Dave Frishberg
Black History
Month with Disney
The well known Pianist is
coming to Portland in a
rare concert February 22.
BULK RATE
U.S. POSTAGE
Disney Channel will
feature themed movies and
specials this coming
February.
See Entertainment, page A8.
PAID
PORTLAND, OR
See Entertainment, page AS.
PERMIT NO. 1610
(Ehe 'JJortlanh (Ohseruer
THE WEEK
REVIEW
MLK Blvd. Plans Praised by UTnuials
MLK Blvd. change is “communily vision."
He noted the input by many segments ol tlie
surrounding neighborhixxls, say ing "a com m u
nity ought to look like the life sty le we want. This
process emulates Dr. King s dream."
Portland C om m issioner Charlie Hales
agreed. "This was not a plan hatched in an
office building downtown, or Salem, or W ash
ington. D.C.”
"W e are im plem enting ideas that come
Irom the neighborhood," He said, praising
"the collective w isdom of people, working
together to create change."
The com m unity input was shared at the
Clinton Urged on
Affirmative Action
Liberal activists are urging President
Clinton to remain steadfast in his support
for affirm ative action E leanor H olm es
Norton, the District of C o lu m b ia's d e l
egate to Congress, suggested that C linton
talk about race in the annual State o f the
Union address. Clinton did not indicate
w hether he w ould do so. but said he would
try todiscuss his race initiative with House
Speaker Newt G ingrich.
’ *
’ ■ á
* l
"MLK needs a combination
o f the toughness o f a serpent,
the softness o f a dove and a
tender heart, ”
-»A
Iraq Blocks U.S. Weapons
Inspectors
Iraq made good on its threat and pre
vented an A m erican-led w eapons inspec
tion team Irom doing its work, prom pting
the U N. Security Council to m eet and try
to draft a statem ent on B aghdad's tai lure to
com ply with U N. resolutions. British A m
bassador John W eston said Ira q 's actions
"will certainly have consequences, anil
those consequences will not be the early
lilting ol sanctions
The inspectors are
trying to verify that Iraq has destroyed its
w eapons ol mass destruction, a condition
that must be met before the United N ations
will lift trade sanctions
f
c
.
.«• ,<» * a*-*
Huge Hamas Bomb
Factory Discovered
Palestinian police d iscovered 1,540
pounds o f explosives in a storage room last
night, fueling Israeli fears that the Islam ic
militant group Hamas is plotting new a t
tacks. A uthorities haven’t revealed the
nature of the explosives found tucked away
in an unoccupied building, except to say
they were enough to cause serious dam age
within a 1.300-foot radius, according to
one Palestinian official at the scene. Some
of the explosives had already been as
sem bled a s bom bs, officials said The m a
terials were the same as those used in two
suicide bom bings in Jerusalem last sum
mer.
Microsoft, Judge Argue
Over Order
A g o v e rn m e n t w itn e ss h as to ld a
fed e ra l ju d g e th a t M ic r o s o f t’s ow n
te c h n ic a l lite r a tu r e te lls how to d e le te
its In te rn e t E x p lo re r from W in d o w s
95. T he ju d g e o rd e re d M ic ro s o ft to
d e le te the W eb b ro w s e r as p a rt o f a
fed e ra l su it a g a in st the sof tw a re g ia n t.
T h e g o v e rn m e n t w a n ts M ic ro s o ft to
be fo u n d in c o n te m p t fo r fa ilin g to
m ak e that c h a n g e .
Woman Sprays Paint in
White House
A w o m an to u rin g the W h ite H o u se
to d ay sp ra y e d ru s t- c o lo r e d p a in t in
the B lue R oom and w as ta k e n in to
c u s to d y by S e c re t S e rv ic e a g e n ts . A
W h ite H o u se s p o k e s m a n s a id th e
w o m an ca u se d m ore than $ I .()()() d a m
ag e and d e fa c e d tw o “ r a th e r p r ic e
le s s ” b u sts of C h r is to p h e r C o lu m b u s
an d A m e rig o V e sp u c c i.
Mayor Vera Katz chats with Cari Taiton, chairman o f the Portland Development Commission, about progress on the upgrade
of Martin Luther King Blvd.
(Photo By Neil Hei I pern)
B y N eil H eiipern
fication changes to the street was made during
her first session in the state legislature, Katz
ered on Martin Luther K ing’s birth
said, she “took a ride along the boulevard and
day last week to applaud progress
realized we have a lot of work to do to honor
on the refurbishing o f the Northeast Portland
this man in this com m unity."
thoroughfare that bears his name
"I w asn’t a transportation expert, but I real
"W e are Honoring one of the greatest men
ized something was keeping people away (fn>m
in U.S History and celebrating a .street named
the shops)," she said. The first thing she no
after this great man." said Mayor Vera Katz.
ticed was the median strip which made MLK
W hen the proposal for safety and beauli-
Blvd. "seem like a freeway."
ity, state and regional officials gath
C
Changes would prov ide the "opportunity
tor people to own their own businesses, find
new jobs, have new shops and give people
places to sit on the boulevard with a coffee and
meet friends -- a meeting place."
“We are not going to walk away from north
anil northeast Portland." she vowed. "W e w ill
continue to make this street great."
Carl Talton, chairman o f the Portland Devel
opment Commission, said the secret to success of
governor's com m unity solutions team meet
mgs. said G race Crunican. director i’l ()regon
Department o f Transportation. "It is im por
tant that transportation officials arc flexible
and understand that the community provides
the vision." she said.
W hat com es next ’ Hales talked o f in
creased on-street parking to benefit business,
m ote signal lights and better pedestrian cross
ings for safety, and more trees lor beauty. He
said several businesses and organizations had
taken on the role of financial "partners" to
make the dream becom e a reality.
Katz said the city will soon "unfurl ban
ners" that will decorate the street.
Iliis section of northeast Portland has “al
ways been a community," said Metro executive
Mike Burton. “It just needed a main street And
streets aren't just about cars and sidew alks, but
about people.""M LK needs a com bination of
the toughness of a serpent, the softness o f a
dove and a tender heart," said Katz. W e have
no lack of these in North and Northeast Port
land.”
Placed throughout the large rixim w ere large
draw ings and maps showing a section o f MLK
Blvd., between Premont and Shaver streets,
describing upgraded "commercial nixies" to
serve various neighborhoods, parking plans and
new street Irees.grade of Martin Luther King
Blvd.
Tobacco Program Gets Underway
O reg o n s T o b a c c o P rev en tio n and E d u
ca tio n P rogram is u n d erw ay and its p re s
en c e is b eg in n in g to be felt in co m m u n ities
th ro u g h o u t the stale. T he p ro g ram is a
d irect resu lt o f v o te rs' p assag e o f a to
b acco tax in itiativ e last fall, w h ich e a r
m ark ed rev e n u es to the O reg o n H ealth
D ivisio n for a to b acco p rev en tio n an d e d u
catio n p ro g ram It w as le g isla tiv e ly a p
p roved d u rin g the 1997 sessio n .
"Our e f f o rts are d e d ic a te d to w a rd o ne
g o a l, to d e c re a s e to b a c c o use an d its
im p a c t on the h e a lth an d e c o n o m ic w e ll
b e in g of O re g o n ia n s ," sa y s E lin o r H all,
H ea lth D iv isio n A d m in is tra to r. T h e p r o
g ram b e in g la u n c h e d is in n o v a liv p c o
o r d in a te d an d c o m p re h e n s iv e an d has
been d e s ig n e d in c o n s u lta tio n w ith o th e r
s ta te an d n a tio n a l e x p e r ts . " O re g o n is
b e n e f i t t i n g fro m s u c c e s s f u l m o d e ls
th r o u g h o u t th e c o u n tr y ,” H all sta te s.
A fundam ental strength o f the T obacco
Prevention and Education Program is that it
operates through a mix o flo cal and statew ide
activities. Total budget for the program is
$ 17 m illion over two years, and the money is
being distributed in five critical areas:
Com m unity-based activities: School-based
activities: Statew ide public aw areness and
education: Statew ide and Regional Projects:
E valuation of the T obacco R eduction Pro-
cram.
Marcus E. William (left) and Shannon Grey both of Bank o f America march
along in the March For Wellness as a part Martin Luther king Jr. Holiday
Celebration.
(Photos by T. Washington)
Court Reviews Police
Force Case
T h e S u p re m e C o u r t c o n s id e r e d
w h e th e r a S W A T te am w en t to o fa r
w hen an o f fic e r w ith a se a rc h w a rra n t
b ro k e in to a re s id e n c e w ith o u t k n o c k
ing first S e v e ra l ju s tic e s sa id th e
s e a rc h -a n il-s e iz u re c a se fro m B o rin g ,
O re ., po sed q u e s tio n s ab o u t how m uch
fo rc e p o lic e ca n use
W e all h av e in
m in d w h at h a p p e n e d at W a c o ," J u s
tice S a n d ra D ay O ’C o n n o r sa id a b o u t
the sie g e o f the B ran c h D a v id ia n s in
T ex a s in 1 9 9 ) F e d e ra l p r o s e c u to r s
w ant the c o u rt to o v e rtu rn lo w e r c o u rt
ru lin g s lhai b a rre d use of w e a p o n s
se iz e d in the O re g o n s e a rc h as e v i
d en c e.
Dr. MLK Jr. Statue Foundation Board members along with Congresswoman
Darlene Hooley, presented replicas of the King statue to Major Donors who
donated $10,000 or more.
(Photo By Larry Jackson Sr.)
YMCA participates in the Wellness Walk sponsored by The World Arts
Foundation.