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(The ^Jorthiñó (Ohs vrurf
Volume XXX.
Number 25
Committed to Cultural Diversity
Established in 1970
www.portlandobserver.com
Wednesday
50*
June 21,2000
Regence Blue Cross BlueShield
continues to help United Way
Court bans amplified,
student-led prayers
from public school
football games
A ssociatep P ress
Irish Group Threatens to
End Cease Fire
BELFAST, Northern Ireland - Northern
Ireland’s largest pro-British paramilitary
group threatened to break its nearly six
year cease-fire unless Catholic-based
groups stop attacks on Protestant homes
The Ulster Freedom Fighter said in a
statement to news media that it would end
its cease-fire at midnight. The U FF’s
second battalion West Belfast Brigade
said that since the cease-fire there had
been “a system atic or orchestrated
c am p aig n o f in tim id a tio n from
nationalists” in Protestant districts o f
north and west Belfast.
Taiwan Offers Summit
with China
T A IPEI, T aiw an - President Chen
Shuibian offered to hold Taiwan’s first-
ever summit with China, saying he
believed the two leaders could “create
history' like their Korean counterparts.
Chen said he hopes to shake hands with
President Jiang Zemin o f China and to
seek reconciliation during a summit held
in any location and any format that Jiang
chooses.
58 Bodies Found in Back
of Truck
DOVER, England - British customs
officials searching a suspicious truck in
the port o f Dover madea horrific discovery
when they opened the back: the corpses
o f 58 illegal immigrants believed to be
asylum-seekers from the Far East. Only
two people were found alive in the Dutch-
registered truck. The survivors, both of
them men, were hospitalized and were
expected to recover, but they were too
traumatized to be questioned immediately.
Rebels Demand $1
Million Per Hostage
JOLO, Philippines - Muslim extremists
holding 2 1 hostages in aj ungle camp are
demanding at least $1 million for each
captive, and negotiations for their release
could last up to six months, the president’s
chief aide said. Government negotiators
are also trying to resume food supplies
and medical missions to the hostages,
most o f them foreigners, who are being
held by Abu S a y y a f rebels in the
mountains o f remote Tai ipao on southern
Jolo island.
The United Way is helping yet another organization, thanks to a donation by Regence Blue Cross BlueCross BlueShield o f Oregon (BCBSO).
The North Portland Nurse Practitioner Community Health Clinic iNPCHQwas given a 1998 Chevrolet Astro mini-van as a donation from
Regence BCBSO. The NPCHC is an organization that strives to provide affordable health care for people who would not have medical
treatment otherwise. The United Wav-funded agency takes care o f kids through the age o f 21, even i f they do not have health insurance.
Mariah Taylor is the registered nursepractitioner that hasprovided these services since 1980. Taylor distributes donated food and clothing
to her patients, and free toys to the younger kids. The van was purchased by Regence BCBSO in cooperation with Wentworth Chevrolet
in Wilsonville. The new van is replacing their old van that was having difficulty-passing DEQ. NPCHC will use the new van to transport
patients, make house calls, and to deliver the goods they give to their patients.Pictured above are Mariah Taylor. N.P. from the North
Portland Nurse Practitioner Community Health Clinic, and Randy Cline. Regence BlueCross BluShield o f Oregon senior vice-president
o f external affairs. They are preparing to test drive the 1998 Chevrolet Astro mini-van presented to the clinic by the health plan.
Senate approves funding for MAX project
G ideon L a st /.
Local funding in the amount of$92.5 million is now in place to finance
a proposed addition toTri-M et’s MAX line which will be built from
the Rose Quarter and proceed along N. Interstate Ave. through the
Kenton Neighborhood to the Portland Expo Center, according to Tri-
Met Communications Director Mary Fetch. “The5.8 milecosts $350
million. $92.5 million has been committed by Tri-Met and the local
region,” Fetch said.
Tri-Met, the City of Portland and regional transportation groups
have currently contributed to raise the above amount for the local
portion of the project. The remainder o f the funding for the project
how that administration would agree to help pay to build the line.
“We are asking the Federal Government to fund $257.5 million,” Fetch
said. The project also has the support o f Oregon’s Congressional
Delegation, as noted in last week’s issue o f The Portland Observer.
On June 15 the project got its most recent boost when the U.S. Senate
voted 99-0 to approve Portland's Interstate Max Light Rail project as the
result o f Smith and Wyden’s efforts.
“These projects will make it safer and easier for Oregonians to navigate
our state by road, rail and air." said Smith. “From improving thecommute
to Portland, to expanding bus and mass transit services throughout the
state and updating our municipal airports, stretches of Oregon that were
previously neglected will now receive the injection o f funds that they
need.”
would likely come from the Federal Transportation Administration.
“We are waiting to sign a full funding grant agreement with the
federal government. If approved this summer, the contract with the
Federal Transportation Administration would be signed by their
representatives and the local organizations to determine where and
“Connecting our rural and urban communities, clearing up congestion
and safeguarding our high quality o f life are our top priorities," said
Wyden. "W e're going to continue working in a bipartisan fashion to
make it happen.”
( Please see 'In terstate M ax' page 6 )
by
a t T he P ortland O bserve «
In one o f its most important school-prayer
rulings ever, the SupremeCourt again declared
that praying in public schools must be private.
By a 6-3 vote, the court barred officials from
letting students lead stadium crowds in prayer
before football games.
The sweeping language o f the decision in a
Texas case, a crushing defeat for school-
prayer advocates, could extend far beyond
school sports events _ eventually affecting
graduation ceremonies, moments o f silence
and more.
The court said a school district’s policy o f
allowing such student-led prayers violated
the constitutionally required separation o f
government and religion.
Champions o f a strict church-state separation
exulted.
“The court’s decision signals a reaffirmation
ot the appropriate role of religion in public
schools _ one in which private religious
expression is constitutionally protected but
officially sanctioned religious observances
are not,” said David Harris o f the American
Jewish Committee.
Opponents were aggrieved.
“Thegovernment’s ’ benign neutral ity ’ toward
religion in this country is now nothing short
o f malevolent hostility,” said Jan LaRue o f the
conservative Family Research Council.
Justice John Paul Stevens wrote for the court:
“Nothing in the Constitution... prohibits any
public school student from voluntarily praying
at any time before, during or after the
schoolday. But the religious liberty protected
by the Constitution is abridged when the
state affirmatively sponsors the particular
religious practice of prayer.”
As the latest word on a politically volatile
issue that has bedeviled the nation’s highest
court for 40 years, the ruling offered a ringing
endorsement of a landmark 1962 decision that
outlawed organized, officially sponsored
prayers in public schools.
“Worship is a responsibility and a choice
committed to the private sphere," Stevens
said.
When the Texas case was argued in March,
an ABC News poll said tw o-thirds o f
Americans thought students should be
permitted to lead such prayers.
And in Texas' Republican primary election
that same month. 94 percent o f voters
approved a nonbinding resolution backing
student-initiated prayer at school sporting
events.
With U.S. Open win, Tiger Woods soaring into new territory
Vatican to Unveil Final
Secret of Fatima
VATICAN CITY - The Vatican said that
it will unveil the details o f the so-called
third secret o f Fati ma soon. The gist o f the
secret was reveled last month during Pope
John Paul Il’s pilgrimage to the shrine of
Fatima in Portugal. But the Vatican has
not yet issued an official document. A
commission led by Cardinal Joseph
Ratzinger, the pope’s top guardian of
orthodoxy, is to release a text and
commentary about the secret on June 26,
the Vatican said.
Germany to Close
Nuclear Power Plants
BERLIN- Germany plans to end its use of
atomic energy, and plants could start
shutting as early as 2002. The last plant
will close in about 20 years. When
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder came to
power in late 1998. he did so with a promise
to negotiate and end to nuclear power.
The initiative was championed by the
coalition partner, the environmentalist
Greens party, who have pressed for the
phaseout to start before the next election
in fall 2002 so they can present their
voters with a major achievement.
A s & o c ia ie p P ress
From record TV ratings to praise by his awe
struck competitors. Tiger Woods has clearly
moved into territory claimed by few stars in
any sport. “W e’ve had two athletes in my
time - Muhammad Ali and Jordan - that draw
fans from outside their sport," said Dick
Ebersol, president o f NBC Sports. “Every
indicator we have says Tiger is the next one.”
Certainly that was the case at the U.S. Open,
where Woods won by a record 15 strokes in
a performance that sent television ratings
soaring.
N BC's coverage o f the final two rounds of the
tournament drew an average overnight rating
o f 7.5 with an 18 share, according to numbers
released Monday by Nielsen M .-dia Research,
the highest two-day average for the Open
since overnights were instituted in 1975.
The overnight numbers showed an increase
o f 14 percent over last year’s 6.6. Sunday’s
fourth round recorded an overnight mark of
8.8, a gain o f 11 percent from 1999’s7.9.
Next month. Woods heads for Scotland - the
home of golf - and will try to complete a career
Grand Slam at the British Open at St. Andrews.
W oods will be an abiding favorite and
«
invariably will raise questions about whether
courses can be “Tiger-proofed” to keep
tournaments competitive.
“You can't stop him by tricking up the course."
said Michael Bonallack. who retired last year
as secretary ofthe Royal & Ancient GolfClub.
“What purpose would that serve? H e’s
already proven he’s the only one who could
handle this place."
W oods’ victory Sunday at Pebble Beach
gave him his third major in only his fourth year
o f professional golf. That’s one fewer than it
took Jack Nicklaus.
It was the most lopsided victory in major
tournament history, with Ernie Els and Miguel
Angel Jimenez tied for second.
He tied the U.S Open scoring record o f 272,
set at par-70 Baltusrol by Nicklaus in 1980 and
Lee Janzen in 1993, and broke the record in
relation to par. 12 under.
“It’s kind of like Texas in the old Southwest
Conference." former L onghorn Tom Kite said,
referring to the football team “You knew who
was going to win before the game. It’s
certainly fun when you’re pulling for Texas,
but it’s not real exciting for everybody else.”
Searching other sports for comparisons were
commonplaceoverthe weekend, with Michael
Jordan’s name coming up more than once
Tiger Woods
holds up the
w inner's
trophy after
capturing the
100th U.S.
Open G olf
Championship
at the Pebble
Beach G olf
Links in
Pebble Beach.
C alif, Sunday,
dune 18.
i