Volume X X IX . Number 51
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Theft Ring Probe
SEA TTLE - A n A lgerian charged w ith
b ringing bom b-m aking m aterials into
W ashington state from C anada m ay be
connected to a theft ring that tunneled
funds to terrorist groups, authorities say.
A hm ed Ressam , who was arrested for
a lle g e d ly a tte m p tin g to s m u g g le
nitroglycerin, was jailed for a few w eeks in
M ontreal last year for stealing laptop
com puters and cellular phones from cars,
M ontreal police said . Ressam is suspected
o fbeing an associate o f Said A tm ani, w ho
is believed o be the head o f a M ontreal
crim e ring that engaged in such thefts,
December 22, 1999
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Introducing Kwanzaa to the hip hop generation
kir T HE P ortland OasmvER
M E E ( M o tiv a tio n a l E d u c a tio n a l
Entertainm ent) Productions Inc. has taken on
the challenge o f educating and prom oting the
concept o f K w anzaa to a m ore youthful
generation.
MEE researchers discovered that K w anzaa
was on the upsw ing in urban com m unities,
but that there were num erous questions and
m isconceptions about the holiday.
“ W e found that people had m isinform ation
about K w anzaa,” said M EE President Ivan
Juzang. “T hey thought it was a religious
event, that it had to be celebrated a specific
w ay or that it was ju st for A frocentic A frican-
A m ericans. W e w anted to give it a more
contem porary feel so that people w ould focus
on the values and principles o f K w anzaa and
not be as focused on the strict observance.
T o clear up the m isconceptions and m ake it
m ore co m fo rtab le for yo u n g p eo p le to
celebrate and participate in the holiday, an
instructional video w as created to explain the
holiday in everyday term s using various
celebration scenarios. In the video, K w anzaa
is celebrated by a diverse cast o f young urban
actors in a m yriad o f settings and situations.
The V ideo is part o f the M EE Com plete
K w anzaa Kit, w hich com es w ith a poster and
u ser’s guide that features inform ation on
Kwanzaa, the principles, terms, sym bols and
activities for children to reinforce what they ’ ve
learned.
ME E used the princ lple o f Uj am sa cooperative
economics to locate and i ntract with African-
A m erican su p p liers, m an u factu rers and
vendors to assem ble the kit to facilitate
celebration via one stop shopping.
“The idea o fth e com plete kit came w hen we
looked at the celebration and discovered there
w asn ’t one-stop shopping. Y ou had to go
one place to get the m at, another to get the
Kinara, another place to get the candles and
(Please see 'K w a n z a a ' p ag e 6)
police said
Venezuela Faces Relief
Crisis
LA G U AIRA , Venezuela - In V enezuela’s
worst natural disaster this century, officials
estim ates o f the death toll range from 5,000
to 20,000 in floods and m udslides. A bout
1,500 bodies have been recovered, said
Foreign M inister Jose V icente Rangel.
Some 150,000 people w ere left hom eless.
Econom ists say the dam age to roads, ports,
e le c tric ity , te lep h o n e lines, sc h o o ls,
hospitals andhom es could reach $2 billion.
U.S. Em bassies to
Delay Visas
W A S H IN G T O N - S tate D ep artm en t
officials said that U.S. em bassies abroad
will be open, with extra security, at the start
o f the new year, but they will not be issuing
visas right away. N o nonim m igrant visas
will be issued the first tw o w orking days o f
January, and no im m igrant visas will be
issued the first tw o w eeks so personnel
can concentrate on Y 2K priorities, the
officials said. The State D epartm ent has
issued a w orldw ide alert to A m erican
citizens because o f the threat o f possible
terrorist operations targeting A m ericans.
G lobe Said M ore
Democratic in ’99
W A SH IN G TO N - An annual report by a
pro-dem ocracy activist group says the
w orld becam e a little more dem ocratic in
1999, w ith even “ long-resistant” Islam ic
countries show ing signs o f m oving in that
direction. The report by Freedom H ouse
said 85 nations, or 44 percent ofthe globe’s
total, “w ere free” and theirpeople enjoyed
“a broad range o f political rights and civil
liberties” this year. The report also said
that o f the 192 nations existing today,
freedom gained ground in 26 and suffered
setbacks in 18.
Fed Not Expected to
Change Rates
W A SH IN G TON -W orries about possible
m illennium com puter glitches likely will
keep Federal Reserve policy-m akers from
raising interest rates, despite concerns
about inflation. Hie Fed will be review ing
interest rates for the final tim e in 1999, and
analysts say they w ould
normally expect a rate hike,
considering how hot the
econom y has been.
Portland's new police chief sworn in
BUU£^1A££
In front o f a crow d o f about 300 people, M ark K roeker, a 32-year
Los A ngeles police veteran, was sw orn in last w eek as P o rtlan d ’s
new police chief.
T he sw earing in occurred at noon on D ecem ber 17 in council
cham bers at P o rtlan d ’s City Hall.
K roeker, 55, is the first ch ief to be selected from outside the
Portland police ranks in 25 years.
Form er C h ief C harles M oose resigned in July to becom e police
ch ie f in M ontgom ery County, Md.
Kroeker, a native ofD allas. O re , who grew up in Africa, France and
C alifornia as the son ofm issionary parents, retired in 1997, as one
o f Los A ngeles’ m ost w ell-respected and popular deputy chiefs.
He will be paid $ 130,000.
T he nam ing o f a new ch ief com es two m onths after the city hired
Shannon A ssociates, a C alifornia-based firm, to conduct a
nationw ide search along w ith the Police Executive Research
Forum , based in W ashington, D.C.
A 19-m em ber citizen s’ selection com m ittee appointed by Katz
narrow ed a field o f 37 candidates dow n to eight sem ifinalists and
recom m ended their top choices to the m ayor after interview s last
month. K roeker and Ronald C. M onroe, a 20-year-veteran o f the
M etropolitan Police D epartm ent in the District o f Colum bia, were
the two finalists.
Portlands new police chief Mark Kroeker and his wife Diane greet well wishers after the
swearing in ceremony.
Billy Reed's restaurant and Bar offers more than just food
CONTRIBUTED STORY
ÍO S T lL h .T o R IL A .S D .Ü B h í.R 'i tK
A fter much anticipation, Billy R eed's Restaurant
& Bar has opened on M artin Luther K ing Jr.
Blvd., bringing to Northeast Portland a high-
energy restaurant that presents quality food at
affordable prices in a fun and spirited atmosphere.
Located at 2808 NE. M LK Jr. Blvd., Billy
R e e d ’s is hou sed in the n ew ly ren o v ated
Standard Dairy Building The restaurant features
rustic, casual dining with a m enu that focuses on
American N orthwest grill. Executive ChefPascal
C hureau, who has honed his skills at a variety o f
establishm ents in Paris and N orthern Cal , brings
to the table an inspired menu that mingles com fort
foods w ith chicken and gam e dishes, seafood
selections, and several vegetarian and pasta
dishes.
Billy R eed’s Restaurant & Bar is open seven
days a week. Lunch is served M onday through
Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m ., and dinner is
served seven nights a w eek from 4 p.m. to 11
p.m. (M idnight on Friday and Saturday nights).
W eekend brunch is served from 8 a m. to 3 p.m.
The restaurant includes a main seating room,
banquet room , full bar, outdoor patio and
dance floor. There is also a gam e room w ith a
pool table, video gam es and televisions. Billy
R eed’s features a variety o fliv e entertainm ent
from local bands six nights a week.
Billy R eed ’s is ow ned by Lydia Lundberg
and Bill Reed, real estate developers w ho are
also responsible for the rem odel o fth e Standard
Dairy Building. Lundberg and R eed’s buildings
are well respected for quality construction,
energy efficiency and innovation.
Billy R eed 's Restaurant &
Bar can be reached at 503/
4 9 3 -8 1 2 7
or
v is it
www.stdairy.com /restaurant.