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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 29, 2000)
Construction Begins on Piedmont landmark Mansion Lights Up for the Holidays See Focus, inside See Metro, inside Bulk Rate U.S. Postage PAID Portland, OR Pennit No. 1610 (The ^Jortlanò (Ohscruer Volume XXX Number 48 Committed to Cultural Diversity Established in 1970 mvw.portlandobserver.com ■■■■■■ Wednesday ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ M H T-. 50e November 29, 2000 H M H H I Neighbors Want Lost Library Restored By L ee P erlman P ortland O bserver Opposition Tries to Topple Barak Government JERUSALEM - Israel’s hard-line oppo sition appealed to the Supreme Court in a new bid to topple Prime Minister Ehud Barak, while Israeli and Palestinian officials met secretly to try to resume security coor dination. The action comes a day after Israel’s most serious cross-border attack on Lebanon to the north since pulling its troops from an occupied order region. Paper Wants More Police at Printing Plant SEATTLE - The Seattle Times asked for more police outside a printing plant where picketing union members continued their strike against Seattle’s two major daily newspapers. The Times asked for more police after strikers temporarily blocked cars from leaving a parking lot. No decision had been made on hiring replacements for staff reporters and photographers, who walked out along with advertising, market ing and circulation personnel. Japanese Line Up for $1.8 Billion Lottery TOKYO - People crowded around lot tery kiosks all over Tokyo, braving a cold wind to buy tickets for the annual New Year’s lottery, with a top prize o f $ 1.8 billion The drawing is on Dec. 31. Playing the lottery has always been a national pastime for the Japanese, but it’s become even more popular these days, with the economy show ing no clear sign o f rebounding from its worst slump since World War II. Thursday, North Portlanders will ask the Multnomah County Commission for the miss ing piece - money - in their quest for the missing piece in the county’s library system. The grass-roots group wants a Lombard Library or a new branch somewhere in the middle o f the peninsula. They are seaching for a site somewhere between North Greeley and Portsmouth, ide ally, within a few blocks o f the intersections o f North Lombard Street and Chatauqua Av enue. Group spokesperson Miriam Linder says her neighbors are the most underserved li brary community in Portland, considering it's more than two miles to the nearest branch library, St. Johns and even futherto the North Portland Branch. During the county commission’s Thurs day agenda, they will hear a briefing on this, and on a request for an appropriation to purchase or build a new library. The commis sion will take no vote on the matter, and may not do so until its budget deliberations next year. However, their reactions may indicate where their votes are likely to go. The advocates bring evidence o f com munity support - more than 1,400 signatures from peninsula neighbors and favorable re sponses from community groups. More sig nificantly, there is a line item in a tentative Interstate Urban Renewal Area budget call ing for $250,000 for the project. What would a library mean to this area? Aside from the chance to read and borrow books. Advocates would like to see “Some o f the many wonderful services available at other branches,” Linder says. These include bilingual story hours for children, help with homework, computer and technology train ing, information on how to apply for jobs, or how immigrants can apply for citizenship, and •4 group from north Portland brings attention to the form er library at 2 4 1 0 N. Lombard, one o f two libraries that were c lo se d due to b u dget cu ts in the 70 s and 8 0 s . Pictured (from left) are Mary Sullivan, Margaret Band, Cecille Ellis. Ronda Bard, Miriam Linder, Ciaran H ouston and Ronna Seavey. (P hoto rv M ic h a e l L eighton /P ortland O bservei public meeting space. “The North Portland branch has fantas tic programs, and we want all o f that,” Linder says. “When we say library, w e’re talking about a kind of community center, and one is lacking in this area.” It wasn’t always so. The University Park branch at 7508 N. Health Insurers to Make Quicker Decisions WASHINGTON - The Clinton adminis tration issued rules designed to tackle one ofthe most vexing issues in health care: the amount o f time it takes to get insurers to rule on treatment decisions and appeals. The rules will cut the time required for an answer on coverage, now 90 days or more, to as few as 15 days. About 130 million Americans how get health insurance through private employers will be covered by the rules, which go into effect Jan. 1,2002. The rules do not apply to government employees or patients who buy their own insurance. Dutch to Legalize Euthanasia THE HAGUE - The Dutch parliament approved a bill to allow euthanasia and physician assisted suicide, making it the first country to formally legalize the prac tice. The bill passed by a vote o f 104-40. It still needs the approval ofthe Senate, which is considered a formality, and is expected to enter into force next year. Peru’s Opposition Poised to Fill Post LIMA, Peru A disgraced President Alberto Fujimori said that he would stay in Japan “ fora long time,” while the leader o f Peru's opposition-controlled Congress emerged as his likely successor. After Fujimori's resignation, two o f his former allies in line to succeed him stepped aside. That opened the way for Valentin Paniagua, a political moderate aligned with the oppo sition, to become interim president until a new president is swom in July 28 after April elections. ies should go, so they just respond to the squeakiest wheel," Linder complains. Thus, she says, a new library is planned for North west Portland, and an expanded one for Hillsdale, while North Portland remains underserved. “This area has no bookstores and few educational resources,” she says. Oregon Certifies Vote for Democrat Gore Thousands Stranded in Buffalo Storm BUFFALO, N.Y. - Thousands o f work ers and school children awoke in offices, supermarkets, hospitals and restaurants where they were stranded overnight by a storm that paralyzed the city with 2 feet o f snow. Nonessential travel was banned under a city state o f emergency to give plows and tow trucks room to work. Hereford A ve., and the Lombard branch at 241 ON. Lombard St., both built through com munity contributions, served the area for more than 50 years. However, the branches were closed due to budget shortfalls in 1975 and 1981, respectively. “The county doesn’t have acriteria for deciding where new librar- Republicans Delay New Mexico Certification New Mexico state election officials on Tuesday delayed certi tying results in the U.S. presidential election that appeared to give the state to Democrat A1 Gore until a judge can check numbers from one county called into question by Republicans. Oregon election officials, meanw hile, w ent ahead and certified that state’s votes for Gore. New Mexico Republicans said they did not expect to overthrow G ore’s lead but still wanted the tally checked under a judge’s supervision. New M exico's three-member state can vassing board said the results reported by all 33 counties and audited by independent ex perts showed Gore winning the state's five Scottie Pippcn and his Trail Blazer teammates volunteer to paint and plaster a electoral votes by 483 votes, or 286,578 votes renovated single-family home at 4025 N.E. 9th Monday as part o f the Home Team to 286.095 cast for Republican George W program, a partnership between the Fannie Mae Foundation and the Portland Trail Bush. Blazers. The Homi Team has worked to create affordable housing in Portland since But the board said final certification would 1994 with $525,000 in Fannie Mae grants and $70,000from Blazer fundraisers. have to wait until Thursday while it asked a (P hotobv M ark W asiiington /P ortland O bserver ) state judge to investigate Republican claims oferrors in the results from Roosevelt County , a small rural county on the Texas border Santa's workshop and more than 100 State Republicans said they did not expect holiday music and. dance perfor to overthrow G ore's lead but still wanted the mances. Last year 2.0,000 people at tally checked under a judge's supervision tended Festival of T rees and the event because about 10 percent o f the county's raised $200,000. 5.689 ballots showed no vote for a presiden Carousels, Dr Suess and life-sized Proceeds from this year’s Festival tial candidate. "gingerbread" playhouse await fami of Trees will benefit the Providence "We want to make sure New Mexico has lies at the 18th annual Providence Child Center, the Providence Heart the most accurate result, but the likelihood of Festival of Trees. Institute's Heart Failure/Heart Trans the (Roosevelt County) numbers changing This beautiful, heartwarming holi plant program and Gately Youth Ser the result ofthe state presidential election is day experience has become a Christ not high." state Republican chairman John vices. mas tradition forthousandsof families Hie festival is held Friday from 10 Dendahl told reporters. Gore did pick up seven electoral votes throughout Oregon. Each of the 50 a.m. to 9 p.m... Saturday front 10 a.m. Tuesday, after election officials in Oregon lavishly decorated trees has a theme to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a m. to 6 certified the presidential vote in the state's and is sponsored by local companies p.m. at the Oregon Convention Cen first all-mail election, saying that Gore beat and individuals. This year's three-day ter. 777 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Bushby 6.765 votes out ofabout 1.53 million festival also features storytelling. Blvd. cast. Scottie Steps Up for ‘Home Team’ Festival of Trees Opens Friday r • That is well above the 2.800-vote threshold that would have triggered an auto matic recount. State election officials certified the results well before the required Dec. 7 deadline be cause o f the attention focused on the race, which is undecided after more than three weeks amid recounts and legal challenges in Florida. Gore ended up with 47 percent o f the O r egon vote, compared to Bush's 46.5 percent. Green Party candidate Ralph Nader won about 5 percent. Bush's campaign has said it might chal lenge the Oregon results if it finds evidence o f double voting. The campaign has said voter records sho .v more than 4.000 people had illegally registered to vote in different counties as o f September. A spokeswoman for the Bush campaign in Oregon could not immediately be reached for comment. Neither the outcome in New Mexico or Oregon, however, w ill affect the race for the White House Ihc key to that is Florida’s 25 electoral votes. 1 hese were certified for Bush on Sunday but Gore is challenging that certification in court, saying not all o f Florida's votes were counted G ore called Tuesday fo ra speedy hand recount o f thousands o f q u estionable ballots in F lo rid a ’s con tested election, and urged Bush to drop his objections. “ This is not a time for delay, obstruction and procedural roadblocks," the vice president said. Gore, told reporters his proposal was neces sary because the nation needs "to be able to say there is no legitimate question of who won this election." Gore said he believed the recount he seeks of some I 3.000 ballots could be completed in seven days. i
