Page A5
May 22,2002
City Leads
Nation in
Sewer,
Water Fees
(AP) — Sewer and water bills for resi
dential customers in Portland are the sec
ond highest among nearly 50 big cities
surveyed by an international consulting
firm, exceeded only by Seattle.
Aging systems and rising building
costs have driven most of the increase,
city officials said. Portland is currently
paying for a $ 1 billion project to clean up
sewage overflows into the Willamette
River and Columbia Slough.
The city’s sewer charges for a house
hold using 7,500 gallons a month ranked
as the highest of the 49 large cities that
submitted data to Black and Veatch, an
engineering, construction and consult
ing firm.
Portland’s water rates ranked 15th high
est out of the 49 cities surveyed.
Fire Pops Lid Off
Storage Tank
Boyer Honored for Service to College
r
Robert Boyer, a longtime Portland resident and community activist, addresses the class o f2002 at Concordia University. Boyer received the northeast
Portland college's Christi Crux award for significant contributions to the university from Dr. Charles Schlimpert (left), university president.
(AP)— An explosion forced the lid off
of a 100,000-gallon steel tank storing liq
uid asphalt early Friday in northwest
Portland.
A fire broke out at 3 a.m. because of a
miscommunication between employees
at the Owens Coming plant, said Neil
Heesacker, a Portland Fire Bureau spokes
man. One employee thought the tank
contained just 28,000 gallons when it ac
tually held much less, Heesacker said.
When workers began heating the tank
early Friday, too much vapor built up
inside the tank and it exploded, Heesacker
said.
No injuries were reported. The fire was
contained within a few hours.
Plant officials estimated about $ 150,000
in damage.
Well Runs Dry
for AIDS Drugs
State freezes new enrollments
as demand outstrips supply
(A P )— Public health officials have put a tem po
rary freeze on new enrollm ents into O reg o n ’s pre
scription drug assistance program for people w ith
HIV and A ID S.
D r. M el K ohn, state epidem iologist, said the
freeze is needed because higher drug prices and an
88 percent increase in applicants in the past tw o
years have overw helm ed the program ’s $3.8 million
■ annual budget.
The num ber o f enrollees rose from 55 8 in 1999to
1,051 in 2001 because o f the sta te ’s econom ic
downturn.
“W e deeply regret having to take this step,” Kohn
said. “W e know this w ill have a serious im pact on
people w ho need this help.”
T he freeze could end by m o n th ’s end, how ever.
Kohn said th a t’s w hen new policies, w hich could
include lower benefits and stricter eligibility criteria,
will likely be ham m ered out.
“W e don ’ t w ant to put som eone on the program
and then rem ove them until we clarify w hat we want
to do for the rest o f the y ear,” K ohn said.
T h e sta te re c e iv e s 2 0 to 25 n ew a p p lic a tio n s
per m onth.
The prospective changes com e as the num ber o f
HIV and AIDS cases in O regon has been steady for
the past four years. B ut those w ho have the virus or
the disease are living longer because o f new and
expensive anti-viral medications.
Dr. M ark L o v e le ss, m ed ic al d ire c to r fo r the
s ta te 's H IV p ro g ra m s, said the n u m b er o f A ID S
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deaths hit 355 in 1994, then dropped o ff d ram a ti
c a lly s ta rtin g in 1996 b e c a u se o f new m e d ic a
Happy Anniversary.
tions.
O nly 47 O re g o n ia n s d ied from A ID S in 1999.
B efore the new m ed ications, h a lf o f those w ith
the A ID S virus p ro g re sse d to the d ise a se w ith in
nine y e a rs. N ow it ca n tak e 18 to 20 y ears.
T he sta te ’s prescrip tio n pro g ram served about
1,100 p e o p le , o r a b o u t 21 p e rc e n t o f the 5 ,2 0 0
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w ww.gmacfs. com
O regonians infected w ith the virus.
M ore than 9 0 p e rc e n t o f the pro g ram ’ s b u d g et
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