August I I, 1999
( om m illed l o i u ltu ra l D i 'ci Mix
Volume W I X , Num ber 31
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University o f Oregon
(The
S ecció n
en
E spañ ol
WEEK
IN
© bêz—t
Airport Max
On Track
REVIEW Ç
Fewer Expelled for
Guns
Federal officials presented a new
set o f figures showing a decline in
the number o f students expelled for
having firearm s. The number o f stu­
dents kicked out o f school for bring­
ing weapons dropped by nearly a
third during the 1997-1998 school
year, the Education Department said.
It was reported that 3,930 students
were expelled for firearm violations
that year, down from 5,724 weap-
ons-related expulsions in 1996-97.
World Peace
The people o f Nagasaki marked
August 6 as the 54* anniversary o f
the atomic bomb that killed more
than 60,000 people and led to the
end o f W orld W ar II. The m ayor o f
Nagasaki said the bombing showed
the world that “nuclear weapons can­
not be tolerated.” Many o f the sur­
viving victims from the bombing still
suffer physically and emotionally.
o n stru c tio n is
moving forward
on the 5.5-mile
A irp o rt M AX
extension from the Gateway
Transit Center to the bag­
gage claim area at the PDX
terminal. During construc­
tion, no auto traffic is inter­
rupted along 1-205. And
when it opens in full 2001,
it’ll take just 37 minutes to
travel from downtown Port­
land to the aiiport.
Part o f the A irport MAX
project includes a 120-acre
tran sit-o rien ted d ev elop­
ment that will bring hospi­
tality, retail, entertainm ent
and office space located at
the entrance o f the airport.
Bechtel E nterprises is d e­
veloping this site, w here
up to 10,800 new jobs will
be created over the next 15
y e a rs. T his site , c a lle d
C a sc a d e S ta tio n , w ill be
JEFF WONG
© T he A ssociated P ress
Above: U.S. Department of
T ransportation
Deputy
Secretary, Mort Downey, lauds
Portland's financing creativity
in creating “National Model"
for building light rail.
New Prime Minister
For the fourth tim e in less than
tw o years, R ussian President Boris
Y eltsin again fired his Prim e M in­
iste r and C a b in e t. Y e ltsin has
nam ed V ladim ir Putin, a form er
KGB agent, as his acting Prim e
M inister and hand-picked succes­
sor. The R ussian m edia speculated
that Y eltsin m ade such radical d e­
cisions to delay elections and ex ­
tend his term , set to end next July.
Left: Illustration shows what
the view will look like from
Airport Way.
served by tw o light rail stations.
The A irport Max extension is the result
o f an innovative public-private venture
involving the Port o f Portland, Portland
D evelopm ent C om m ission and Bechtel.
$3 billion Mortgage
Program
A S3 billion m ortgage program
for low -to-m oderate income bor­
rowers will be funded by Bank o f
A merica and overseen by N eigh­
b o rh o o d A s s is ta n c e C o rp , o f
A m erica. The plan prom ises no
down paym ent, no application fee
and no closing costs. An estim ated
100,000 borrow ers nationally may
be affected by this program
Computerized Postage
T h e PC P o s ta g e w as ju s t
launched by the Postal Service.
This new stam p could be easily
printed w ith an ordinary laser or
inkjet printer. A barcode w ould be
printed on each envelope to indi­
cate mail processing inform ation
and postage paym ent. E-Stam p and
Stam ps.com ju st began to offer the
com puterized postage.
MAX M akes Safety
Changes
TriM et set to make operating
changes. The move comes after the
latest victim, forty-five year old George
Garrison, was struck and killed by a
MAX train. TriMet has installed pe­
destrian stop signs at four stations on
the west MAX line, and train opera­
tors are now required to give two long
horn bursts, and slow to 15-miles-an-
hour, when entering the stations.
Five
Shot at
L.A.
Jewish
Center
Help Shape Interstate
Max Light Rail
Participate in Interstate Avenue’s Future Look
Tri-M et is hosting tw o m ini-con­
ferences to provide N orth Portland
residents an opportunity to shape the
future o f the Interstate Max proposal.
The tw o evening events w ill be on
W ed.,A ug. 18 an dT hurs., Aug. 1 9 ,at
O ckley Green M iddle School, 6031
N. M ontana (T n-M et line 5). The ses­
sions are from 6:30 to 9 p.m.
Engineers and architects are study­
ing how Interstate Avenue would look
and function with MAX running down
the center o f the street from the Rose
Q uarter to Kenton. The Max line con­
tinues to the Expo Center.
Participants can jo in discussion
groups on these topics:
Free childcare is available. All
m eetings are accessible. Language in­
terpreters are available if notification
is given by Friday, A ugust 13 at (503)
247-3958. TDD (503) 797-1804.
A second round o f mini-conferences
is scheduled for late Septem ber
For further inform ation about the
Interstate M AX project, try the fol­
low ing resources:
• Drop by the Interstate MAX field
office at 5101 N. Interstate A ve., be­
tw een 11 a m and 7 p.m. M ondays
through T hursdays; or 11 a m. to 5
p.m. on Fridays.
■ Call the Interstate MAX com m u­
nity line at (503) 247-3958.
• Visit our website at www tri -
m et.org/interstateM A X 1
• N eighborhood, business or other
organizations can arrange for their own
meetings by calling (503) 247-3958.
How to minimize traffic congestion?
W hat can be done about traffic and
parking on neighborhood »treats?
W hat should be done for bicyclists?
How could MAX stimulate economic activity In the area?
Should a new urban renewal district be created ?
LOS ANGELES (AP) - A man
sprayed the lobby o f a Jew ish com ­
munity center w ith gunfire T ues­
day, wounding five people, includ­
ing three little boys. A m anhunt
was under way.
As weeping parents gathered
o u ts id e , p o lic e s e a r c h e d the
grounds o f the N orth V alley Jew ­
ish Com m unity C enter and the sub­
urban San Fernando V alley neigh­
borhood o f G ranada H ills, police
Cmdr. Dave Kalish said.
“ He burst into the lobby o f the
com m unity center and began firing
20 to 30 shots from a 9 mm Uzi. He
then walked down a hallw ay, left
the building and left cam pus,” fire
spokesm an Steve Ruda said. He
said the shooter, described as a
w hite m ale dressed in black shirt
and gray pants, was in his teens.
The m otive for the shooting was
unknown. A uthorities said they had
no idea if it was a hate crim e.
Police helicopters crisscrossed
over several square blocks sur­
rounding the campus.
Two hours after the shooting,
about two dozen m em bers o f a
SW AT team in flak jackets and
armed w ith rifles deployed outside
the gates o f the evacuated campus.
Tw enty-tw o other little children
w ere taken from the center to a
nearby tem ple after the 10:50 a.m.
shooting. “T hey’re all very calm
and very w ide-eyed as you can
im agine,” Ruda said The children
were attending a sum m er cam p at
the center. A view from a televi­
sion helicopter show ed adults es­
corting groups o f sm all children,
the youngsters lined up holding
hands.
Ruda said an 8-year-old boy was
in very critical condition. The older
woman, in her 50s or 60s, also was
in critical condition. Two other
boys, ages 8 and 6, were in stable
condition A 16-year-old girl was
in stable condition.
Paramedics and police descended
on the center in the initial confused
moments after the gunfire.
One w om an w as seen being
treated on a sidewalk adjacent to the
parking lot. A young boy was rushed
out o f a rear building on a stretcher
and put aboard a fire helicopter.
Groups o f little children were led
away by adults and officers.
W orried parents gathered b e­
hind yellow police tape as officers
w orked to assure them that their
children were all right. Som e w ept
as they clutched each other, w ait­
ing for word o f th eir children.
“ H e ’s O K ! H e ’s O K !” one
m other shouted w hen she heard
about the fate o f her son.
O ther parents spoke w ith school
officials who tried to arrange ren­
dezvous point w ith th eir children
elsew here in the area.
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