School Board’s Derry Jackson Says He’s Not Prejudiced
See story inside, Metro Section
Peninsula Girls Repeat
PRSDRTSTD
USPOSTAGE
Little Leaguers advance to the state tournament for the second
straight year.
See story in Sports, Page B3
PAID
Ä
PORTLANDOR
PERMIT NO. 1610
Knight Library
1299 University o f Oregon
Eugene OR 97403-1205
"The City Of Roses"
Volume XXXI
Number 30
www.portlandobserver.com
Wednesday
Committed to Cultural Diversity
Established in 1970
50c
July 25,2001
Toddler’s
Death
Investigated
Bush Thanks Troops
in K osovo
CA M P BO N D STEEL, Y ugoslav ia—
P re sid e n t B ush to ld U .S. tro o p s in
K osovo that he hopes to speed the day
w hen peace in the region is self-sustain
ing. H ebrought with him a $ 1.9 billion bill
that boosts com pensation for A m erican
troops.
N elson M andela Has
P rostate C ancer
JO H A N N ESB U R G , South A frica —
Form er South A frican President N elson
M andela has been diagnosed w ith pros
tate cancer. The cancer should not pose
a threat to his life, M an d ela's foundation
an n ounced.
E arthquake R attles
Puget Sound Area
SEATTLE — A moderate earthquake
gently rattled the Puget Sound area. No
damage or injuries were reported. The 4.3-
magnitude temblor was possibly related to
the 6.8-magnitude earthquake that shook
the area in February, a seismologist said.
Bush, Pope Talk Stem
C ell Issue
CA STELG A N D O LFO , Italy — Pope
John Paul II urged President Bush in
their first m eeting together to bar cre
ation o f hum an em bryos for medical re
search, saying that A m erica has a moral
responsibility to reject actions that “de
value and violate hum an life.” Bush said
he will take the P o p e ’s com m ents into
consideration.
R ights Group: U.S.
Should Pay for Slavery
UNITED NATIONS — Human Rights
W atch said the U nited States should
o ffer reparations to blacks because o f
slavery, and it urged other countries to
m ake sim ilar pledges at a U.N. confer
ence on racism next m onth. The B ush
adm inistration opposes offering finan
cial reparations.
P hoto
by M ark
W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver
Prom oting the soulfu l “ Gospel Gumbo" festival are Portland-Vancouver Gospel m usic a rtists Dorothy
Davis (from left), Pearl Thomas and Patricia Howard.
Saturday Celebration To Warm Souls at Holladay Park
Som e o f the best G ospel e n te rta in
m ent in the no rth w est w ill take c e n
ter stage S atu rd ay d u rin g G ospel
G um bo: A S pirited and T asteful C e l
ebration.
The event w ill be held from 10
a.m. to 4 p.m . at H olladay Park,
across from L loyd C enter, and is
sponsored by the Portland V ancouver
C h ap ter o f the G ospel M usic W ork
shop o f A m erica, Inc. in asso ciatio n
w ith B asiq Blaq P roductions. A d
m issio n is free to the public.
F estiv alg o ers can expect to enjoy
som e o f the best ch o irs, so lo ists,
d ram atic perform ances and dancers
in the N orthw est. F ood vendors will
also be on hand to tem pt your taste
buds. Non-profit agencies and craft
persons will display their wares.
A Gumbo C ook-off contest co-spon
sored by The Portland O bserver and
Billy Reeds Restaurant will boast some
o f the best gumbo connoisseurs and
recipes in Oregon and W ashington.
Also, a fashion show presented by
Sheba’s House o f Elegance will enter
tain the audience. For more inform a
tion on participating as vendor, talent or
contestant, call Pat Howard at 503-
288-8342, Dorothy Davis at 360-695-
7605 or Rev. R enee’ W ard at 503-249-
1719.
Woman Astronaut Holds Science Camp for Kids
An Era of More Major
Hurricanes Threatens USA
B y J oy R amos
T he P ortland O bserv er
H urricane disasters like those that hit
the East C oast and the C aribbean Sea
from the 1940s into the 1960s could be on
their way back, a study o f Science m aga
zine says. In fact, the authors say, a new
era o f more “ m ajor” hurricanes probably
began in 1995.
Bush Begins European Trip
LONDON — President Bush defended
his positions on clim ate change and m is
sile defense system s, issues that Senate
M ajority L eader Tom D aschle, D -S.D.,
said are driving a w edge betw een the
U nited States and its allies. “ I will con
tinue to stand for w hat I think is right for
A m erica,” Bush said.
Econom ic Downturn
H its C olleges
The econom ic dow nturn is rippling
through state budgets to public colleges,
as som e state colleges and universities
are increasing tuition in double-digit per
centages this fall. For several years, a
survey tracking tuition increases placed
average public four-year college tuition
increases at 3.4% to 4.4% .
Federal Report Supports
Stem Cell Study on All Fronts
W A SH IN G TO N — Em bryonic stem
cell research should be included am ong
the p o ssib le a v e n u e s for tre a tin g d is
ease, fed eral re se a rc h ers to ld the Bush
a d m in istra tio n as it c o n sid e rs w hether
to allo w fed eral fu n d in g o f the a p
p ro ach .
(AP) — The state Justice Department will
investigate how a 20-month-old Gresham girl
on a state-supervised visit with her mother
wound up strangled to death.
Alexis Lopez, who has been in state cus
tody since last fall, died July 11 during a
scheduled visit with her mother, Sharon
W eston.
Weston was arraigned Friday in Multnomah
County Circuit Court on aggravated murder
and attempted aggravated murder charges. A
trial date has not yet been set.
Police say the caseworker who supervised
W eston’s visit was not aware that she had
taken off with Alexis until police contacted
him in the park after the child was killed.
Police said the agency worker was found in
a state car reading a newspaper more than 45
minutes after Weston had taken her daughter’s
body to a nearby funeral chapel.
Kristen Grainger, assistant to Attorney General
Hardy Myers, said the agency will assist the State
Office for Services to Children and Families in
investigating the events that led to Lopez’s death.
Grainger said the Justice Department is not
conducting a criminal investigation.
But agency lawyers will look into whether
SCF employees involved in W eston’s visita
tion with her daughter made errors. Grainger
also said Justice Department officials will
collaborate with the children’s welfare agency
to review its visitation policies and help make
recommendations for changes if needed.
Bob Mink, director o f the Department o f
Human Services, said he asked for Justice
Department involvement to ensure that the
investigation is impartial and thorough.
“We will be accountable for what hap
pened in this case,” Mink said.
Ramona Foley, administrator o f the DHS,
said the agency is also reviewing the possi
bility o f harm in other cases.
“What happened to Alexis Lopez is tragic,”
said Foley. “Safe parent-child visits happen
daily throughout the state. Clearly, we will
find out why that didn’t happen here.’
M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver
Students and other Portland area residents gather around Dr. Mae C. Jemison (top center), the first African American
astronaut, during Monday's science day camp at the Cascade Campus of Portland Community College In north Portland.
I
Up to 50 kids from throughout the
Portland area participated in a one-day
science camp Monday called “The Earth
We Share Day.”
The free program was designed by Dr.
M ae C. Jemison, the first African A m eri
can woman astronaut, and co-sponsored
by the Urban League o f Portland.
Students were shown the practical value
o f science and technology during the pro
gram at Portland Com m unity C ollege’s
Cascade Campus.
As a group, they formed a think tank to
creatively solve global issues. They were
asked to figure out a way o f disposing
garbage that’s environmentally friendly;
design the perfect video game; come up
with an exercise program to keep high
schoolers fit and strategize a plan to effec
tively reduce crime.
Je m iso n ’s program is based on her
foundation's four-week residential camp
that has been held at sites across the
country since 1994. The aim o f the D or
othy Jem ison Foundation o f Excellence is
for students to build critical thinking and
problem -solving skills.
At the science camp. Dr. Jemison talked
about her life, relating with child-like won
der and curiosity. She was an encourage
ment and inspiration to many there for
achieving her lifelong dreams.
Since childhood. Dr. Jemison has had a
fascination with astronomy and knew with
conviction that she was going to be a
scientist. After graduating from high school
S tory C ontinues
on
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P age B2
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