PORTLAND, TX -- Like poisonous mushrooms, four X-rated bookstores sprang up literally overnight in this sleepy coastal Texas town.
      When Corpus Christi cracked down, porn purveyors quickly moved across the Neuces Bay causeway to set up shops in vacant Portland storefronts, just a short drive away from their regular customers.
      Residents were outraged when adult video stores taped up temporary signs in their windows, but the City Council's hands were tried: Portland had no ordinance against the sale of pornographic materials.
      More than covering the shocking development, the community's weekly, the "Portland News," boldly raised a moral banner on Page 1, as well as on its editorial page, to rally opposition. The editor immediately called for a church council to be formed and urged Christians to lead in fight against the immoral intrusion.
      Pastors and laymen met and mapped a plan that included petitions and protests. Texas' attorney general was contacted and urged to launch an investigation. Dr. James Dobson's Focus on the Family organization helped coordinate opposition by holding a community-wide meeting.
      Week after week, the newspaper's coverage kept opposition growing and the community optimistic that an answer might still be found to rid Portland of pornography.
      Sure enough, just as quickly as they arrived, the four X--rated shops were out of business. A small army of state troopers swooped down on all locations on the same morning after the attorney general's special task force caught the adult stores selling pornographic materials to undercover investigators. All of each store's entire contents was seized as evidence. Managers and store clerks were led away in handcuffs and jailed that day.
      The attorney general's office credited the newspaper's aggressive coverage for attracting state and national attention to the blatant violation of the community's expressed standards for obscenity and decency.
      Benefits of the press-led effort didn't end when the porn shops were padlocked. The church council continued to meet and plan positive projects to bless the community. The City Council bolstered its ordinances, and the Chamber of Commerce capitalized on Portland's new positive image of championing traditional values to push economic development.