More stories from February's issue of THE BEE! The new season is underway for the Rose City Rollers, one of the world’s best Roller Derby clubs, with more than 500 members, and 18 teams and programs. (Courtesy photo) Rollers’ All-Stars again champs; Rollers start season By JASON VONDERSMITH          CMG Media The Rose City Rollers are the professional roller derby club based in the “Hanger” building at Oaks Amusement Park in Sellwood – and their All-Star team, in November, won its fifth world championship, again dominating the competition at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum, in the WFTDA Global Roller Derby Championships. The league’s All-Star team, the Wheels of Justice, routed the competition, which included Arch Rival Roller Derby from St. Louis, Missouri, in the final match, to capture its fifth Hydra trophy, and its third in a row. Receiving its fifth Hydra tied it with Gotham Roller Derby of New York for the most ever. And, on January 11th, the Rose City Rollers began their 2025 season, with a doubleheader – as the Heartless Heathers – the reigning home team champs – squared off against Guns N Rollers that evening, followed by the Break Neck Betties facing High Rollers. At press time, we had not learned the outcome of those events. But for some, the outcomes are not as much fun as watching the competitions – particularly with the many theme nights offered by the Rollers: Emo Night, Wicked Night, 80s Ski Night, Disco Night, and many more, making every bout a celebration, according to the Rollers themselves. You may recall that some time ago, the Fire Marshal felt that the team needed to find a more acceptable venue to call home somewhere in Portland, but at last report the effort to find a satisfactory one had not met any success, and the Fire Marshal had continued a temporary permit to keep competing at the Hanger at Oaks Park. There has been no recent news about that search. Surveillance video shows that after the burglar entered the store, he strode straight to the “collectable cards” display case in the back of the store. (Courtesy photo) Foster Road’s ‘Red Castle Games’ again burglarized By DAVID F. ASHTON For THE BEE There have been several past burglaries of the “Red Castle Games” store on S.E. Foster Road, in the Mt. Scott-Arleta neighborhood. A past BEE story told of three burglaries on just two nights – on June 7, and twice on August 6, of 2023 – and so owner Matthew Mičetić and his staff increased security measures at the shop, and hoped that they would end such overnight thefts. For a while, they did – but, on December 7, 2024, at about 2:35 a.m., store surveillance video showed a man in dark clothing, with a hoodie pulled up over his baseball cap and wearing a full face mask, smashing his way into the store. “He came in through the front door this time, which triggered the alarm system,” Mičetić told THE BEE. “Clearly, he’d been in our store before; he made a beeline for the collectible cards display case, in the back. He used his crowbar to pop open the display case, which damaged it – and then proceed to clear all the Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! Japanese manga series cards as the alarm sounded. “The siren [of our alarm] made him stop – he grabbed a couple of other deck boxes, and then ran for the door as quickly as he could, likely knowing there would be a police response,” said Mičetić. An East Precinct officer was dispatched at 3:23 a.m. that Saturday morning to investigate. “We suffered about $1,200 in product losses,” Mičetić said – adding, “But repairing the front door, and replacing the glass case, will run into a couple thousand dollars.” Due to the dramatic increase in the cost of retail business insurance, Mičetić remarked that he was considering absorbing the financial loss, instead of filing yet another insurance claim. If you have information that can help bring this criminal to justice, email it to crimetips@police.portlandoregon.gov, and add that your information is about Case No. 24-312423. It’s hard to believe, now, in the mild January we’ve experienced this year – but just one year ago, one solid week was quite arctic here. This year-ago BEE photo provides some proof! (Photo by Eric Norberg) Southeast’s 2024 started icy; ended mild and wet By ERIC NORBERG Editor, THE BEE January of 2024 began very cold, with strong gusty east winds, and a wind chill as low as zero, Fahrenheit – that happened on the 13th. The following day there was snow and sleet on the ground, and the temperatures stayed continuously under freezing, day and night, through the 17th – which dawned with a “silver thaw” layer of ice, precipitating many falls for those who ventured outside, and considerable damage to such popular venues as the Sellwood Community House and SMILE Station in Sellwood. A warming trend followed, and the ice was pretty much gone by the 22nd. Two of the year’s three days with precipitation of over an inch occurred back in January also – 1.42 inches on the 18th; and the rainiest day of the entire year, the 27th, had a total of 1.71 inches recorded at our Westmoreland gauge (measured from 4 p.m. to 4 p.m. of the day the total was listed for). The January, 2024, total precipitation was 10.30 inches, making it easily the wettest month of 2024 here. There was something in the gauge for every month – even though often there’s a completely dry month or two in the summer in Portland. But in 2024, every month between January and the following November totaled less than four inches, and three of those were under one inch. Significant rain finally returned starting October 26th, and continued through the end of the year. November ended with a 6.10 inch total – and December’s 6.34 inches made it the second wettest month of the year, 2024’s annual total for Southeast Portland in 2024 was 36.88 inches, a little better than 2023’s 33.94 inches. Over the last quarter century, Southeast’s AVERAGE annual total was 40.30 inches, bolstered by no less than four years of over 50 inches; the lowest annual total here in the last 25 years was 28.89 inches in 2013, which immediately followed the rainiest year in the last 25 – 2012’s 59.29 inches. So, last year’s total was certainly in the normal range. No real pattern emerges in these quarter-century summaries, except that it still remains reasonably wet here in the Great Northwest – but the number of ice storms and freezing days has very obviously been declining over that period. As the world warms, so does Southeast Portland. Despite that, overall our weather has been consistently better than what most other parts of the nation and world have been experiencing, in all latitudes and all seasons. That’s a good reason to stay right here – as a resident of our temperate Rose City! This parked RV burned spectacularly on S.E. Steele Street, just north of Reed College; apparently nobody was in it at the time. (Photo circulated on NextDoor by “Gabi R”) Officials mum about RV blaze in the Reed neighborhood By DAVID F. ASHTON For THE BEE As far as a mile away to the northwest, in the Brooklyn neighborhood, the burned smell from a blazing recreational vehicle that had been encamped on S.E. Steele Street near 30th Avenue, alerted Inner Southeast Portland residents that there had been an early Saturday morning fire on December 7th. Fire dispatchers sent Westmoreland Fire Station 20’s Engine Company to Steele Street at 12:35 a.m. for what was described as a “Vehicle or Trailer Fire”. As the firefighters pulled up moments later, just north of Reed College, the command officer radioed back to dispatchers, “Engine 20 has arrived; we have an RV, fully involved in fire.” Less than a minute later, a follow-up message crackled on the radio, “We have fire attack.” Then the radio went silent for about 15 minutes, after which the commander asked dispatchers, “Can you have an Investigator call the commander’s cell phone?” There were no further radio calls on the incident. The next day, when THE BEE asked what led up to this fire, its potential cause, and any other information, PF&R Assistant Public Information Officer Christine Pezzulo simply responded, “This fire is currently under investigation; there were no reported injuries.” And apparently no further information is available. Although they haven’t yet requested any information from witnesses, if you do have information to share about this fire, call the PF&R Fire Investigation tip line, 503/823-3473 and refer to Case No. 24-135150. Ellis McAuley and Lauren Edwards (both standing) regularly visit Sellwood Senior Living on S.E. 17th to interact with seniors such as Barbara Alminiama (seated), who is here having her nails painted by OES student, and Glamour Gals local chapter Treasurer, Abigail Green. Other OES students in the chapter are seen in the background. (Photo by Elizabeth Ussher Groff) Students, in ‘Glamour Gals’ chapter, enrich lives of seniors in Sellwood By ELIZABETH USSHER GROFF For THE BEE If you, your sister, your mother, your grandmother, or even your great-grandmother have never painted your nails or had them done in a nail salon – painting an older woman’s nails might be a totally new experience. By now, though, it is not new at all to some students – including one who lives in Sellwood and attends Oregon Episcopal School (OES) in west Portland and who, last September with a friend, created their own chapter of “Glamour Gals”. That’s a national nonprofit begun a decade ago to inspire and organize teen volunteers who seek to provide ongoing companionship and complimentary beauty makeovers to seniors living in senior living facilities. OES juniors Ellis McAuley and Lauren Edwards are the founders and the Co-Presidents of the local chapter. Once a month they go to Sellwood Senior Living, on S.E. 17th Avenue south of Tacoma Street, where they mostly do nail painting – and sometimes makeup – for senior residents. The new chapter is composed of about forty volunteers from a mix of grades and groups of friends. About twenty of those students participate at Sellwood Senior Living, and others at a senior living home in Raleigh Hills. During the Holiday Season they also meet during their school lunch break to create greeting cards for seniors in assisted living centers across the country – and this year, the OES Art Club also created homemade greeting cards for seniors. The national nonprofit Glamour Gals organization provides the necessary materials: Nail polish, makeup, and card supplies. It also offers a fund for additional activities that members of the chapter may want to do with seniors. Ellis explained to THE BEE why they started the local chapter. “I live very near Sellwood Senior Living, and when I was very young, I visited there frequently with the playgroup my mom had created to visit and do crafts with the seniors. [Having grown up a bit] I wanted to find a way to reconnect with the home, and again form relationships with the residents. They appreciated our presence immensely when I was young, and we knew that involving the OES community now would be equally as exciting to these residents.” Lauren Edwards, Ellis’ co-founder of the chapter, shared with THE BEE what she has grown to appreciate through her Glamour Gals volunteer work. “Hearing a senior woman speak about how much she loves her grandchildren especially stuck to me, because it makes me appreciate the bond that I have with my own grandmother, and [it shows me] the importance of that intergenerational bond.”  Ellis explained further why this volunteer work is important to her and the other volunteers. “Community can be built, and our mindsets can be altered, by communicating with those who see the world differently than we do. I realized by working with youth [she previously worked with foster children] that what I really valued was the idea of intergenerational connection – a passion that Lauren shares, and which was the driving factor for us to start the OES chapter of Glamour Gals.” Anyone can join in this volunteer work, said Ellis. “For the [senior living] home in Raleigh Hills, there is a background check that must be submitted for any student 16 or over, as well as a training on discrimination, but there are no requirements to simply join. It’s open to all students at OES, and there are opportunities for people outside of OES who have a connection to a student, to be able come join in on a [nail painting] session.” If you are interested in learning more, go online to – http://www.glamourgals.org; and questions about the local chapter can be emailed to – mcauleye@go.oes.edu   The Portland Police Bureau Traffic Division’s Major Crash Team investigated an accident on December 15th which ended up, on the following day, being a fatality – on Powell Boulevard at 82nd. (Photo by David F. Ashton) Pedestrian along Powell Blvd, hit by car, dies By DAVID F. ASHTON For THE BEE An elderly woman was struck by a vehicle as she was leaving the large shopping center at S.E. Powell Boulevard and 82nd Avenue of Roses, on Sunday, December 15th. East Precinct officers responded at exactly 9 a.m., and the seriously-injured woman was taken to a local hospital for medical treatment. The PPB’s Major Crash Team arrived to investigate. The driver of the involved vehicle stayed at the scene and cooperated with police; officers said they did not detect any signs of driver impairment, but so far they have not provided further details. The following day, the Multnomah County Medical Examiner contacted the Major Crash Team to tell them that the pedestrian, 81-year-old Muoi Te Hua of Portland, had died of her injuries. The case is not closed. If you can provide information about this deadly mishap and have not already spoken to police, please e-mail your information to this address – crimetips@police.portlandoregon.gov – to the attention of the Traffic Investigations Unit. And please refer to Case Number 24-319511. This frame of the video that’s referred to in the story shows why the arriving firefighters devoted themselves mostly just to making sure nothing else nearby caught fire; the house was already gone. (Courtesy of KOIN-TV-6 News) Fire destroys house south of Foster Road By JOHN ROSS FERRARA KOIN-TV News, CMG news partner The first major Southeast Portland house fire of the New Year occurred just east of S.E. 82nd Avenue of Roses. The blaze destroyed a home south of Foster Road in the early morning hours of Friday, January 10. Portland Fire & Rescue responded shortly before 4 a.m. Arriving firefighters found the home already engulfed in flames; as they pulled up they saw that the fire had already caused a partial collapse of the house, and was spreading to nearby trees. Downed electrical lines also made it a hazardous response, according to Portland Fire & Rescue spokesperson Rick Graves. “There was a collapse of the home in the front, along with downed power lines which caused a bit of a safety issue within two or three minutes of arrival,” Graves reported. “All exposed structures were considered safe, and crews made entry to the interior to reduce the flames from the rest of the home that was still standing.” Video of the fire shows flames licking high into the air from the two-story house. Although firefighters faced towering flames, the five engines that responded to the fire were able to gain control of the blaze within minutes of arriving. “The images and video would lead most to believe we must have been there for hours; but, in fact, within thirty minutes of this fire being tapped out into our stations, there were crews being released from the scene,” Graves said. According to Multnomah County records, the property is owned by DK Homes LLC, described by the Better Business Bureau as a firm that “offers construction and remodeling services”. No one was injured in the fire. Its cause is under investigation. Police closed off narrow S.E. Mitchell Street at 76th Avenue, in the Foster-Powell neighborhood, to investigate the first area shooting that evening, by a teen with a gun – who was, himself, apparently the only wounded person in the incident. (Photo by David F. Ashton) Back-to-back Southeast shootings challenge police By DAVID F. ASHTON For THE BEE Two shooting incidents – one in the Foster-Powell neighborhood, and the other in Mt. Scott-Arleta, just five blocks away from each other and only nine minutes apart – taxed the personnel resources of the Portland Police late Thursday night, December 12th. Although the two shootings were unrelated, and it does appear that no one was injured, the two incidents resulted in a callout of all available officers. Teen with a gun at 9:54 p.m. After shots were heard in the Foster-Powell neighborhood – centering on a small no-name apartment complex at 7710 S.E. Mitchell Street – several people called 9-1-1 to report them. PPB East Precinct officers were dispatched at 9:54 p.m. “Arriving officers found a large crime scene that included bullet strikes to an apartment,” PPB Public Information Officer Sergeant Kevin Allen confirmed to THE BEE the next morning. “There was a large amount of damage, but, thankfully, no /injuries.” East Precinct officers were joined by members of the PPB’s Focused Intervention Team (FIT), and detectives from the Enhanced Community Safety Team (ECST) – and they developed information about a suspect. “Investigators learned that the suspect was a 14-year-old male, who had traveled some distance and walked into a hospital inside Central Precinct’s jurisdiction because of suffering a gunshot injury,” Sergeant Allen said. “After being treated and released, he was then booked into the Donald E. Long Juvenile Detention Center on two counts of Attempted Murder.” Felon in a truck fires shots at 10 p.m. While the first incident was still active, we noticed that different officers were apparently racing to a different “Shots Fired” call – just five blocks to the southwest of the previous one, near the intersection of S.E. 72nd Avenue and Harold Street in the Mt. Scott-Arleta neighborhood. This second incident did not appear on the Portland Bureau of Emergency Communication’s Media Notification System that evening. Officers arriving at the second shots-fired call found evidence of gunfire, but an officer at the scene reported that – once again in this one – no one had apparently been injured. The preliminary investigation suggested a suspect, an adult male, was inside a silver pickup truck stopped at the curb, facing northbound, on S.E. 72nd Avenue between Harold and Insley Streets. SERT officers continued swarming into the second area; and soon all of S.E. 72nd Avenue was filled with parked police vehicles along Mt. Scott City Park, as officers walked in to the scene. In addition to two PPB K9 Police Dog teams, a drone soon buzzed overhead – and, a member of the “Bomb Squad” drove a small, remote-control robot into the containment area as well. At about 11:45 p.m., the suspect in the truck finally surrendered to officers and was arrested. Officers found a gun believed to be the one used in the shooting, and recovered it as evidence. A day later, on December 13th, PPB officials revealed that the second suspect was 26-year-old Jeremy Michael Austin Clark, who had been booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center (MCDC) at 1:19 a.m. that morning on charges of Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Discharging a Firearm in the City (city code, 6 counts), Unlawful Possession of a Loaded Firearm in a Public Place (city code), and a “probation violation” detainer. At his arraignment, it came out that Clark was now also being held on a charge of Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle, and also on multiple warrants – for charges including Assault in the Third Degree, Robbery, Criminal Mischief, Menacing, and Harassment. Currently, Clark is being held, without bail, in the MCDC. “The fact that East Precinct had two shootings within 10 minutes of each other, was a significant challenge and a strain on our resources,” Sergeant Allen confirmed. “As officers from other precincts came in to assist, along with our specialty units, they all did really incredible work making arrests in both of these shootings.” Comments? News tips? Click here to e-mail us! Note to readers: At some point, this, our original Internet website, may be replaced at this web address by our new website, as part of the CMG Media.  At that time, you will still be able to access this, our original -- and smartphone-friendly -- website, if you save this address:  www.sePDXnews.com. 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