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
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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.
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