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Volume XXXI
Number 29
www.portlandobserver.com
Committed to Cultural Diversity
Established in 1970
Wednesday
July 18,2001
■B
THE»
of celebrations
REVIEW
A
Man Kills Wife, Son at
Children’s Baseball Game
ST. LOUIS— A man opened fire during
his son’s baseball game, killing his es
tranged wife and the 10-year-old boy as
players and parents fled for cover. The man
later killed himself, authorities said.
Security Threat Worries
Athletes
JERUSALEM — Under tight security
after a bomb explosion, thousands o f Jew
ish athletes from around the world gath
ered in Jerusalem for the start o f the
Maccabiah Games, known as the Jewish
Olympics. More than 20,000 people at
tended the festive contests in Teddy Sta
dium.
Bush Hopes Americans
Spend Refunds
W ASHINGTON — The Treasury will
begin mailing 91 million tax rebates. Presi
dent Bush is urging taxpayers to spend
their checks to boost the economy. But like
m any Americans, the architects o f the tax
plan aren’t all following that advice.
Oregon Farmers Defy
Federal Order
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. — Farmers
rigged an irrigation line into a canal in
defiance o f a federal order that has blocked
water for crops to save endangered fish. No
farmers had been arrested because no fish
were being sucked through the head gate
and the Upper Klamath Lake’s water level
had not dropped, a spokeswoman for the
Fish and W ildlife Service said.
Septuplets Given 95%
Chance of Survival
WASHINGTON — Septuplets bom last
week to a Saudi couple have a 95% chance
ofsurvival, their doctor. Also, the fatherof
the septuplets, who lives in nearby Falls
Church, Va., said he and his wife have lost
two other children in the last five years.
Olympics Could Help U.S.-
China Diplomacy
W ASHINGTON — In the months since
a U.S. surveillance plane and a Chinese
fighter collided over the South China Sea
on April 1, diplomats in W ashington and
Beijing have tried to restore a sense o f calm
to U.S.-China relations. Both sides say the
decision to award Beijing the bid for the
2008 Summer Olympic Games clears the
agenda and allows the two countries to
focus on cooling U.S.-China relations.
China Appears Close to
Joining WTO
GENEVA— Boosted by Beijing’s selec
tion as host o f the 2008 Olympics, Chinese
negotiators returned to the table to try to
wrap up another move onto the world stage
— membership in the World Trade Organi
zation.
‘Sopranos’ Leads Emmy List
LOS ANGELES — The Sopranos re
ceived a leading 22 Emmy nominations, the
most ever in the three seasons o f the cable
hit about the angst-filled life o f a suburban
mob family. The show ’s chiefcompetition
again will be N B C ’s White House series
The West Wing, which received 18 nomina
tions.
Clashes in N. Ireland
BELFAST,Northern Ireland— Rioters
hurled firebombs and bottles at police
Thursday night as violent street clashes
erupted in the wake o f the biggest parades
o f the year by the province’s Protestants.
At least five police officers were injured.
Beijing Awarded 2008
Olympic Games
MOSCOW — Beijing was awarded the
2008 Olympics today, winning the games
for the world’s most populous country for
the first time. The International Olympic
Committee picked China over rival bids
from Toronto, Paris, Istanbul and Osaka.
parade o f streetcars,
s tre e tc a r
su p p o rte rs,
elected officials and the
Lions of Batucada, a local Brazilian
Samba marching band, will officially
open Portland’s new streetcar for
service on Friday, July 20th.
The event begins at 9:45 a.m. at
Portland State University’s Urban
Plaza.
The Oregon Symphony Brass En
semble will be performing “Fanfare
for Streetcar,” which was specially
composed for the opening.
The first public ride on the street
car will be leaving from Northwest
22nd and Lovejoy shortly after noon.
Free rides will be available through
Sunday, July 22 in conjunction with
grand opening activities all along the
streetcar’s alignment from Portland
State University downtown to Good
Samaritan Hospital on Northwest
23rd.
Five cars are currently running on
the tracks. Another two are expected
sometime next year.
Built in the Czech Republic by
Skoda, the 660foot streetcars have a
modern look with large windows and
low floors.
Fares on the new service are the
same as Tri-Met and are transfer
able to Tri-M et’s 1-2 zone routes.
There will be no charge to riders
who travel only within Tri-Met’s
Fareless Square.
P hoto by M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver
One of Portland’s new streetcars follows the tracks from Portland State University downtown to Good Samaritan Hospital on Northwest
23rd. Fares for the new transit will be the same as Tri-Met and the system will accept Tri-Met passes, tickets and transfers.
1RS Errors in Tax Notices
(AP) - The IRS sent about 523,000 notices to
taxpayers informing them they will get the
maximum possible tax cut refund check —
when in fact they won’t.
Internal Revenue Service officials placed the
blame Tuesday on a computer program that
initially neglected to take into account certain
tax credits in figuring the check amount for
these taxpayers. The checks are correct, but
some people could get a notice promising the
maximum and a check for much less.
“What w e’re doing now is working to get a
corrected notice out to the taxpayers,” said IRS
spokesman Don Roberts.
The IRS hopes to get the proper notices out
to the affected taxpayers by next week, which
is when the first batch o f tax refund checks
should begin arriving. The estimated 112 mil
lion notices— the vast majority o f them correct
— were mailed Monday.
The checks o f up to $300 for a single tax
payer, $500 for a head of household and $600
for a married couple filing jointly reflect this
year’s payment for the new 10 percent income
tax bracket created by the 10-year, $ 1.35 trillion
tax cut signed into law by President Bush.
Police Shootings, New
Survey Draw Concern
(A P) - Several high-profile police
shootings and a new survey have trig
gered concerns about police procedures,
training and judgment.
The survey, done by the Washington
Post, ranked Portland eighth out o f the 50
largest local U.S. law-enforcement agen
cies in the number o f fatal shootings per
1,000 swom officers, with 25 fatal shootings
from 1990 to 2000. O f the five police
shootings this year, two have been fatal,
including the death ofa Mexican national in
a psychiatric hospital in April.
But despite the apparent surge in police
violence, the number o f officer-involved
shootings in Portland is actually down from
the early part o f the decade. In 1992, for
S tory
continues on
P age A2
Summer Camp Serving Native American Youth Begins
The N ative A m erican Y outh
Association's fourth annual summer
science and math camp began this
week in Portland’s historic Missis
sippi neighborhood, serving 25 stu
dents, representing more than 15 dif
ferent tribes.
The camp aims to boost science
and math scores among N ative
American students by providing
hands-on and culturally relevant cur
riculum.
Students will trace the history of
tribes native to the Portland area and
their methods for m anaging re
sources. They also will analyze and
assess the health of local wetlands
and propose recovery plans.
Aside form organized field trips,
classes meet at the association’s
Youth and Family Center, 4000 N.
Mississippi Ave., from 9 a.m. to 4
p.m. daily.
The camp concludes with a barbe
cue on Aug. 17.
P hoto by M ark W ashington / !
P ortland O bseri
Instructor Joe Ball (from left) draws on t
history of tribes native to the Portland
area to help Jean' Luc Aguire, Kim Boyh
and Leora Vanantwerp boost their
science and math skills at a summer
_campforNative American students.