Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 3, 2002)
Stye JJortlanb (ßbseruer Page B6 April 03, 2002 Welfare Worker Cleared in Child’s Death VAB>©R Castro Invites Jimmy Carter to Cuba H A V A N A (A P ) — S peaking publicly for the first tim e about his in v itation to fo rm er P resid en t C arter to visit this C aribbean is land, C uba leader Fidel C astro said he w ou ld n ’t m ind hearing criti cism from his guest. “W e only w ant him to see the county,” C astro said in a w ide- ranging address that began late W ednesday after a nationally tele vised cerem ony celebrating his g o v ern m e n t's victory ov er d en gue fever. “H e can criticize all he w ants.” C arter has confirm ed that he w ants to visit C uba and is w aiting for the green light from P resident Bush. N o date for the tentative visit has been announced. C arter said Friday he expects the Bush adm inistration’s “tacit approval, not their blessing.” N ew s o f the proposed visit com es as the gap widens between the W hite H ouse’s hard-line poli cies tow ard Cuba and increasing m oves in Congress to ease U.S. trade sanctions and restrictions on travel to the com m unist country. C arter has spoken out for in- Former President Jimmy Carter may be the first United States president to visit Cuba since 1959. creasing trade and A m ericans’ visits to Cuba, saying they w ould spread understanding o f the ad vantages o f freedom . “T h a t's the best w ay to bring about change, and not to punish the C uban people them selves by im posing an em bargo on them , w hich m akes C astro seem to be a hero because he is defending his ow n people against the abuse o f A m ericans,” Carter said last week. Joe G arcia, executive director o f the C uban A m erican National Foundation, said his organization w elcom es the trip as long as Carter tells C astro to leave pow er. D ur ing a 1994 visit to H aiti, C arter negotiated an agreement with mili tary ruler G en. Raoul C edras to step dow n. Mental Patient’s Death Makes Changes (A P) — It w as about a year ago that P ortland police officers fatally shot m ental patient M ejia P ool in the hallw ay o f a Port- land-area m ental hospital after being called there to help re strain him. A year later, police and health officials say the shooting has created positive changes in the w ay officers and health w orkers treat m entally ill and com bative prisoners. F or ex a m p le , th e re is in c re a s e d c o m m u n ic a tio n b e tw ee n state and co u n ty o f f i c ia ls, m ore c o o rd in a tio n w ith law e n fo rc e m e n t an d m o re o v e rsig h t o f m ental h ea lth fa- cilities. T he sta te is alm o st done w ith new ru les fo r h o sp itals that ad d re ss specific p roblem s the sh o o tin g in v e stig a tio n u n co v ered . A m ong them is a requirem ent that m ental hospitals provide im m ediate translation services so doctors and patients can com m unicate effectively. A lso under the rules, a report m ust be filed w ith the state any tim e an arm ed officer is called to restrain a patient. H ospitals also will have to provide a place w here officers can lock their guns before enter ing the w ards. c o n tin u e d fr o m p age B6 everyone in the system .” A fter review ing D epartm ent of H um an Services records and poli cies, prosecutors determ ined that “ Kraft w as never inform ed by A lexis' casew orker regarding the level o f supervision required.” “A gency policy did not require him to read the file,” Lieber’s memo said. “H e did not look at Ms. W esto n ’s file and, therefore, was not aw are o f her m ental state.” Beyond that, Kraft had no rea son to fear for A lexis’ safety be cause during previous visits "he had n ot k ep t an eye on Ms. W eston and the child, and the c h ild w as b ro u g h t b ack u n harm ed,” the m em o said. T he d ecisio n not to pursue crim inal charges against Kraft enraged M ike A lexander, A lexis' foster father at the tim e o f her Friends of Trees Hosts Yard Tree Giveaways Friends ofT rees’ BranchingOut program w ill give aw ay yard trees to help support their urban tree planting program s. The trees have been donated by area nurseries and include six-foot tall fruit and nut trees as w ell as native decidu ous trees and conifer seedlings. Trees can be picked up on April 20 at the E nvironm ental M iddle School, 2421 S.E. O range St., from 9 a .m .- 5 p .m . The tree distribution is a part of a daylong Earth D ay celebration, which will include a marimba band, a farm ers m arket, an alternative v e h ic le s fa ir, g reen v en d o rs, ch ild ren ’s art booths and story telling. T he them e o f the event is “L o calization: T he V illage R oots.” All trees planted in the P ort land m etro area will help increase the W illam ette/L ow er C olum bia region ’ s urban tree canopy, which diminished by almost half between 1972 and 2000. F o r m o re in f o rm a tio n on Friends o f T rees, call 503-284- T R E E (8733) or visit their website at w w w .friendsoftrees.org. death. " I t’s a crock,” A lexander said. "D ale (K raft) knew that Sharon posed a threat. H e 'd even said certain things to us that m ade us believe it . . . T hey say th ey ’re trying to protect the kids. T h ey ’re protecting them selves.” T he suit, scheduled for trial in D e c e m b e r, a lso a c c u s e s th e agency o f failing to adequately train Kraft to safely supervise vis its between Alexis and her mother, or telling him fully about the risk that W eston p resen ted to her daughter. A lexis’ father, Fernando Lopez- Perez, was expected to give a depo sition T hursday in a law suit he filed last sum m er alleging that the agency w as negligent in allow ing visits between Alexis and W eston, given W e sto n ’s p sy ch o lo g ical and em otional problem s. American Stroke Association. A Division of American Heart Association WJR. Stroke Awareness Forum April 13, 2002 • 9 a.m. - Noon Oregon Museum of Science and Industry 1945 S.E. Water Avenue • Portland • FREE Sight. Stroke is a leading cause of adult disability and the No. 3 killer of Americans. Learn about the warning signs, treatment, care and your best defenses against stroke. This free forum is hosted by the American Stroke Association and features experts from Legacy Health System, Oregon Health & Science University and Providence Health System. Your Speech. Participants will receive a voucher for a free stroke screening courtesy of HealthCheck Screening, Inc. Your Please register by April 9. Seating is limited. To register, call the American Stroke Association at 503 233-0100 or 800 452-9445. Mobility Featured speakers: • Paul Ash, M.D. Medical Director, Comprehensive Stroke Program at Legacy Meridian Park Hospital Which can you afford • Ted Lowenkopf, M.D. Medical Director, Providence Stroke Center at Providence St Vincent Medical Center • Helml Lutsep, M.D. lose ? • Roger Simon, M.D. Director, Robert S. Dow Neurobiology Research Laboratories at Legacy Clinical Research and Technology Center /* Providence Stroke Center It Associate Director, the Oregon Stroke Center at OHSU B| H ea lth C h e ck M M f M U K, Legacy Comprehensive Stroke Program l ’iovtdciM < I Health System sanon-syntneiabo OHSU ® Ingelheim The Korean American Association of Oregon Boston Market 726 NE Killingsworth 503-282-6776 Killingsworth Food Mart 1616 NE Killingsworth 503-281-2154 Knott St. Grocery 2709 NE 7th 503-284-7490 Cullen’s Corner 4938 N Albina 503-287-0542 Ainsworth Market 5949 NE 30th 503-281-0479 Prescott Corner Market 1460 NE Prescott 503-284-7418 K C Food Market 309 N Killingsworth 503-289-7430 Union Market 3837 NE MLK Jr. Blvd. 503-284-6511 Alberta Street Market 915 NE Alberta 503-281-6388 We Appreciate Your Business and Support Thank you I I I t
