See Metro See Inside Whispers and some of the best at the Civic Portland woman awarded by Oprah $21 Million National Initiative finds home at PSU See Focus <37 lie Volume XXX. Number 20 Bulk Rate U.S. Postage PAID Portland, OR Permit No. 1610 m t L u tò (O b sm www.portlandobserver.com Committed to Cultural Diversity Established in 1970 Wednesday May 17,2000 50‘ Portland moms gather for stricter gun laws Man Releases Hostages at Nursery School HJELMELAND,Norway-A mancharged with rape and upset over losing custody o f his children released 25 students and 10 adults after allegedly holding them hostage for over 10 hours at a preschool here, 185 miles west o f the capital city of Oslo. All 53 hostages appeared to be in good c o n d itio n a fte r the gunm an su rren d ered fo llo w in g a te le v ise d interview with psychologists. Caller ID Traced ‘Love Bug’ Virus MANILA, Philippines - A local Internet provider said it used caller ID to trace the origin o f the “Love Bug” e-me 1 vim« to a Manila phone line that had been used before for breaking into its computer network. The disclosure explained how investigators were quickly able to center their investigation on the residents o f an apartment in a lower middle-class Manila n e ig h b o rh o o d , in c lu d in g a young computer student who has acknowledged he may have accidentally unleashed the “I LOVE YOU” virus. Public May Greet Solstice at Stonehenge LONDON - The public will be able to greet the dawn o f the millennium’s first summer at the ancient stone Circle of Stonehenge, the first time in 16 years the site has been opened for the summer solstice. Stonehenge will be opened the night o f June 20 for eight hours under tight security, the watchdog body English Heritage. In the past, Stonehenge - a stone circle erected by prehistoric Britons 5,000 years ago has been a magnet for unruly revelers. During the 1980s, a four- mile exclusion zone was established around the stones on solstice night following a series o f disruptions. India’s Billionth Person is Born NEW DELHI, India - With the birth o f a baby girl named Astha - “ Faith” in Hindi -In d ia ’spopulationofficilly hit 1 billion. The six-pound 13-ounce baby was born at 5:05 a.m., putting India in an exclusive club with China as the only nations with populations exceeding 1 billion. O lym pic Torch Lit for Sydney Summer Games ANCIENT OLYMPIA, Greece - In a ceremony invoking the gods ofantiquity, the flame that will burn at the Sydney Olympics was ignited in the ancient birthplace of the games. “Apollo, god of the sun and the idea o f the light, send your rays and light this holy torch for the hospitable city o f Sydney,” intended Thaleia Prokopiou, the 28-year-old who led 20 women dressed in pleated, cream- colored robes before the Temple o f Hera. The flame will travel for 10 days around Greece before being handed over May 20 to the Sydney organizers in a special cerem o n y in A th e n s ’ a ll-m a rb le Panathenaic stadium, where the first modem Olympiad was held in 1896. AIDS Drugs’ Prices May Be Less for Africa G EN EV A F ive p h a rm a c e u tica l companies announced they would slash the cost o f HIV/AIDS drugs in African and other poor nations, which have complained that they are priced out of treating the epidemic ravaging their populations. Only one company, Britain’s Glaxo Wellcome, was immediately ready to announce what it would offer. A company spokesman said the two-drug packge Com bivir would be made available at cost o f $2 per day. I M others m arch on the cap ita l Sunday 5000 p e o p le m a rch ed here in P ortland. V ss.K I M I D I’RISS an old gun he found in the house and bullets he bought at a store for 99 cents. Marching with her only surviving son, Smith was one o f many mothers on Sunday w'ho opted out o f the traditional Mother’s Day brunch to rally for gun control in Portland's version of the Million Mr>m March. “ It's bad enough as a mother you lose a child, but on Mother’s Day . . . she said, trailing off. “I don’t want this to happen to other Neva Smith said she only wishes she could turn back tim e_back to two years ago, before her teen-age son took his own life with a gun on Mother’s Day. Smith said her 19-year-old son, Dustin Kellwick, was depressed over his older brother’s death in a March 1998 car accident. Two months later, Kel Iwick shot himsel ( with mothers.” Tens o f thousands o f supporters gathered at Million Mom Marches on Sunday in 70 com m unities across the U nited States, including Washington, D.C. Supporters held a similar rally in Eugene. Police estimated up to 4,000 people attended the Portland event, and it attracted more than moms. Church groups, men, children and grandparents also showed up with petitions. flowers and signs reading: "I have a right to feel safe," “A child’s life should not end with a bang," and "It’s easier to childproof a gun than to bulletproof a child.” Organizers said their message is simple. “A lot of things strike us as common sense,” said L isa L a u rse n -T h irk ill, regional coordinator for the march and vice president oflegislation forthe Oregon PTA. “We're not looking to take guns out o f the hands of any law-abiding citizens_ we’rejust making sure they're responsible.” U.S. Reps. David Wu and Earl Blumenauer, State Sen. Ginny Burdick and Portland City Commissioner Jim Francesconi w'ere among those who spoke Sunday, pledging to do theirpart politically. “Change is in the air,” said Blumenauer, D- Ore., who is unveiling a new effort in Congress to extend gun legislation for criminal background checks at gun shows. “1 hope that in Congress w e’ll follow your lead here in O regon. We need to close gun show loopholes.” Burdick, one o f the lead sponsors for an Oregon measure that would require criminal background checks at gun shows, said she wanted everyone in the crowd to sign the petition and ask 20 of their friends and neighbors to do the same. Measure 99 needs more than 80.000 signatures to qualify for the November ballot, she said. A similar measure failed last year in the Legislature by one vote. (Please se e ’Mom M arch'page A6) African -American response rate on census improved ^ U n it e d States Census 2000 b i T J ibeon X a siz , . w T i l t P o r ii asi >O bsi : rv tR Portland Local Census O ffice Manager Cynthia Jones called overall return rates for Census 2000 excellent in Multnomah County because o f a 3 percent rise from the last census taken in 1990. However, although response rates for African- Americans in North and Northeast Portland were the worst in 1990, that figure rose about 10 percent during C ensus 2000 because of the efforts o f Jo A nil Bowman, State Rep., Dist. 8, S eren a C ruz, M ultnom ah C ounty Commissioner, and Margaret Carter, State Senatorial candidate, Dist. 19. “Historically, it’sgone lower every lOyears,” Jones said referring to Multnomah County’s initial response rates for this year. “I feel we did excellent this year because we actually increased the response. We got a better response than we did 10 years ago." As o f April 25, the national initial response •rate for state, local and tribal government entities receiving completed forms forCensus 2000 was 65 percent, compared to the target rate of 70 percent overall, according to statistics provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. The initial figure was formulated from numbers representing a check-in o f all questionnaires received as o f April 23,2000. The state o f O regon's initial response rate as of May 12,2000 stood at 66 percent compared to a target rate o f 72 percent. Initial response rates for Multnomah County as o f May 12, 2000 stood at 69 percent. This amount is a 3 percent rise in overall statistics from the last census taken in 1990, in which the return rate was only 66 percent. By contrast Washington County’s initial response rates as of May 12 were 70 percent compared to a target rate of 75 percent. Comparisons o f initial response rates by city show the City o f Portland at 70 percent with Gresham at 69percent, Troutdaleat 74 percent. Wood Village at 64 percent, Fairview at 60 percent and Maywood Park at 78 percent. Portland’s initial response target rate was 71 percent with Gresham’s target rate at 71 percent, Troutdale’s at 73 percent, Wood Village at 64 percent, Fairview at 61 percent and Maywood Park at 92 percent, according to Census Bureau Data. H isto ric a lly return rates for A frican- Americans in North and Northeast Portland were affected during the 1990 Census because o f those groups' distrust of the Federal G o v e rn m e n t and app reh en sio n that information giv en to the Census Bureau would affect public a' «¡stance and be used by the Internal Revenue Sendee, Jones said. "In 1990, the area in North and Northeast Portland that .s predominantly African- American had tiie worst response rate. This was counted in those areas w here the residents are made up of more than 50 percent African-Americans.” General overall return rates for 1990 in the area (Please see 'C ensus 2000' page A6) T he Educational Crisis Teams 'Call for Action' t os I Rim :i tiisruRV lO R T lItP o R I I.ASI!(jBSlR\ UR The Educational Crisis Team called a press conference on Tuesday May 16/2000, at the Center for Self Enhancement Inc., for the expressed purpose o f pooling support from Community Organizations, that agree with the recom m endations, submitted to the Portland Public School Board, in the form of a “Strategic Plan.” The plan, among other things, calls for action NOW to raise student achievement at low-performing schools, those with 30% or more students below grade level. Many o f the low -performing schools have predominantly low-income and minority student populations. TheCrisis Team demands include moving the most effective reading, math and science teachers to the lowest performing schools; using Title 1 or Desegregation funds to offer “Achievement Pay" to attract these teachers; adopting a standardized curriculum for all schools, established hy successful teachers, which will help students and teachers who m ove betw een sch o o ls; tra n sfe rrin g in e ffe c tiv e p rin c ip a ls and allo w in g outstanding teachers to become principals or “achievement czars” for low-performing schools; developing individual education plans for underachiev ing children; hiring only b ilin g u a l, b ic u ltu ra l te a c h e rs and administrators for ESI programs; and making I itle I programs accountable to the children most in need TheCrisis team, consisting primarily of leaders from 1 lispanic Parents. Sell Enhancement Inc, The Black United Front, Albina Ministerial Alliance, Community Monitoring Advisory Committee, Coalition o f Black Men, The Oregon Parents Center and Albina Head Start, were joined by State Senator Av el Gordley. Candidate for Senate. Margaret Carter, The Honorable Bishop Wells, Kay Toran, Exec. Dir. Volunteers o f America, and Harold Williams, just to name a few. The Crisis Team plans to take its demands to the School Board Meeting scheduled for Monday, May 22.at the Blanchard Center