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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 2, 2002)
(Elie ^ìorthuth (Bbaeruer__________________ PageA2 O c to b er0 2 .2 0 0 2 P olice Providence Women's Health invites you to enjoy the sixth annual Room Started on Fire in Attack A man described as a tran sient is facing seven counts of arson, accused of spraying a room of people with flammable liquid and lighting the room on fire. The victims were able to es cape and didn’t get burned, al though they did suffer some irritation from the chemical, police said. In addition to the arson charge, Bjame Alex Lewis, 32, faces counts of assault, pos session of a destructive device and criminal mischief. Police said the incident hap- A program nurturing the needs o f w om en o f all ages and in all stages o f life through humor, hope and health Saturday, October 12 7:45 a.m .- 4:30 p.m. Oregon Convention Center Portland, Oregon A D ay fo r You is an all-day conference for women and about women. Providence Health System physicians and experts w ill share the Bjarne Alex Lewis pened Sept. 25 at the “JOIN” community outreach center in southeast Portland. Witnesses told police Lewis was caught spraying a flam m able liquid in a room at the center, and then as they tried to stop him, he sprayed them and lit the room on fire. H e’s also accused of trying to light a hom em ade destructive de vice. The suspect fled on foot and was stopped by another wit ness, police said. Damage to the community center was placed at $2,000. latest information on women's health topics, Vancouver Killer Gets Life Term including heart care, cancer prevention, skin care, hormone replacement therapy, the secrets of optimal aging and much more. Register online at www.providence.org/adayforyou: Keynote Speaker $30 for Providence Health Plan members Linda Dano if registered by Oct. 8 Em m y A w a rd -W in n in g Actress Join us for "A Morning w ith Linda Dano." This beloved daytime star w ill share her thoughts-on healthy living, including her insights as a caregiver for her late father, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease. $35 for general public if registered by Oct. 8 $40 if registered after Oct. 8 A Day fo r You is b ro u g h t to you by It (AP) — A man who stunned V an co u v er in v e stig a to rs last spring by confessing to the fatal stabbing of a Clark College instruc tor in 1996 has been sentenced to life in prison without parole. Richard J. Hampton, 49 was sen tenced Thursday by Clark County Superior Court Judge Edwin L. Poyfair to 13*/2 years in prison for manslaughter in the shooting death of his wife, Donna, 45. Wearing handcuffs, Hampton read a prepared statement of apol ogy to relatives of Vem Qualman, who had been his instructor at Clark College, but said nothing to the two dozen people who wore buttons bearing his w ife’s picture in the courtroom. Qualman vanished on May 28, 1996, and a camper found his body two weeks later near Sunset Falls Campground at the Clark-Skamania county line in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Hampton was arrested after his wife, a fifth-grade teacher, died of a gunshot blast May 12 at their home. He claimed the gun discharged w hile he was cleaning it as the couple w atched television, but investigators said her w ounds and the couple’s storm y m ar riage made that account unlikely and he was charged with first- degree murder. While in jail, Hampton said the burden of keeping Qualman’s mur der a secret was more than he could bear and confessed, saying he was enraged by what he believed were pranks the instructor was playing on him in a machine technology class. Providence Women's Health Two Accused in Old Town Stabbing A c a r in g d i f f e r e n c e y o u c a n f e e l One man has been arrested for murder and another is wanted on a murder charge in connection with a downtown stabbing death. Eric Tim Turner, 43, is being held in jail on one count of murder in the Sept. 12 death of W alter Russ, 37. A second suspect in the case, identified as Ray Shawn Smith, 38, is charged with murder, robbery and assault. Police believe Smith frequents the Old Town area and may be hiding in the Portland area. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Stu Winn at 503-823-0768 or Detective Barry Renna at Eric Tim Turner 503-823-0255. Register online at www.providence.org/adayforyou or call the Providence Resource Line at 503-216-6595. A Ray Shawn Smith L EG A L N O TICE African Americans and other non-Caucasians White Powder Hoax Shuts Down Capital could get benefits in a settlement about Threatening letter was addressed to Gov. John Kitzhaber Metropolitan life insurance policies (AP) — A second round of Capitol closed until further test the mailroom to quarantine them, tests done in Atlanta, Ga. found no ing could be com pleted at the but were given show ers and sent sold before 1973. smallpox or anthrax in the white Centers for D isease Control and hom e, said Dr. G rant H igginson, settlement has been proposed in a class action lawsuit about whether, before 1973. Metropolitan chaiged more to insure African Americans and other non-Caucasians than it charged to insure Caucasians. People included in the settlement could get cash or other valuable benefits, like increased insurance. r\ If you're in the settlement, you may send in a claim form to get benefits, or you can exclude yourself, or object. The United Stales District Court for the Southern District of New York author ized this notice. The Court will have a hearing to decide whether to approve the settle ment. so that the benefits may be paid. W ho ’ s included ? You could get benefits if you or a relative fits the description in the box to the right. Still not sure? Get a detailed notice at the website or by calling for free. If this settlement applies to one of your family members who died, you could get their set tlement benefits. Many poli cies were sold door-to-door, perhaps in your old neighbor hood. Do you know someone who had ci policy? Let them know about the settlement. benefits. A detailed notice has more information about the settlement benefits. You can gel one by calling or going to the website. H o w DO YOU GET THE BENEFITS? If you're in the settlement, send in a claim form to get benefits. The detailed notice package has every Are you in the settlem ent? thing you need. Just call or visit the website below to get one. Claim forms are due For any Metropolitan life policy below, by April 23, 2003. Yotl don’t insuring an African American or other non- have to have your policy Caucasian: number, but it will help (0 Were you ever insured under one? OR Metropolitan find the policy to see if it qualifies. If you're <2- Did you ever own one? OR not sure your policy is CJ Were you paid a death benefit from included, you can file a claim one? anyway. Filing a claim does n't mean you'll get benefits. The Metropolitan life policies are: Y our other options >- “Industrial” policies sold door-to- door from 1901 through 1964. (Less than $1,000 coverage; premiums collected door-to-door) If you don't want settle ment benefits, or to be legally bound by the settlement, you must exclude yourself by December 30, 2002, or you »■ “ Ordinary” policies sold from 1901 won't be able to sue. or con through 1972. (If sold at higher than tinue to sue. Metropolitan standard rates) about the legal claims in this r* “Ordinary” policies sold from 1960 case. If you exclude yourself, through 1972 with $4,500 to $5,000 you can't get any benefits of coverage. (With an “M " in the from this settlement. If you policy number) slay in the settlement, you may object to it by December Did you say yes to one of the questions? 30, 2002. The detailed notice Or, do any questions apply to a family explains how to exclude your W hat can you get member who died? If so. you could get self or object The Court will from the hold a hearing in this case benefits. SETTLEMENT? (Thompson v. Metropolitan Did your neighbor have a policy? Tell them Life. No. OO-CIV-5O71 HB) Generally, people who about the settlement. on February 7, 2003, to con still have their life insurance sider whether to approve the Settlement benefits include cash payments coverage will get increased settlement and the attorneys' or other valuable benefits, if you qualify. insurance benefits. If the request for fees and expenses. settlement is approved, these Claim Forms are due by April 23, 2003. The fees and expenses won’t people can ask for cash reduce the settlement benefits. instead, but in a lower You may ask to appear at the hearing, but you don't amount than the increased insurance benefits. People have to. Find out more with a free call to I -800-960- whose policies already paid a death or maturity bene 2381, by visiting www.lifesettle.com. or by writing to fit will get cash. Most people whose policies terminat Settlement Administrator, Thompson v. Metropolitan ed for other reasons will get five years of free death Life, P.O. Box 61, Minneapolis. MN 55440-8511. benefit coverage, and some of them will get cash. For Please do not contact the Court. some policies, the settlement provides other additional «Î-X00-960-238I www.lifesettk.com » powder that laced a threatening letter addressed to Gov. John Kitzhaber, the governor’s spokes man said. The state C apitol was evacu ated W ednesday afternoon after the su sp icio u s envelope was found in a third-floor m ailroom . Tests done at the site W ednes day indicated the pow der was not anthrax, but officials kept the Prevention in Atlanta. “They would not open the building if it w asn’t safe. If there was any doubt, they would not be o p e n in g th e b u ild in g ,” Tow slee said. The letter also listed a Pakistani return address, the FBI said. A m ailroom w orker and three state troopers who were called to the scene were initially kept in state public health officer. Kitzhaber was not in the Capitol when the envelope was discov ered. He was giving a speech at a forestry conference at Willamette University. He later went to the Capitol. Higginson said there have been many anthrax scares around O r egon since Sept. 11, 2001, but all were hoaxes. Boyfriend Charged in Fake Abduction (AP) — A Clackamas County Grand Jury has returned charges against a 19-year-old who alleg edly helped a Lake Oswego teen ager fake her abduction last July. Tyler Wagner was charged with theft, identity theft, unlawful use of a weapon, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct. A plea of not guilty was entered on his behalf by his lawyer. He is free on his own recognizance pend- ingaD ec,19trial. Sixteen-year-old Sarah Roberts facesjuvenile charges that include initiating a false police report, theft, identity theft and disorderly con duct. She allegedly faked her own abduction on July, 21, triggering a massive search in Tryon Creek State Park. In fact, she later turned up in Seattle with W agner and a friend, Erika Park. Park also faces juvenile charges. Charges against W agner in clude stealing a pistol, a jacket and money from the Park home. He also is acccused of stealing credit cards from Roberts' aunt and running up 14-hundred dollars in charges on the Seattle trip and of firing the pistol at the Park family house. Vancouver Targets Crosswalk Safety The Vancouver Police Depart ment Traffic Unit is prom oting traffic safety through a series of crossw alk safety enforcem ents. Five mem bers o f the unit con ducted e n fo rc e m en ts at c ro ss w alks at 13th and C S treet and at F ourth Plain and T S treet last w eek. T he detail resu lted in 17 verbal w arn in g s and 8 cro ssw a lk v io la tio n s by d riv ers. V ancouver officials say they are using a “three E” approach to im provem ent o f traffic safety for the citizens o f the city: E nforce ment, Engineering, and E duca tion. Money Troubles Stop Prison Construction A decision was made Friday to postpone the O ctober sale o f bonds to build state prisons in Lakeview , M adras and North Bend. Interim Corrections Department Director Benjamin de Haan said there are too many fiscal uncer tainties to precede with the sale. “Given the state’s financial situ ation, it makes sense to wait for the December revenue forecast and the outcome of the January vote to temporarily increase income taxes before incurring additional long term debt,” de Haan said. The department is looking into the ramifications of its decision. “The prison construction sched ule is tightly tied to the prison population forecast,” explained de Haan. “Prison beds are timed to open precisely when they are needed.” De Haan said the state would look “at every nook and cranny for housing the anticipated inmate population. “ Because it takes two to three years to build a prison, the effects will be strongly felt toward the end of 2004,” de Haan said. “We are looking at all of the options."
