Febuary 9, 2000 Page A2 (Dhaeruer--------------------------------------------------- i Police News/Vancouver CrimeStoppers Brits N egotiate Hijackers with STANSTED, England - Hijackers holding at least 150 people aboard an Afghan airliner freed another hostage after he complained he was sick, while British authorities warned the standoff could last “for days.” Exactly what the hijackers are negotiating for is unclear. Afghan media are speculating the hijackers are dissidents who want the release o f Ismail Khan, a former regional governor who has been held since 1997 by Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban movement. 4 Die as Planes Collide over L.A. LOS ANGELES - Two small planes collided over Los Angeles, killing four people. Two men were killed in a plane that plunged through power lines and hit a San Fernando Valley golf course, and a couple believed to be in their 60s died in the other plane, which fell into trees near Interstate 5. No one on the ground was hurt. GOP Denounces Clinton’s Budget WASHINGTON - President Clinton’s $ 1.84 trillion fiscal 2001 budget proposal was greeted by congressional Republicans with scorn. They declared it a “lame duck spending spree” that was doomed. Clinton would cut taxes for the sick, elderly, poor and college-bound; spend more for the environment, schools and gun-law enforcement; and erase the $3.7 trillion publicly held portion o f the national debt by 2013. Genetic D iscrim ination Ban Sought WASHINGTON - President Clinton, seeking to prevent discrimination against workers on the basis o f genetic testing, is expected to sign an executive order that covers civilians in the federal work force. The order is prompted by advances in medical science that could soon allow doctors to determine whether individuals are likely to develop cancer, heart disease or other ailments. Clinton fears such information could be abused by potential employers, or by insurance companies that might seek to deny coverage. Senate OKs Greenspan Term New WASHINGTON - A day after boosting borrowing costs for millions o f Americans, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan won Senate confirmation for a fourth term as head o f the nation’s central bank. The Senate voted 89-4 to approve the nomination o f Greenspan, 73, fora four-year term that will run into 2004. Greenspan was praised as the “greatest central banker in the history o f the world,” by the Senate BankingCommitteechairman, Sen. Phil Gramm, R- Texas, and President Clinton’s nomination o f the Republican economist enjoyed bipartisan support. Wanted Subject T he P o rtla n d Police Bureau, in cooperation with Crim eStoppers, is asking for your help in locating and a p p re h e n d in g Jerm aine L am ar S cott. A felony arrest warrant is on file, charging Scott with Robbery in the First Degree. Bail has been set at $600,000. The warrant stems from an incident that occurred during the early morning hours of November 1,1999, at a residence located on North Failing Street in Portland. Scott is believed to be one o f three individuals who robbed the residence at gunpoint. Five young children were in the house at the time. Additional warrants are also on file. Jermaine Lamar Scott is a 23-year-old black male, with a date o f birth o f October 4, 1976. He is described as 5’9" tall, weighing 150 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. Scott has scars on his lift hand, left arm and right hand, and numerous tattoos, including “J DOG,” “T HOG” and“JBO” on his neck, “LOP” on his right shoulder, and "R1P TOE” on his left arm. Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward o f up to $ 1,000 for information, reported to Crime Stoppers, which leads to an arrest in this case or any unsolved felony crime, and you can remain anonymous. Call Crime Stoppers at (503) 823-HELP. Vancouver Briefs City seeks people with cultural interests The City o f Vancouver is seeking applicants for two vacancies on the Cultural Commission. The 11-member commission serves in an advisory capacity to arts, culture and heritage as well as international events and activities. The commission developed the city’sCulture Plan as well as the cultural Grant Program. TheCommission works with the community and City Cultural Services focusing in the following eight cultural areas: cultural policy, public involvement, education, heritage, development and redevelopment, facilities, networks and support, and diversity. Commissioners are appointed by the mayor and confirmed by City Council. Terms are three years. Interested applicants should contact Peggy Fumo in the City Manager’s office at 360-696-8484 for an application. Completed applications must be submitted by Friday, March 10,2000. Senior Trip Escorts Needed The City o f Vancouver Senior Program is seeking fun- loving, enthusiastic team players with the time, energy and stamina needed to become volunteer trip escorts. Applicants must be 50 years o f age or older, be in general good health, be able to communicate verbally and in writing, be sensitive to needs o f senior citizens and be able to work cooperatively with the Senior Trip committee, staff and travel agents. Escorts plan, organize and lead two one-day trips per month, assist in a monthly morning long trip Fair with travel agents, attend meeting twice monthly, and accept other duties as assigned. Escorts must successfully complete criminal background check. For further details about the escort program, contact Nancy Olsen, Senior Trips Coordinator, at 759-4422, ore- mail at Nancy, Olsen @ ci. Vancouver, wa.us Jobless Rate Drops to 4.0 Percent B la c k H istory M o n th Bill Travis (left) was one o f Portland's first Black policeman. This week's observation o f Black History Month covers the years o f 1900- 1950. Can you name the 1930s case involving nine African American teenagers that brought to the forefront all the thousands o f black men who had been lynched on the trumped- up charge o f rape and the common practice o f excluding blacks from jury because o f race. The court event has been regarded as “the trial o f the century. ’’ For the answer, see Focus. Police to sign contract with company to provide emergency call system CO M R IB l TEDSTORY At its regularly scheduled meeting, the City Council is expected to authorize a contract to implement an emergency telephone notification system for the Police Bureau. The contract will be with FirstCall Interactive Network, located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and will begin in the next couple o f months. The Portland Police Bureau received a grant last year to implement a Dial and Delivertelephone notification system to get information directly to an affected portion o f the community during times o f disaster, localized hazard, or threat to person or property. The grant, awarded by the U. S. Department o f Justice, gave the Police Bureau $247,000 for the 12-month project. This system will allow the Police Bureau to warn communities via a recorded telephone message in the event o f a severe weather emergency, such as people living on a flood plain. It would also be used to notify residents within the hazardous perimeter o f toxic spills, barricaded felons. snipers or bomb threats. The system could also be used in the event o f lost children or to locate Alzheimer’s victims when they wander away. People living in surrounding communities would receive a telephone call w ith a recorded m essage regarding the perso n ’s description and other applicable information. Dial and Deliver systems can make phone calls simultaneously and record who authorized the use o f the system, detect what numbers had answering machines, record what time the homeowner or business were notified, and how many phone calls were actually attempted on how many telephone lines. The system will not be used for non-emergency purposes and will be considered an additional tool to getting the word out— the emergency telephone system will not replace officers at the scene o f an emergency. Testing will begin in the next couple o f months in neighborhoods that have agreed to serve as demonstration areas with the Police Bureau and the O ffice o f Neighborhood Involvement(ONI). For more information, contact Officer Paul Wickersham, Planning and Support Division, at 823-0283. Your Business could be here. Advertise in fflortlatth (OhsvrUer PEOPLE EXPOSED TO SECONDHAND SMOKE AT WORK ARE 34% MORE LIKELY TO GET LONG CANCER W A SH IN G TO N - A m erica’s record-breaking economy surged into the new year with employers adding 387,000 jobs, pushing the unemployment rate down to a 30-year low o f4.0 percent. January’s rate was down from a 4 .1 percent rate in December and the lowest level since a 3.9 percent rate in January 1970. The 3 87,000jobs employers added to their payrolls in January - the biggest gain since September 1997 - was much stronger growth than the 250,000 jobs many analysts were expecting. President Clinton boasted about the unemployment report, saying this is the longest economic expansion in our history. Ford Workers To Get PCs, Web Access DETROIT - Ford Motor Co. is offering Hewlett- Packard personal computers to its 350,000employees worldwide for their home use. The three-year deal, being coordinated by PeoplePC Inc., of San Francisco, also includes a Hewlett-Packard clor ink jet printer and Internet access, all for $5 a month. PeoplePC offers a computer and Internet access deal to the general public for $25 a month for three years. Ford’s arrangement also includes a printer and more powerful computer; the company also pays the shipping costs for all its employees who are interested in the program. I Evcrvonc dcscrvcs sm okc/rcc