________ 5
WEdNEschy, M ay 29, 2002
The media may help us find these girls
SALEWA DE LA CRUZ ,
Design Editor
Just when people think the
hope and support has dwin
dled for Ashley Pond and
Miranda Gaddis, the Oregon
City girls who disappeared, a
new surge of effort and deter
mination
continues
the
endeavors to find these girls
and bring them home.
Findmiranda.com and find-
ashley.com are diligent in
their postings and helping to
keep the case in the limelight.
On a daily basis there are
postings on these web sites to
keep people updated as to the
goings on in the case.
Another search done on May
18“1 revealed a backpack,
hall pass- and other miscella
neous items, which have yet
to be identified as part of the
case.
Billy Crabtree of Pc Projex
affirms that the only way to
find these girls is to get the
media to keep coverage on
them. The nation tends to
agree because Pond and
Gaddis appeared on the cover
of People Magazine. A story
will also be featured on the
Montel Williams show and
will be taped through July
and August. Due to the mys
teriousness of this case, the
popular show “Unsolved
Mysteries,” will also air the
story about the girls’ disap
pearances.
. Over the weekend two bod
ies of females were found,
one near Estacada and one
near Timothy Lake. It was
established they were not
apart of the ongoing investi-
the question of what hap-
pened to these girls would be
gation for Pond and Gaddis.
For one brief moment,
though, people believed there
to be closure. That at least
answered, but alas, the
searches are still on and con
tinue every other weekend.
So where are these girls?
The question is still yet to be
answered. The only way to
find the truth is for persons
with information about this
case to come forward.
According to reports by
forensic
investigators
involved in the case, it would
be easier to go forward in the
case if they had a crime
scene, but that is still yet to
be established.
Law enforcement agencies
have sifted through more
than 3,500 leads, but still
nothing solid to finally
answer the question: Where
are Ashley Pond and Miranda
Gaddis?
To reach Salena De
La
Cruz
e-mail
at
salenadelacruz@netsc
ape.net
or drop by
B-104.
Oregon voter turnout affects status of potential levys
FRANK JORDAN
News Editor
Oregon voters spoke loud, but
not altogether too clear, last
week during the Oregon primary
election, with about 45 percent
of registered voters mailing in or
dropping off ballots prior to the 8
p.m. deadline May 21.
In the statewide races, Ted
Kulongoski held off former State
Treasurer Jim Hill and former
Multnomah
County
Commissioner Bev Stein to cap
ture the Democratic nomination
to replace John Kitzhaber as gov
ernor. On the Republican side,
State Legislator Kevin Mannix
will be Kulongoski’s opponent in
November. Mannix defeated
Ron Sexton and former state
labor commissioner Jack Roberts
in a close race.
Locally, the Clackamas County
Public Safety levy went down to
defeat by a 53-47 percent mar
gin. However, even if the meas
ure had passed, it still would
have failed because, of Oregon’s
double majority law, which states
that in order for tax levies to pass
the levy must not only get more
than 50 percent of the total votes
cast, the total votes cast must be
50 percent or more of all regis
“Oregon voters spoke
loud, but not altogether
too clear, last week dur
ing the Oregon pri
mary election...”
tered voters in the area where
the levy would affect.
Clackamas County voter
turnout topped out at about
47 percent.
Clackamas
County Commissioners are
still debating whether or not
to send the same levy to vot
ers in November, or some
thing a little more watered
down.
Susan Castillo, a state represen
tative from Eugene and a former
television reporter, was elected
to a four-year term as
Superintendent
of
Public
Instruction. Castillo captured
almost 55 percent of the vote,
avoiding a runoff in November.
Oregon’s general election
will
be
held
Tuesday,
November 5 and will again be
a
vote-by-niail
election.
Interested people who have
not registered to vote must do
so by October 15. Voter reg
istration forms may be picked
up at post offices, govern
ment offices or at the county
elections office on Portland
Avenue in Gladstone.
To reach Frank Jordan
e-mail
fmj68@hotmail.com
or
drop by B-104.
Don’t let loans catch up to you, handle money wisely
DAISY BAIN
A&E Editor
Many students are asking them
selves at the end of the school
year, “How am I going to pay for
school?” If the current trend
holds from last year, student loan
rates could drop to their lowest
levels in the history of the feder
al student loan program.
“That’s what they said about last
year’s rates,” said Craig Nickles,
CCC Financial Aid Loan
Coordinator.
Last year’s rates were low and
many students consoli
dated then, thinking the
rates were at their low
est. Now they are stuck
with
those
rates
because under the rules
of consolidation, you
can only consolidate
once.
“It’s a one-tjme offer,”
said Nickles.
Currently the interest
rates are between five
and six percent depending on if
the student is in school or out of
school and in repayment. The
last auction of the federal fiscal
year is in June. In July, the loan
rates could drop another two per
centage points. AH borrowers
with variable interest loans will
get the interest rate reduction
automatically. These new rates
only apply to those students who
had their loans issued on or after
July 1, 1998.
Nickles warns students not to
get too excited. He’s afraid stu
dents who have curient loans
issued will want to make rash
decisions by trying to consolidate
their loans now. When you con
solidate, the interest rate locks
and most lenders round up to the
nearest percentile.
Your borrowing power is based on the income you will earn after leaving school-
which determines the monthly payment you can afford. Generally, your monthly
student loan payment should be no more than 8% of your monthly salary.
Your Expected
Annual Income
You Can
Your '
Monthly
After Graduation
Afford to
Borrow*
Payment'
$15,000
$ 8,300
$101
$17,500
$ 9,600
$116
$20,000
$11,000
$133
$22,500
$12,500
$152
$25,000
$13,500
$164
$27,500
$15,000
$182
$30,000
$16,000
$194
$32,500
$18,000
$218
$35,000
$19,000
$231
$37,500
$20,600
$250
$40,000
$22,000
$267
$42,500
$23,000
$279
$45,000
$24,000
$291
$50,000
$27,000
$328
$55,000
$30,000
$364
$60,000
$33,000
$400
’The figures are approximate and are based on a 8% interest rate and a 10 year repayment term. Variable rate
Federal Stafford Loans are capped at 8.25%.
_
See back for Occupation Salaries
Courtesy of US Bank
“Wait until you finish school,”
said Nickles. Many students
consolidate when they graduate
with a degree, then a few years
later decide they want to go back
to school to get their masters.
The only problem is their new
loans can no longer be combined
with the old at the low rate.
Some advantages to consolida
tion are you can put all your
loans into one, providing one
monthly payment. Extended
repayment periods can go from
12 to 30 years depending upon
the size of the debt, which results
in lower monthly payment.
Disadvantages include higher
interest costs. An extended
repayment period increases the
total interest costs.
Consolidated loans could offer
fewer deferment options and you
will lose any forgiveness eligi
bility you may have on your
Perkins, NDSL and Nursing
Loans.
“Yeah, the trend says the inter
est rates will stay low, but who
knows,” said Nickles.
Before jumping into loans or
consolidating the ones you have
now before graduation, remem
ber that the highest the rates will
ever be is 8.25 percent. There are
also other ways to manage and
minimize your debt. Some of
these ideas you can get from your
financial aid office.
Find any financial aid that may not
have to be repaid, such as grants,
scholarships, and work-study.
Draw up a budget for yourself
while you are in school, and stick to
it. Estimate your future income to
determine what you will be able to
pay each month after you graduate.
Be realistic! Be inquisitive; make
sure you ask all the questions nec
essary to get the facts about each
loan. Read the promissory note
before signing. Limit what you
borrow. You may not need every
loan out there.
To reach Daisy Bain e-mail daisy-
bain@hotmaii.com or drop by B-
104.