Volume X X VIl, Number 43 .
Committed to cultural diversity.
Artharee to address
journalists
Community leader honored
by Portland Association of
Black Journalists.
(X T. 22, 1997
Main Street
Theater features
Tobray
Patti LaBelle's
good vibrations
keep cornin'
Musical comedy opens this
weekend downtown.
High Priestess of song
releases new album.
See Metro, inside.
See Metro, inside
See Entertainment, page B3.
|Jortla uh © u****^r»
■ H m i
■ ■ ■ I
North Portland clinic faces crisis
Cash influx
needed to save
vital health
services
Woman denies 2 2 killings
A worker at a Danish nursing home
pleaded not guilty to charges of killing
22 elderly residents with overdoses of
painkillers. The case is being called the
biggest mass killing in modern Danish
history. The woman, who was not identi
fied, cried as she entered her plea to the
charge of killing Police statements in
the woman's case indicate the deaths
might have been mercy killings.
he North Portland Nurse Practi
tioner Community Health Clinic
has provided health care to young
people since November 1980, but
laces closure unless new revenue is found
by Nov. 15, said Mariah S. Taylor, the Pedi
atric Nurse Practitioner who runs it
Up to 15 children a day are treated for
such illnesses as ruptured ear drums, skin
infections, school emergencies, well child
care, and conditions related to "no access to
health care.”
As a pediatric nurse practitioner Taylor
treats people up to 21 years, oilers com
plete treatment/mcdications referrals and
follow-up care, at the clinic, at 5311 N.
Vancouver Ave.
However, in the past six months, there
have been a 75 percent increase in homeless
families who sleep in parks, cars and on the
street who need health care access, social
services ami support.
Taylor believes, "1 am my brother’s
keeper, ami believe wholistic health which
addresses the whole person is the only way
I can practice."
Taylor also provides food, clothing, edu
cational material, immunizations. Headstart/
school screenings, treatment ami referrals
lor emergencies and minor acute illnesses
Our peak months are October through
April, she said ' 1 hat s because the winter
months lake the greatest toll on children’s
health, but we are seeing conditions in the
tall which usually surface during the winter.
Taylor has one full time staff member be
sides hersell, and depend on volunteers to
stall the clinic and assist with the provision
ol health care Pre-med, high school and
nursing students make up the bulk of volun
teers at die clinic.
Churches and community members also
play a vital role in maintaining the high
T
US says Microsoft
violated pact
The Justice Department has announced
it's taking action against computer giant
Microsoft. Attorney General Janet Reno
is accusing Microsoft of using its Win
dows "monopoly” to force computer mak -
ers to include the Microsoft Internet
browser in pre-loaded software. Depart
ment officials believe that puts rivals
such as Netscape at a competitive disad
vantage.
IRS plan on the table
The chief tax writer in the House of
Representatives is expected to propose
legislation that would revamp the Inter
nal Revenue Service. House Ways and
Means Chairman, Texas Republican Bill
Archer is proposing among other things
to shift the burden of proof from the
taxpayer to the IRS if the agency charges
a taxpayer with wrongdoing. Archer's
bill would also create an independent
oversight board with authority over the
IRS.
Heart Trouble for Women
A new study shows that heart disease
is the leading cause of death among
American women and could reach epi
demic proportions as the population ages.
The study published in (he British Medi
cal Journal says older American women
are 10 times more likely to die from
heart disease than breast cancer, dispel
ling the myth that coronary problems are
mainly a male affliction.
GM: Raise gas prices
A General Motors executive says
gasoline prices should be raised so that
Americans will be forced to try more
fuel-efficient vehicles. Louis Hughes,
GM ’s executive vice president of inter
national operations, says a tax increase
of 50 cents on a gallon would get Ameri
cans to change their gas-guzzling ways.
He spoke in advance of the Tokyo Motor
Show, where global warming and fuel-
efficient, clean-car technology are hot
topics.
W hite House denies
tampering
The White House is denying it doc
tored any of the videotapes showing
President Clinton courting Democratic
donors at the Executive Mansion. The
suggestion of tampering was made Sun
day by Rep. Dan Burton, the Indiana Re
publican chairing the House committee
investigating fund raising in last year’s
campaign.
Ginko Shows Promise
Researchers say extract from the ginko
tree seems to help people with dementia.
The ex tract helped patients with
Alzheimer’s disease, the most common
cause of senility, and those with vascular
dementia, according to Pierre LeBars
and colleagues at the New York Institute
for Medical Research It delayed pro
gression of dementia by the equivalent
of six months, they reported in the Jour
nal of the American Medical Associa
tion.
Continued to page B2
Water Bureau
works to reduce
lead hazard
Program will be
delivered at no cost
to water users
he Portland Water Bureau is em
barked on a five-year strategy to
reduce lead exposure.
“Removing lead from drinking water .is a
federal priority throughout the United
States,” said Erik Sten, Commissioner of
Public Works, “and the law requires each
water utility to do something about it. We
don’, have lead in our drinking water, so it
makes no sense to spend limited ratepayer
dollars on a requirement that returns little
value to the community. Instead, we are
developing an alternative that focuses on
families that are most at risk of lead expo
sure.”
The Lead Reduction Program will estab
lish a pilot program in the Humboldt neigh
borhood, with participants selected by age
of homes, number of children, and inci
dence of elevated blood lead levels in chil
dren tested through a recent Multnomah
County Program. The program will expand
to other high-risk neighborhoods oxer the
next five years.
“We are using the same dollars we would
have spent on treating water to instead re
duce real lead exposure in our communi
ties,” stated Sten. “Our program wi 11 be at no
cos, to participants."
T
Charles Shi
Miltie Vega Lloyd
Cliff Jones
Nordstrom boosts cultural harmony
Light shines on folks who have received little recognition before
leven local residents were hon
Robeson M arketing C om m unications;
ored Friday for their efforts in
and C harles Shi, volunteer executive
promoting cultural harmony in
director o f Asian A ffairs for the State
our community at the second annual
o f Oregon
C eleb ratio n o f C u ltu ral D iv ersity.
Also honored were student volun
1997 Nordstrom C om m unity Service
teers A udrey D avis, A m ber F elker,
awards.
M atthew Richm ond. Koy Saechao, Koy
The honored guests included Lanice
Saeliew and Vi Pham with the Red Cross
Colem an, floor m anager for the S is
Peer Em ergency Trainer Team.
ters o f the Road Cafe; C liff Jones,
All o f “these individuals have worked
human rights and diversity activist,
tirelessly to prom ote culture harmony
Technical A ssistance for Com munity
in our com m unity, and up to this point,
Services; M iltie Vega Lloyd, human
have receiv ed little reco g n itio n for
r e s o u rc e s
m anager
fo r
T he
their effo rts,” event organizers said
C olum bian; Greg Robeson, owner o f
A pproxim ately S35.OOO was raised
E
I
for the c e le b ratio n th ro u g h tick et
sales and in d iv id u al c o n trib u tio n s
from N ordstrom and Lane Pow ell
Spears Luberksy.
The beneficiaries included the Cas
cade AIDS Project, Oregon Trail chapter
of the Red Cross, Oregon Council for
Hispanic Advancement, Refugee Immi
grant Consortium o f Oregon and South
west Washington, Self Enhancement, Inc.,
and Sisters o f the Road Cafe
The event was held at The Atrium a,
M ontgom ery Park and included en
tertainm ent by the NW Afrikan A m eri
can Ballet.
now