Cup. In their first four years as members of North America’s premier professional soccer league, the Timbers had made the playoffs only once, but the support of their fans never wavered. Those fans were rewarded this year with a magical playoff run that concluded Sunday in a 2-1 victory at Columbus for the league championship.
And many Clark County supporters were along for the ride. As detailed in a story by Columbian reporter Paul Danzer, Bryan Dainty and Noland Hoshino attended the title game in Ohio and then attended a team party where they got to hoist the championship trophy. Other locals also were at the title match. Throughout their existence, the Timbers have provided a stirring game-day experience that has captivated sports fans throughout the region. The dedication of those fans now has paid off.
Jeers: Washington’s charter school system took another step toward shutting down this week, with the Charter School Commission deciding to begin final preparations for laying off staff and sending records to the state archives. The state Supreme Court ruled this year that the charter school system approved by voters in 2012 was unconstitutional, leaving burgeoning schools in limbo.
Lawmakers should make a priority of developing an adjusted charter school plan when the Legislature convenes in January. They did not create the problems with the system, but if the will of voters is to be followed, lawmakers are the ones who will need to fix the situation.
Cheers: Cora Marbrey, a 5-year-old from Battle Ground, has delivered this week’s reminder of the generous spirit that permeates this time of year. Cora recently held her second annual Snowflake Village sale, selling crafts she made throughout the year to raise money for The Children’s Center. The tally: $875, which Cora and her mother, Janell, will use to buy toys for donation to the center, which provides mental health services to children and adolescents.
“They might be sad or jealous if other kids have toys and they don’t,” Cora said of her motivation. “My favorite part about it is buying the toys.”
Jeers: State Auditor Troy Kelley’s impertinence is harmful to the state and to the reputation of his office. Kelley is facing more than a dozen federal charges related to money laundering and possessing stolen funds, and his persistent refusal to resign is disappointing.
This week, Kelley returned to work for the first time in months, after lawmakers began impeachment proceedings while citing the fact that he hasn’t been working. It is difficult to imagine that Kelley can perform his elected duties efficiently and effectively while facing the charges, and the prudent thing would be for him to resign.
Cheers: Well, we guess that cheers are in order for an Iraqi man who won $6.4 million in the Oregon Lottery, but perhaps a “weird” category would be more appropriate for this story.
This week, a man came forward three months after winning the Aug. 24 jackpot thanks to a ticket purchased through on online lottery broker based overseas. Lottery officials said their best guess is that the online broker has agents deployed across the world to buy lottery tickets, and this winning ticket was purchased in Bend. Though the Iraqi man, who opted to stay anonymous for security reasons, bought the ticket through the Internet, he had it in hand when he arrived in Salem. So, cheers to a weird story and to one Iraqi who is now much wealthier.
