Wednesday, January 21, 2009
FORMER ATU TREASURER SENTENCED FOR THEFT
by The Oregonian Wednesday January 21, 2009, 3:19 PM
A former TriMet labor leader was sentenced to a year in prison today for stealing more than $450,000 in union benefit funds.
Thomas V. Wallace, 50, of Wamic, admitted in May 2007 to forging checks drawn on bank accounts controlled by Local 757 of the Amalgamated Transit Union.
During the sentencing hearing, Wallace's attorneys asked the court for leniency, noting that Wallace had repaid about $140,000 to the union. They also claimed that the thefts were the result of a gambling addiction and other personal and health related circumstances.
U.S. District Court Judge Garr King ordered that he could remain working and repaying his debt until July, when he must report to prison. He will be allowed to leave his home only for work, medical appointments or as permitted by his probation officer.
Wallace served as the elected financial secretary and treasurer of the union since 1997. The union represents transit workers in Oregon and southwest Washington, including about 2,100 of TriMet's 2,500 employeeITS WES TIME
It’s WES Time! TriMet’s new WES Commuter Rail service, connecting Wilsonville, Tualatin, Tigard and Beaverton, opens Monday, February 2, 2009. We’d like to invite you to celebrate with us:
January 30: Free WES preview rides
Come out for a free ride on Friday, January 30, 2009, between 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. (Space is limited. Rides will be on a first come, first served basis.) Learn more
February 2-6: WES Week
Join us for activities and giveaways at every station as WES opens for service. Learn more
Learn more about WES at trimet.org/wes.
We’ll see you there!
GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!!
In addition to free WES rides on January 30 as part of the WES Commuter Rail Grand Opening Celebration, we're now offering a limited number of preview rides on January 23, 26, 27 and 28 between 3:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Space is limited, so act quickly to reserve your ride! RSVP now by calling 503-962-6474 or email hupperid@trimet.org.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
SAM ADAMS HAS BEEN LYING!
http://www.katu.com/news/37848109.html#idc-container
Portland mayor acknowledges relationship with 18-year-old
Mayor Sam Adams acknowledged today that he had a relationship in 2005 with an 18-year-old man. He said he lied when asked about it in 2007 and told the young man, Beau Breedlove, to lie about it, too. -- The Oregonian
Read the update
Portland mayor acknowledges relationship with 18-year-old
Mayor Sam Adams acknowledged today that he had a relationship in 2005 with an 18-year-old man. He said he lied when asked about it in 2007 and told the young man, Beau Breedlove, to lie about it, too. -- The Oregonian
Read the update
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Friday, January 16, 2009
WES
TriMet will stage the WES (Westside Express Service) systemwide grand opening at the Tigard Transit Center, 8960 S.W. Commercial St., the morning of Friday, Jan. 30. After the opening ceremonies, the agency will give free rides to the public from about 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
DRIVER BLACKS OUT!
TriMet driver blacks out and rear-ends vehicle at red light
09:58 AM PST on Wednesday, January 14, 2009
PORTLAND – A Tri-Met bus driver reportedly blacked out and rear-ended a vehicle in front of him in Southeast Portland Wednesday morning but no one was seriously injured.
TriMet spokeswoman Mary Fetch said the bus operator called dispatch just after 8 a.m. and said he was dizzy and blacked out while the bus was stopped at a red light on SE 17th Avenue.
Fetch said the driver realized he had lifted his foot from the brake and hit the vehicle in front of him. That caused that vehicle to hit the vehicle in front of it as well.
The driver of the bus was transported to a local hospital by ambulance but no one else had any injuries or medical problems.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
STEVE BANTA RESPONDS TO ONE OF THE FARE EVASION STORIES!
1/12/09 Recent story on fare inspection
by Steve Banta — last modified Jan 12, 2009 03:58 PM
There is more to the story than you might think.
Last week there was an article in The Oregonian about a customer who was issued a citation for not paying her fare on MAX. The article took issue with one of our supervisors issuing a citation to a customer who had intended to pay her fare, but was unable to because she allegedly could not locate a functioning ticket vending machine.
No doubt we have challenges with our fare equipment, and we are doing a number of things to improve this. I am very aware of the frustration that this has caused the riding public, and also to our employees in the field who have the challenging job of enforcing our fare policies.
What you didn't read in the article was the fact that this was not the first time the customer had been in this situation. The incident that was reported on last week followed two written warnings and a previous citation—all for the same offense.
I think it is important to know that there are at least two sides to any story. The perception was that our employee was overly aggressive in her enforcement of fare policy; the reality is that some people may believe that paying their fare on TriMet vehicles is optional. In this case, neither could be further from the truth.
STEVE BANTA STARTS HIS BLOG!
NO COMMENTS ACCEPTED YET BUT THIS IS PRETTY EXCITING AS FAR AS I AM CONCERNED!
1/7/09 Thank you for rising to the challenge
by Steve Banta — last modified Jan 09, 2009 02:03 PM
I want to thank each and every operator for your tremendous response to the snow and ice challenges of the last few weeks. While there will continue to be debate about whether or not TriMet made the right decisions for our customers, there is no doubt that the men and women who operate and maintain our system on the front line went to heroic efforts to keep the service moving.
This was a forty-year storm. Throughout the series of events, bus and rail operators acted as the face of TriMet, serving record numbers of customers and showing them what it means to be a true professional. Be assured that we are looking very closely at how our response can be improved in the future. I understand that the decision to dramatically reduce bus service on December 22 was painful for operators and your customers, and that you had very little time to prepare. It was not an easy decision to make. With more than 130 buses stuck that morning and our maintenance and bus rescue crews spread across the region, we were facing an even greater breakdown of the bus system. Again, the decision was not made lightly, and there are many lessons learned from the process.
We have received many comments from customers about the efforts of operators. This only confirms what I already know to be true: Regardless of the challenge, our operators are committed to their customers and the important work that they do every single day. You should all be commended.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
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