But that was nothing compared to what lay in store. Say what you will about the state muscling organized crime out of the numbers racket, that money has created a lot of jobs. Higher education, state parks and economic development programs have all felt the benefit of the lottery's largesse. For the first time in a decade, there is significant support for pulling the plug. Opponents of video poker hope to place a measure on the ballot banning the game in November 2000.
Video poker turns the government into a predator and a pimp.
Initial news reports played up speculation that the two had been kidnapped and perhaps even murdered after a golf outing on Aug. 30, 1991. But on Oct. 3 Willamette Week published compelling circumstantial evidence that the odd couple had run away together. The two had become almost inseparable. They would shop together, eat together, golf together, wear matching outfits and generally ignore any other family members who accompanied them on outings. The relationship caused tension in both families, and Peter's father finally sat the two down for a talk early in the summer.