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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (March 25, 1992)
V o h im n X X II. N u m b e r 1 3 x iT.he Eyes an{* Ears of the Comm uni ty ” March 25, l ‘>‘>2 X 2S* News In Brief Albina Community Plan Begin Public Review The formal public review process for the Albina community Plan begins in late March. NNEB A Land Use Committee Co- chairs, Matthias Kemeny and Roger Jauch urge members to get involved by coming to the next Land Use Commit tee meeting on March 19th. The next few months are critical. It will culminate a three-year planning effort intended to revitalize N/NE Port land. Land use zoning is central to the success and future of the N/NE commu nity. NNEB A has been working hard to build consensus regarding specific zon ing recommendations for the area. In February, NNEBA sent a memo to all members affected by the proposed land use changes. Any member seeking an amendment to the plan who has not already responded in writing, must do so before the next Land Use Committee meeting. Much more effort will be required before the plan is presentedto City coun cil for approval in late 1992. Kemeny and Jauch suggest members call the Association office at 284-3093 and find out how to become further involved. Beat The S um m er Rush! Spring Swim Lessons The Portland Bureau of Parks and Recreation is offering spring swim les sons at Buckman Pool, 320 S.E. 16th; Columbia Pool, 7701 N. Chautauqua Blvd.,and Metropolitan Learning Cen ter Pool, 2033 N.W. Glisan. Several levels of lessons are offered for chil dren and adults, non-swimmer through swimmers level. Children six months and older can participate in the lessons. Morning, afternoon, and evening les sons are available. The swim lessons begin in April at a cost of ten 30-minute lessons for $17.50. Walk-in registra tion begins immediately and continues during operating hours of the facility. For more information contact Port land Parks and Recreation. Art Classes Foster Skills of Aspiring Young Artists Classes are under way for aspiring young artists at Wh ¡taker Middle School and Arleta Elementary School to ex plore their creative talents as a part of Pacific Northwest College of Art Ex tension Program ’ s Young Artist Project. The classes, which started this month and will continue for 12 weeks, are taught by local artists and held Wednes days at 2:30 p.m. at Whitaker at 5700 N.E. 39th and at 2:45 p.m. at Arleta at 5109 S.E. 66th Avenue. Whitaker students will delight in the fundamentals of drawing and por traiture, while Arleta students will ex periment in block print, charcoals and pastels. A public exhibit of the stu dents’ art will take place following the end of the 12 weeks at both schools. Portland Schools Close For Spring Vacation, Administration Offices Open The Eighth Oregon Black Political Convention sensitive and responsive to the issues and conditions of Blacks in Oregon. The theme o f the convention is: Today’s Leaders Preparing Lead ers for Tomorrow. Pordand Public Schools will be closed march 23-27 for Spring Vaca tion. The Blanchard Education Service Center administration offices will be open during spring break. One With Heart Presents Women’s Self Defense One With Heart, located at 4231 S.e. Hawthorne Blvd., presents it’s spring schedule of Women’s Self De fense classes. Day and evening classes begin in March. Monday/Wednesday day class begins March 30 at 12:00 noon. Tuesday/Thursday night class begins April 14 at 7:00 p.m. Monday/ Wednesday night class begins May 4 at 8:00 p.m. Call 231-1999 to reserve your place. Californians Account for About 40 Percent of the Newcomers to Oregon In 1990,30,053 California drivers moved to Oregon while 14,393 Oregon drivers moved to California. (Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles). Zoo Offers Expanded Spring Class Schedule A variety of programs for children, adults and families is being offered by the Metro Washington Park Zoo this spring. The programs cover a broad spectrum, and include such diverse ar eas as drawing and painting, nature walks, animal information and a theatre production. A specially featured spring pro gram is the “92 Campcroo: An El ephant Overnight,” May 2 and 3. Chil dren age 6 to 10 and their parents or caregivers spend the night with the animals and learn all about elephants. A night-time safari, animal encounters, games, activities, snacks and breakfast are included in the overnight. The fee is $30 per person or $25 for members of the Friends of the Washington Park Zoo. A complete program schedule is available by calling 220-2781. Sixth Annual Walt Kellogg/Safeway Easter Seals Invitation Ski Race The Sixth Annual Easter Seals Ski Race will be held on April 7th and 8th at Mt. Hood Meadows. This event is held annually to raise money for EAstcr Seals. It has been very successful the past five years and a lot of fun too! Call (503) 622-3101 for informa tion. Don“t Forget To Register And Vote Whats Inside... NEWS....................................................................................... PAGE 2 NEWS....................................................................................... PAGE 3 NEWS....................................................................................... PAGE 4 ENTERTAINMENT.............................................................. PAGE 5 NEWS AROUND TOW N........................................ PAGE 6 religion ................................. ;.......... : ; PA o E e 6 CLASSIFIEDS/BIDS.......................................................... PAGE 9 CLASSIFIEDS/BIDS....................................................... PAGE 10 CLASSIFIEDS/BIDS....................................................... PAGE 11 * 7 * Calvin O.L. Henry, OABA President The Eighth Oregon Black Po litical Convention (OBPC) is being held on April 11-12, 1992 at the Howard Johnson Plaza-Hotel, 14811 Kruse Oaks Boulevard (1-5 and Hwy 217 exit), Lake Oswego, Oregon. The purpose of this convention is two-fold. One is to serve as a forum for delegations to discus.; issues and conditions affecting the Black commu nity, and to establish, through resolu tions and platform, the positions of the Oregon Black Community. The other is to endorse federal, state, and local can- ' didates running for public offices dur ing the 1992 Primary Election who arc The Oregon Black Political Con vention is held during the Spring of election years and is hosted by the Oregon Assembly for Black Affairs (OABA) through its Political Action Committee. It is nonpartisan, but po litical. OBPC is statewide in its focus. OBPC is open to the public. Any indi vidual or organization addressing the concerns of Blacks in Oregon may be a delegate to the convention. The busi ness of the convention is carried bout by the delegates. The actions and en dorsements of the Oregon Black Political Convention are the positions of the convention and not those of the Oregon Assembly for Black Affairs. Oregon Assembly for Black Af fairs The Oregon Assembly for Black Atlairs (OABA) is a nonprofit, state wide corporation committed to im proving the status of Blacks in Or egon. It was founded on A p ril9 ,1977, and is registered with the Oregon Cor poration Division. Its purpose is to improve the political, educational, social, legal, and economic status of Blacks in Oregon. It is nonpartisan, but political. Any person who is in accordance with the principles of OABA may become a member. Write OABA, P.O. Box 12485, Salem, O r egon 97309 for membership informa tion. Applications Scholarships for Merit Due April 8 Eighth graders have until April 8 to apply for Oregon Episcopal School Merit Scholarships. Now in its tenth year, the program offers five annually renewable awards for partial tuition at Oregon Episcopal School for the four- year high school period. To receive an OES Merit Scholarship application packet, students should contact the OES Admissions Office at (503) 246-7771. Applicants must complete a per sonal profile and two essays, provide recommendations from schools and teachers and sit for preliminary exams. Applicants and their families are in vited to visit and tour the campus during school hours. Arrangements may be made through the Admissions Office. OES Merit Scholarship recipients will be selected by a panel o f disun- guished community judges, who were chosen for their interest in education and widespread community involve ment: The Honorable Dorothy Baker is a District Court Judge of Multnomah County. Dolores Winningstad, well-known patron of the arts, OMSI and Oregon Public Broadcasting, also co-sponsors the Winningstad Chair in the Physical Sciences at OES. The Rev. Alcena Boozer is cur rently principal of Jefferson High School in Portland. Continued on page 6 Bank of America Aims to Increase Home Affordability in Lower-Income Communities Bank of America has introduced a home loan program to help more fami lies finance homes in lower-income communities in Oregon, according to Randy C. James, chairman and chief executive officer of Bank of America Oregon. The program, called Neighborhood Advantage, provides more flexible qualifying guidelines and other fea tures to ease affordability for qualified borrowers purchasing or refinancing homes in designated census tracts or ZIP code areas. “With its special underwriting guidelines and other features, Neigh borhood Advantage will help more fami lies finance homes in lower-income areas and serve to revitalize neighbor hoods,” James said. Through the Neighborhood Advan tage home loan program, individuals purchasing or refinancing homes in des ignated areas can qualify for a home loan with a housing expense ratio of up to 40 percent of their gross income if they make a 10 percent down payment and have shown the ability to manage this expense level, such as by rent pay ments. Standard industry guidelines typically allow borrowers to spend no more than 28 percent to 30 percent of their gross monthly income on housing expense. For example, a qualified borrower with an annual income of approximately $19,800 could purchase a home for S68.000, put 10 percent down, ;ind fi nance $61,000. To qualify for the same amount under standard industry guide lines, a borrower would need an annual gross income of approximately S28.5OO Students Offered Free Lunches During Spring Break The Portland School District will provide free lunches for students during the one-week spring vacation begin ning March 23, school board member Bill Panarclos announced. For the first time, children will be fed during Spring Break. In December the school district began offering free lunches during the Christmas Break. Thcsoup-and-sandwich lunch will be served from 11 a.m. to 12 noon Monday through Friday, March 23-27. The nine schools offering die free lunchare: Arleta, 5109 S.E. 66lh Ave.,; Beach, 17I0N. Humboldt; Boise-Eliot, 620 N. Fremont St.; Clarendon, 8235 N. Van Houten Ave.; Kenton, 7528 N. Fenwick; King, 4906 N.E. 6th Ave.; Riglcr, 5401 N.E. Prescott; Sunnyside, 3421 S.E. Salmon; and Vernon, 2044 N.E. Killingsworth. The school district will use fed eral funds, as well as corporate and private contributions, to help pay for the meals, Panarclos said. He pro posed the Christmas and Spring free- lunch project to Matthew Prophet, Su perintendent, last fall. Familicsw ^ < receive free or reduced-price school lunches are eligible. There is a $2 charge for adults. Panaretos said about 19,(XX)or 35 percent of the district’s 56,(XX) chil dren come from families pi tor enough to make the students eligible for fed erally subsidized Ireeorreduced-price meals. Persons wishing locouirihute may call the district’s department of Public Information and Communication at 249-3304. or S8.700 more than with the Neighbor hood Advantage program. In effect, the Neighborhood Advantage home loan program enables borrowers to finance a home w'ith 30 percent less income. "Many families are already mak ing rental payments at about the same level,” James said. “With Neighbor hood Advantage, they can become homeowners and begin building eq uity.” The Neighborhood Advantage pro gram is available to qualified individu als financing a home in census tracts designated lower-income as generally defined by theU.S. Departmentof Hous ing and Urban Development. (These areas are primarily comprised of census tracts with a median income of 80 per cent or less than the median income for the metropolitan statistical areaof which they are a part, based on the 1980 census). Eligible census tracts in Oregon are located in Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington, Marion, Polk, Yamhill, Lane and Jackson counties. The Neighborhood Advantage home loan program includes both fixed- and adjustable-rate loans for the pur chase o f a home or for refinancing an existing mortgage. In addition to more favorable quali fying ratios, the Neighborhood Advan tage program allow s down payments of as little as 5 percent; has no minimum loan amount; and does not require bor rowers who pul at least lOpercentdown to have cash reserves equal to two months worth of mortgage payments. As an introductory offer through Continued on page 12 Dose Festival Princess Patrice Latoyia Woods, a 17- year-old Senior, was chosen Thurs day as Benson High School’s princess for the 1992 Portland Rose Festival. She was the fourth princess to be selected. Screams, cheers and applause filled the auditorium as Benson’s 1991 Rose Festival princess, Melissa Willis, wound her way among the contenders for the honor and then handed a bou quet of roses to Princess Patrice. The winner’s broad smile was followed shortly by happy tears. She thanked the students for their support and added, “Remember, if you w ant your dreams tocome true, don’t oversleep.” Princess Patrice was bom in Port land on May 15, 1974. She is the daughter of Clarence Woods and Eva L. Guy. She is student body president this year, com petes in track, crosscountry and basketball and was chosen scholar- athlete of the year for 1992. She has served as a peer helper, was 1991 Princess Patrice homecoming queen, won a scholastic improvement award and was voted the most athletic senior for 1992. Her goal is to attend college and graduate school and cam a doctorate in electrical engineering. Princess Patrice’s hobbies in clude bicycle riding, music and sing ing.
