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T he P ortland O bserver • F ebruary 5. 1997
Jurors break for readings
▲
Fannie Mae Foundation honors
localhousing organization
The Fannie Mae Foundation yes­
terday announced a $20,000 grant
to the Community Housing Re­
source Center (CHRC), a local non­
profit housing organization.
The grant, the largest ever made
by the Fannie Mae Foundation in the
Vancouver area, was presented to
CHRC at the Vancouver City Coun­
cil meeting last night in support of
their efforts to promote affordable
homeownershipopportumliestolow-
, moderate-, and m iddle-income
families in Clark County.
The Fannie Mae Foundation’s
$20,(MX) grant will be used to sup­
port general operating expenses for
CH RC's homeownership program.
Specifically, the grant will be en­
able CHRC to conduct certified
home buyer education classes in
Vancouver and rural areas. CHRC
will use the funds to conduct post
home-buying seminars to help new
owners handle the responsibilities
associated with homeownership. Irs
addition, CHRC will offer intro­
ductions to home-buying for Viet­
namese and Russian families, and
will co-sponsor an annual housing
resource fair in Vancouver.
“The Fannie Mae Foundation is
pleased to support the successful
efforts of CHRC," said Sue Krake.
representing the Fannie Mae Foun­
dation. "The Foundation is always
looking to help groups expand edu­
cational opportunities to help more
families achieve the American dream
of homeownership. This grant will
allow CHRC to continue developing
h o m e o w n e rsh ip o p p o rtu n itie s
throughout Clark County.”
CHRC is a private, non-profit or­
ganization. incorporated in 1994.
with the purpose of providing assis­
tance and information on purchas­
ing a home and serving as a resourcp
for housing-related needs in the
Clark County area. Last May, CHRC
was honored by the Foundation with
a “ Partners in H ousing” award.
C H R C ’s services include pre-pur­
chase counseling and information
about the role of real estate agents,
special service providers, and pub­
lic agencies, as well as how to select
these providers. CHRC sponsors
"Home Buying Made Simple” sem ­
inars through the city ’s D epart­
ment of Parks and Recreation and
makes neighborhood presentations
on homeownership.
"The CHRC is delighted to ac­
cept this grant, and we thank the
Fannie Mae Foundation for its con­
tinued support," said Heidi Powell,
chairman of the Community Hous­
ing Resource C enter’s board of di­
rectors. "Over the past two years,
our staff has worked diligently to
develop aquality home buyers edu­
cation program which has success­
fully helped low-moderate-income
families realize the dream of home-
ownership. The grant today by Fan­
nie M ae F oundation helps the
CHRC continue to deliver neces­
sary education and aid to families
seeking homeownership opportu­
nities.”
inpoT AwuaX Qogev ov Trje Pvae Atoapô
Ten low-income single moms
were honored today at the first an­
nual “Women on the Rise” lun­
cheon hosted by the V ancouver
Housing Authority’s (VHA) Fam­
ily Self-Sufficiency Program.
Recognized for their hard work
and determined to move off public
assistance, each mother received a
small monetary award to help over­
come immediate financial hurdles.
“I’ve never seen people so com ­
mitted to fulfilling their dream s,”
said Glenda Galaba, VHA Family
Self-Sufficiency Coordinator and
luncheon presenter. “It’s really up­
lifting to see women from very
oppressive backgrounds rise above
enormous setbacks and disappoint­
ments to finish school or get a job.
This award recognizes their hard-
work and makes it a little easier for
them to get where they’re going."
W orking with the V H A ’s Family
S e lf-S u ffic ie n c y p ro g ra m , the
"W omen on thd Rise" award was
established last year by three anon­
ymous sisters on behalf of their late
mother. Throughout her lifetime,
the mother gave away anonymous
sums of money to women who had
action plans for achieving their goals,
but lacked the monetary means at a
crucial time for reaching them. Her
last wish was for her daughters to
continue this pursuit after her death.
"This award is unique in that it
meets very impractical needs," said
Galaba. “Things like car failure and
lack of professional clothing can be
real obstacles for women struggling
to find jobs to feed their children.
There are very few grants that help
women in such a tangible way.”
“You can’t even imagine what
most of these women have been
th ro u g h ," c o n tin u e d G ala b a .
"T hey’re survivors. They haven't
given up and now they’re finally
being recognized.”
An annual award, "W omen on
the Rise" aims to help meet the
critical and timely needs of disad­
v a n ta g e d w om en w ho show
strength of character and determ i­
nation in reaching a goal.
The V ancouver Housing Au­
thority’s Family Self-Sufficiency
(FSS) program helps low-income
families obtain the education, job
training, and life skills necessary
to move toward financial self-suf­
ficiency. Established in 1993, fam­
ilies in the FSS program establish
a five year plan with the final goal
of getting off all forms of public-
assistance. These fam i I ies are com­
mitted to making the changes nec­
essary to improve their lives.
More than half o f the ju ro rs
scribbled notes as court reporterGtna
Chavez read aloud testimony given
by Simpson in November in a tense
exam ination by p lain tiff law yer
Daniel Petrocelli.
Superior C ourt Judge Hiroshi
Fujisaki told jurors they had re­
quested a lot of testimony - nearly
200 pages - and he urged them to
interrupt at any point if they had
heard enough.
Jurors wanted that part of Park’s
testimony that focused on Sim pson’s
activities from 9:45 p.m. to 11 p.m.
the night of the killings.
A central issue in the case is
whether Simpson would have had
time to kill tw o people at Ms
Simpson's condominium, dispose of
a weapon and bloody clothes, return
home, change and meet a waiting
limousine at 11 p.m.
Jurors were particularly attentive
Three Famous African Sons of France
Continued from Metro
▲
served and maintained this chateau
as an important historic landmark.
A great conversationalist and
known over Europe as "a great lover
and outrageously good cook and
host," Dumas pere was welcomed
into the homes and affairs of royalty
and the temples of culture. George
Sande, the Grande Dame of French
letters and famous in her own right.
for transplanting plants and cuttings.
“Our greatest need is for pots in
the two gallon and up sizes, but we
also need smaller pots and will glad­
ly accept all sizes,” said Lynda Harp­
er. “All donations will be greatly
appreciated.”
Pot donations can be dropped
off at Mabry at 8101 N.E. I 17th
Ave. in Orchards between 7:30
a m. and 5 p.m. weekdays.
Corrections is unable to pick up
pots from private residences, how­
ever.
Board of equalization begins assessment appeals
The Clark County Board o f
Equalization began formal hear­
ings on January 21 on property
assessment appeals filed in 1996
that have not been resolved.
There were 1,622 appeals filed
and there are 1,112 petitions still in
review.
Every effort is being made to
complete the review process by the
time the first half property tax pay­
ment is due April 30.
Property owners who have filed
timely appeals that are under re­
view should pay their property tax­
es when due.
A property owner who obtains an
adjustment to value after the first
half tax date on April 30 will be
mailed an adjusted tax statement by
Telethon aims to fund
firefighter helmets
V ancouver and P ortland Fire
Department will join forces with
KOIN Channel 6 for a telethon on
Thursday, January 30, from 4 p.m.
to midnight.
Chief Dan Fraijoand 15 Vancou­
ver firefighters, along with a like
number of Portland firefighters, will
put down their hoses and pick up
telephones to accept pledges for ther­
mal imagining helmets. Proceeds
from the telethon will be split be­
tween Vancouver and Portland fire
departments for helmets purchases.
The h ig h -te c h h e lm e ts h elp
firefighters see through thick smoke
or darkness by using an infrared
sensor to detect differences in tem ­
perature. W ith a set o f helm et-
mounted goggles, a firefighter can
see human figures and furniture in a
smoke-filled room. Each thermal-
imaging helmet costs approximately
$25,000.
the county Treasurer for second half
taxes payable October 31.
The three member local citizen
board schedules hearings by “Neigh­
borhood” or "Property Type" after
review of the appeal by the Clark
County Assessor.
This allows the board to compare
market and geographic data pre­
sented by the taxpayers and apprais­
ers in similar market areas.
In 1995, 2,476 appeals were filed
with the Board of Equalization.
“The review process is working
well,” said Myrna W eaving, Man-
ager/Clerk of the Board. “ 1,598 ap­
peals were able to be resolved out­
side of a formal hearing."
Appeal filing deadlines are July I
of any assessment year or 30 days
after a change of value notice is
mailed by the county Assessor.
There are only limited reasons for
the 1996 Board of Equalization to
reconvene to consider assessments
when a petition form was not filed
by the statutory deadlines. One rea­
son is if a new purchaser bought a
property after July I and before
December 31 of the 1996 assess­
ment year and the sale price was
less than 90 percent of the value
assessed by the county.
People with questions can con­
tact Weaving at (360) 699-2337,
1013 Franklin Street. Vancouver,
W ashington, 98 6 6 6 -5 0 0 0 ; fax:
(360) 699-2457; e-mail:
m w e a v in g @ c o .c la r k .w a .u s ;
TDD (360) 737-6032.
was an intimate associate of Dumas
as their massive correspondence in­
dicates. In many letters to him (and
others) she deplores the fact that he
chooses younger women for his mis­
tresses. He always refers to her as
“m am a.”
T here has been none like this
man to date: who could sieze life
on its own terms and come out
m aster. His son, A lexander Ills
was no slacker in this fam ilies
Police N
exiting romance with life. He wrote
the c e le b ra te d La D am e aux
Cornelias", later made into an op­
era. V erdis. "La T raviata.”
There is so much more to be
learned about Black History when
one goes to the source literature of
the countries where the black actors
were on stage No American racism
or censorship. Teachers may call for
citations of authoritative transla­
tions, 284-7080, Fax 284-0484.
ew s
Murder-suicide Police investigation
On Saturday, January 18, 1997,
at approximately 8:00 a m., Port­
land Police responded to a house in
southwest Portland. A female at
that location had called 9 1 1 when
she was disconnected from the
phone. Police responded and were
contacted by a family friend who
had' just left the house. She ex­
plained that the married couple in
A
County plant nursery needs your pots
Clark County’s Mabry Nursery
is looking for more than a few good
pots.
The offender-run nursery, which
is part of the Clark County C orrec­
tions Offender Industries program,
is seeking donations of plastic pots
rors, raised his hand and said they
had heard enough
The jury then heard a brief snip­
pet ol audio tape from Sim pson's
police interview the day after '.he
killings In the segment, he claimed
that Ms. Simpson was the aggressor
in the 1989, fight that resulted in
spousal abuse charges against him.
"She hit me.” Simpson was heard
saying " I didn’t punch her or any­
thing I wrassled her.”
He also told police: "Nicole was a
strong girl. She was one of the most
conditioned women 1 knew .”
The spousal abuse incident was a
focus of the plaintiffs' case as they
tried to show a building atmosphere
of rage before Simpson and his wife
separated and after they were di­
vorced.
Simpson told jurors he took re­
sponsibility for the bruises Ms
Simpson received in the fight but
swore he didn’t hit, strike, slap, kick
or beat her.
when Park’s tune line testimony was
read
Park, who drove Simpson to the
airport the night ol the slayings, is
notable because h is was the only te s ­
timony the criminal trial jury asked to
hear again before it acquitted Simpson
of murder 16 months ago.
The young limo driver was a vir­
tual human time clock for the case
because he noted every minute of his
activity via cellular phone records, a
car clock and his own watch.
At least six of the jurors took
copious notes as Park described
where he drove his limousine, his
failure to see Simpson' s Bronco when
he pulled up and his efforts to get an
answer as he repeatedly rang the
buzzer at Simpson’s gate. The fore­
man. assigned to seat No. 12 in the
|ury box. wrote down every second
of Park's account.
The jurors listened to more than
an hour of Park testimony before the
foreman, signaled by two other ju ­
Continued from front
this house had an argument and that
when she had heard what sounded
like three gunshots.
Police attempted to contact the
residents of this home by phone with­
out success. SERT and HNT were
called to the scene to continue the
attempt to safely locate and contact
the two people in the house After
almost six hours of unsuccessful
sk
an
energy
com m unication attem pts. SERT
made entry into the home and found
both residents deceased.
It appears that the 55-year-old
husband shot and killed his wife,
who was in her mid-40s, and then
shot and killed himself. This inves­
tigation is continuing and has been
assigned to Investigative Sergeants
K. Perry and K Taylor.
expert
W hat
should you do if you see
A DOWNED POWER LINE?
First and foremost, don’t touch a downed
power line. Ever. Assume every fallen line
is “live” and immediately call PGE.
•
If a line falls on your house:
Stay indoors and call PGE. The
insulation and wood in your home
protect you from dangerous electricity.
Stay indoors until PGE crews take
care of the line.
•
•
Help prevent dangerous situations.
Many power outages arc caused by
falling tree branches. Call PGE for
advice if you have trees growing near
overhead lines.
W hat to do if a line falls:
Don’t touch the line or anything
that it is touching. And don’t try to
move the line with a stick-the stick
could have moisture in it and act as a
conductor. Call PGE immediately.
Stay far back and keep kids and pets
clear of the area, too.
•
D on’t try to rescue anyone.
If you see a person in trouble with a
power line, call 911. That’s the only
way you can help. If you try to rescue
them, you could end up a victim, too.
Why downed lines are dangerous.
Electricity always seeks to “ground”
itself and will use whatever is in its
path-including you. It could cause
serious injury or death. Even standing
near a fallen line, you’re in danger
because electricity can travel through
the ground.
•
•
If a line falls on your car:
Stay in your car and wait for help.
Your car’s tires insulate you from
the danger. Stepping out of the car
creates an instant path for electricity.
If you have a cellular phone, call
PGE or 911.
Rutland General Electric
To REPORT A DOWNED UNE IN P o R T IA N D .
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Contributed by:
Howard Comett
PGE Lineman