Volume XXVII. Number 7
Committed to cultural diversity.
I ebruaiA 12. 1997
(The ^o rtlartò ÜMrseruer
Z|T am m u n tty
\LUt I e n h a r
Charity Valentines
Day Dance
The Church of Scientology is sponsor
ing a Sweethearts Ball for Valentines Day
with candy, flowers, a romantic get-a-way
raffle and live music featuring Sheila
Miranda. The dance starts at 7:00 PM. the
location is at Celebrity Centre Portland
709 S. W. Salmon, downtown Portland
Tickets are $4.00 per person. All proceeds
benefit local drug and alcohol treatment
center. Come and dance the night away
228-0116.
Landlord training
workshops
Victoria Anderson, Landlord Tenant/
Fair Housing Specialist
Landlord Training workshops; March
12, and April 23. 1997
We are always available to discuss our
programs and services. Please call us at
282-7744 for further information.
Duplicate bridge
newcomers’ party
February 17, 1997 - 7:30; Redlion-
Jantzen Beach
Free coffee and dessert. Free book dis
cussing Duplicate Bridge. Free plays to
local bridge clubs; and we’ll get you a
partner! Questions? contact alan Johnson
at (503) 771-3316, slam@netcom.com
How to stay healthy as
you get older
Seniors: How to Stay Healthy As You
Get Older, is a free lecture aimed at the
general public. 9 a.m., Saturday, March 1;
OHSU Old Library Auditorium. Plenty of
free parking is available. Lectures are
wheelchair accessible and devices for the
hearing impaired are available. Call com­
munity Relations at 494-4312 for infor­
mation.
Senator Wyden to hold
“Sidewalk Office Hours”
Sat., Feb. 15: Portland's Lloyd Center;
find Sun., Feb. 16: Clackamas Town Cen
ter. U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.)
takes to the streets in Portland and Clacka­
mas this month to talk with local residents
&bout theirconcerns and interests. Wyden,
known for holding town meetings in every
Oregon County every year, has started his
"Sidewalk Office Hours” in order to bring
government closer to citizens.
Portland Center Stage
The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life
ih the Universe, by Jane Wagner, on Fri­
day, February 14. Curtain at 8;00 pm
sharp. Reception follows with refresh­
ments from London Catering, Eola Hills
Vineyards, and Saxer Brewing and the
music of Boka Marimba. Please RSVP for
one or two tickets to Cynthia Fuhrman,
Una Loughran or Kim Kalapus at (503)
274-6582 by Wednesday, February 13
Governor’s Quality
Education Task Force
Wednesday, February 19, 1997; I ();(X)
A M. to 12:00 P.M , Main Hearing Room
1st Floor of the Public Utility Commis­
sion Building at 550 Capital Street NE in
Salem, Oregon.
The Piedmont Lighthouse,
a new After School
Program
located on the lower level at the historic
Piedmont Friends Church, now known as
Lighthouse Church of god in Christ, 5736
N. Albina Ave. Portland Or 97217 (503)
247-9445. The Piedmont Light house is
open to receive children 5 through 12
years old, 3:00-5:00 p.m. Monday through
Friday. The core of this program teaches
Peace and Progress by supporting aware­
ness of the virtues - the gifts within,
problem-solving, conflict resolution skills,
(including anger management) and re­
sponsibility to studies. If you are inter­
ested in our program please feel free to
contact Zan Tabor-Stone at 747-9445
SUBMISSIONS: Community
Calendar information will be given
priority if dated two weeks
before the event date.
Super Town Hall Meet in Northeast
by
N eil H eilpern
ipples of a bipartisan coopera­
tive spirit which kicked off the
1997 Oregon State Legislature
three weeks ago will bring the dialogue
to an unusual town hall meeting for
North Portland next Tuesday, Feb. 18.
R
Three local state legislators have invited
the leaders of the Oregon House and Senate
to Madison High School 7-9 p.m. for the
"unprecedented” gathering, which will in­
clude an information exchange between
neighborhood residents and the top guns of
the two chambers.
Portland elected officials Sen. Avel Gordly
(D-Dist. 10), Rep. Jo Ann Bowman (D-Dist.
19) and Rep. Randall Edwards (D-Dist 15),
asked Senate President Brady Adams (R-
Grants Pass) and Speaker of the House Rep.
Lynn Lundquist (R-Powell Butte) to share
information about state budget choices and
how they will affect the area, with an empha­
sis on education and social issues.
"These budget choices are hard choices,”
said Gordly, who this year stepped up from
the house to a senate seat. "In the face of
measure 47, when a lot of people are saying
keep the (tax surplus) kicker and use it for
education, the leadership doesn’t want that
to happen."
"The health plan is also under attack,”
she noted. “A single mother with three chil­
dren who is covered by the Oregon Health
Plan wants to be able to stay on it.”
As the top leaders of their respective
chambers, Lundquist and Adams decide
which proposed legislation is referred to
which committee, often a life-and-dea’th
decision for the bill.
Gordly expressed hope that a large turn­
out of average citizens would provide input
for the leadership to bring back to the capi-
tol.
Education seemed to be the hottest topic
for the local legislators.
“We have to resolve the education fund­
ing question, first and foremost,” said Bow­
man. “ I’d like them to address welfare re­
form and tax structure, but given the amount
of time we have, education should take up
most of it.”
“The average person is concerned with
classroom sizes and whether or not there are
enough books for the students,’ said Gordly.
“ Whether it’s education, public safety, or
economic opportunity, these services do not
have to compete with each other if we are
Sen. Pres. Brady Adams (left) & House Speaker Lynn Lundquist (right), shown at
recent Salem rally, will be in NE Portland February 18 for a town hall meeting with
local legislators and the public.
willing to pay for them,” Bowman added.
“That means repealing the kicker or coming
up with other ways to raise revenue.”
Although he was not available for an
interview with The Observer last week,
Edwards’ legislative aide Joyce Cresswell
indicated that “Education is his main inter­
est, getting schools funded. As a member of
the House Revenue Committee he might
have some effect on that.”
“He is hoping for school funding and not
seeing any more teacher cuts in Portland,”
said Cresswell “He is working hard for
adequate funding for kids statewide.”
Cresswell said the visit by the two leaders
would “give them a chance to look
Portlanders in the eye and let Portlanders
look them in the eye and cross pollinate their
ideas a little bit, a greater communication
between urban and rural areas.”
Gordly stressed that everyone who wants
to ask questions will be answered in one
form or another.
“As each person comes in, they will write
their questions on a piece of paper," said
Gordly. "Any questions not answered that
evening will be answered by one or more
legislators, either written or with a phone
“Air Man” visits child center
R
eggie “Air M an” Dixon paid a
visit to the children at provi­
dence Child Center on Monday,
February 10.
He showed his razzle dazzle moves for the
kids in the Children’s Nursing Center,
Montessori School, and Wee Care programs.
The children in the Children’s Nursing
Center have profound disabilities and mul­
tiple health problems which necessitate
round-the-clock, residential skilled nursing
care.
“The Harlem Globetrotters is not about
making millions of dollars, it’s about mak­
ing millions of smiles,” said Dixon who is
Advance Goodwill Ambassador for the
Harlem Globetrotters. “The children really
loved seeing his antics” said Director of
Public Affairs, Shoshana Grammer.
Most of the children are at the Children’s
Nursing Center to receive long-term chronic
care while others are there for a short-stay
visit for a rest for their families, rehabilita­
tion from hospital stay or for hospice care.
Care are kids who are at the Child Center
for daycare and educational services.
Reggie picked children out the audience
S
“We are investing so much in prisons.
♦
Continued to page B2
Council
supports
drugfree
zones
by
L ee P erlman
ith commissioner Eric Sten
dissenting, a majority of the
Portland City Council indi­
cated it would create two drug-free
zones in northeast Portland.
W
to help him twirl the ball on their index
fingers and pass the ball between their legs
in classic Globetrotter fashion.
All the children, with fragile and able
bodies enjoyed the show that Regg ie brought
to them.
Accelerated Head Start
Funding Bill Set for Hearing
enator Avel Gordly’s acceler­
ated Head Start funding bill (SB
340) is scheduled fur public
hearing Monday, February 17 at
p.m. before the Senate Education Com­
mittee in Room 343 of the State Capi­
tol.
call.”
What does it mean for the citizens of
Northeast Portland when the legislative lead­
ers come to their neighborhood?
Bowman noted that Adamsand Lundquist
are "concerned about our issues and want to
hear directly from our communities. They
know not everyone can come to Salem, but
the issues facing the legislature are state­
wide and the citizens of Northeast Portland
have a very important role in resolving some
of these issues.”
“This is the only opportunity our resi­
dents will have to talk to the leadership in
Northeast Portland,” she stressed, urging
people to “make the time for this town
meeting.”
“It is their right to be heard on whether
they agree with the leadership's legislative
and budget priorities, and a chance to just
listen and learn about what’s happening in
our state government,” Bowman added.
Expressing a desire to effectively repre­
sent her district, Bowman said, “ I can only
do this if citizens attend these meetings and
share their priorities and concerns. When I
ran for this office I said I could not do this
alone, that we had to do this together. This
is the time to strengthen that partnership.”
Lundquist agreed with the need for part­
nerships.
“I am committed to bringing people to­
gether to form partnerships along all tradi­
tional lines,” said Lundquist. "This is what
good government is about, opening lines of
communications where none existed."
“As a legislator from the central part of
the state, I’m sure people in the Portland
area wonder what my interest and my knowl­
edge is regarding the Portland metropolitan
area,” he said.
“I have severely strong feelings that I
want to be a speaker for all of Oregon," he
added. “The only way that can happen is to
speak with all the people.”
“When I go to these town hall meetings,
I like to tell a few things that are going on in
Salem," said Lundquest. "I wan, to talk
With Oregon's booming economy, we can
and must stop failing our children, and
invest in them early. We can prevent a lot ot
3:00
future pain and suffering by putting our
young children first,” Gordly stated
“Head Start is the best program going that
deals with children and the family unit
together," Gordly added Senator Gordly
proposes 100% funding of Head Start by
1999 com pared to G o v e rn o r’ John
Kitzhaber’s 50% funding by 1999 and 100%
funding by 2004.
Senator Gordly is working with Senate
Education Committee Chair Senator lorn
Hartung to coordinate invited testimony for
the February 17 public hearing.
The zones, to be officially voted on
February 12, are bounded roughly by the
1-5 Freeway, Northeast Fremont and
Skidmore streets and Ninth Avenue; and
by Northeast Eighth and 20th avenues
and Going and Wygan, streets. They are
known as the Beech and Alberta zones,
respectively.
Once ennacted, anyone arrested for buy­
ing or selling drugs in these areas will be
barred from entering these or any of the
city’s other drug-free zones for 90 days,
and if caught doing so would be subject to
arres, for criminal trespass. Anyone con­
victed of buying or selling drugs in the
zone would be barred from it for a year.
Anyone excluded would have six days to
appeal the decision to a hearings officer
Even after the exclusion took affect, those
who live, work, or receive training or
medical treatment within the zones could
get special variances to travel to these
locations, but they could not stop at any
other point along the way. A resident of a
district who is excluded from it, and vio­
lates the exclusion, could be barred from
visiting his own home.
Council heard testimony on the pro­
posal at a hearing February 5th At that
time mayor Vera Katz and commissioners
Jim Francesconi and Charlie Hales indi­
cated they would vote for the ordinance on
February 12.
I