February 9, 2000 Page A6 (Observer q $Iurtlaub IB Business UM M M R Second death causes Burger King to urge State Farm sponsors “Kids Day” custom ers to discard Pokem on toys CUBI KIBl ItU ilO M The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Burger King Corp, are again urging consumers to immediately destroy and discard Pokemon bal Is distributed with Burger King kids meals in November and December, 1999. On January 25,2000, a 4-month-old boy in Indianapolis, Indiana, reportedly suffocated when one-halfofa Pokemon ball that w as in his crib became stuck on his face. B urger K ing C o rp o ratio n , in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, issued a voluntary recall o f more than 25 million Pokemon balls on December 27, 1999. The balls may pose a suffocation hazard to children under three years o f age. November through December, 1999. Consumers should immediately take the balls away from children under the age o f three. They should discard the ball or return both halves o f the ball and the clip to a Burger King restaurant for a free order o f small fries. Children can continue to use the Pokemon toy that came inside the ball. As part o f the voluntary recall effort, m ore than 8,100 B urger K ing restaurants posted recall notices in both English and Spanish. When the recall was first announced, Burger King placed an ad in US A T oday, and CPSC broadcast a video news release so local television stations could use video tape showing the danger. CPSC C h airm an A nn B row n a lso announced the recall on the Today show reaching millions o f viewers. In December, a 13-month-old girl reportedly suffocated when one-half o f a Pokemon ball covered her nose and mouth. Also in December, an 18- m onth-old girl nearly suffocated when a ball half got stuck over her face. On the second attempt, the girl’s father was able to pull the ball half from her face. Pokemon balls are plastic, ball shaped containers between 2.75 and 3 inches in diameter. They pull apart to reveal one of 57 different Pokemon toys inside. The balls were distributed in a variety o f colors including red and white, and hot pink. Packaging described them as safety tested and recommended for all agesofchildren. Burger King restaurants nationwide distributed the Pokemon balls inside Burger King Big Kids Meals and reg u lar kids m eals from early B lack H istory Kdonth Heather Tanner and her child were entertained Sunday at the Portland Auto show by Bizzy the clown. During World War II, the war and maritime boom changed the course o f Portland history’. The ship building industry attracted many people to work. Many Black southerners who had worked fo r extremely low wages, came to Portland in hopes o f doubling and tripling their wages while working less hours. Can you name the shipyard company that attracted many out-of-state Blacks to work fo r them. They have also founded one o f the largest hospitals in Oregon. car available on the market today. S h o w g o ers also had the opportunity to enter a raffle for valuable prizes including $500 in free gas, and Emergency Roadside Service Kit valued at $ 115, and 100 long distance phone minutes. State Farm policyholders picked up a free road atlas just for stopping by. Shoe Revue” and State Farm “Good Neigh Bear’ was on hand to hand out hugs, candy, and bear ears to all. State Farm company representatives were available, during the entire four day event, to provide valuable information to car buyers including: instant auto insurance quotes and detailed on-line reports o f any new February 6 was State Farm Insurance Kids Day at the Portland Auto Show. All children 12 and under got in free with a paying adult. On this special day “Bizzy the clown” was handing out balloon animals and perform ing magic tricks; Ronald M cD onald and friends performed in the “Big Red ^ o r tla n b (©hseruer W A N tS YOU TO KNOW WHAT IS H A P P E N IN G IN YOUR N E IG H B O R H O O D . ...A n d a r o u n d t h e w o r l d ! A Ticket A Ta&ket T h e p la c e f o r c a r d s , g if ts a n d b a s k e ts P —————————————————————n Valentine Headquarters Custom order your Valentine’s Basket today. Choose from a variety o f Valentine’s items, Including teddy bears, cards, candles, lotions, chocolates and balloons. ■J3sioy¡ :J3M.suy Long Stem Roses Half Dozen $40.00 Dozen $60.00 (Delivery available) Senior property tax deferral deadline is April 17 VALENTINES PAY C O M R I B L I tl) STORY io r T he P oktland O bserver The Oregon Department o f Revenue reminds taxpayers thatApril 17 is the deadline for filing applications with county assessors for the senior property tax deferral program. “The senior deferral program allows qualified senior citizens to defer payment o f their property taxes on theirhome,” explained Shirley Leiper, supervisorofthe department's Senior Deferral Unit. “The state pays the taxes to the county, maintains the account, and charges 6 percent simple interest, which is also deferred.’’ Taxes and interest must be repaid when the taxpayer dies, sells the property, changes ownership, or ceases to live permanently on the property. To qualify, senior citizens must be 62 yearsofageor older by April 15of the year they apply, must live on the property which is the taxpayer’s principle residence, and must have a deed or recorded sales contract. The total household income must be less than $24,500 for the year before application. Once on the program, senior citizens need an adjusted gross income o f $29,000 or less to continue to participate. Participants can come in and out o f the program if their income goes up or down. A surviving spouse may continue to defer past and future taxes if she/he is at least 59 '/a. A new application is required for surviving spouses or in the case o f re-marriage. Senior citizens can get applications and information about the deferral program by contacting their local county assessor’s office. For a d d itio n a l in fo rm a tio n , ta x p a y e rs m ay c o n ta c t the Department o f Revenue’s Tax Help line at 503-378-4988 or may call toll free within Oregon at 1-800-356-4222. 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A N D O U R N E W E S T L O ' AT |c >N F R E M O N T __ 98 I 3 173 .3535 NE 15TH I T W A Y , O F L I 1