Iff!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Kids are Upward Bound at PSU
1st.
Students attend a symposium to explore careers in math and science
at Portland State University.
See Metro, page AIO.
-jjlartlanh ©bse
The City Of Roses"
Volume XXXI
Number 43
www.portlandobserver.com
Committed to Cultural Diversity
Established in 1970
Wednesday
November 21,2001
50*
Attacks Survivor Enjoys Portland Thanksgiving
Maurice “M oe” Craig,
who survived the
World Trade Center
terrorism attacks in
New York, enjoys a
homecoming
celebration with his
mother, Dee Craig-
Arnold and many other
family and friends in
northeast Portland
Sunday. Moe is
spendingthe
Thanksgiving week in
his former hometown.
Bush Signs Air Security Bill
WASHINGTON — President Bush
signed legislation to put the nation's
airport baggage screeners on the fed­
eral payroll, pan of an effort to enhance
airline safety and reassure passengers
the skies are safe 10 weeks after the
Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
U.S. May Bomb Iraq
WASHINGTON — Defense Depart
ment strategists are building a case for
a massive bombing of Iraq as a new
phase of the war against terrorism,
sources say. Proponents of attacking
Iraq are arguing that evidence linking
Saddam Hussein’s regime to Sept 11 is
not necessary for a military strike.
photo by M ark W ashington /
T he P ortland O bserver
'Potior' Pulls In a Record
LOS ANGELES — Harry Potter and
the Sorcerer’s Stone cast a convincing
spell over audiences over the weekend,
shattering virtually every box office
record for a film debut. With an esti-
mated$93.5 million in its first weekend,
Potter broke the three-day record.
Eight Foreign Aid Workers Held in
Afghanistan Freed
WASHINGTON — Eight foreign aid
workers, including two Americans, held
in Afghanistan by the Taliban militia
for three months for preaching Chris­
tianity were airlifted to freedom by U.S.
military helicopters, the Pentagon said.
Artificial-Heart Patient Suffers
Stroke
LOUISVILLE— Doctors for the first
recipient of a self-contained artificial
heart say their patient has suffered a
stroke and is back on a ventilator. The
prospects of recovery for 59-year-old
Robert Tools are uncertain, said Dr.
Laman Gray of Jewish Hospital.
United to Install Stan Guns
CHICAGO— United Airlines, a unit of
UAL, said it will become the first major
U.S. airline to install Taser weapons, or
stun guns, on every aircraft in its fleet
following the Sept. 11 attacks.
Report»: Rebels Seize Kandahar
KABUL, Afghanistan— The Northern
Alliance moved to consolidate its grip
on Kabul, taking over key posts and
ministries. Reports said rebels also
seized Kandahar, the final stronghold
of the Taliban regime. Some accounts
said anti-Taliban Pashtun rebels took
over an airport.
Red C ron W ill U m Attack Funds
WASHINGTON — The American
Red Cross said it will use all the
money donated to the Liberty Fund
for people affected by the Sept. 11
terrorist attacks, reversing a plan to
set aside some of the money for other
needs. The Liberty Fund has col­
lected $543 million.
Local Entrepreneurs To Revitalize Weimer Building
by L ef . P erlman
T he P ortland O bserver
When selecting a team to redevelop the
historic Weimer building, the Portland
Development Commission and the King
Neighborhood Association chose some
local folks.
The Heritage Group, a collaboration of
six individuals, has been awarded the right
to negotiate a plan to redevelop the 18,000
square foot structure at 3934 N.E. Martin
Luther King Jr. Blvd. They hope to reno­
vate the structure for rent to a series of
small shops and offices that can serve the
local community. In doing so, they hope to
become the second building in Portland to
meet the city ’ s gold standard for environ­
mental compatibility.
Jason Roberts, a member of the neigh­
borhood association who helped select
the winning team, says he was impressed
by the group’s ties to the community, its
commitment to environmentally friendly
design, and its development plans.
“It looks like there’,1 be a lot of small
businesses," he told the Portland Observer.
Jeana Woolley, a Heritage Group part­
ner, is also part of a team that was awarded
the right to develop the King Commercial
Center, a three square block area on the
west side of Martin Luther King, between
Alberta and Killingsworth.
Woolley said the Weimer building col-
In two years we should have something out o f the
ground that will get people’s attention in a positive
way, and that will be a credit to the community
-J e a n a Woolley, W eimer building developer
Airport Losses Not as Severe as Anticipated
A last-minute surge o f confidence
Is expected to keep crowds at
Portland International at 9 2 percent
o f normal during the Thanksgiving
week.
n m o n M ark W ashington /
T he P orti , and O bserver
t
(AP) - Portland International Airport
has been bracing fo r a steep drop-off in
business fo r the start o f the holiday
travel season, but is a last-minute surge
o f confidence, airport officials say the
downturn w on’ t be as bad as predicted
They’ re expecting traffic at PDX to
be down only 8 percent from normal
levels during the Thanksgiving week.
Some o f the larger airlines serving
Portland, such as Delta and United, are
offering last-minute specials, but they re
upbeat about fillin g seats.
“ We expect to be close to normal
vo.umes fo r the week,” said Alaska
Airlines spokesman Jack Walsh.
The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks made
many tra velers wary o f flying, but the
faltering economy has forced many
people to cancel or postpone vaca­
tions and other getaways. Nationally,
passenger counts for October were
down 23 percent, according to the Air
Transport Association, an industry
trade group.
Nationally, AAA predicts holiday
air traffic will be 74 percent of nor­
mal. The Port of Portland had pre­
dicted an 85 percent level for the
month, but it now says holiday crowds
will be at 92 percent of last year's
peak of 50.000 travelers per day.
laboration is an opportunity to provide
goods and services to an area that sorely
needs it.
“We talked to one another prior to our
submissions, and came to the conclusion
that it made sense to submit the proposal
jointly. A number of us have worked in the
community and been involved in various
activities over the last 20 years. For some
of us this is our community, we live in it,
and the rest have business interests here,”
Woolley said.
Woolley mentioned a deli, coffee shop
or bakery as typical of the retail the build­
ing might provide, but said that the group
had signed up no tenants and had no
specific plans.
“The community will be involved down
the line," she said. “In two years we should
have something out of the ground that will
get people’s attention in a positive way,
and that will be a credit to the community.”
The post-Sept. 11 economy does not
seem like the best climate to start such a
venture, but Woolley said she isn’t wor­
ried.
“Interest in this community is not wan­
ing,” she says. “Houses are still being
built and selling, and people will still spend
money on basics.”
“We've built some housing on the av­
enue, but aside from personal services
continued
on page A3
Carter Wins
Census Lawsuit
Judge orders Census
Bureau to release adjusted
data on minorities
by W illiam M c C all
T he A ssociated P ress
A federal judge has ordered the U.S.
Census Bureau to release its statistically
adjusted count of Americans despite gov­
ernment arguments it would cause politi­
cal battles over local federal funding
around the country.
But an attorney for the two Oregon
legislators who filed a lawsuit to see the
continued
V
on page A3