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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 30, 1997)
* *. «î-> A - iir k ’- v C“ ' Volume X X V II, Number 52 ■// >'C “■) is . Committed to cultural diversity. DEC. 30, 1997 IL be jjîorilatth (Obstruer /ïT o m m u ttity V>a I e tt it a r SECTION Lewis & Clark College Arts Alive Series Keep Living the Dream Oregon's largest Martin Luther King, Performance artist Dan Froot and guest artist David Dorfman to perform on Jan. 23 and 24 B A “IDan Froot! is n storyteller of genuine presence. I m not sure where Froot is heading, hut I 'd follow him anywhere. ” -Dance Magazine I Minimum Wage Goes Up January 1 ureau o f Labor and Industries ol licials remind Oregon employers that the stale minimum wage rate goes up to $6.(Ml per hour beginning January I. 1998. rhis is the second o f three minimum wage hikes approved by Oregonians through the initiative process in 1996. I lie first in crease was to $5.50 an hour January I. 1997; the third takes place January I. 1999 O regon Inis the highest minimum wage o f any state. Only the District o f Columbia has a higher rale o f $6.15. A ll Oregon employers must comply with the new state wage rate. The only employers exempt from the requirement are federal gov ernment employers who can continue to pay the current federal minimum wage ol $5.15 an hour. Other important aspects ol (Oregon's mini mum wage law: • There is no tiperedit. Employers may not count tips when calculating an employee's wages. ward-winning performance artist, saxophonist and dancer Dan Froot w ill present a collec tion ol short solo pieces and perform a duet with special guest artist David Dorfman at Lewis & Clark College in January. Froot w ill present two performances: one Friday, Jan. 23, and another Saturday, Jan "Dan Froot is both imaginative and unclassifiahle.. a dancer, story teller and actor who couhl he puck ish one moment and poignant the next. ” The New York Times 24. at 7:30 p in. on the Fir Acres Theatre Main Stage, Lewis & Clark College. 0615 S.W. Palatine H ill Road. Front’s perfor mances are part o f the College's Ai ls Alive series. KBOO 90.7 is co-sponsor. Froot's performance work bridges the disciplines o f dance, music and theater. He eceived a New York Dance and Perfor mance Award, a.k.a Bessie, for his music- theater piece, "Seventeen Kilos o f G arlic" in 1991. Front’ s shows at Lewis & Clark w ill mark lus first headline performance in Portland. The program w ill feature "Ltwip,” a saxo phone-dance, and “ Knee Deep in a Kiss," a live-part set ol theatrical alto saxophone solos, which incorporate vocal sounds, stag- ng and movement. B • Overtime pay is due after 40 work hours m a week. Employees must be paid tune and one-hall the regular rate o f pay when they work more than 40 hours in a week Some employees, for example agricultural w ork ers, are exempt from the overtime require ment. • Payroll deductions can be made for the benefit ol the employee, with the employee's authorization Examples include deductions lor savings, insurance premiums, and chari table donations Employers must provide an itemized list ol deductions with each pay- check. • A ll employers must post a state minimum wage poster. Posters are available at all bu reau offices. Employers may also order the poster by sending $7.50 mailing and han dling lee to: BO LI, 800 N.E. Oregon Street, #32, Portland, OR 97232 . Posters dated Janu ary. 1997 are still current Employers with questions about the law can call the bureau’ s employer assistance line in Portland. 5O3-73I-4O73 ext 4 Dan Froot Don Willner Honored For Services on S. W illner, a senior partner in the Portland law firm o f W illner Keaney Mata i t U'ren I I P. has been honored by Portland State University lor Ins years o f support on behalf o f the university. D W illner was recognized for his work by Portland State President Dan Bernstine and “ //<’ wr/.v able to show that boost ing the status o f Portland State was beneficial to quality o f life not only fo r Portland but also fo r the entire state. ” Jr celebration at Jefferson High School Center for the Performing Arts on 5 2 10 N. Kerby. The program w ill be held on M on day, Jan. 19 at noon until 6 p.m. The entire program w ill be simulcast on KBOO radio (90.7 FM) and Paragon Cable. The pro gram w ill feature civic and community leaders followed by dance, performance, dramatic vignettes, authentic African drum mers, jazz bands, gospel music and much more Call Raina Beavers at 249-172 I or Ken Berry at 916-5666 or 727-8755. United Way Needs Volunteers One United o f R o Way ck's is greatest recruiting superstars. volunteers to Elton John w ill be at the local Rose United Garden evaluate programs at Way Arena on T hursday. Feb. 12 at X p choose in. member agencies. Individuals may T ickets are a vailab le at a ll troubled Fred M eyer to participate in helping youth, IA S T IX X lo ca tio n s . Rose Q u arte r elderly, disabled, domestic violence survi B ox vors. O ffic e , M u s ic M ille n iu m , or and other groups in need o f assis C h tance. a rg e The -b y -p h o committment n e at 2 2 is 4 seven - T I X hours X time (8499). i month from Jan. through May o f I99X. others at a reception Dec. I I at the PSU M i liar Library. Willner. who served as a state senator from 1963 to 1973, was instrumental in draw ing up legislation that changed the designation of Portland State College to Portland State Uni versity. University status, attained in 1969, enabled Portland State to expand its graduate and doctoral programs while meeting the longstanding need for a full-lledged stale W illner led the debate to strengthen Portland State's status, draw more prestigious faculty and help boost enrollment He has continued to be a vocal proponent o f Portland State's r u n ia n u o w e rresiaem uan aernstme (left) greets Marjorie Bums, PSU professor of urban mission and stature among Oregon's English, and her husband Don Willner at a recent reception honoring Willner for his longtime support of PSU. institutions o f higher education. It took six years." W illn e r to ld a B ra n fo rd M illa r (P S U ’ s president from and things he could do on the in s id e " to group o f about 100 at the M illa r L i 1959 to 1968) and I were close friends. make u n iv e rs ity status a rea lity brary. " I t 's fittin g that w e 're in the D u rin g those six years, there were things "W hat Don W illn e r d id c o u ld be M il l a r L ib r a r y on th is o c c a s io n . as a le g is la to r I could do on the outside termed heroic, given the sentim ents o f The Metropolitan Human Rights Cen- 2r w ill sponsor a free diversity training As a state senator, he was in s tru m ental in w ritin g le g is la tio n that c re ated the Oregon Scenic R ivers A ct, Oregon Consum er D eceptive Trades A c t, and Oregon R ecreational Frails A ct. He also was an ardent supporter o f c iv il rig hts and m ig ran t w orke r le g islatio n. W illner is past director o f the Portland Chamber of Commerce, past president o f the Consumer Federation of America, and former director of the National Institute ol Consumer Justice He was named Citizen ol the Year in 1971 by the Oregon Division of Izaak Walton League, and has vv ritten several articles about environmental ami consumer law. Report Provides New Insights Into Suicide uicide and S u icid a l thoughts by from death ce rtifica tes It describes not O reg on ian s." a new ly released o nly the characteristics o f O regonians Oregon H ealth D iv is io n report, who have com m itted suicide, but p ro provides a firs t o f its kind , in-depth ¿'all Rochelle Henniger at 226-9357 or vides a d d itio n a l, new analysis o f the SI E M IS S IO N S : ( om m unitv Bella Nissen at 226-9351 e xam ination o f suicide in Oregon. behaviors and dem ographic ch aracte r ( alcndai infoi illa tio n w ill be given The study is based upon 1994 data istics o f others who have seriously co n p rio ri!) i i dated l« it weeks Portland Center Stage gathered from the H ealth D iv is io n 's sidered suicide ' before the event The play. Valley Song date. by Athol Fugard A d u lt B ehavior Risk Factor Survey and Oregon is the first state in the nation v ill be playing from Jan. 10 through Feb. L For tickets and information, please call he Portland Center Stage box office at ¡74-6588 Free Diversity Training some leg isla to rs I rom various parts oI the state at that tim e ," recalled Slate Sen. Tom H artung R -D ist 3). "H e was able to show that boosting the status o f P ortland Slate was b e n e fi c ia l to q u a lity o f life not o nly fo r Portland but also fo r the entire state.' Form er Slate Sen and retired Or egon Supreme C ou rt Justice Betty Roberts said W illn e r was the "L e g is lative c a ta ly s t" that was needed to w in statew ide support o f Portland State's u n iv e rs ity status. "H is deter m ination and endurance, plus his a b il ity to w ork w ith a ll kinds o f people, made it happen." W illn e r has been active in c iv ic a ffa irs and p u b lic service to. more than 30 years. states A c c o rd in g to the rep ort. O re g o n 's suicide rate has clim b ed o ve r the past several decades For nine o f the past ten years. O re g o n 's suicide rate has e x ceeded the nation s bv at least 25 per cent; in 1994 the state's rate was 42 percent hig he r than the n atio na l rate S I
