Expect a Bigger Bill at City's Hotels

SCHOOL BOOKS THE COOKS – SEE LIFE, B1 PortlandTHURSDAY, JUNE 5, 2014 • TWICE CHOSEN THE NATION’S BEST NONDAILY PAPERTribune • PORTLANDTRIBUNE.COM • PUBLISHED TUESDAY AND THURSDAY Biking in the buff Carrying a genetic burden stirs up Lorretta Krautscheid pushes her sister, neighbors Karen J ackson, at Krautscheid’s home in Beaverton. Some offended as Krautscheid didn’t push J ackson to take riders ready to rally a test for the BRCA at Normandale Park breast cancer gene that runs in their By J ENNIFER ANDERSON family and J ackson The Tribune put off testing for 10 years. Portland is funny when it comes to nudity. We don’t like naked violin- ists, but we love naked bike riders. Well, at least some of the population does. Just two weeks ago, a 20-year-old man playing the violin in the buff outside “ We simply the Mark O. Hatfi eld cannot Courthouse effectively in downtown Portland got arrest arrested for hundreds or indecent ex- thousands of posure, after generating a naked lot of com- people. plaints and refusing to It’s j ust not put his feasible, clothes on. much like The story landed on na- the tional news unpermitted sites and blogs, rein- protests forcing the that happen Rose City’s most persis- regularly tent slogan: downtown.” Keep Port- — Pete Simpson, land Weird. Portland Police At the ■ sergeant same time, Decision to undergo gene test for breast Story by Peter Korn Portland is world-famous Photos by Jaime Valdez for attracting the most partici- cancer, other diseases is rarely clear-cut pants in the World Naked Bike Ride each year, an event that orretta Krautscheid, a disease, as actress Angelina now happens in 70 cities and 25 University of Portland Jolie recently did. countries worldwide. assistant professor Krautscheid defi nes herself Last year, more than 8,000 Lwho teaches nursing as a very cautious woman. Be- people stripped down “as bare ethics, started fore going to bed as they dare,” the organizers thinking about ge- at night she dou- like to say, riding from the netic testing for a ble checks all the South Park Blocks for seven breast cancer TribSeries locked doors in miles around the city at a lei- gene called BRCA SECOND OF TWO STORIES her house and surely pace. when her 40-year- the garage door, Decked out in body paint, old cousin died of even though she Family photos glow lights and various stages the disease eight years ago. At lives in a safe neighborhood. are a daily of undress, the ride started 10 the cousin’s funeral, Krauts- Yet when it came to a predic- reminder for years ago as a protest against cheid discovered a number of tive test that could save her life, fossil fuels. It has evolved into Lorretta family members not only had Krautscheid spent four years more of a celebration of the Krautscheid of developed cancer, but had test- equivocating. freedom and an expression of a cancer gene ed positive for the gene. Oregonians with family his- that runs in her A genetic test could tell tories of illnesses such as Hun- See NAKED / Page 11 family. Actress Krautscheid with about 80 per- tington’s and Alzheimer’s dis- Angelina J olie cent certainty whether she is ease increasingly are asking recently tested destined to get breast cancer. physicians and genetic coun- positive for the She could then choose to have selors if they can take predic- same defective her breasts removed to elimi- gene. nate almost any chance of the See GENES / Page 2 Expect a bigger bill at city’s hotels Travelers will dish out Portland TRIBUNE PHOTO: JO NATHAN HOUSE more cash as Portland central city hotels Portland downtown J oseph and Kathy Goertz take an YEAR AVERAGE OCCUPANCY evening walk in Normandale Park, room rates rise RATE RATE hotel room rates are where they’re concerned that this rising about 10 By PETER KORN 2000 $107 66% Saturday’s Naked Bike Ride will be percent this year, and The Tribune 2005 $108 73% seen by local children. a lot of new business 2010 $121 72% is coming from China. Portlanders expecting out- 2013 $144 79% Here, Chris Erickson, of-town visitors this summer general manager at should prepare themselves Data: Smith Travel Research Heathman Hotel, for a little grousing about the stands by a table hotel rates family and friends less than last year, in August. displaying the hotel’s are going to encounter. And Downtown hotel room rates Chinese welcome they might want to tell those so far this year are up 11 percent package, which puts visitors to book quickly — over the first quarter of last Tsingtao beer Portland’s summertime hotel year. Occupancy was at 72 per- alongside Oregon vacancy rate is expected to be cent, up 5 percent over last pinot noir. among the lowest in the coun- year’s fi rst three months — and try this year. January, February and March TRIBUNE PHOTO: J AIME VALDEZ One more bit of advice. Au- have never been the busy tourist gust might be an easier month season in Portland. Overall in Portland was a cheap date,” says many West Coast cities.” try’s Smith Travel Research to score a downtown hotel room 2013, Portland’s 42 central city Chris Erickson, general manag- Not anymore. Portland’s hotel shows that downtown Portland than July this year, with the city hotels averaged 79 percent oc- er of the downtown Heathman rates have been climbing for the rates are fi nally approaching the expecting five major conven- cupancy. Hotel. “For many years we were last three years, according to tions in July but only three, one “I used to phrase it as perhaps very inexpensive compared to Erickson. Data from the indus- See HOTEL / Page 5 “Pamplin Media Group’s pledge is to Portland Tribune deliver balanced news that refl ects the BEAVERS’ BATS LACKED POP stories of our communities. Thank you — SEE SPORTS, PAGE B8 for reading our newspapers.” Inside — DR. ROBERT B. PAMPLIN JR. OWNER & NEIGHBOR A2 NEWS The Portland Tribune Thursday, June 5, 2014 Genes: Preventative option exists for BRCA ■ From page 1 tive tests to learn whether they will become victims. With those two diseases, which have no cures, physicians and counsel- ors are wary, to say the least. But a test for the BRCA gene that can lead to breast cancer is different because women, such as Krautscheid, should they test positive, do have a preventative option — mastectomy. In fact, Krautscheid says with a positive test she would have opted for the surgery on her breasts and possibly her ovaries. Krautscheid says that knowing she would have her breasts removed if she tested positive for the BRCA gene brought up questions about body image Karen J ackson that were easier to defl ect by of Forest Grove putting off the test. Another, (left) and her more compelling reason, had to sister, Lorretta do with fears of discrimination. Krautscheid, Possible repercussions hold a wedding Krautscheid and her sisters photo of their were worried that positive test parents, Ethel results in their medical records and Edwin would make it harder for them Duyck. They to get health or life insurance, know for certain or even jobs, should potential that their employers fi nd out. Some fed- father’s side of eral protections against genetic the family discrimination have been insti- carries the BRCA tuted in recent years, but they gene. aren’t foolproof, in Krauts- TRIBUNE PHOTO: cheid’s view. Besides, there is J AIME VALDEZ the law, and there is life. “Who is really going to be in- Jackson says even if she’d terested in marrying you if you “ Not knowing has not been hard taken the BRCA test fi ve or 10 hold the gene for Huntington’s years ago, during her child- Ethics q uestions cast shadow or BRCA or anything?” she asks. for me. I’ve got other stress that bearing years, she would not There are other reasons have opted for surgery. Be- on predictive testing Krauthscheid delayed testing. outweighs anything like this.” sides, in her 30s she felt safe, Say you run a genetics lab normalities testing might re- She’s a faith-oriented woman. since breast cancer has mostly where a couple has asked veal. And Legacy will not per- “This other thing over here is — Karen J ackson, on not being tested for BRCA struck her family members at a that fetal genetic testing form prenatal whole genome hope and spirituality and know- later age. She describes herself be done for a serious inher- sequencing, a recently devel- ing that I’ve led a good life. I as more easygoing than her itable illness such as oped technology that can in- haven’t exposed myself to envi- sister. Tay-Sachs Disease. That form parents about a host of ronmental hazards. I don’t en- ground, she thinks fear of the cheid had to surmount before So why did Jackson submit to happens all the time, says potential diseases in their gage in high-risk behaviors. So medical establishment proba- she could agree to testing had testing last week? During an Legacy Cancer Institute ge- offspring. all of that combined should put bly plays a role for many con- to do with a word: mutation. annual checkup, her doctor netic counselor Paul Dorsey. The thinking? “We’re not me in a good place. I should be sidering diagnostic testing. She hates it. Maybe, she says, found an ovarian cyst. The pos- But when sequencing the sure how to handle the safe,” she says.

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