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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (July 10, 2002)
July 10, 2002 Page B6 More Applying for Food Stamps Washington Law Requires Booster Seats for Kids (A P ) — N ew rules for parents recently w ent into effect: Put kids in booster seats w hen th e y ’re passengers in your vehicle until th e y ’re 6 years old or w eigh 60 p o u n d s. That new state law was inspired by W alla W alla m other A utum n A lexander Skeen, w ho thought she was playing by the rules in 1996 when she buckled her4-year- o ld son A nton into a seat belt and took o ff on a road trip. W hen S k e e n ’s sp o rt-u tility vehicle rolled over on Interstate 82 near Y akim a, A nton slipped out o f his seat belt and onto the m edian, w here he died. Skeen channeled her g rief into a fight for the new statute, know n as A n to n ’s Law. T he seats positio n children w ho have outgrow n forw ard-fac ing baby car seats so that adult sized lap and shoulder belts fit properly. W ithout boosters, chil dren risk severe injury in a car crash. Here are the law 's new rules for children in vehicles: — U nder 1 year or 20 pounds, the child m ust be in a rear-facing infant seat; — A ge I to 4 or w eighing b e tw een 20 to 39 pounds, in a for w ard-facing child-safety seat; — A ge 4 to 6 or w eigh ing 40 to 59 pounds, in a booster seat plus seat belt. V ehicles equipped only w ith lap belts are exem pt as boost ers should be used only w ith lap- shoulder belts; — C hildren under 6 o r w eigh ing less than 60 pounds m ust sit in the back seat if the vehicle is equipped with passenger-side air bags that are activated. Safety seats for infants and younger children have long been required under W ashington law, but were not required for children over 3 until A nton’s Law was (AP) — M ore O regonians than ever are seeking food stamps and state health coverage. But the De partment o f Health Services has fewer caseworkers to help them. The departm ent has 34 vacan cies that can ’t be filled because o f a hiring freeze. M eanwhile, the num ber o f O regonians on food stamps reached a record 368-thou- sand last month. And about408,000 O regonians are covered by the health plan. T h irty -fiv e -th o u s a n d m ore people have applied for coverage under the Oregon Health Plan, which provides M edicaid cover age for low-incom e Oregonians. Employees at DHS are now working on w eekends to make a dent in those backlogged applica tions. RiverView Guesthouse Bed & Breakfast passed. The m easure w as approved in 2000. E nforcem ent w as delayed tw o years to gi ve parents a chance to learn about booster seats. A booster-seat ticket carries a penalty o f $86, but judges have the option o f dism issing tickets if par ents buy a booster within seven days o f a violation and can prove it. W hile safety experts say m ost parents are aw are o f the impor- tance o f using car seats with younger children, statistics show a m ajority m ove early school-age chi Idren into seat belts before they are tall enough. Skeen is pushing for a national booster seat law that w ould m an date better research and standards for young passengers. She also hopes to persuade car m anufac turers to build harness system s into seats. “Home Away From Home ” 3909 N. Overlook Terrace, Portland, OR 97227 (503)287-3937 Initiative to Boost Oregon’s Minimum Wage (A P ) — P e titio n s ig n a tu r e s fo r a p r o p o s e d b a llo t m e a su re to ra is e O r e g o n ’s m in im u m w a g e by 4 0 c e n ts an h o u r to $ 6 .9 0 w e re file d la st W e d n e s d a y w ith th e s e c r e t a r y o f s t a t e ’s o ffic e . B a ck e rs o f th e in itia tiv e said th e y s u b m itte d 9 1 ,0 0 0 s ig n a tu re s, w ell o v e r th e 6 6 ,7 8 6 s ig n a tu re s o f re g is te r e d v o te rs n e e d e d to p u t th e m e a s u re on th e N o v . 5 b a llo t. O f f i c i a l s w ill n o w s ta r t c h e c k in g th e v a lid ity o f s ig n a tu r e s . T he d e a d lin e w as F rid a y fo r tu r n in g in s ig n a tu r e s to p u t m e a s u r e s on th e g e n e ra l e le c tio n b allo t. A b o u t a d o ze n m e a s u re s a re e x p e c te d to q u a lify th is y e a r, d o w n fro m th e 18 in itia tiv e s on th e N o v e m b e r 2 0 0 0 ballot. T h e w a g e flo o r h as n o t in c r e a s e d sin c e 1 999, w h e n it r e a c h e d a to p o f $ 6 .5 0 u n d e r a th r e e -s te p ra is e a p p ro v e d by v o te rs in 1996. B e sid e s b o o s tin g th e m in i m u m to $ 6 .9 0 , th e n ew in it ia tiv e m e a s u re w o u ld a d ju s t th e fig u re a n n u a lly to a c c o u n t fo r in fla tio n . S ta te R ep. D ia n e R o s e n b a u m , D - P o r tla n d , a s p o n s o r o f th e p r o p o s a l, sa id O re g o n h ad th e h ig h e s t m in i m u m w ag e on th e W e st C o a st a f te r th e 1996 v o te a n d no w h a s th e lo w e s t. W a s h in g to n s t a t e ’s m in i- Soul Chain Links Soul Sisters con tin u ed fro m M etro M cD onald said that ever since they got the idea, everything hap p ened how it w as supposed to. “G od answ ered m y question through m y craft,” she says. “You have to be passionate about som e thing, to find your niche.” W hat about the nam e? Soul C hain? Soul, because the bou tique is in northeast Portland, w hat m any have com e to cal 1 the Soul o f Portland. C hain, because before you crochet anything, the first run o f stitches you m ake is called a chain. “ See,” M cD onald says, hold ing a red row o f finely looped knots in front o f her. “It’s very therapeutic. W hatever is bother ing you is all crocheted up into w hat you are w orking on.” Passion for design pays o ff in beautiful, original pieces. E very th ing is hand-m ade. Intricately d esigned tops that hug the body. Full length gow ns in black and red. B ikinis. Even toe thongs adorned w ith beads and ornate stitching. T he item s can be dis creet or a little revealing, but al w ays one o f a kind. “W e create things, w e d on’t use patterns. W hatever w e think we w ant to m ake, w e ju st envision it, draw it and m ake it,” M cDonald explains, “T hat’s what m akes it so original." T he designs alm ost purr. The ju xtap o sitio n o f a yam knit on a red bikini m ust be seen and per haps felt to be truly appreciated “W e have a steady clientele that really like our things,” nays M cD onald. She says at first, w hen the w om en had very little inventory, it w as difficult to keep the store stocked. “I w ould put dresses in the window and they would be gone the next day,” McDonald says. They are trying to catch up. Even their m other contributes to the diverse collection, m aking J blankets and baby items. T hose are her favorite. She d o esn ’t have any problem finding good hom es fo r the fin ely c ra fte d item s. A u d re y has tw e n ty - f o u r grandkids. “ I’ve m ade blankets and throw covers and spreads for all o f them ," she says, “I be busy.” Black prefers to craft skirt suits, halter tops and skirt outfits. “ I like m aking things with little accesso ries to go with them .” she says. O n the recent Last T hursday A rt W alk, a curious patron pages i We create things, we don t use patterns. Whatever we think we want to make, we just envision it, draw it and make it. That s what makes it so original. -M o n a M cDonald through a book o f designs and rem arks on gray sw eater with blue trim , flared sleeves, and m atching hat. “T h a t’s one o f m ine,” says Black, nodding her head as if re m em bering an old friend. Indeed, the sisters say som e o f the item s are difficult to say good-bye to. “ I s h o c k m y s e lf ,” s a y s M cD onald, “ I m ake things that can be really hard to let go o f.” The w om en use a colorful as sortm ent o f yam s, m ostly im ported from G erm any and France. T hey like to use m aterials that are a little different. M icrofiber co t ton, deco ribbon, chenille that feels like velvet. B eads com e from neighboring shops on Alberta. T he sisters also consign with local artists. H andm ade jew elry fills a viewing case and small satch els hang delicately from hooks. “ If w e found som ething that w ould fit in our shop, w e w ould put it in here. I think it’s nice ifw e can help other artists,” M cD onald says. The clothes have been such a hit that the busy sisters are alm ost having a hard tim e keeping up w ith dem and. “W e need m ore hands,” says M cD onald, spinning out a cro cheted spandex cotton bikini. A full length dress m ay take a w eek to m ake. I f it is a real tight stitch, it m ay take two. T ops can take tw o to six hours. A hat m ay take thirty m inutes. Prices vary, and depend on the fiber used and the size o f the stitch. Tops average $62. Dresses start at $ 100 and go up from there. They ask for 50% dow n on co m m is sioned item s and the rest o f the balance upon com pletion. “ People say o u r p rices are m odest," says M cD onald. She adds that patrons shouldn’t be discouraged if a too small top in the window catches their fancy. “ Som etim es w om en w alk by and notice the skim py item s in the w indow and say to them selves ‘I w ould never fit into that little th in g ,” ’ she says. Since everything the sisters m ake is custom m ade, finding the right size, and style for that matter, is not a problem . Future plans include a cata logue o f designs as w ell as an internet site. They also hope to sell yam and even offer cro ch et in g c la s s e s to th e p u b lic . M cD onald may even introduce a designer line o f linen to a grow ing list o f products. But for now , the sisters, m om . and frie n d s, h av e m o re th an enough w ork to keep their hands busy. W ith each passing day, another link in the chain. “ I cat, sleep, and breathe cro cheting,” M cD onald explains, “ I love this store and everything happening on A lberta. " I fax (503) 249-8956 m u m w a g e is $ 6 .9 0 , w h ile C a lif o r n ia ’s is $6 .7 5 . T w o o th e r s ta te s h a v e m in i m um p ay ra te s h ig h e r th a n O r e g o n , a c c o r d in g to th e U .S . L a b o r D e p a rtm e n t. T h e y are C o n n e c tic u t at $ 6 .7 0 an d M as s a c h u s e tts at $ 6 .7 5 . An o rg an izatio n rep resen tin g m o s tly s m a ll b u s i n e s s e s , th o u g h , say s a h ig h e r m inim um w age w ill not help O reg o n b u si n ess as the sta te trie s to reco v er from a recessio n . w w w .riverview guesthousebb.com Rozell <6 B e a tric e G ilm ore, o w n ers CARPET CLEAMIMG 2001 CARPET CLEAMIMG MARTIN CLEANING SERVICE I CARPET CLEANING | % $20 $20 Dining Chairs Ottoman 2 Area Minimum 1 Small Hall Free Pre-Spray • Stairs $1.50 each I ADDITIONAL SERVICES | • Auto*Boat*RV Cleaning • Deordorizing • Dirt Resistant (Teflon) UPHOLSTERY CLEANING^ r r o ie c i io n • • • • • Sofa (under 6 ft.) Sofa (over 6 ft.) Sectional Loveseat Recliner $69 $79 $79 $49 $39 • Pet Odor Treatmen t • Spot & Stain Removal NEW SERVICE • Leather Cleaning r 1 1 CARPET COUPON | 1 1 1 1 Small Hall Free Pre-Spray Traffic Area 1 ! 2 Area Minimum $25 Each Area UPHOLSTERY COUPON | 1 1 1 Sofa (under6 ft.) 1 1 Loveseat or Chair „ $ 6 9 C /1 Q q j T ’Zz ................ 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