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
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2 Area Minimum
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UPHOLSTERY CLEANING^
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Sofa (over 6 ft.)
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NEW SERVICE
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r
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