Ministry Plans Urban School
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Volume XXXII
Number 11
"T hû
if ir ( \it D
The P City
Of Roses' 11
www.portlandobserver.com
a c o p
Committed to Cultural Diversity
Established in 1970
Wednesday
March 20, 2002
Formosa Café Fights For Survival
Alcohol-related
problems plague
northeast landmark
bv M ichael L eighton
T he P ortland O bserver
Cheney Offers Arafat
Incentives to Stop Violence
JERUSALEM — Yasser Arafat was
offered major incentives to help stop
Mideast fighting: Vice President Dick
Cheney said he would meet with the
Palestinian leader after a truce takes
hold, and Israel said it might lift a travel
ban on Arafat in time for next w eek’s
Arab summit.
Yates Is Sentenced for Killings
H O USTON — A judge sentenced
Andrea Yates to life in prison in the
drownings ofher five children. The 37-
year-old homemaker will be eligible for
parole in 2041.
Court to Consider School
Drug-Testing
W A SH IN G TO N — O ne o f the m ost
pressing questions for parents and
educators com es before the U.S. Su
prem e C ourt as the ju stic e s consider
how far schools can go in try in g to
keep students o ff o f drugs. A n O kla-
i hom a school district is defending a
policy o f random urine testing for
high school students. M any parents
and kids argue that the testing is
unconstitutional and can backfire.
U.N. Endorses Palestinian State
UNITED NATIONS— The U.N. Secu
rity Council approved a resolution en
dorsing a Palestinian state for the first
time. It also supported a U.S. measure
^ th a t calls for an immediate cease-fire in
" the escalating 17-month Israeli-Pales-
tinian conflict.
Campaign-Finance Law
Appears Easy to Evade
W ASHINGTON— Even as the Senate
votes to send a campaign finance mea
sure to President Bush, election lawyers
and political operatives are probing for
ways around it — and finding them.
Many predict that “soft money” will still
find its way into candidates’ coffers.
The owners and operators o f a popular
northeast Portland restaurant and lounge
are fighting for the survival o f the busi
ness after the suspension o f its liquor
license because o f a recent shooting.
Representatives for the Formosa Café,
a longtime northeast Portland landmark,
have appealed last w eek's immediate sus
pension.
A hearing on the issue will be sched
uled within 30 days and could lead to
permanent cancellation o f a license to
serve alcoholic beverages at the estab
lishment, OLCC officials said Monday.
The shooting occurred March 11 when
a 24-year-old north Portland man was
shot in the chest in a bathroom inside the
business.
Charles Patton survived the attack and
was listed in good condition Monday at
Legacy Emanuel Hospital.
Police said they have charged Talmage
Lanell Ellis, 34, with attempted murder in
the shooting. Leading the investigation
are detectives with the Portland Police
Bureau’s Gang Enforcement Tearn.
A day after the potentially deadly vio
lence, the OLCC pulled Formosa’s liquor
license, citing the incident and past prob
lems at the location, including fights and
drug use.
OLCC officials said immediate suspen
sion was warranted because continued
operation o f the business is considered a
serious danger to public health and safety.
A letter dated March 12 from Police
C hief Mark A. Kroeker backed up those
claims.
In a request to halt liquor sales at the
site, the letter refers to multiple assaults,
A shooting at the Formosa Café at 7410 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. has led to the immediate suspension o f the
nightclub's liquor license and a fight for the survival o f the longtime establishment.
photo bv
disturbances, possession o f controlled
substances and public intoxication at the
establishment, OLCC official said. A
spokesman for the police bureau said
Kroeker was out o f town and a subordi
nate may have signed the letter in his
name.
Forthe future, OLCC officials are wor-
ried that Formosa employees can’t con
trol alcohol-related problems by patrons.
In fact, just on March 8, three days
before the shooting, the Formosa Cafe
paid a $4,950 civil penalty to resolve a
case involving a history o f serious and
persistent problems at the business relat
ing to alcohol-related disturbances, alter
Uniting Neighborhoods With Healthcare
Bush Proposes Tax Breaks
for Small Businesses
W ASHINGTON — President Bush
sought billions o f dollars in new tax
breaks to spur A m erica’s businesses,
arguing that improving the entrepre
neurial climate will generate new jobs
and help pull the nation form the eco
nomic slowdown.
The commander o f U.S. forces in Af
ghanistan declared Operation Ana
conda over and called the Pentagon’s
largest, bloodiest light-infantry cam
paign since Vietnam an “absolute suc
cess.” Afghan commanders, however,
say hundreds o f al-Qaeda and Taliban
fighters had escaped.
FBI Arrests 40 In Child Pom Sting
m
c
TO
Red Cross representatives Lee Hopper (from left), Lynne Libby, Naomi Anderson, Sue Winslow and
Colleen Johnson were among several health care professionals offering services and health education
Saturday at Buckman School, 320 S.E. l f f h. The event was sponsored by the Buckman SUN (Schools
Uniting Neighborhoods) School, an after-school program for kids and families. It offered free health
screenings, a lead poisoning prevention workshop, information about low-cost health insurance options,
and even fun health related games.
photo by M ark W ashington /T hf . P ortland O bserver
Urban League Hosts 10th Annual Career Fair
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Lu O
Job seekers are invited to attend the Urban League o f
encourage p articip an ts to bring several co p ies o f
’o rtlan d’s 10lh annual jo b fair called “Career C onnec-
th e ir resum e. Interview s w ill be offered by m any
ions 2002” on T hursday, M arch 28 at the Double Tree
em ployers.
lo te l, Lloyd Center, from 9 a.m. - 7 p.m.
s-g
3
cations and harassment in and around the
premises in the past couple o f years.
A permanent cancellation o f the liquor
license was rejected in the earlier case
because the number o f serious incidents
had declined after theclub adopted earlier
closing hours and hired trained security
personnel, OLCC officials said.
Deep
School Cuts
Approved
Board to shorten school
calendar, close schools,
fire custodians
Anaconda Declared Over,
But Work Remains
W ASHINGTON— Federal authorities
investigating an Internet-based child
pornography ring have arrested 40
people in 20 states, including twoCatho-
lic priests, youth baseball coaches, a
police officer and a teacher’s aide, Jus
tice Department officials said.
M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver
T h ere w ill be o v er 20 ex h ib ito rs rep resen tin g
/a rio u s c o m p an ies and go v ern m en t offices.
U rb an L eague o ffic ia ls say the fair is a chance to
m eet the jo b re c ru ite rs and m arket yo u rself, and
«
A lso av ailable for the no n -E n g lish speak in g a p p li
cants are interp reters rep resen tin g several languages:
S panish, R ussian and A sian.
For m ore info rm atio n , call the U rban L eague o f
P ortland at 503-280-2600.
1
(AP) — Portland public school students will
spend fewer hours in class next school year
because o f budget cuts unanimously approved
by the school board on Monday.
More than 500 people crowded school district
headquarters in north Portland as the board de
cided late Monday to close two elementary
schools, replace custodians with private contrac
tors, scrap raises for al 1 district workers next year
and make other cuts.
Portland is the firs, large district in the state to
make cuts to balance the budget after the Legis
lature reduced funding for schools. O regon’s
economic downturn has cut revenues, and law
makers voted to reduce spending rather than
raise taxes.
“I hope the governor and the Legislature are
taking note o f what we 're cutting tonight,” school
board member Julia Brim-Edwards said Monday.
In Portland, the school year will shrink by eight
to nine days, bringing the total instructional
hours to the lowest in the country. Oregon class
rooms now operate 171 days a year on average,
according to the state Department o f Education,
while most states require a, least 180 instructional
days.
This year’s operating budge, for the district
totals $367 million, and the board voted on a
budget for next school year that totals $360 m il
lion.
T w o e le m e n ta ry sc h o o ls, W ilco x an d
Youngs,on, willbeclosed. W ilcox’s 197 students
will be merged with nearby Vestal Elementary
School, while Y oungs,on's 177 students will at
tend Bndger Elementary