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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 26, 2001)
2001 Minority Business Special Edition Portland’s minority businesses are entering a new era. Extended coverage in our Special Section C inside and on pages A 7 and A8. íSnrtíanh <©bs Library '299 University O fo £ ugene OR 97403- gon 1205 "The City Of Roses" Volume XXXI Number 39 www.portlandobserver.com — Wednesday Committed to Cultural Diversity Established in 1970 September 26, 2001 First Black Commands Oregon Air Guard by M ichael L eighton T he P ortland O bserver For the first time an African American commander is lead ing Oregon fighter pilots in de fense of Pacific Northwest air space and into the battle against terrorism. Col. Garry C. Dean is in charge of the 142nd Fighter Wing of the Oregon Air National Guard, sta tioned at the Portland Air National Guard Base. Dean took full charge of the unit on Jan. 21. He is the first African American to hold the position as wing commander. He leads more than 1,000 military personnel and 18F-15jet fighters. The wing was recently called to duty as part of the Pentagon’s massive call up of reservists in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacksonthe W orldTradeCenterinNew York and Pentagon near Washington, D.C. Because of the heightened national security concerns and top secret destinations for the guardsmen called-up, Dean could not be interviewed for this story, according to National Guard spokesman Misti Oyler. As a traditional guardsman, Dean is employed in civilian life as a pilot for Delta Airlines. He has more than 4,000 hours flying military aircraft; 2,500 of which are in the F -15. Dean lived most of his younger life as an Army “brat” near Ft. Bliss Texas. He was commissioned in May 1978 Saudi Arabia Cuts Taliban Ties RIYADH, Saudi Arabia— Saudi Arabia cut all ties with Afghanistan’s Taliban government, accusing the Central Asian country o f using its land to harbor terrorists. The move leaves Pakistan as the only nation in the world to maintain ties with the Taliban Union Wants Guns in Cockpits WASHINGTON— The Air Line Pilots Association is urging Congress to pass legislation allowing pilots to carry fire arms in cockpits, am ove the union says could prevent more hijackings. The union’s president will press for the legislation when he testifies before a House subcommittee. Chechens Urged to Agree to Peace Talks ROSTOV-ON-DON, R ussia— Presi dent Vladimir Putin sent an envoy for negotiations with Chechen rebels. Putin urged the rebels to “halt all contacts with international terrorists” and con tact Russian authorities for negotia tions on disarmament. Bush Moves to Halt Money Flow W A SHINGTON— Calling it a “strike on the financial foundation” o f terror ists. President Bush signed an execu tive order freezing the assets o f 27 individuals and organizations. Man Charged with Murder for Shooting Agent DETRO IT— A man accused o f fatally shooting an officer at at a federal building’s security checkpoint was charged with murder. If convicted, David Serra could face life in prison or the death penalty. Congress, Bush Team Reach Deal on Airline Aid Plan Congress and the White House agreed early on a $ 15 billion plan designed to bolster the airline industry in the after- math o f the terrorist attacks that have threatened the survival o f some air lines. Iran Says No on Airspace TEHRAN, Iran — Iran, which lies be tween Afghani stan and the Persian Gulf, where many U.S. forces are located, will not allow the United States to use its airspace to attack Afghanistan, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said. Security is tight at the Portland Air National Guard Base with each person entering the nilitary installation checked for proper credentials. hoto by M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver Northeast Hosts Grambling State Band i- f a I n□ b. A* The Youth Opportunity Center, 3034 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., opens its parking lot Saturday to host an education and employment expo featuring the world famous Grambling State Marching Band. The musicians were in Portland for the First Annual Vanport Football Classic, named in honor o f the town with African American roots that was washed away by the flood o f 1948. % 1 P hoto by M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver Fernwood Kids Get Lesson in Democracy Child-Drowning Mom Called Competent for Trial HOUSTON — A jury on Saturday found a Houston mother accused of drowning her five children competent to stand trial on capital murder charges. The 11-woman, one-man jury deliber ated for more than eight hours over two days before deciding Andrea Yates sufficiently understands the charges. northeast Portland s Femwood Middle School. PHOTO BY M ark W ashington /T hf P ortland O bserver State Rep. Jackie Dingfelder, D-North- east Portland, gave a lesson in dem oc racy to students at Fernw ood M iddle School Friday. The visit to the northeast Portland school was part of B ack to School Week sponsored by the N ational Conference of State L egislatures, a bipartisan event designed to teach young people what it’s like to be a lawm aker, the legislative process, and why citizen involvem ent is needed in our society. “It’s im portant to educate our kids about the political process at an early age,” D ingfelder said. “We need to help them understand that civic involvem ent is essential in our system o f representa tive dem ocracy. Last year, more than 2,500 legislators across the country m et with students in all grade levels, participating in exer cises that helped build an understand ing o f civic involvem ent and the legis lative process. D in g fe ld e r w as a guest o f T om S treckert’s 8th grade social studies class. In addition to explaining Oregon’s leg islative process and stressing the impor tance of citizens involvement, she led the class in a mock legislative exercise to em phasize the cooperation and consensus building that is necessary in formulating fair and just outcomes. Students assumed the roles of assem bly leaders, committee chairs and at-large members of a legislative body. They steered a bill through hearings, and adopted an amended version of the law that was agree able to most of the members. "They were a bright and thoughtful group of kids," D ingfelder said. “I feel secure in knowing that some of them will be our future leaders.” Freightliner Closings Whispered (AP) - Freightliner. the heavy truck subsidiary of DaimlerChrysler, expects to lose a record $1.2 billion this year, possibly forcing the closure of two plants at the truck maker’s headquar ters in north Portland. Stark’s News Service Interactive is reporting that Freightliner executives predicted the losses last week in sepa rate meetings with state and local offi cials, and with union representatives. The news service, citing company sources, says Freightliner lost more than $520million during the first half of this year. Stark's also says nearly a third of Freightliner’s dealers are facing pos sible bankruptcy during an economic downturn that has worsened since the Sept. 1 1 terrorist attacks. Freightliner spokesman Chris Brandt said Monday that D aim lerChrysler doesn’t release separate figures for its subsidiary. He declined to comment on reports o f possible closures, but he confirmed that Freightliner met with Governor Kitzhaber and M ayor Vera Kate. i
