Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 24, 1999)
Page A2 FEB. 24, 1999 <Elje Portland <Sbs*twr Reopening of Hawthorne Bridge Delayed T he reopening o f the H aw thorne B ridge w ill b e d elay ed th ree -to -six w eeks, p rim a rily d u e to u n fo re seen cu sto m w o rk , se v ere w in te r w e a th e r and c o rro s io n , M ultnom ah C o u n ty o ffic ia ls said. T he 8 9 -y ea r o ld W illa m e tte R iv er b rid g e w as c lo se d M arch 3 1 ,1 9 9 8 for a y ea r-lo n g p ain tin g , d eck re p la ce m en t an d re n o v a tio n p ro ject. In recen t m o n th s, se v eral facto rs h ave co m b in ed to put th e p ro jec t b eh in d sc h e d u le fo r its targ et re o p en in g d ate o f M arch 31, 1999. P ro ject le ad e rs say the b rid g e w ill reo p en b e tw e e n A p ril 25 an d M ay 16. T h e re o p e n in g w ill b e a n n o u n ced in M arch w h en a firm d ate can b e d eterm in e d . A cc o rd in g to p ro je c t m a n a g e r Jo h n L in d e n th al, a p rim a ry ca u se fo r th e d elay is cu sto m w o rk re q u ired on S pan 6, th e w e ste rn m o st b rid g e span, w h ic h c o n n e cts w ith an o n -ra m p ab o v e N a ito P a rk w ay. D etails o f p rev io u s rem o d e ls to th is se ctio n in th e 1930’s an d 1 9 5 0 ’s w e re n o t d o c u m e n te d , fo rc in g e n g in e e rs to d esig n c u s tom re p a irs on th e spot. T h e ex ten t o f co rro sio n to steel m e m b e rs b en e ath th e d eck w as also u n k n o w n until th e o ld d eck , in sta lle d in 1945, w as rem o v ed . C o rro s io n w as w o rs e th a n e x p ec te d , req u irin g m o re steel to b e rep la ce d . T h is w in te r’s se v ere w ea th er has also b een a factor. P o rtla n d ’s rainfall this season, m easu red from O c to b e r 1, is 4 0 % ab o v e norm al (3 0 .7 in c h es c o m p a re d to 2 1.9 in c h es). W ind an d rain m ak e it m o re d iffic u lt to p ain t, w eld and d o o th e r p ro jec t tasks. T h e d elay w ill n o t cau se the $21.8 m illio n p ro jec t to go o v er b u d g et, said L in d en th al. W hile the d elay w ill be in c o n v en ie n t, h e e m p h a siz e d that th e ad d itio n a l re pairs w ill help prevent future bridge c lo sin g s, save tax d o lla rs an d e n su re p u b lic safety. " I f w e m ake th e s e im p r o v e m e n ts n o w , w e w o n ’t n ee d to m a k e th em la te r,” he said. T h e th ree -w e ek w in d o w fo recast fo r th e re o p e n in g date w ill allo w fo r an y a d d itio n a l c u s tom re p a irs th at m ay b e n eed ed , L in d en th al said. W hen th e b rid g e d o e s re o p e n , i t w ill b e a festiv e o cc asio n . M ore th an 25 o rg a n iz a tio n s a re w o rk in g to g e th er to p lan a g ran d reo p e n in g ce le b ra tio n fo r th e p u b lic o n the S atu rd ay b e fo re th e b rid g e re o p en s. A ll o f P o rtlan d w ill b e in v ited to to u r th e p ro jec t b e fo re it reo p en s to traffic an d learn ab o u t o th e r im p ro v e m e n ts in th e n earb y area, su c h as th e fu tu re E ast B ank E sp la n ad e Park. T h e H aw th o rn e B o u lev a rd B u sin ess A sso c iatio n has ad o p ted th e b rid g e re o p e n in g as its m a jo r ev e n t o f th e y e a r to h e lp v is ito r s “ r e d is c o v e r ” th e H aw th o rn e D istrict. O rg an izatio n s o r in d iv id u als w ish in g to g et in v o lv ed in the re o p e n in g c e le b ra tion sh o u ld co n tact M ich ael P ullen investigation and other om budsm an skills. T he orien tatio n w ill begin on Thursday, February 2 5 in Oregon City. A s certified Om budsm en, the vol unteers serve as advocates for the residents, by identifying to resolve th o se Com plaints. The typical problem om budm en addresses cover a broad range, and often include residents C are; residents’ rights, such as privacy, respect and dignity; and quality o f life concerns such as ap propriate A ctivities an d m eals. V olunteers also m ay choose to jo in the Resident A ssociate Program, w hich focuses on visiting isolated or L onely resid en ts. For m ore inform ation about the program or to learn to get involved, contact K athy W alter at 1-800-522- 2602. Workers’ Compensation Reform... Reducing on the Job Injuries and Deaths B y S enator G ene D erfler Reforms to O regon’s W orkers' Com pensation System, made in 1990, have resulted in benefits to seriously injured worker increasing three to four hundred percent. Focus has shifted so that w hen a w orker is injured the emphasis is on getting the w orker healthy and returning them to their job as soon as they are well. Injured w ork ers. like other workers, have families they must support. Returning them to their job and their full earning poten tial is vital. Today, benefits for seriously in jured workers have significantly in creased and, the need for w orkers to hire attorneys has greatly dim inished To illustrate this, let’s look at an actual case back in 1989. That year, a saw operator lost a thumb and a finger in an on the job accident. He was awarded $ 19,488 for the resulting per m anent disability. H ad the incident happened ten years later, his com pen sation w ould have been $61,018. W orkers are not the only ones who have benefited. Businesses have seen a significant reduction in the rates charged to them by insurers. For in stance, in 1990 a logging com pany with a payroll o f $ 100,000 would have had w orkers’ compensation insurance premiums o f$ 4 1,390. By 1998.premi um s to that com pany fell to $21,690. However, the reforms we have en acted are scheduled to expire this year. The legislative reform s have also m eant more focus on prevention o f on the jo b injuries. Since 1990. Oregon has seen a 26% decline in on the job injuries, and most importantly fatalities from on the job accidents have fallen 55%. A nd this is good news. patients.The study covered one year, from January 1,1998 to December 31, 1998 No prescriptions were wTitten under the Act in 1997. Some o f the findings: I wenty- three persons received pre scriptions oflethal medications; 15 died after taking the medications. Six died from their illnesses, and two were alive asofJanuary 1,1999. Physician-assisted suicide accounted for 5 o f every 10,000 deaths in Oregon. The average age o f the 15 persons who took lethal medication w as 69 years, l ight were male and all were white. Thir teen had cancer Seven were from the Portland metnipolitan area. Twelve had graduated from high school. ■Physician-assisted suicide was not disproportionately chosen by terminally ill patients who were poor, uneducated, uninsured, fearful of the financial conse quences oftheir illnesses, or who lacked end o f life care. The primary factor distinguishing persons in Oregon who chose physi cian-assisted suicide related to the im portance o f autonomy and personal control. Portland Police and other law en forcement agencies, in cooperation with C rim e Stoppers, are asking for your help in locating and apprehend ing Daniel Lucan M itchell. A Felony Arrest W arrant, charging M itchell with Rape In The Second D egree, is on file in M ultnom ah County. The warrant, w hich is extraditable nation wide, has bail set at $ 175,000 1n addi tion, Portland Police Bureau Robbery Detectives w ant to question M itchell in connection w ith yet undisclosed investigations. Daniel Lucan Mitchell is a 19-year- old w hite m ale, w ith a date o fb irth o f October31,1979. H e is approximately 5’ 10” tall and 165 pounds, with brown hair, blue eyes, and a scar on his left hand. A liases include D avid Lucas The lethal medications prescribed to patients were similar. For patients who took lethal medications the average time to unconsciousness was five minutes, and ranged from three to20minutes. The average time to death was 26 minutes, and ranged from 15 minutes to 11.5 hours. Physicians who took part in physi cian-assisted suicide represented mul tiple specialties and a wide range o f ages and years-in-practice. Interviews with participating physicians revealed that for some, the process exacted a large emotional toll. “The Health Division is legally re quired to collect information regarding compliance with the Act, and to make that information available on an annual basis,” Hedgerg said. "Our reporting role is a neutral one. It is critical that we have accurate data so that informed ethical, legal, and medical decisions can be made.” The lull report will beavailable on the w o rld w id e w eb at h ttp :// www.ohd.hr.state.or.us cdpe chs, pas- pas.htm S m i t h a n d “ N ig h ts h a d o w " Mitchell. Crim e Stoppers is offering a cash re w a rd o f up to $ 1,000 for informa tio n , re p o rte d to C rim e S to p p e rs, w hich leads to an arrest in this case or any u n s o lv e d felony crim e, and you need not give your name. C all ei ther the V ancouver Police D epartm ent at(360)696-8116,or Crim e Stoppers at (503)823-HELP Multnomah County Sheriff s Office Large Meth Lab Found In Burned House W h e re : 17706S. E. M cK inely W h a t: L arge M eth am p h et am ine lab W h e n : F ebruary 17,1999 M u ltn o m ah C o u n ty S h e r i f f s D eputies co n firm ed that a large meth lab was being operated at 17706 S.W . M cK inely. T he resid en ce b u rn ed on the night o f F eb ru ary 17, 1999. N eig h bors saw th ree m en run from the resid en ce ju s t as the fire b ro k e out. G resham F ire in itially resp o n d ed to the 91 le a li. W hen the fire w as put out, the M ultnom ah C o u n ty S h e r if f s O f fic e w as c a lle d to th e s c e n e . M ultnom ah C o u n ty A n im al Con- This year, with strong bi-partisan support, the State Senate said ‘yes! ’ to continuing the good news o f w ork ers’ com pensation reform. I hope you will jo in the effort by calling your state representative en couraging continued support (and a yes vote) for reducing on the job inju ries and deaths. If you have questions or w ant to express your support o f reforms that are truly making a difference, please call meat 1-800-332-2313. State Senator G ene Derfler is the Majority Leader in the Oregon Senate. He also serves as chair o f the Senate Public Affairs Com mittee, which is dealing with this issue. Senator Derfler is from the Salem area and represents the com munities of: Salem, Stayton, Aumsville, Turner, Jefferson, and Sub limity. Hecan be reached at theCapitol in Salem at (503)986-1950 Oregon’s Death With Dignity Act: First Year’s Experience The Oregon Health Division released its report on the first year ’ s experience o f persons participating in the Death With Dignity A c t The findings from this re port are also published in this w eek’s New England Journal ofMedicine. “Our findings revealed that finances and fear o f pain did not appear to be critical considerations in the choice o f physician-assisted suicide. Instead, persons who chose physician-assisted suicide were primarily concerned about personal autonomy and control over the manner in which they died.'' said Dr Katrina Hedberg, medical epidemiolo gist at the Health Division and an author o f the report.Epidemiologists at the Health Division collected information on the persons who received prescrip tions for lethal medications Ihey also conducted a comparison study between the group that chose physician-assisted suicide, and took their lethal medica tions, with a second group that died from similar illnesses but did not receive pre scriptions for lethal medication Inter views were conducted with the physi cians who treated both groups o f Wanted Subject at 7 3 6 -6 8 0 4 . Advocates Sought to Serve Long Term Care Residents V olunteer advocate and investi gators are needed to serve as om budsm en for residents o f nursing homes, Residential care facilities, assisted living facilities and adult foster care fecilities. A nd adults foster care hom es. The office o f the Long Term Care O m budsm an w ill tram the volunteers on The aging process, com m unica tion skills, problem -solving skills, POLICE NEWS trol took tw o m astiffs, very large dogs, from the residence. T he M ultnom ah C ounty N arco t ics u n it secured the area overnight and ob tain ed a search w arrant for the house and o u ter buildings. T o day, S h e riff s N arcotics and HazM at dep u ties search ed the hom e. D ep u ties found approxim ately: •Two, five-gallon cans filled with em pty psu ed o ep h ed rin e bottles •Twelve cases o f psuedoephedrine •Four pounds o f red phosphorus •One hundred pounds o f iodine •Forty-tw o pounds o f potassium hydroxide •O ne h u n d re d fifty g a llo n s o f h y d r o c h lo r id e g as My bus needs to run more often. •Tw o h u n d re d p lu s g a llo n s o f m e th an o l N u m e ro u s p ie c e s o f c h e m is try la b g la s s w a re In a d d itio n to th e d ru g e v i d e n c e , d e p u t ie s s e iz e d th r e e s e m i-a u to m a tic h a n d g u n s , an d a sa w e d o f f s h o tg u n . O n e o f th e h a n d g u n s w as s to le n . S h e r i f f s d e p u tie s a re a tte m p t ing to lo c a te o n e id e n tif ie d s u s p e c t an d b e lie v e th a t a t le a s t tw o o th e rs w ill b e id e n tif ie d an d a r r e s te d . A n y o n e w ith a n y in f o rm a tio n a b o u t th e in d iv id u a ls in v o lv e d ca n c a ll in v e s tig a to r s a t 2 5 1 - 2510. My bus stop needs a posted schedule. My bus stop needs a shelter. ______ ________ __ _______ Calling All Riders WHAT DO YOU NEED? Tri-Met is hoping to make im provem ents to some existing bus routes. And w e d like to hear what you w ould do if you w ere in charge We invite you to attend any of our op en houses listed below. If you're unable to attend and still want to share your thoughts, call us at 238-5806, fax us 239-6469 or visit our w ebsite (www.tri-met.org». February 22, 1999 February 23, 1999 February 25. 1999 7:00pm - 9:00pm Tigard High Schixil Lecture Hall 9000 SVt Durham Road Tigard. OR 9722-» 7:00pm - 9:00pm St. John's Episcopal Church Parish Hall 2036 SE Jefferson Milwaukie, OR 97222 7:00pm - 9:00pm NF. Workforce Training Ctr. Building 2. Rtxim 112 5600 NE 42nd Portland. OR 97218 March 1, 1999 March 2, 1999 March 3, 1999 7:00pm - 9:00pm Garden Home Recreation Ctr. 7:00pm - 9:00pm Gresham City Hall Council Chambers 1333 NW Eastman Pkwy. Gresham. OR 97030 5:00pm - 7:00pm Portland Building Rixtm C 1120 SW Fifth Avenue Portland, OR 97204 Rixim B 7475 SW ( )lsen Road Portland. OR 97223 TRI-MET 238-RIDE mrm-MU How we g e t th e r e m a t te r s