From today's Oregonian comes the encouraging news that the City of Portland's plan to "regionalize" the Bull Run reservoir complex -- that is, to sell it to a conglomerate of water users controlled by suburban interests -- appears to be dead. The obituary for this pipedream ran way in the back of the Metro section, but it was the best news today's edition contained. Congratulations to City Commissioner Dan Saltzman for overseeing the pulling of the plug on this bad idea of his predecessor.

Now it's on to the city's other brilliant idea -- to have the city take over Portland General Electric. When last heard from, that beauty was still alive, and unlike the Water Bureau, the secret negotiations with the Enron folks are still being run by Commissioner Erik Sten.

Think about it: secret negotiations between the Enron folks and Erik Sten. Egads.

And be prepared for the grand opening of the expanded Oregon Convention Center next month. Despite the clearly expressed wishes of the voters, the mayor and her pals at Metro have taken a white elephant and turned it into a much, much larger, world-class white elephant. More on that as the ceremonies draw near.

For today, a sigh of relief that occasionally, common sense prevails around here.