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H M M R H
Volume XXVII, Number 44
Committed to cultural di
Housing boom has
cloudy side
November 5, 1997
Frank Roberts
scholar reaches for
doctorate
Race, poverty scholar says
wealth benefits
neighborhood, not the
neighbors.
See Metro, inside.
w in m i ici g u i u e
state board
Governor Kitzhaber
Former Gov. Barbara
Roberts presents award in
honor of late husband.
See Education, Page AS.
d ie
appoints Northeast business
leader to school post.
See Business, Page B4.
(Ohseruer
H H
______ ■
TUB WEEK
I n e INT
Davis rises to new challenge
REVIEW
Administrator
still determined
after Humboldt
Senate Panel Opens
Hearing
The Senate Judiciary Committee opened
healings Tuesday on competition on the
Internet. The panel’schairm an, Sen. Orrin
Hatch, expressed concerns about the domi­
nance of Microsoft. Hatch. R-Utah, said
antitrust law allows consumers to “pick
winners and losers" of the marketplace.
The Justice Department last month ac­
cused Microsoft of violating a court order
in the marketing of its Internet Explorer
software.
B y N eii H eii pern
“1 knew I was going to be a teacher when
I was live years old." recalled Applegate
E lem entary School Principal L aV erne
Davis "Even my dolls went to school."
Judge Hears Au Pair
Appeal
An attorney for the British nanny con­
victed of murdering a baby says the deci­
sion to remove manslaughter as a verdict
for the jury to consider was a “m istake.”
Louise W oodw ard's attorneys Tuesday
asked a judge to overturn or reduce the
ju ry 's verdict or order a new trial. The
judge said no decision will be made right
away.
Applegate Principal LaVerne Davis.
Iraq Considering Annan
Proposal
A ILN. official says Iraq has put off a
request to extend the deadline for Am eri­
can arms inspectors to leave the country.
The U.N. official said Iraqi Deputy Prime
Minister Tariq Aziz agreed only to con­
sider Secretary-General Koffi A nnan's
proposal that Iraq suspend the deadline
until a U.N. team finishes its meetings with
Saddam Hussein.
Her desire to be part of "the magic of
teaching and watch children grow and learn."
has followed Davis' 28 year education ca­
reer. which recently saw an unexpected rocky
and twisted pathway.
She lost her job last year as head ot
H u m b o ld t
E l­
ementary School,
w here low test
sco res prom pted
P o rtla n d school
officials to create
wholesale changes
in staffing.
Davis recalled
her
m ove
to
H u m b o ld t four
y ears ago w hen
"my regional d i­
rector wanted me
to increase parent
involvem ent and
get cohesion going
in the staff.”
“Parents would
walk kids to school
but not come in­
side." she told The
Portland Observer.
“It didn't seem to
be user friendly.”
.D avis claim ed
su c c e ss
at
Humboldt includ­
ing enticing par­
ents to attend so­
cial functions with
Applegate Flementary Principal LaVerne Davis (right) meets with
the children, such
as the Halloween haunted house. Gradually,
Davis also got teachers to work more
she introduced academic content to those
closely together, develop mutual trust, to
events, such as math night where families
the point where "they felt they were part of
played math games. During a “read-in." chil
the program and could initiate changes."
dren wore pajamas as if attending a "sleep-
She w as developing plans to create a year-
over Reading/acting was done bv children,
round school to raise students' scores in the
parents and teachers
Portland Level Achievement Jests
Tuesday was Election Day. and in ad­
dition to several key gubernatorial and
mayoral races, there were also some hot
topics appearing on ballot propositions
across the country. There was an assisted
suicide vote in Oregon, medicinal use of
marijuana and gay rights proposals in
W ashington state and affirmative action
vote in Houston.
Story time brings wonderment
Children at King Elementary intently listen as some o f America's favorite story book characters, including Peter
Pan, Curious George and Clifford the Big Red Dog are recreated in special Read Me a Story assembly
sponsored by Visa and the national Reading is Foundamental organization.
(Photo by M. Washington)
The 'skinny’ on Martin Luther King Jr Blvd.
Some say keep medium, but make it smaller
Bv L e e P eki max
The Senate Tuesday is expected to take
its first vote on President C linton’s request
for fast-track trade authority. The presi­
dent made a final pitch Monday, winning
key support from Senate Minority Leader
Tom Daschle alter he promised to push for
workers rights and environmental protec­
tion worldwide. Clinton also promised a
number of steps to boost U.S. agricultural
trade, including voluntary labeling of U.S.
meal sold for export.
( alilorma law that ends affirm a­
tive action program s cleared a
key hurdle on Monday w hen the
Supreme Court rejected a constitutional
challenge to it by civil rights groups.
In denying the appeal without any c o m ­
ment or dissent, the justices let stand the
law. know n as Proposition 209, that C a li­
fornia voters approved a year ago by 54
percent to 46 percent.
The high c o u rt’s action was a setback
lor the civil rights groups in their legal
battle against the measure But the action
had been foreshadowed in Septem ber when
the court refused to block enforcem ent of
the law
Proposition 209 bars the stale go v ern ­
ment anil local governm ents from granting
preferential treatm ent based on race or sex
in public em ploym ent, education or c o n ­
tracting.
A
Voters in New York go to the polls Tues­
day to pick a mayor for the next four years
and amemberof Congress to fill the seat left
vacant by Republican Susan Molinari. In
New York C i ty ’ s may oral race, i nc umben t
Rudolph Giuliani is expected toeasily beat
Democratic challenger Ruth Messingerand
win a second term.
Fast-Track Faces First
Vote
CONTINUED TO PAGE A4
Court refuses to
intervene in
affirmative action
NY Picks Mayor, Key Rep
New Jersey voters Tuesday decide the
late ol Christine Todd W hitman as the
popular, telegenic and determined "new"
Republican lights to retain her governor-
hip against a strong challenge by Demo­
crat Jim McGreevey. McGrcevey. the mayor
of Woodbridge, New Jersey, was riding
high in the polls going into what should
have been an easy win .
"We implemented a title I program, in­
creased discipline, and the children even
received I shills announcing the year-round
Humboldt Continuing Learning Academy',"
she said T hat's what we were going to be
Prop 2 0 9
survives
Election Day Races
Abound
Whitman in Re-election
Fight
her instructional aides.
f you want to have four lanes o f traf­
fic, two lanes o f parking and a center
median on Northeast Martin Luther
King Jr. Boulevard and there isn't enough
room, which do you choose?
How about a little o f each?
This is an approach the Martin Luther
King Transportation Project is considering
for selected parts o f the boulevard The
“skinny m edian" proposal, suggested by
Aviva Groner o f the Eliot Neighborhood
Association, would replace the current 10
foot wide planted median in the middle o f
the street with one four feet wide
I
Travel lanes would be narrowed from the
current 12 feet across to 10 feet. Parking
lanes seven feet wide (standard width is
eight feet) would be added on both sides.
The approach may be a way to meet two
conflicting demands on the boulevard s 58-
foot right o f way.
M erchants and development interests for
years have called for the m edian’s removal
as a way to bring back curb parking. How­
ever, city and state traffic engineers say the
median prevents head-on collisions. Others
say it provides a refuge for pedestrians try­
ing to cross the street, as well as a pleasant
oasis o f trees and greenery.
C o n su lta n t L loyd L indley stre sse d to
the p ro je c t's ad v iso ry co m m ittee that
the skinny m edian app ro ach is “ only
one m ore to o l, not for u n iv ersal a p p li­
c a tio n " along all p arts o f the b o u lev ard
between Northeast Broadway and Columbia
Boulevard
Project staff have identified three areas
where the idea might be tried, all in places
where both on-street parking and safe pe­
destrian crossing is badly needed:
One is between Northeast Russell and
Knott streets, where there is already a bud­
ding commercial node w ith businesses such
as Doris' Cafe, Steen's Coffee House, Ves­
sels, and Bridge's Soup and Sandwich. Large
vacant parcels on the east side of the street
point to more activity here in the future.
Anoi,her is the area north o f Northeast
Fremont Street, a potential future commer­
cial area.
And the third is between Northeast Port­
land Boulevard and Morgan Street, where
H o u sin g O ur F a m ilie s ' new A lb erta
Simmons mixed use project, and a proposed
new insurance office, promise more park­
ing demand and foot traffic.
I he proposal does have drawbacks. It
would require cutting down all the mature
trees in the existing median, to be replaced
by smaller varieties.
Project manager Andre Baugh says that
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