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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (May 8, 2002)
Volume XXXII Number 18 www.portlandobserver.com Wednesday Committed to Cultural Diversity Established in 1970 May 08,2002 Church Touts Changing Demographics Multicultural ‘Ainsworth in the City’ events celebrate diversity Memo Implicates Enron W ASHINGTON — A confidential Enron document released by federal energy regulators shows how Enron traders drove up power prices during California’s energy crisis. The memo randum outlined practices similar to those described by California officials, who allege the energy trading com pany created phantom congestion to increase electricity prices. Worker Productivity Surprisingly Strong W ASHINGTON— Worker productiv ity, a key ingredient to the econom y’s long-term vitality, shot up at an annual rate of 8.6% in the first quarter, the best performance in nearly 19 years. The jum p in productivity followed a strong 5.5% rate of increase in the final three months o f 2001, the Labor Department reported. AINSWORTH CHURCH OF CHRIST Promoting a m ulticultural celebration at the Ainsworth United Church o f Christ are Andrea Cano (from left), Helena Ellison, Ashley Cooper and her father, also Ashley Cooper. ‘THE GOSPEL £ ACCORDING TP£ photo by D avid G iezyng / T he P ortland O bserver Pipe Bomb Found In Texas OMAHA — A pipe bomb similar to 17 others found in four other states was discovered in a rural mailbox in Texas, the FBI said. The bomb was found near Amarillo, Texas. “It’s another pipe , bomb. It looks sim ilarto the others,” an FBI agent said. Sharon Brings Peace Plan to U.S. JERUSALEM— Israeli Prime Minister • Ariel Sharon was due to arrive in W ash ington, bringing with him a peace plan and what Israel says is conclusive evi dence that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is an unreformed terrorist who will never lead his people to peace. Draped on the brick wall o f Ainsworth United Church of Christ is a banner which reads “A Multiracial, Multicultural, Open and Affirming Community,” — a message that rings true to many people in this northeast Portland neighborhood. Throughout the years, church mem bers have noticed and responded to the changing demographics of the neighbor hood and in greater Portland. To celebrate the diversity in the com munity, the church is hosting a three-day Chirac Declyes Victory In France Naimah Johnson, 18, discusses a play sh e 's writing for a McCoy Academy psychology class with school principal Donna White. Johnson says McCoy teachers give her a lot more attention than she got at Jefferson High School. PARIS — President Jacques Chirac was re-elected in a landslide over ex treme-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen after a dramatic race that shook France to its foundations. In exit polls, all three of France’s major polling firms gave Chirac 81 % to 83% o f the vote. • U.S. Split Over Ousting Saddam W ASHINGTON — President Bush’s hopes o f building a strong insurgent group to replace Iraqi President Saddam Hussein have been set back by feuding among U.S. officials over who should lead the opposition, adm inistration sources say. Second Space Tourist Returns AST AN A, Kazakhstan — Internet mil lionaire Mark Shuttleworth, the world's second space tourist, landed safely in Kazakhstan and said his space voyage was “the best thing I’ve ever done.” Bush Approval Not Just Wartime Bounce Built on the faith Americans showed in President Bush following his response to terror attacks on Sept. 11, a new poll shows that almost eight months later Bush has developed an image among most Americans as a strong, compe tent, leader who shares their values and has elevated respect for presidency. Ó <^i o o I ~ u 2 $ È c □ O' o ci O <u c G 60 3 Ul community event called “Ainsworth in the City,” from Friday, May 17to Sunday, May 19. The non-profit Portland Opportuni ties Industrial Center is a community part ner in the celebration and will benefit from event proceeds. “Ainsworth in the City” opens with a gala dinner, dance, silent auction and jazz concert featuring Marilyn Keller, a popu lar local jazz vocalist at Shenanigans Res- continued on page B4 Whose America is This? Portland Summit Hears Famed Champion of Justice PHOTO BY D avid P lechi ? T he P ortland O bserver Mission Gets Tougher at McCoy Northeast alternative school is down, but far from out by D avid P i . echi . T he P ortland O bserver Donna White, principal at McCoy Academy on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, describes the alternative school’s goal as “helping students who are not able to be successful in a traditional school." That mission just got a little harder since last month’s decision by the Portland School Board to cut funding to the school after its two-year charter expires this June. “W e thought if there were issues, they would work with us and help us set up a school improvement plan," W hite said. “That didn’t happen." The board cited poor attendance and unpaid debts as its major reasons behind its decision. The school provides a small student to teacher ratio and is designed to allow students the opportunity to catch up where traditional schools have left them be hind. The school has existed in one form or another for 15 years, and has gone only one year with out any public funding. White explained. “That year put us in debt," she said. Though discouraged by the news, founder of McCoy and executive director of Oregon Outreach, Rebecca Black says, “The school will remain open.” Enrollment will likely be cut back, but supporters hope private donations, grants, and loans will keep the school afloat. The school has four sites in Portland, one in Molalla, and one in Washington County. The minimum attendance rate set by the board was 80 percent, which the school reached at all o f its locations except at the MLK site. The school enrolls 45 students. Most students eventually graduate. Some will catch up and return to conventional schools. O f the school’s success at helping kids turn their educations around. White says, “Some kids just need a smaller environment. Some have had drug or alcohol issues or trouble with the law. Some of the kids are homeless." continued I on page A6 Morris Dees speaks o f hope and tolerance at Diversity Summit. S usan V ogt F or T he P ortland O bserver by A lifelong champion of justice, who is devoted to the teaching o f tolerance, the value o f understanding and the beauty in acceptance, had dramatic words that echoed in the minds of nearly one thousand people during Diversity Summit 2000. “W hose America is this?” Morris Dees, asked the Oregon Convention Center crowd. T he battle for that answer will play out during the next century as whites move into the minority.We must make room for all continued on page A6 I