Oscar the Robot

In August, this Providence Hospital ’bot put Ivonne Cortez in touch with her newborn son. After Cortez lost consciousness in Newberg, Baby Bradley was born by C-section and rushed to intensive care in Portland. Oscar stepped—er, rolled—in to beam Cortez a first glimpse of her son via the Internet. Oscar, have a virtual cigar on us.

Rich Duncan

Oregon contractors might be short on work lately, but not on good will. At least not Salem’s Rich Duncan. In September, the construction firm owner built a new dorm for the Oregon School for the Deaf—and ABC’s Extreme Makeover Home Edition. We’ve only got one open seat right now, Rich—but, ahem, we’d welcome a bigger dining room.

Sean Stevens

It cost Oregon Wild’s Stevens just $189 to file a mining claim in the Siskiyou Wild Rivers Wilderness. Stevens hoped to draw attention to the 1872 Mining Act, which since 2001 has allowed more than 800 claims in the home of some of the nation’s richest steelhead runs. Sean, leave the gold. Bring the salmon.

George Vogt

The Oregon Historical Society’s boss must feel lucky. Faced with massive budget cuts, Vogt steered a $10 million levy to the ballot. If it passes, every property owner in the county pays to fund OHS. If not, we may be able to stock up for a live-action version of Oregon Trail. Either way, we like to party with a guy willing to go big or go home.

T.J. Browning

When Mayor Sam Adams dissolved the Police Bureau’s budget oversight committee, Browning, the now-former co-chair, slammed Samster’s move as “retaliatory,” “petty,” and “vindictive.” Sure—a pro-Adams committee member called the body “completely dysfunctional.” But it’s boring when everyone gets along.