Best in State
Grant civics team qualifies fo r national finals in D.C.
See story, Metro section inside
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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
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