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Volume X X V I, Number 8
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Committed to cultural diversity.
Orlando Willaims
Home For
Globetrotter Debut
February 21, 1996
African American
Olympians Of The
Century
Benson High and University
of Oregon standout is now a
pro of pros.
. ,;
A salute to some of the
fri
greatest atheletes the world
has known.
See Black History pages 5A-7A, Inside
M
See Metro, Inside.
(the ^ o rtía n h (T
, y
2Y 25#
Flood Brings
Jobless Claims
Disaster unemployment assistance is
now available for workers who are out of
work as a result of the February flood.
The jobless benefits are made possible
under President Clinton's federal disaster
declaration.
Clinton Visits
Flooded Area
President Clinton toured flood rav­
aged areas of Woodland, Washington last
week and then flew to Portland. The pres­
ident offered warm words of sympathy to
flood victims and promised millions of
dollars in federal aid and assistance.
100 Years Old And Standing Proud
)oci AS t r ih n t p t n the» m z C n if ir a n t t/ic in n n f
Rain Brings New
Flooding
The Willamette River was bank full
and approaching flood stage again after a
weekend of rain, although well below the
level that caused widespread damage ear­
lier this month.
Car Injures Road
Worker
A road worker was struck by a car and
critically injured last week while working
to clear a mud slide on U.S. Highway 30.
He was one of hundreds of state employ­
ees working to clear slides and repair
roads in the aftermath of flooding.
Students Help
Flood Victims
Several students at area schools last
week helped with clean-up for flood vic­
tims. Wilson High and Smith Elementary
students in southwest Portland collected
food and supplies for flood victims in
Vernonia.
Airport Eyes New
Taxiway
The Portland of Portland has approved
a $1.3 million contract to build a new
taxiway at Portland International Air­
port. The 2,900 long taxi way will connect
with the airport's south parallel runway.
Construction will begin in March.
Emergency
System Performs
Portland s new radio emergency sys­
tem performed up to expectations during
a recent test demonstration. The system
was upgraded after technical and weath­
er-related problems during a December
storm.
Nuclear Port
Plans Dropped
,
B y P romise K ing
A2
.
ing to escalate at enormous rates
Wage stagnation in the region the report
says has compounds (his escalation costs.
Hie stark imbalance between housingcosts
and wages is driving the ability to own a
home out of the reach of the many of our
citizens, particularly younger families and
individuals according to the reports.
The study finds that while this increase
costs hinged on cost of labor and materials
additional federal, state and local regulations
on construction and pi ice of buildable land in
the metro area are part of the problems.
Paul Ozig of northeast portland want to
buy a home but he’s waiting for prices to
come down.
And il recent study by area top developer
and metro councilor, Don Morissette is any
thing to go by Ozig and many others who are
hoping for affordable prices would have to
wait for a long time.
Housing prices in the region according to
the report arc not expected to cool off any­
time soon.
It indicates portland housing are continu-
It finds that portland is among cities that
have flirted with slow or no growth policies
or placed other substantial regulatory barri­
ers in the way of affordable housing. The
study also concludes that the growth manage­
ment policies in this region have substan­
tially affected the price of land
If the supply of housing is not adequate to
meet the needs of middle and upper middle
income residents, the study says il is the
lower income residents who are squeezed out
of the picture. This buying out is called
“gentrification”.
Essentially, gentrification entails wealthier
residents moving into lower income neigh­
borhoods in the hopes of getting a bargain on
housing.
North portland serves as example of the
economics of gentrification for two years in
a row.
Consequently, many middle income resi­
dent who find affordable housing elusive
have made concerted efforts to buy up less
expensive homes in inner North / Northeast
▼
Continued to page 6A
Buses Fill In
For MAX In
Gresham
T
ri-Met has temporarily closed
the Max light rail line in the
Gresham area through May 10
for construction work.
All four Max stations east of Rockwood/
188th will close. Tri-Met will replace Max
service with buses (hat will shuttle passen­
gers between the closed stations and the fully
functional Max station at Rock wood/188th
Avenue where train connections arc avail­
able.
Shuttle buses will run about every five
minutes during rush hour and Tri-Met cus­
tomer service representatives will he on hand
at stations to assist customers. The improve­
ments, combined with low floor trains will
make boarding easier for everyone and elimi­
nate service delays in the future
----------— -
Community Honors
TonyHop^
,nc (fro m ,eft) Gerald McFadden o f the Volunteers o f America and State Rep Ave!
anm l u n
accomplishments in the area o f equal opportunity during the Urban League of Portland's
— . — _ v . j
i r ii
I at
I I Í the
V l i n Hilton
t CZl I I I cZ
I C7f ■
annual dinner Thursday
evening
Hotel.
Downspout Disconnections Target North/Northeast
1
T
h
P c
i t v of
n f Portland
P n r f l a n H plans
« Io n e
he
city
to dis
The stormwater mixes with sewage and
connect thousands of residen­
contributes to combined sewer overflows in
tial downspouts from the city’s
the Columbia Slough.
combined sewer system this spring, Disconnecting lesidentiai downspouts and
summer and fall.
_____
EDITORIAL
.
No Relief Soon For Housing Prices
Y p R O M ie ir k i v r
The Bureau of Environmental Services is
targeting 17,(XX) homes in north and north­
east Portland
In some parts of Portland, drainage from
roof gutters and storm drains fills combined
sewer pipes to capacity when it rains.
The Department of Energy hasdropped
plans to ship spent nuclear fuel from
foreign reactors through the Port of Port­
land.
o
SPORTS
B2
diverting drainage to lawns and gardens can
remove millions of gallons of stormwater
from the combined sewer system. A test
disconnection of 150 homes last summer
removed approximately 1.75 million gallons
of stormwater annually from the combined
sewers.
Starling this spring, teams of workers
trained to disconnect residential downspouts
will work in north and northeast Portland
neighborhoods.
Environmental Services will also train
workers from several community groups and
neighborhood associations to disconnect
downspouts for property owners who want
the work done for them.
Property owners also have the option of
doing the disconnections themselves. F.nvi-
__
ronmental Services will provide technical
assistance and will reimburse property own­
ers $53 for each disconnected downspout
This program is only offered in targeted
neighborhoods in north and northeast Port­
land.
The Bureau of Environmental Services
provides city residents with water quality
protection, sewage treatment, wastewater
collection, sewer installation and oversees
solid w aste col lection and recycling services.
________
ENTERTAINMENT
METRO
B3
BI
SPORTS
B2
HOUSING
CLASSIFIEDS
B6
B9