I’ve heard a multitude of variations on the law, but thanks to the City of Beaverton, here are answers to clear up the most common misconceptions:

• The law applies to all ages of drivers, with a catch.  If you are under 18, you’re not allowed to be using your cell phone while driving, hands-free or no hands-free.
• It’s true! There are some exceptions to the rule for people who absolutely need to use a cell phone for their job while driving.  Best to check the actual law (link below) to see if you qualify, as I’m guessing most occupations are not exempt.
• Need 911?  If no one else in the car is able to call for help, you can.
• This is not a “secondary offense” in Beaverton – it is what is known as a “primary offense” – this means law enforcement can pull you over simply for seeing you chatting on your phone.
• It’s going to cost you – the fine for a driver violating the law is a minimum of $90.

You can check the full bill online by clicking here.

Who murdered two Aloha students in 1974?

by Brianna Epstein
Aloha High School Student Reporter

Beaverton, OR- Aloha High School, December 3rd 2009 about 11a.m. A young hispanic man enters the Aloha High School main office and turns in an Aloha class ring on a gold chain from 1975 to secretary Ms. Nieslanik. He claimed that he had simply found the ring while taking a walk in the neighborhood. Now flashback 34 years to October 1975.

Peter Zito, an 18-year-old senior at Aloha High School, and Donald Bartron, a 16-year-old junior at Aloha High School, were found murdered in the early morning hours on October 3, 1974. Their bodies were discovered shortly before 4 a.m. in the recreation center parking lot in Oak Hills (Cornell and 153rd). According to the Valley Times they were both shot between 1:30a.m. and 3:45a.m. as they worked on Peter Zito’s car.

According to Sheriff Warren Bud Barnes and Multnomah County Medical Examiner Larry Lewman, the youths were shot in the head at close range with a small caliber gun. Three shell casings were found at the scene along with a footprint in the dirt near the car.

Later that afternoon, authorities arrested and charged 18-year-old Joseph Wilson, also a student at Aloha High School, with two counts of murder. The Valley Times states that “sheriff’s deputies discovered numerous guns and more than 100 knives at Wilson’s home when they arrived there early on the morning of the slayings with a search warrant.” They also found a loaded .38-caliber gun under Wilson’s pillow. Wilson claimed that they were part of his deceased father’s collection, which proved to be true. However, none of the guns tested positive as a match to the gun used in the double homocide.

Wilson faced a judge for the first time on Wednesday October 9th for a bail hearing. Ricahrd L. Barton and J. Reynolds Barnes were hired as Wilson’s defense lawyers. District Court Judge Harold Lewis set bail at $25,000 for each of the two counts of murder. However, the hearing was cut short after the defense objected to the attempt by the state prosecutor to introduce Wilson’s privileged juvenile records in court. Washington County Release Assistance Officer Sam Juncker submitted a report to the court that showed there were two pending misdemeanor charges against Wilson in Multnomah County. Both of the citations were for carrying a concealed weapon. The bail hearing was postponed until the issue of the juvenile records could be resolved.

The deputy district attorney on the case, Georgia Outzs, indicated that the state would seek a grand jury inditement on the murder charges before any bail hearing. The grand jury did indite Wilson on the charges and during an October 21st bail hearing Washington County Circuit Court Judge Hollie Pihl set bail at $50,000 for each homocide charge as well as specifying release conditions and restrictions.

Meanwhile sheriff deputies were still trying to locate the murder weapon. They asked Oak Hills residents for their help in locating the murder weapon. According to District Attorney Ray Robinett, letters were sent out on Thursday October 24th to 600 homeowners in Oak Hills asking for their assistance in the investigation.

On October 28, 1974 Wilson made a court appearance to enter his plea. He pled not guilty and his trial date was set for December 3, 1974. However, before the trial started, his attorney Barton, filed a motion for a change of venue. He felt that his client could not get a fair trial in Washington County due to the publicity of the case. In his affidavit in support of the motion for a change of venue Barton stated, “In addition, the case is a constant topic of discussion among students in Washinton County, paticularly those from the Aloha and Sunset High School Districts.” Washington County Judge Hollie Pihl granted the motion and moved the trial to Clackamas County.

Before the trial could start, Washington County District Attorney Ray Robinett filed a motion to dismiss all charges against Wilson. In his motion Robinett stated, “subsequent to the indictment further investigation has exonerated the defendant.” Judge Hollie Pihl granted the motion and the case was dismissed on January 14, 1975, three months after Wilson was arrested.

Flashforward to January 2010. As far as we know, the case is still an open cold case. Deputy Strange contacted a detective at the Washinton County Sheriffs office and what happens now is all up to the detective. Will the ring be collected by the detectives as evidence? Will the case be investigated again? Who knows?

The mystery of the unknown ringman, two teenagers murders, and who the murderer is lives on.

Beaverton also provides swimming pools, tennis courts, softball fields, and several golf courses.

The Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District encompassing Beaverton serves approximately 200,000 residents. It provides 200 parks spread over 1,600 acres with 30 miles of hiking trails and a 25-mile bike path network.

The features of the district include three recreation centers, a sport complex, a regional nature park, eight swim centers, two historic sites, a senior center, and two lakes. The district sponsors recreational and competitive league sports and special-interest classes.

If you need a location for a large group gathering, check out THPRD. They have parks that can be rented for picnics, meetings, family parties and athletic events.

The City has two sources of information to answer your questions about demographics and statistics.

• Beaverton Community Profile includes population, location, elevation, average annual rainfall, and other demographic data. 
• The City also has compiled data from the last four censuses that will provide you with a visual change of the demographics of Beaverton since 1960

Beaverton Library Fountains

eBeaverton.com is here to provide a great new set of services for the residents and businesses who live, work and play in Beaverton.  Before eBeaverton can be an effective tool, it needs to be used and ironically before many people will use it, some people need to use it.

I’ve had several friends, colleagues, clients, etc., ask me how they can help make eBeaverton a success. Here are some ways you can help, if you’re so inclined.

Residents of Beaverton:

• Post items for sale on the classified section
• Post events on the event calendar
• Use coupons in the coupon section
• Tell your friends about eBeaverton
• Make eBeaverton your home page

Businesses Serving Beaverton:

• Post products/services on the classified section
• Post coupons in the coupon section
• Post events on the events calendar
• Send me helpful articles that I can include in the news section
• Post or review your listing in the business directory

Everyone:

• Give me feedback – How can I make eBeaverton better?
• Partner with me – Do you have an idea for a win-win partnership to promote your business and eBeaverton?

Note:
Everything I’ve listed is free, so you might wonder how I plan on making money. I plan on selling advertisements and upgrades to the services, however first I need the site to get to a certain level of activity.