It sounds like a scene out of a classic Mr. Magoo cartoon.  A 78-year-old man drives his car onto train tracks in Oregon City.  A massive locomotive barells into the sedan, smashing it from behind and driving it 2,000 feet before coming to a stop . . . and the driver walks away without a scratch.

It happened this week in Canemah, believe it or not.  The 78-year-old man got his car stuck on the tracks and drove a ways looking for help.  At one point he did get out of his car to find someone with a phone, but was compelled to hop back in and wait for a tow truck once help was on the way.

Unfortunately, that was about the time the Union Pacific made it’s way through Oregon City and onto the old man’s bumper.  The train pushed him so far down the tracks, emergency crews had to carry the driver the length of a football field to get back to the ambulance.  He went to the hospital to get checked out but apparently that was just a precaution.

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The vote isn’t until this afternoon, but the Multnomah County Board looks like it’s going to pass a new rule that will make dieting a lot easier.  If the votes add up, any restaurant with 15 or more locations will have to list nutritional facts right on the menu.  Calories and fat grams will be staring at you right alongside your Monster Burger with cheese.  

While this is great news for waist-watchers who have been forced to research their meals online or prowl for those folded charts stashed next to job applications, there are also morsels of good for the non-nutritonally-focused.  The new program doesn’t cost a dime to implement.  Restaurant inspectors already check each spot in town so this is just one more line on the sheet.  And, according to those on the board, restaurants of this size tend to change menus about every nine months anyway (there’s a six month grace period and plans have been in the works for over a year) so no one has to rush out and buy all new menus.

(Info thanks to KXL)

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As a policy, GoodNewsPDX does not typically offer advice to criminals.  However, in this case, we’re going to make an exception.  If, in your future, you find yourself driving with $420,000 cash and 2 ounces of opium in your rental car . . . don’t speed.  Actually, don’t break any laws at all.  Do nothing to attract attention to yourself or your highly illegal cargo.  

Apparently, David Saee (pictured) didn’t get that memo.  Saee was busted for speeding on I-5 in Salem.  While checking things out, the cop found the drugs (worth about $2,500 on the street) and the cash in his rented Nissan Xterra (wonder if he got the $6 insurance).  

Saee, spent a few nights in the Marion County Jail before posting bail.  His passenger hasn’t been charged and walked free.

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It’s always cool to see little kids  helping someone in need, not because they want recognition or because their parents told them to, but because it’s just the right thing to do.  That being said, the entire GoodNewsPDX staff are life time members of the Chinook Ice soccer team fan club after seeing this piece in The Columbian.

After a recent match with Cascade FC 98, instead of sharing a juice box and pack of teddy grahams with their opponents, they turned over boxes of food, clothing and hundreds of dollars in cash and gift cards.

No, Cascade didn’t throw the game for a bribe.  It turns out, the family of one of the members of the opposing team lost their home in the recent floods.  So rather than focus on the latest episode of Hannah Montana, the Chinook Icer’s set to work fundraising.  It’s pretty standard for the team, actually.  Just a few months ago they pooled their allowance to buy pizza for kids at the nearby Ronald McDonald house.  Now, they smash their piggy banks for a competitor.

That’s beyond being a good sport.  That deserves a bigger allowance and perhaps, an extra half hour before bedtime.

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First Intel announced that it plans to sink $7 Billion (yeah, Billion with a B) into producing these new 32 nanometer wafers (kinda like vanilla wafers except fewer calories).  Then came even BETTER news for the people of the Rose City (or Silicon Forest as it’s known in the tech world).

$1.5 Billion of that cash is coming right to Oregon (on top of another Billion Intel slipped our way over the last year).  That massive bankroll means countless saved jobs, PLUS the creation of 1,500 new jobs.

Even better, these nifty nanometer wafers supposedly are the building blocks of the digital world’s future, offering a smaller, more energy efficient model.

Anyone else feel like mom and dad just stopped by the apartment and said “You remember that $20 you borrowed?  Keep it.  Oh, and here’s next month’s rent as a bonus.  And that clunker car you drive?  this weekend we’re going to take you to upgrade to a new Prius.”

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Late in the second half, the boys from the Rose City surrendered a 17-point advantage to the Knicks.  Down by as much as 13, The Blazers AGAIN turn ed in a heroic, last-second performance, charging back and grabbing the win 109-108.
The last two points came courtesy of The Blazers All Star and leader, Brandon Roy who socked a clutch jumper in the waning seconds of the fourth.  The near-circus layup also clinched the Blazers an NBA leading 5-1 record in games decided by a point.

Also of note, Greg Oden set a career high with 6 blocked shots while Travis Outlaw sinking nine of his points in the last five minutes of regulation.

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On Wednesday afternoon, the Hillsboro Senior Center will be overrun by cops.  No, officers are not after a gang of bandit-retirees.  It’s the annual Valentines Dance.

Every year, officers come by for a Fox trot or Lindy hop and a glass of punch.  The popular annual event draws quite the crowd and is a great way for seniors to connect with the people in charge of their safety.

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It happens every weekend in homes all over the state.  Saturday morning rolls around and dad starts checking things off the list that mom has been working on all week.  Paint the shutters.  Fix the lawn mower.  Hang that painting of Great Uncle Thaddeus.  

Rather than sit around doing nothing, best to get caught up on all of those little projects that have been nagging at you for the past month.

Well Governor Kulongoski thinks we can apply the same basic concept to the Oregon economy and pull ourselves out of this infernal recession.  And he signed a $175 Million dollar package (backed by bonds) to prove it.

Thousands of Oregonians will be put to work fixing schools and repairing roads in the coming months.  Matter of fact, all of those employees will be punching time cards by the first of April.

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The Port of Vancouver is putting 235 people back to work.  Oh, and pumping $20 million into the community.

Execs inked two big deals this week, extending the life of their current contract with Vestas and inking a new deal with Siemen’s (both companies deal in green energy).

Aside from the fact that this continues to make the case that Portland and Southwest Washington are a growing hub for the Green Work Movement (people who build things that are sustainable and Earth friendly), it immediately pumps 235 jobs into the area.

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While that east-coast groundhog named Phil gets all the attention, we do things a little different on the west coast.  It turns out, HEDGEHOGS were the original weather-men (er . . . weather-animals) in old Europe.  However, somewhere along the way, Groundhogs muscled their way into the spotlight (perhaps they had better management or a slicker-marketing campaign).  Some speculate it’s because Hedgehogs are not native species to the Americas and aren’t that interested in traveling due to chronic sea and air sickness.

In any event, Chriki the Hedgehog (of the African pygmy variety) tested the environment this week and declared six-more weeks of winter (moments later, every local news affiliate in town was on-site at the top of Sylvan Hill reporting on “Unending Winter 2009″).

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