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P age A 4
A pril 13, 1994 • T he P ortland O bserver
NECA/IBEW Electrical Contractor
Helps International Research Team
In a project scheduled to be com
pleted next month, M cCoy Electric
Company, a member o f the National
E lectrical Contractors Association
(N E C A ),O regon-C olum bia Chapter,
and the International B ro the rh o od of
Electrical W orkers (1BEW) Local 48,
is replac ing the old, troublesome elec -
trical system in the Shriners Hospital
laboratories w ith three separate new
systems w hich w ill ensure that the
labs w ill no longer lose critica l data
due to what is sometimes known as
“ d irty pow er."
D irty power is electrical power
that spikes, surges, and doesn’ t How
sm oothly - and it can spell disaster
for today’ s highly sensitive electronic
equipment, such as the laboratory
research e q u ip m e n t used at the
Shriners Hospital fo r Crippled C h il
dren.
Years o f research can be de
stroyed in an instant i f electrical power
is interrupted. In fact, that’ s what had
been happening before M cCoy re
placed the system. The labs had not
only lost experiments, they were also
regularly having to replace the hard
drives in their computers due to surges
—an expensive proposition in both
dollars and data lost.
In order to prevent such losses in
the future, the Shriners Hospital called
on M cC oy Electric to upgrade the
quality o f pow ercom ing into the Lab.
A cco rding to M cC o y Project
Superintendent Jim H all, the com
pany designed and installed three
separate systems in five different labs
so that the rig h t equipment can now
be connected to the right type o f elec
trical system. “ W ith the new systems,
i f the electricity com ing into the hos
pital goes down, the critica l lab equip
ment w ill never know it,” said H all.
The Norm al Power System was
installed fo r non-eritical equipment;
equipment that is used occasionally
and usually not fo r extended periods
o f time. The Emergency System is
reserved for equipment that can toler
ate a tw o or three second interruption
until the emergency generators kick
in . T he th ir d syste m is the
Filing Extensions Offered
To Those Who Can’t Pay
Oregonians who cannot meet the
A p ril 15 federal income tax filin g
deadline, need IRS Form 4868, “ A p
plication fo r Autom atic Extension o f
Tim e to File U.S. Individual Income
Tax return.” The IRS now accepts an
application fo r an automatic four
month extension o f time to file, even
i f the taxpayer can’ t pay the total tax
owed.
Prior to last year, i f a taxpayer
filed an extension and d id n ’ t pay the
tax w ith the extension, IRS would
consider the request inva lid and as
sess the fa ilu re -to-file penalty on the
delinquent return. The fa ilu re -to-file
penalty is 5 percent per month on the
balance due on the return, not to
exceed 25 percent.
To get an automatic four month
extension o f lim e to file, Oregonians
should file Form 4868, and properly
estimate their lax lia b ility .
Even w ith the extension, there
arc interest charges on any taxes paid
after A p ril 15. I f payments made by
A p ril 15, including amounts paid w ith
Form 4868, arc less than 90 percent o f
r
Both Forms 4868 and 9465 are
available in local IRS offices. Also,,
some libraries have reproducible cop
ies o f Form 4868. I f you do not have
access to a copy o f Form 4868, you
can request an automatic four month
extension for filin g your 1993 per
sonal income tax return by m ailing a
letter by A p ril 15, specifying the tax
year, type o f return involved, y o u r ,
social security number, estimated tax,
and any balance due. I f a jo in t return,
both spouses must sign. The letter
must be signed using the fo llo w in g
statement:
»
“ Under penalties o f perjury, 1
declare that I have examined this
substitute from , including accompa
nying schedules and statements, and
to the best o f my knowledge and
belief, it is due, correct, and com
plete.
Answers to questions on exten
sions can be answered through the
IRS telephone taxpayer assistance by
calling 221-3960 in Portland o r to ll-
free elsewhere in Oregon 1-800-
TAX(829)-1040.
Celebrate Diversi
Laboratory technician, Michelle Zelleny-Pooley, works with
confidence in the newly re-wired Lab 2 at Shirners Hospital for
Crippled Children.
search. “ W ith something this com
plex, we don’ t need any more prob
lems. The new electrical work makes
i t much easier for us to concentrate on
the w ork we want to do rather than
w orrying about the equipment.”
In addition to the design and
installation o f the electrical w ork, the
union electrical contractor provides
on-call back-up personnel who are
available to take care o f any problems
that m ight arise. M cC oy has also
made other contributions to the ongo
ing research at the Shriners Hospital
fo r C rippled Children.
“ In order to keep the hospital
from having to go back for more
Ombudsman Training
Scheduled
project is an excellent example o f the
k in d o fh i-te c h w o rk N E C A a n d lB E W
teams are perform ing now. And this
Volunteersare needed to improve
particular project is very satisfying the quality o f life o f the elderly liv in g
since we know that our work w ill be in long term care facilities. C ertified
doing so much good fo r so many Ombudsmen advocate fo r the resi
people.”
dents o f nursing homes adult foster
The Oregon-Colum bia Chapter care homes and residential care fa
o f the National electrical Contractors cilities. W hile the volunteers w ork to
Association was established in 1943 improve the quality o f care fo r the
and is dedicated to excellence in its citizens liv in g in long term care fa
industry and com m itted to form ing a cilities, they also promote dignity,
cohesive relationship between the autonomy and the rights o f the resi
professional contractorsof N E C A and dents. Volunteers are currently being
the skilled electricians o f IB E W L o recruited for a six-session training pro
cal 48. M cC oy and other N E C A - gram beginning May 10 in Portland.
member conuactor union electricians
C ertified Ombudsmen investi
gate complaints and concerns on be
h alf o f the residents a n d jh cn w ork
w ith the facilities to make qhanges
that best serve the residents. The role
takes a special kind o f v o lu n te e r-
presentations on “ Drug Development
In Sickle Cell Disease: In The Search
For A Cure” and “ new Technology:
Advances In Equipment and Test
in g .”
Rounding out the medical pre
Volunteers o f America o f O r
sentation schedule w ill be a presenta
egon has expanded their V ehicle
tion on “ The History o f Sickle Cell
Donation Program to the Salem area.
W o rk In The United States” and
Residents in the area who are inter
Frempong presenting A ” Sickle Cell
ested in donating their auto, boat or
Disease: A V ision fo r The Future.”
recreational vehicle can call 375-
There w ill also be a special cultural
7306.
presentation by noted A frica n A m e ri
The Vehicle Donation Program
can Egyptologist, Dr. AsaG. H illia rd ,
accepts donations o f vehicles and pro
II specifically aimed at bringing per
vides free towing. Donations are tax
spective to the series o f tours through
deductible and enable Volunteers o f
the “ Cradle o f C iv iliz a tio n ” that arc
Am erica o f Oregon to further provide
included in the Symposium package.
programs such as adult day care, se
According to N AS C D Sympo
n io r medical c lin ic and shelter for
sium organizers the tour package,
women and children.
coordinated by African ExpressTravel
Volunteers o f Am erica is a na
and Tours, includes round trip air
tion wide social service organization
tran spoliation from New Y o rk or Los
w ith branches in over 200 com m uni
Angeles, six nights in one o f C airo’ s
ties through children and fam ily ser
five star hotels, continental breakfast,
vices, senior services and community
two lunches,a fashion show and more.
corrections programs.
F or in fo r m a tio n c a ll 1 -8 0 0 -4 -
• ” ,
®
v
' >• s „ ♦
A F R IK A or N AS C D at 1-800-421-
8453.
Program Set For 1st International
African Symposium In Cairo, Egypt
The N ational Association For
Sickle Cell Disease (N A S C D ) has
announced program participants and
special guests fo r its First Interna
tional A frican Symposium, June 18-
25, in Cairo, Egypt. In m aking the
announcement, N A S C D president,
D r. Kw aku Ohene-Frempong, direc
tor o f the C hildren’ s H o s p ita l o f
Philadelphia Comprehensive Sickle
C ell Center, said the presenters w ill
combine to give a global perspective
in the w ar against sickle cell disease
and is encouraging those who wan t to
attend to beat the rapidly approach
ing booking deadline.
“ the search fo r solutions to the
problems o f sickle cell disease is not
o n ly being made here in the United
States,” Frempong observed. “ It is
im portant for us to acknowledge the
w ork o f others and to find a way to
b ring us all together in a common
e ffo rt. In that vain the First Interna
tional African Symposium is historic,”
he said.
The conference schedule begins
on the fourth day to the eight day
educational and cultural tour w hich
the total tax, there is also a late pay
ment penalty o f 1/2 o f one percent o f
your unpaid taxes fo r each month or
part o f a month that the tax is not paid.
To keep these charges as low as pos
sible, the IRS advises taxpayers to pay
as they can as soon as they can. T ax
payers may even make payments be
fore they actually file their returns.
Any payments made before f i l
ing should include inform ation to
credit the money properly: social se
cu rity number (SSN), the tax year and
the form number. Joint filers should
use the prim ary SSN - that is, the
number that w ill appear first on the
return.
Taxpayers who s till cannot pay
the taxes owed by the August 15
extended due date should file their
returns and attach Form 9465, “ In
stallment Agreement Request.” This
form allows taxpayers to request a
m onthly payment plan and specify
the amounts they are able to pay each
month. The late payment penalty and
interest continues to be charged on
any unpaid tax.
also features a welcoming address, by
M rs. Hosny Mubarak, the First Lady
o f Egypt and a gala awards banquet
w ith w orld renown film star Louis
Gossett serving as Master o f Ceremo
nies. Presentations include the fo l
low ing themes and presenters: “ Sickle
C ell Disease: A W orldw ide V iew , Dr.
Graham Serjeant, Medical Research
C ouncil Laboratories, Kingston, Ja
maica and “ The Impact O f Sickle
C ell In Saudi Arabia” , Drs. A li A1
Jama, Abdul Kareem A1 M om en,and
Ahm ed M allouh.
“ Sickle Cell disease and The Vital
Role o f Nurses” (United Stales Per
spective), w ill be presented by M e l
issa Cheek-Luten, B.S.N., R.., presi
dent, International Association o f
Sickle Cell Nurses & Physician A s
sistants. Cheek-Luten w ill be followed
by a team o f experienced Egyptian
and Saudi Arabian nurses w ith the
A frica n and M iddle East perspective.
A dding to the global outreach o f the
symposium w illbeG unesT . Yuregir,
Chairman o f the Department o f B io
chem istry at Qukurova U niversity in
Adana, Turkey. There w ill also be
Vehicle Donation
Program Expands
To Salem
volunteers must not o nly care about
the elderly, but must also have excel
lent comm unication and problem
solving skills. W hile the job is chal
lenging, the C ertified Ombudsmen
fin d their w ork very rewarding. It is
an opportunity to make a real d iffe r
ence in the lives o f the residents w hile
developing new skills in communica
tion, problem-solving and advocacy.
C ertified Ombudsmen spend between
one and five hours w eekly at their
assigned facilities, and a one-year
m inim um com m itm ent is required.
Interested volunteers should call
Kathy W alter at the O ffice o f the
Long Term Care Ombudsman, to ll-
free at 1-800-522-2602, to receive
additional inform ation and an appli
cation.
Worthy
Wage Day
W orthy Wage Day, A p ril 21,
1994...
When c h ild care teachers say,
“ W e can no longer subsidize the fu ll
cost o f care by our low wages.”
And parents say, “ M y c h ild ’s
teacher deserves a liv in g wage, but I
can’ t afford to pay more.”
We say together “ W e want fed
eral legislation that addresses w orthy
w ork, w orthy wages.”
Parents, bring your stories as to
w hy you support your c h ild ’ s teacher
making a w orthy wage. Teachers,
bring your pay stubs. Together, we
w ill give them to Senator H atfield to
support the need fo r federal legisla
tion such as the c h ild Care and D evel
opment B lo ck Grant.
12.30 p.m. Senator H a tfie ld ’s
O ffice (W o rld Trade Center); comer
o f SW Salmon and Front Ave.
Violation Of
Oregon’s
Unlawful Trade
Practices Act
Attorney General Theodore R.
Kulongoski filed suit against a Wash
ington corporation alleging that it
misled consumers w hile selling and
renewing magazine subscriptions in
Oregon. A sim ilar lawsuitc invo lvin g
the same company was filed by the
Washington Attorney General.
Named in the Oregon com plaint
isC apitol M arketing, Inc. and its presi
dent, Kenneth Ecklund o f Seattle. The
c o m p la in t alle ge s v io la tio n s o f
Oregon’ s U nlaw ful Trade Practices
Act.
W ashington A ttorney General
C hristine Gregoire filed a sim ilar,
separate law suit against Capitol M a r
keting andTxklund. G regoire’ s office
also sued C ertified Subscription Ser
vice, Inc., Consumer Subscription
Center, and Seattle residents Carmen
Sm ith and Lorna Ecklund. Kenneth
Ecklund is believed to be involved in
all three operations.
Capitol M arketing is alleged to
have renewed subscriptions and billed
consumers w ithout authorization. The
company also is alleged to have ac
cepted money for subscriptions but
did not send it to the magazine pub
lishers.
Consequently, consumers never
received magazines they subscribed
to through Capitol.
Capitol gave refunds to some con
sumers, but only after being contacted
by the Oregon Department o f Justice.
The company was asked to enter into
an Assurance o f Voluntary co m p li
ance earlier this month, but never
responded to the request.
Oregon’ s com plaint seeks to per
manently prohibit the defendants from
operating in Oregon, c iv il penalties o f
$25,000 per law violation, restitution
to a ll Oregon consumers and attorney
fees and investigative costs.
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