Lamb’sLa chops YOUR ONLINE LOCAL Head Hawk PortlandPor sax man Patrick DAILY NEWS Travis Green scores as fi ll-in LamLamb gets funky with ‘Maceo!’ www.portlandtribune.com lead coach of Winterhawks Portland— See LIFE, B1 Tribune— See SPORTS, B10 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2013 • TWICE CHOSEN THE NATION’S BEST NONDAILY PAPER • WWW.PORTLANDTRIBUNE.COM • PUBLISHED THURSDAY ■ Nike documentary about Jefferson basketball ignites school spirit, pride TRIBUNE PHOTO: CHRISTOPHER ONSTOTT Former Dotty’s manager Patrick Burns handled several thousand dollars a day in cash at the lottery deli, and sued when the company charged him for cash shortfalls. His lawyer argues the practice violated the state minimum wage law. Lawsuit slams Dotty’s ‘kickback’ Class-action fi ling says lottery deli broke TRIBUNE PHOTO: CHRISTOPHER ONSTOTT minimum-wage laws Jefferson sophomore basketball player Dario Papa-Vicente takes a moment to pray before the Democrats’ Feb. 19 home rivalry match against Benson Tech. One of fi ve high schools sponsored by Nike’s Jordan Brand, Jefferson’s basketball program is the subject of a documentary project in the works. By STEVE LAW The Tribune A Portland attorney is su- ing the state’s largest lottery A SCHOOL ON THE retailer, alleging that it rou- tinely violated Oregon’s minimum wage law. Attorney Paul Breed claims that Oregon Restaurant Ser- vices Inc., which owns the lu- crative Dotty’s deli chain, ille- gally forced minimum-wage REBOUND employees to pay “kickbacks” to cover shortages in the cash ilas Melson likes school all ball in the community during the register at the end of their right. He has a 3.3 grade- STORY BY past 30 to 40 years. shifts. point average, likes English JENNIFER ANDERSON “The kids are eating it up,” says “Employees were required Sclass and likes to write. Vice Principal Ricky Allen. “It’s to pay kickbacks regardless of But he loves basketball. brought a level of energy to the the reason for the shortage, re- The junior at Jefferson High building — we’ll try to build on that gardless of fault and regard- School Middle College for Advanced against rival Benson Tech. “Without momentum.” less of the impact of the kick- Studies plays point guard and shoot- it I think I’d be a good student, but it Nike came calling in October, and back on the employee’s earn- ing guard on the undefeated team in keeps me motivated.” started fi lming once the legal hur- ings over the pay period,” Portland Interscholastic League ac- The win threw the larger-than- dles were cleared. School leaders Breed con- tion, a stature he holds with great normal crowd into a frenzy, a made- hoped it wouldn’t be too intrusive, tends in a Feb. respect. for-the-movies moment that actually and it hasn’t been, Allen says. 15 complaint “Anybody “Basketball is everything for me,” will end up on the silver screen. A couple of videographers began filed in Mult- handling Jefferson boys basketball coach Pat Strickland Silas says, a couple of days after This year Nike’s Jordan Brand has shadowing the team in practices, on nomah County talks with Hayden Hall during the second half shooting the winning free throws to been quietly fi lming a documentary Circuit Court. cash, of the Benson game. beat the buzzer for a 50-48 win at Jefferson, about the role of basket- See JEFFERSON / Page 2 Those employ- you’re ees were not granted any human, corresponding you’re credits when the cash regis- going to ter had sur- make a plus funds, mistake one Looming cuts may have silver lining Breed says. Former Dot- way or ■ Earl By JIM REDDEN ter” cuts were scheduled to and spending reforms. ident Obama has tried to pres- ty’s employee another.” The Tribune take effect, Oregon’s 3rd Con- “Most of what we are talk- sure Congress into raising taxes Kim Juarez, Blumenauer gressional District Democrat ing about here does not have and reducing the cuts by holding who worked — Patrick Burns, hopes self- U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenau- did not predict the end of the to be part of fi erce partisan news conferences with police of- there from former Dotty’s employee imposed fi scal er refused to play the blame world or try to blame Republi- divide,” Blumenauer told the fi cers, fi refi ghters and teachers May 2008 to game when he spoke about cans for them. Instead, in an packed gathering in the Grand who, he says, are about to lose August 2010, gridlock could the looming federal budget almost scholarly talk, Blume- Ballroom of the downtown their jobs. lost an esti- lead to tax, cuts last Friday. nauer said he hoped the cuts Governor Hotel. Asked last week for details on mated $500 to $1,000 a year Appearing before the Port- would spark conversations Blumenauer’s moderate potential cuts in Oregon, the of- while earning minimum wage, spending reforms land City Club a week before across the country that would tone was in sharp contrast to Breed says. the fi rst $85 billion in “seques- lead to a series of federal tax that of many Democrats. Pres- BLUMENAUER See SEQUESTER / Page 4 He wants a Portland judge to certify the case as a class-ac- tion suit, which could involve at least 200 other Dotty’s employ- ees, Breed estimates. Oregon Restaurant Services Birds, bees do it; zoo animals not so much denies its practices were ille- gal, and will vigorously defend the claim, says Jeff Chicoine, have tried nearly everything to an attorney for Miller Nash in Oregon Zoo scientists get you (you’re female) and your Portland, who represents the few remaining female friends to lottery retailer. The company’s play mating games to Oregon Zoo breed at their facility in Clacka- policies were no different from researcher mas County. They’ve construct- those typical of the restaurant enourage breeding Meghan Martin ed really nice cages and placed industry, he says. By PETER KORN you in them with males they’ve discovered that However, Oregon Restaurant The Tribune chosen based on their genetic allowing female Services changed its policy in variation, so that if you have off- pygmy rabbits to 2011, Chicoine says, in response Imagine, for a moment, spring, they will be genetically choose their to earlier litigation, including a you’re a pygmy rabbit. A Co- diverse. Yet you refuse to breed mates produced lawsuit brought by Breed on lumbia Basin pygmy — tiny, in captivity at anything like the more offspring. behalf of former Dotty’s em- genetically different than all rate you did in the wild — just Now she’s in ployee Patrick Burns. other rabbits, and endan- like most of the endangered spe- China trying out “We no longer accept repay- gered. cies that scientists have been her techniques on ments on cash shortages,” Chi- In the wild, you mate like, well, trying to breed in zoos around giant pandas. coine says. a rabbit. Or you used to. But the world. Each female Now the company uses a dif- most of your Eastern Washing- What is it that you want, pyg- panda’s enclosure ferent approach, involving ton habitat has been taken by my rabbit? sits next to two counseling and discipline, for agriculture, so your species’ only Meghan Martin, a researcher pens holding male workers when the cash regis- chance for survival is captive at the Oregon Zoo, had an idea. pandas. ter shows shortfalls, he says. breeding. TRIBUNE PHOTO: Scientists at the Oregon Zoo See BREEDING / Page 8 CHRISTOPHER ONSTOTT See LOTTERY / Page 9 “Pamplin Media Group’s pledge is to Portland Tribune Business lawsuit ■ Clackamas County is moving ahead with a multimillion-dollar road project between Milwaukie deliver balanced news that refl ects the threatens and Happy Valley, despite a lawsuit threatened by area property owners. Search: Sunrise Corridor stories of our communities. Thank you Online for reading our newspapers.” highway work Read it fi rst at portlandtribune.com — DR. ROBERT B. PAMPLIN JR. OWNER & NEIGHBOR A2 NEWS The Portland Tribune Thursday, February 28, 2013 Jefferson: School is heart of Albina community ■ From page 1 the road, at games and in their classrooms. They’ve inter- viewed players, former players, coaches, staff and people in the community to try and capture the essence of Jefferson basket- ball. One of the interviewees was Tony Hopson, executive direc- tor of the North Portland non- profit Self Enhancement Inc. and senior star on the legend- ary 1972 state championship Jefferson basketball team. The impact of Jefferson bas- ketball has changed dramati- cally because the community has changed so dramatically, he says. Jefferson fans “There was a time Jefferson go wild at their basketball was the communi- 50-48 win over ty,” says Hopson, who also Benson. The coached briefl y and was a attention from councilor at Jefferson for fi ve or six years. “Jefferson was al- Nike has brought ways viewed as the heart and a renewed focus, soul of the Albina community energy and ... there was a lot of pride at- source of pride tached to what Jeff was doing. for the team and it was the lifeblood.” the school As the area gentrifi ed, there community, still are almost as many black stu- trying to remake dents at Grant and Benson high itself. schools as at Jefferson. While TRIBUNE PHOTOS: the program doesn’t have the CHRISTOPHER same impact as it used to, Hop- ONSTOTT son says, it’s still a point of pride in the community. progress, looking at data such ships. In the past two years, Academically, SEI has long as who has passed their re- since Jones graduated (Ross been the most prominent part- quired classes.