You have to poke around to see it, but my former Congressman, Earl “the Pearl” Blumenauer, reportedly ran a red light and collided with another car out at 102nd and Weidler, near Gateway, last Memorial Day weekend. The other driver, Ricky Krecklow, wound up in the hospital. Krecklow sued Blumenauer, and the case has reportedly settled.
Blumenauer, of course, made a career out of being a loud, avowed car hater who wore a big bicycle pin on his lapel every day in Congress. I remember back in 2008, when a reader of this blog busted him for driving an SUV. Now Hizzoner is back in Portland full-time, cruising around in one of what the bike children call “death machines.” Maybe in his case it’s a fit description. At 77 years old, it could be time for grouchy old Earl to give up driving and take an Uber.