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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 30, 2002)
Best in State Grant civics team qualifies fo r national finals in D.C. See story, Metro section inside ©hsu The City Of Roses' Volume XXXII Number 5 www.portlandobserver.com Committed to Cultural Diversity Established in 1970 Wednesday January 30,2002 50* HOLLYWOOD DEVOTION Renovated theatre is a popular neighborhood venue by S ean P. N elson , T he P ortland O bserver Nigeria Death Toll at 600 LAGOS, Nigeria — The toll from a series o f explosions at a military dump in Nigeria’s sprawling commercial capi- tol rose to more than 600, many of them women and children who drowned in a canal while trying to run away, Nige rian officials said. Enron Names New CEO HOUSTON — Enron named restruc turing specialist Stephen Cooper as interim chief executive to lead the troubled energy trading firm out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Cooper was picked to replace embattled former Enron Chairman and CEO Kenneth Lay, who resigned. Ex-KIng Plans Return to Afghanistan ROME— Afghan leader Hamid Karzai may go to Italy to accompany the country ’ s former king to his homeland. Mohammad Zaher Shah, who hasn’t been to Afghanistan since his 1973 ouster, wants to be back home by March 21, in ti me for a spring holiday that was banned by hard-line Talibans. Warm Front Knocks Down Winter Records Record warm temperatures across the Midwest and East Coast enticed golf ers, picnickers and spring flowers to emerge as the mercury topped 70 in some normally frigid states. Toys R Us to Close 64 Stores PARAMUS, N.J. — Toys R Us plans to cut 1,900 jobs and close 27 Toys R Us stores and 37 Kids R Us stores in a drive to cut costs and boost operating profits. Anti-Terror Funds Promised W ASHINGTON— Homeland defense chief Tom Ridge assured the nation's mayors that their cities are in line to receive funds to help fight terrorism. Ridge, however, was short on specif ics. President Bush is to address the mayors. Bush’s Budget Projects Deficits W ASHINGTON — Undeterred by a return to deficits for the first time since 1997, President Bush will propose a 2003 budget next month that would be $80 billion in the red, in large part be cause of a big boost for defense, his budget director disclosed. Senate Anthrax Worst Ever W ASHINGTON — Aides to Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle were exposed to the heaviest levels of an thrax ever documented among humans — from several hundred times the le thal dose to as much as 3,000 times a fatal amount, their doctors say. Greenspan Sounds Upbeat Notes WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan told Con gress that he saw a number of encourag ing signs that the country’s first reces sion in a decade could soon be over. The Fed chief sounded decidedly more up beat than he had just 13 days ago. Patrons of northeast Portland’s Holly wood theatre were disappointed when a fire caused smoke and water damage to the roof and destroyed the neighboring Hollywood Arcade building five years ago, recalled Richard Beers, a member of the board who owns the theatre. Since then, a renovation effort has led to the restoration of the historic structure which is now a popular venue for neigh borhood residents. “W e’ve painted most of the interior of the building, painted most of the exterior, and just recently we restored all of the storefronts on the Sandy Boulevard side,” Beers said. The theatre also opened up a new concession stand. Patrons can take ad vantage of a variety of entertainment other than the movies shown there. “We do everything from live music, to classic film series to weddings and birth day parties,” Beers said. The Hollywood was first built in 1926 as both a movie and vaudeville theatre and was the last big venue in Portland of its kind. Beers said it also was one o f the most ornate theatres of its kind. Nowadays the theatre is a historic venue both for Hollywood residents and those from other parts of the city. The popularity of the landmark can be demonstrated by the devotion of return ing patrons such as southeast Portland resident Laura Higdon. When Higdon was younger going to the Hollywood Theatre was both “fancy” and “posh.” Now, she said it reminds her o f going out for a night on the town in the 1950s. The renovation after the fire no doubt helped enhance this impression. “I haven’t been back since I was a kid. It was my favorite theatre when I was a kid,” she told the Portland Observer after seeing the film “Mulholland Drive” last week. In “Mulholland Drive”, Director David - m — W L Northeast Portland's renovated Hollywood Theater has found devotion from returning fans. photo by M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver Lynch returns to the dark and sinister world of the earlier works that made him famous. The popular film portrays a long twist ing dangerous road winding through the streets of Los Angeles, as two groups of teenagers race through the night. One of them collides with a limousine and a dark, sexy woman emerges from the limousine barely scratched. Only seconds before she had been targeted for assassination by one of her limo drivers. “It was good. It’s going to take awhile to sink in,” Higdon said. She explained that everything is sym bolic in any of Lynch’s films. “There’s a reason for everything, but it doesn’t al ways make sense why.” N ortheast Portland resident Terie Hindsley also enjoyed the film but found it hard to understand because of Lynch’s symbolism. She also liked the atmosphere of the Hollywood Theatre. “I’ve only been in one room, but it was lovely. It would be nice to see it totally restored,” Hindsley said. Hollywood Theatre general admission prices are $5. Children 12 and under and senior citizens over 65 can see movies for $3. Monday nights, all seats are $2.50 unless otherwise noted. All films are single admission. There are no double features. For more information about the films showing, call 503-281 -4215 or 503-493- 1128. McDonald’s Design Plan Submission in Dispute by L ee P erlman T he P ortland O bserver M cDonald’s has formally submitted design plans for a restaurant on the Raven Creamery property at 3303 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. M eanw hile, opponents have sug gested that McDonald’s might be accept able if it were part of a “mixed-use” devel opment, and if it were accompanied by traffic control devices to keep traffic out of residential streets. So far the Boise, Eliot, Irvington and Sabin neighborhoods have declared op position to a new M cDonald's, as has the ad hoc Friends o f MLK. But the North- Northeast Economic Development Alli ance and North-Northeast Business As- sociatior. support McDonald’s. The design, as formally submitted to the city’s Office of Planning and Devel opment Review last week, calls for the restaurant building to be situated at the southeast com er o f the 44,000 square foot property. In an attem pt to be “more in keeping w ith the architecture of the neighbor hood,” the building will have a tower at the south end, a Spanish-style tile roof and a stucco finish, with storefront w indow s facing the boulevard, accord ing to M c D o n a ld 's rep resen tativ e G eorge Kyler. The Northeast Coalition of Neighbor hoods reviewed the design plans last week. Several people, including land use Superintendent Search Narrows wouldn’t make an “open-ended commit ment” to “shoulder someone else’s prob lem.” As for doing a mixed-use project, he said, “You need to know what you are and what you are not. We don't do housing and we don’t want to be landlords.” Kyler said he personally is proud of the restaurant's design, saying it has fea tures that are state-of-the-art and “does a lot for the way Martin Luther King looks.” To this Sarah Cloud, chair of the Eliot Neighborhood Association, responded that she had been seeking information from M cDonald’s for months without success. “I don't see how we can respond to an incomplete plan," she said. 1-5 Project Halfway A decision on finalists in the search for a permanent superintendent for Portland public schools appears near. District officials last week said finalists will be invited to Portland during the next several weeks. “W e’re very pleased with the strength and quantity o f the candidate pool,” said board chair Debbie Menashe.“We are in the process o f selecting finalists to meet with district and community members in February and March. We expect to have excellent individuals for our employees and the commu nity to meet.” Each finalist candidate will visit Portland for two days, and will attend a series of meetings with employees, educational advocacy groups, elected officials, business leaders and other community members. The packed schedule also will include an opportunity for parents and members of the general public to meet the candidates, as well as media availability time. “We are on track for making a final decision this spring,” said Menashe. Jim Scherzinger, the district’s chief financial officer, has been serving as interim superintendent since July 2001. Scherzinger is one of the candidates for the permanent position. I chair Rocky Polzin, suggested a variety of devices to prevent traffic from venturing onto neighborhood streets. Several people also said that they w ould be m ore likely to accept a McDonald ’ s if it were part of a mixed-use development such as the Standard Dairy Building on Martin Luther King, which includes Billy Reeds Restaurant, hous ing, other stores and other uses. “M cDonald’s is an old idea, and w e’re looking for new ideas,” one man said. Kyler said M cDonald's might partici pate in a traffic control program in coop eration with other property owners as part of local improvement district. However, given that there are already traffic problems in the area, the firm Workers build a new ramp and sidewalk to the recently raised Failing Street pedestrian bridge as part o f the 1-5 preservation and soundwall project in north Portland. January marked the halfway point in a 2-year construction schedule. Next up is the repaving of all the lanes o f 1-5 from the Rose Quarter to the Interstate Bridge. photo by M ark W ashington / T he P ortland O bserver f
