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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (March 1, 2000)
C om m itted to C u ltu ra l D iversity Volume X X X . N um ber 9 w » m .tlieportlandobserver.com Toy Story comes to portland on ice skates 50‘ See El Observador Blues fo r an Alabama Sky See Focus M arch I, 2000 Bulk Rate U.S. Postage Child waiting for adoption PAID Portland, OR Permit No. 1610 See Focus " ^ s p a p e r Section t u Sene OR 97403 S ÍX U ct* New driving rules enacted for 18 years and under in motor vehicle crashes in Oregon in 1998 would have been saved if the law had been in place and fully enforced, according to the report. “The 1999 Legislature passed laws to strengthen license requirements and • State hopes new teen driver's license law will make a difference improve drivertraining because teens are twice as likely as other drivers to be involved in fatal and injury crashes,” said Loma Youngs, deputy director, Oregon D epartment o f T ransportation, M otor V ehicles Services Division. Beginning March 1, anyone under the age o f 18 applying for a driver license must meet new requirements, according to Youngs. They must: Have held an Oregon instruction tO M R IB L IT D STORY M otor vehicle crashes w ere the leading cause o f injury and death for children under the age o f 18 during 1998, killing 73 youngsters, a newly released report reveals. The deaths increased dram atically in teens between 15 and 18 years, the time at which they begin to drive. Most o f th ese w ere p rev en tab le deaths, according to the report. Child Death in Oregon, 1998; Oregon Child Fatality Review Team Annual Report was compiled by the Health Division State Technical Assistance Team in the Oregon Department of Human Services. “These findings are very sobering,” said Dr. Grant Higginson, state health officer at the Health Division and co- chairof the State Child Fatality Review Team. “A child’s death is always tragic,” but many of these deaths are preventable. This report identifies opportunities for changes that will improve the safety ofour communities and the well-being o f our children.” An action to reduce some childhood deaths will be implemented on March 1. That is when a new teen driver licensing law goes into effect. Seven o f the children under age 17 who died perm it for at least six m onths. Certify with parental verification that the teen has at least 50 hours of supervised driving experience, and Complete a traffic safety education course or certify an additional 50 hours o f driving experience as d e sc rib e d above. After March 1, provisional licenses will restrict the age and number o f passengers that a driver under the age of 18 may have in a vehicle as well as the nighttime hours when the teenager may drive. The report contains additional recommendations for preventing vehicle crash fatalities: In crease ap p ro p riate v e h ic le occupant restraint use, particularly am ong te e n s Improve enforcement o f speed and sa fe ty b e lt law s D ecrease drinking and driving Lack o f an appropriate restraint, impaired driving, or speeding were a factor in the deaths o f 61 percent o f children aged 0-17 who died in Oregon motor vehicle crashes in 1998. The importance o f reports such as this is that they lead to innovative and practical recommendations that can prevent similar deaths from occurring in the future, Higginson said. A total of 238 child death cases were reviewed by multi-disciplinary teams at the county and state levels for this report. Their reviews find that other (Please see 'D M V ' page 8) Young drivers from throughout the state scramble to take their exams before new laws take effect. ■H M M BM I First shipm ent of Northwest wheat slated for departure • Government positive China plans to make good on agreement A ssociated K ress A small saleofU.S. wheat to China is being to u te d by th e C lin to n administration as evidence that the Chinese intend to make good on the concessions they m ade to win improved trade relations. The $6 m illion deal announced Monday is the first purchase o f U.S. a g ric u ltu ra l g o o d s u n d e r an agreement China made in November to get U.S. backing for its entry to the World Trade Organization and end annual congressional reviews o f its U.S. trade status. It will be the first sale o f wheat to China from the Pacific Northwest in more than two decades. Before the agreement, wheat shipments from that region had been barred because of Weather Friday Frequent Through Hie weekend Today Some rain Thursday Partly cloudy sales to Europe, Canada, Australia and Argentina if Congress does not approve the China trade deal. In addition to lowering its restrictions on wheat, China also agreed to reduce tariffs on a host o f farm products, including beef, oranges, grapes, wine, cheese and poultry. The tariff on beef alone would drop from 45 percent to 12 percent. The Agriculture Department claims sales o f farm products to China could triple to $3 billion annually under terms of the agreement. “The sale o f wheat to China from the Pacific Northwest is a significant breakthrough for the U.S. wheat industry and we hope it is just the beginning of a new relationship with this potentially multimillion-ton wheat market,” said Alan Tracy, president o f U.S. W heat A ssociates, the industry’s export arm. The purchase includes 30,000 tons of soft white wheat, 10,000 tons o f hard red spring wheat and 10,000 tons o f hard red winter wheat C hina’s contention that the grain contained excessive am ounts o f fungus. “We hope that there will be many m ore such purchases to com e,” Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman said in a speech to the National Farmers Union in Salt Lake City. Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont„ said the wheat purchase “demonstrates the potential long-term benefits” o f improved trade relations with China. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said the sale was “a welcome first step.” Allowing shipments from the Pacific Northwest will save on freight costs and help U.S. farmers compete with producers in other countries forsales in the huge Chinese market. Congress will vote later this year on whether to grant China normal trade relations on a permanent basis. Farm- state lawmakers who support the move have said China needs to make some significant purchases o f U.S. agricultural products to signal its willingness to make good on the concessions it made. Glickman said U.S. farmers risk losing (Please see oth e r story page 7) 55°F/13°C 43°F /6°C 52°F/10°C Saturday Morning 41°F/5°C rain 55°F/13°C 39°F /4°C Sunday 56°F /13°C 39°F /4°C 52°F/11°C 4I°F /5°C Showers I Correction There was error in the February 23,2000issueofThe Portland Observer. Lois Johnson-Williams was the first African American to join the Rose Festival court. She had represented Monroe High School in 1967. Robin Marks was the first Black Queen o f Rosaria in 1980. Inside-A Week in Review....................2 Crimestoppers search for robber........................................ 2 Enforcement of childrens civil rights sought.......................... 5 NAACP reaches an agreement with ABC and Fox................. 1 Metro-B Woodlawn children celebrate diversity.................................... 1 Woods fails to take match tournament............................. 3 Archaeologist believe to have found Jesus' path.................... 4 El Observador....................... 5 This Week in History On March 3, 1991, in a case that sparked a national outcry, motorist Rodney K in g was severely beaten by Los Angeles police officers in a scene captured on amateur video. On March 4, 1933. the start o f President Roosevelt's first administration brought with it the first woman to serve in the Cabinet Labor Secretary Frances Perkins. On March 6 ,1857, in its Ored Scott decision, the Supreme Court held that Scott, a slave, i could not sue for his freedom in a federal court. I