October 03, 2001
www.portlandobserver.com
Committed to Cultural Diversity
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Share In the Harvest
On the evening of Saturday, Oct. 27 at
the beautiful World Forestry Center,
Portland's top-ranked Chefs will team
up with local fanners and winemakers
to combine their considerable skills to
present one of the most extraordinary
food and wine events in Portland his­
tory. If you would like to purchase
se a ts /ta b le ,
go
o n lin e
to
www.portlandbridges.com/harvest/
or call Laurie Simms at 503-635-9580.
Red light cameras installed on
Sandy, Grand and Burnside
The Portland Police Bureau Traffic D ivision and the C ity of
Portland O ffice o f Transportation are installing the city’s first
red light cameras.
The first tw o cam eras have been installed at the intersection
o f N ortheast Sandy Boulevard and 39lh A venue. The third
cam era will be installed at the intersection o f East Burnside
and G rand.
The tw o intersections were chosen based on the num ber o f
collisions, num ber o f com plaints o f red light violations, and
the num ber o f actual violations.
It is the desire of the Portland Police bureau and the City of
Portland O ffice o f Transporation that the red light cam eras
reduce the num ber o f accidents and violations at these
intersections.
Lifeways Psychic Expo
«
Explore the mysteries of mind, body
and spirit with over 100 o f the
Northwest’s Finest Psychics and Re­
tailers. Enjoy Portland’s Lifeways
Psychic Expo, which takes place Sat­
urday, Oct. 13,10 a.m. - 8 p.m. and
Sunday, Oct. 14,11 a.m .- 7 p.m. at the
Montgomery Park Ballroom,2701 N.W.
Vaughn. Call 541-482-3722 or visit
www.LifewaysExpo.com.
Traffic monitoring television equipment is attached to a
pole at Northeast Sandy Boulevard and 39" Avenue as
part o f the city's first effort at using cameras to enforce
red light signals.
League of Women Voters
On T uesday, Oct. 9, the League of
W om en V oters o f Portland will
present a panel to discuss the O r­
egon tax system , its dependence on
incom e tax revenues and possible
alternatives. The event will be at the
Fireside Room o f W estminster Pres­
byterian Church, 1624N.E. Hancock
St., 7 p.m. Parking is on 16lh Ave,
across from the church.
A Night for Basic Rights
H undreds o f com m unity and po liti­
cal leaders will come together on
Oct. 19 for Basic Rights o f O regon’s
A nnual Fall D inner in the Grand
Ballroom at the Portland Hilton, lo­
cated at 921 S. W. 6,h A ve.“Come As
You Are: Express Y ourself!” is the
dress code, which is sure to provide
plenty o f pageantry and color. Call
503-222-6151.
«
A Communities Retreat
All are welcome to attend a communi-
ties retreat on Oct. 13 and 14 at the
Jackson Bottoms Wetlands. The goal
of the gathering is to provide oppor­
tunities for varied members of com­
munities to dialogue about what ac­
tions are effective in our communi­
ties; to give value to actions by in­
cluding them in the agenda and re­
specting diversity. To register, call Jill
Severson at 503-753-3520.
National Bowl-A-Thon
AMF and its employees are uniting to
sponsor a national bowl-a-thon on
Oct. 7 to raise money for the benefit of
New York City Firefighter, Police and
Rescue Workers. A M F’s goal is to
raise more than $3 million for the relief
fund established by New York Mayor
Giuliani ’ s office. For additional info.,
your local bowling center.
Women of Achievement
The Annual Women of Achievement
Award is a semi-formal gala attended
by politicians, corporate principles
and citizens who support w om en's
rights. Their dinner reception and si­
lent auction will be held on Saturday.
Oct. 13, starting at 5:30 p.m. at the
DoubleTree Hotel Lloyd Center in the
Lloyd Center Ballroom, located at 1000
N.E. Multnomah. Call 503-725-5889.
Halloween Carnival
It's a carnival of Halloween holiday
fun - games, crafts, tattoos, and face
painting! Admission is one can of
food per person for Sunshine Divi­
sion. For age 3 & up with adult. The
carnival will be held at the Peninsula
Park Community Center, located at
700N. Portland Blvd. For more info.,
call 503-823-3620.
photo by
M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver
Jefferson’s
Athletes
Say
T hanks
Billy Reed and his wife Lydia
Lundberg get a big thank-you
from Jefferson High School
football players Demarcus Carney
(from left), Ryan Martin and Evan
Martin for the $40,000 they
donated to the school's athletic
department for team uniforms
and equipment. As ongoing
support for the inner city school,
Billy Reed's Restaurant on Martin
Luther King Jr. Boulevard is
selling dining coupons, where a
percentage o f the proceeds go to
help Jefferson kids.
photo by M ark W ashington /
T he P ortland O bserver
Freightliner Cuts Em ployee Pay and Benefits
(AP) — Freightliner has cut back pay and ben­
efits for thousands of nonunion workers in another
sign the largest commercial truck maker in North
America is struggling.
Freightliner is expected to announce a restructur­
ing plan before the end of October, and the possi­
bility o f closing its Portland headquarters has led to
a recent flurry of meetings with state, city and union
officials.
The DaimlerChrysler subsidiary also has plants
in North Carolina, Canada and Mexico.
The latest cost-cutting measure, announced
Thursday, will cut pay by 5 percent, require medical
and prescription drug co-payments and scrap this
year's bonus for 13,100 nonunion employees, in­
cluding 1.800 in Portland.
Freightliner has asked 1,200 union employees in
Portland to consider similar wage and benefit con­
cessions to keep its truck- and parts-manufacturing
plants on Swan Island from closing.
“T hese changes are necessary to address
Freightliner’s current financial position and to ulti­
mately return the company to profitability," said
Freightliner spokesman Chris Brandt. “This is one
component o f our turnaround plan."
Union members have lieen told that the company
expects to lose $1.2 billion this year and that
DaimlerChrysler is considering closing the Portland
plants, yet another blow to a Pacific Northwest
economy already buffeted by planned layoffs at
Boeing, major airlines and technology firms.
Gov. John Kitzhaber and Mayor Vera Katz visited
F reightliner in early O ctober to discuss the
company’s future. State and city development offi­
cials have declined to discuss details of the talks.
“W e’re trying to make sure that as Freightliner
examines its options for solving its problems, that
they're fully aware of the support that the city and
state have to offer," William Scott, director o f the
Oregon Economic and Community Development
Department.
“They ’ ve got very large numbers of employ ees in
very high-wage jobs," Scott said. “It’s a major
engine of the economy in the Portland area."
Portland businessman Leland James founded
freightliner in 1942. It employs a total of 15,800
workers.
The trucking industry is considered a leading
indicator of the economy, and orders have fallen
steeply in the past year. Freightliner also is facing
problems from a costly guarantee, made before the
downturn, to buy back used trucks.
North Portland's Swan Island holds the birthplace roots for
Freightliner, a worldwide truck maker now owned by
DaimlerChrysler and fighting for its survival.
photo by M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver