MP
Dynamic Duo
Test Run for I-Max
College bound brothers
overcome obstacles
Interstate light-rail sees first train
See story, page A3
See story, Metro section, inside
W íjtartíanh ©bserlier
‘City of Roses
Volume X X X III
Established in 1970
•
N u m b er 16
|:'Kra<-u
WWW,portlandobserver.com
Committed to Cultural Diversity
Wednesday • April 16. 2003
Hopson Honored as First Citizen
Bad hair day for
inmate with stash
A Norwegian jail inmate has
been caught with $4,500 cash
h id d e n
in h is m a ssiv e
dreadlocks. A prison official
says guards found the money
during a routine check but it is
unclear how long the 20-year-
old prisoner had kept the cash
braided into his locks. “W e’re
used to finding things hidden
on the body but cash in the hair
- that's a new one,” said Staale
Olsen, the deputy director o f
Aana prison.
He’s no slumlord
•.
A landlord in Gardner, Mass.,
tired o f chasing down tenants
who do not pay their rent on
time, is giving them a little extra
incentive to pony up - the chance
to win a free vacation. Douglas
Rau, who has more than 100 ten
ants across central Massachu
setts, held a drawing Friday for
all tenants who have paid their
rent in full. Resident PabloGallero
won a four-day, three-night stay
for two at a resort in the Bahamas
along with $250 in spending
money. Rau said he plans to
hold sim ilar draw ings every
month, although the prize may
not always be as generous.
:
Dogs for dinner
Police in the northern Philippines
have rescued 83 dogs set to be
slaughtered and eaten and ar
rested two people transporting
the ani inals. Pol ice flagged down
•. ' a bus ferrying the dogs to a
. • restaurant that serves dog meat
' in the nearby town ofLa Trinidad.
Police arrested the two people in
' the vehicle, but both later posted
bail. The 83 dogs were turned
over to an animal shelter.
A brothel bill refund
A German court has ordered a
brothel to reim burse a man
charged for sex he could not
’ remember having, after the es
tablishment failed to provide an
itemized receipt for services ren
dered. “The brothel failed to pro
vide concrete documentation o f
the prices and services pro
vided," court spokesman Vera
iluth said. The man told the court
he had been too drunk to remem
ber what sexual services he may
have ordered at the brothel in
K aa rst. T he e s ta b lish m e n t
charged him 9,000 euros on his
credit card.
No money in the bank
Police in Pine Bluff, Ark. say
they aren't sure what charge is
appropriate for Julius Kearney,
23, who apparently tried to rob a
bank. The man entered a branch
ofthe Bank o f America about 10
a.m. Monday, with a trash bag,
authorities said. “Put the money
in the bag,” he demanded. In
stead, one o f the two tellers told
him the bank was out o f money,
and the other teller laughed and
offered him deposit slips. The
would-be robber left the bank
angry, but since no weapon was
found during his arrest, he never
threatened anybody, police are
unsure how the case will be
handled.
. •
photo by
M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver
Tony Hopson, seen with children at Self Enhancement, Inc., will be honored as the 2003 Portland First Citizen for his civic achievements and busi
ness leadership in the community. Hopson founded SEI in 1981 to offer a variety o f activities and services for youth and families in inner-Portland
Self Enhancement
founder joins prominent
leaders group
Northeast Portland community leader Tony L.
Hopson will be honored as the 2003 Portland First
Citizen by the Portland Metropolitan Association o f
Realtors at a banquet scheduled for May 6 at the
Portland Marriott-Waterfront.
The Portland First Citizen Award was created by
the Portland Realty Board in 1928 to honor civic
achievements and business lead ersh ip ^ the com mu
nity. Considered Portland’s most prestigious award,
the individuals who have received it are some o f the
city’s most prominent leaders during the past eight
decades.
Hopson founded Self Enhancement, Inc. in 19 8 1 as
a one-week summer camp committed to improving
collegiate and employment opportunities for high
school students. The initial camp served 80 students.
Since then, SEI has expanded to serve more than 1,500
students a year in various programs.
In 1989, SEI raised over $10 m illion to build a
62,000 square foot com m unity center that opened
its doors in 1997. The center offers a variety o f
activities and services for youth and fam ilies in
inner-Portland and has quickly becom e a hub o f the
com m unity and a place o f em ploym ent for more
than 94 people.
- -./•
Hopson has also been recognized for his activism
and community leadership by receiving the State o f
Oregon’s “Gold Schmidty Award,” the “Teamwork
Award” from Christian Women Against Crime, the
Urban League o f Portland’s “Equal Opportunity
Award," the Albina Ministerial Alliance’s “Bridge
Builder Award,” Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority’s “ Em
erald Award,” the Black United Fund’s “Legacy
Award," the "Aubrey R. Watzek Award” from Lewis
and Clark College, the “Community Award” from the
Portland Observer Newspaper, and the “Living Leg
end Award” from Willamette University.
Hopson is married and is the father o f three sons. In
his spare time he enjoys music, travel and water sports.
Postwar Iraq Plans Begin
U.S., Iraqi leaders
converge to create
a government
(AP) — A U.S.-sponsored fo
rum that brought Iraqi opposition
leaders tog eth er to shape the
c o u n try 's postw ar governm ent
began Tuesday with a U.S. promise
not to rule Iraq.
The forum concluded with an
agreement to meet again in lOdays.
Meeting in the biblical birthplace
ofthe prophet Abraham, delegates
from Iraq’s many factions dis
cussed the role o f religion in the
future government and ways to
rebuild the country. Butsome Shiite
Muslim groups boycotted the meet
Oregon Convention
Center Supervisor
Timothy Odoms
(from left), teams
up with his Utility
Managers Darryl
Jones and Ayli
Vanzandt to put the
last details in place
for this week 's
opening o f a $116
million expansion.
The exhibition
complex on Martin
Luther King Jr.
Boulevard is now
the largest o f its
kind in the United
States.
ing and thousands pro tested
nearby.
A 13-point statement released
after the meeting stressed the need
to work toward a democratic Iraq
built on the rule o f law and equal
ity. It also called for dissolving
Saddam’s Baath Party, but left
open the question o f separating
church from the state.
Retired Lt. Gen. Jay Gamer, who
will head the U.S.-led interim ad
ministration in Iraq, opened the
conference under a golden-col
ored tent at Tallil air base.
“What better birthday can a
man have than to begin it not only
where civilization began but where
continued
yf
photo by
P ortland O bserver
on page A 5
ArmySpc.
Shoshana
Johnson gets a
hug from Chief
Warrant Officer
David Williams
Sunday. The
U. S. soldiers
were safely
rescued after
being taken
prison o f war in
Iraq. (AP photo)
M ark
W ashington /T he
Convention Center to
Throw Expansion Party
Free festival
features food, arts
and entertainment
The $ 116 million expanded O r
egon Convention Center will open
this weekend with The Big Bash, a
I
free public celebration ofO regon's
finest forms o f art, entertainment,
food, beer, wine, recreation and
business.
Convention Center workers are
busily readying the new center for
the two-day festival, which begins
Friday at noon with a performance
by the Portland Community C ol
lege Jazz Band.
The Big Bash will also include
the Portland Oregon Visitors As
sociation trade show, where attend
ees can shop over 400 booths fea-
continued
on page AS
I