One of our favorite topics to post on here is executive salary cuts.  Not forced salary cuts, mind you, but when leaders of big companies look at their accounting ledgers and say, “you know, rather than lay off employees, I’ll cut my own salary.”  It shows a dedication to the employees and presents the image that “we’re all in this together.”

That being said, we are THRILLED to report that OHSU leaders are hacking away at thier own compensation for the coming year.  The University leadership team agreed to take a 20% pay cut ON TOP of a previous agreement to forgo incentives for the year.  that averages to a pay reduction of about 30% per employee.

In total, OHSU needs to shave $30-35 Million from their books because of lost revenue and losses in investments but this reduction may account for as much as 10% of that total amount.

OHSU Prez Joe Robertson -- Oregonlive.com

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Jim Craven - Mail Tribune

This is Brandon Weathers.  He lives in Central Point and like most five-year-olds he has lofty career aspirations.  He wants to be Santa Claus when he grows up.

Though he suffers from a form of Spina Bifida the pint-sized elf-in-training dresses like the jolly man himself every month of the year.  And rather than asking for his own pile of loot, he invests his focus on emulating Santa in every way . . . including the giving to others part.  He donates toys and food to the local mission and hands out candy canes to nearby families.  

And when he’s not giving to others, Brandon stands out on his families lawn amidst the holiay decorations, waving to passersby.  That is, when he is not forcing his 11-year-old sister to play the part of an elf in his re-enactments of the Tim Allen film “The Santa Clause.”

You can read more about this amazing little guy here

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Check out this story from Bend.  

A group of nine year olds have worked together to assemble an honest-to-goodness, full-length book.  The entertaining plot centers around Santa and what might drive him to hang up the reindeer reins and jet off to Maui.  A nice diversion from coverage of ARCTIC BLAST 2008.

Andy Tullis / The Bulletin

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Two local photographers brought home hardware from this year’s Aperture Awards.  Mark Gamba and Steve Berliner were both honored for their skill behind the lens at this year’s international gathering.  Not bad considering 2,000 shooters from 40 countries submitted pics.

The whole story is featured here

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The Beavers hung on to avoid an upset bid from D-2 Seattle Pacific at Gil Coliseum last night.  Despite building an early 15-point lead, SP took the lead coming out of the half.  But Oregon State rallied and took the lead and the W right back.

This marks the first time in over a year that the Beavs have registered back to back victories.  

But the drama wasn’t confined to the court.  Power problems shut the scoreboard down for a few minutes and left half the lights off inside the arena.

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After losing three-straight (their worst losing streak all season) the Blazers came alive against the Sacramento Kings, dropping a 32 point victory at the Rose Garden.

Despite frigid temperatures outside, the boys from Portland were red hot on the floor, earning free Chalupas for the crowd with 109 points including 29 from potential All Star Brandon Roy.  Roy went perfect at the charity stripe, shooting 15 of 15 free throws.

The night began with a very special tribute to former Blazer Terry Porter.  The team retired Porter’s number 30 jersey . . . Bobby Gross’ jersey will be retired later this week.  The Blazers sit at 16-10 on the season.

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Believe it or not, some farmers are actually WELCOMING the arctic blast as it helps keep their growing trees alive.
The trees usually pull moisture out of the ground, but when the temp drops as low as it has this week, that moisture locks up into ice.  However, if trees are covered in their own layer of ice, they can pull water from that.

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We all want to help others this time of year.  But holiday spirit or not, some may feel wary of donating cash to an outstretched hand for fear it will be used for something other than food or shelter.  If you are in this group, we have a suggestion.

Gift Cards.

The GoodNewsPDX staff keep booklets of $1 gift certificates to McDonalds in our glove compartments along with a few gift cards to local grocery stores.  When we meet someone in need, we can offer them a gift certificate for a hot meal without concern. Also, some stores are offering bonus buys for the holidays (buy $50 in gift cards, get $10 free).

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Here’s a link to Bob Welch’s blog in the RegisterGuard.  We’re providing this link because Welch is running a three-part story that is just incredible.  

An anonymous donor gave Welch $1,000 with the requirement that every cent be given away in random acts of kindness.  Welch is documenting the different acts (from a hot meal for a homeless man to bus far to helping buy groceries) and the reactions are priceless.

In these tough times, the reminder that something as simple as 20 dollars can mean so much to someone else.

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Check out this piece from the Trib.  It profiles Greg Oden’s intense and personal dedication to serving his local community.  Even better, this isn’t some show he’s putting on for the camera’s . . . this type of service has been a part of Oden’s M-O for years.

Go Rip City

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