Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (June 4, 2003)
50/ King of Blues Mental Health Advocates Newcomers and legends o f R & B honored Breaking the barriers that impede treatment See Focus, Page A7 . l V City of Roses’ iZ ¡J* I $ee Mc,ro secti°n» insides JJnrtlanu (í^bseruer Established In 1970 Volume XXX III • Number 23 T1 Week in TheReview Greenspan: U.S. Economy In Turnaround U.S. Federal ReserveChief Alan Greenspan said Tuesday he sees indications o f a “ fairly marked turn aro un d ” in the U .S. economy, with May data sug gesting it has stabilized. “ The acceleration has not yet begun," Greenspan told a conference o f topcentral bankers in Berlin, but he went on to note that recover ing stock markets and other indi cations “ are suggestive o f a fairly marked turnaround.” Spacecraft to Orbit Mars An unmanned European space craft - which launched Monday on a Russian rocket - w ill orbit Mars for nearly two years and search for signs o f life on the planet. The Mars Express space craft, which cost S350 million, was initially put into the Earth’s orbit and about 90 minutes later it was given a final push to send it on a six-month journey to Mars. Bush in Middle East President Bush was in the M iddle East Tuesday, where h e 'll stop first in Egypt, then in Jordan for talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders. In his first personal foray into M iddle East peace talks, President Bush pledged to “ put in ns' much time as necessary” to achieve peace between Israe lis and Palestinians and help them live side by side. Committed to Cultural Diversity Wednesday • June 04. 2003 Remembering Vanport Bridge dedication links yesterday to today by J avmee R . C uti T he P ortland O bserver Survivors o f the Vanport flood may not have been compensated by the city for their lost homes and possessions, but they did get rec ognition when TriM et's Interstate Max Long bridge was renamed Vanport Bridge Friday. The span, which links Kenton to Portland International Raceway, was dedicated on the 55lh anniver sary o f the flood to the men and women who lived, worked and eventually abandoned Vanport when a dike broke and the Colum bia River flooded the town. C it y C o m m issio n e r Jim Francesconi and U.S. Rep. David Wu, D-Ore..joined TriMet General Manager Fred Hansen and Metro President David Bragdon to dis cuss what the Vancouver Bridge symbolizes today. “ W e’re here today to honor and remember the City o f Vanport, the residents whodied, those who were injured and the thousands that became homeless by the flood," Hansen said. “ Vanport was never intended to be a permanent city, but what Vanport gave us was di versity and a contribution to our community that was permanent.” Oregonian Colum nist Renee Mitchell dramatically read her poem titled, “ Vanport Voices," focusing on Vanport living from an African- American perspective. Vanport survivor and North Port land resident, Marion Craig shared her memories ofVanport during its peak o f cultural diversity, and the prejudice that Vanport refugees faced as they rebuilt their lives in Portland. In addition to a memorial plaque, the Delta Park/Vanport Transit P hoto by M ichael L eighton /T he P ortland O bserver Center honors the former city with reproductions o f vintage paint Oregonian Columnist S. Renee Mitchell (from left). Vanport survivor ings depicting the flood, 200 flam Regina Flowers and Jammie Lauderdale view the dedication o f the ing comets as a tribute to the 1950s Vanport Bridge in north Portland. Mitchell read from a poem offering an African American's perspective o f the city destroyed by floodwaters continued on page .45 55 years ago. See the poem on page A5, inside. Soaring the Shies desivninii designing model airolanes airplanes wasalwavsana was always a part o f his childhood. He passed his interest in aviation on to his son, who later joined the Airforce. “ M y son and I used to talk about how important the influence o f airplanes was on our lives,” he said. “One day I stopped talking about building planes and said, I'm going to build this project." BY W y NDED y ER The course starts with a lesson in basic T he P ortland O bserver airspace aviation. The first thing children do Students in Portland’s Centers for A ir is color a bird book to give them an apprecia way Science may be flying before they’re tion o f how the functions o f a bird relate to driving thanks to an aviation program de the major components o f an airplane. signed to build self-esteem, prevent aca Then students learn the history o f flight demic failure and break the cycle o f eco before being exposed to plane instruments nomic disadvantage. and flight mechanics. Through computer- "W e ’re not really here to teach kids to based flight simulation in a state o f the art fly,” said Robert Strickland, the program's aviation science art lab, kids learn first how founder and director. "W e ’re here to inspire to handle the plane on the ground and in the kids to learn.” air before learning about speeds, how to The focus o f the two-year-long pro descend and gain altitude. gram at the Blazer Boys After each lesson, stu and G irls C lub on Martin dents must demonstrate Luther K in g Jr. Boule 'theirskills on various com vard is to give children puter tests before passing aged 10 through 12 an ’to the next level. early dose o f sophisti Once students are ad cated mathematical, com vance d co m p u te r p i puter and science tech lots, S tricklan d and his nologies that may even sta ff teach them about tually hook them high- proper navigation tech tech and high-salary jobs. niques. “ I have some kids who “ It’s pretty complicated - Robert Strickland, Centers for want to challenge the Fed stuff,” he said. “ Driving a Airway Science program eral Aviation Administra plane isn’t like driving a founderanddlrector tion private pilot exam,” car - there are no signs in S trick la n d said. “ A nd the air.” they’ ll probably pass - they're darned good Once the students learn navigation, they pilots.” move into aircraft design and leant engineer The non-profit program was started in ing concepts before actually taking their 1992 with the help o f major corporate con first flight. When all the students in a class tributors, national educators, aviation and have passed the whole sequence o f lessons, engineering industry leaders, and the en the Columbia Aviation Association spon dorsement ofGen. Colin Powell. sors each student with a flight on a private Strickland, who has been a private pilot continued on page B5 for more than 10 years, said building and V * Iraq Arms Hunt Stumps Top Marine The top commander o f U.S. Marines in Iraq said Friday he is su rp rise d that e xte n sive searches have failed so far to discover any o f the chemical ' weapons that American intelli gence had indicated were sup plied to front line Iraqi forces at the outset o f the war. Lt. Gen. James Conway, commander o f the 1st Marjpe Expeditionary Force, said that he was con vinced before and during the war that at least some Republi can Guard units had been pro vided with chemical weapons. Mule Clone Created In Idaho A healthy and energetic mule named Idaho Gem is the first memberof the horse family to be cloned, joining the barnyard o f cloned animals that now in cludes sheep, cows, pigs, cats and rodents. Researchers at the University o f Idaho cloned the mule using a cell from a mule fetus and an egg from a horse. IdahoGem is the genetic brother o f Taz, a champion racing mule, and the researchers said the clone mule also would be trained to race. www.portlandobserver.com z P hoto by ron washincton /T he P ortland O bserver Centers for Airway Science founder and director Robert Strickland oversees student Damone Lowery, 10, in a flight simulation exercise at the Blazer Boys and Girls Club. Lowery has never been in a real plane but plans to have his own set o f wings when he's older. “Instead o f driving my car I ’m going to fly my plane," he said. DePreist Leads Farewell Concert Conductor ends 23 years with Oregon Symphony DePreist awed a crowd o f 2,700 Sunday with a selec tion o f m usic by composers close to his heart: Hector Berlioz, Franz Schubert, R i chard Strauss and Gustav Mahler. A season-long tribute to (A P ) — Jam es DePreist DePreist, w hich started last ended a 2 3-y ea r career as A ug ust w ith an outdoor conductor o f the Oregon concert and a fireworks d is Sym phony on Sunday with play, ended after Sunday’s a fu ll house and the strains concert w ith a cake and James De Preist o f his favorite com posers. party. DePreist, 66, w ill be replaced by Carlos D ePreist, who contracted polio at age Kalmar, who has conducted V ien n a’ s 2 7, recently had a kidney transplant and Tonkuenstlerorchester for the past three was ho spitalized w ith a n euro lo gical years. DePreist w ill still conduct four guest c o n d itio n that caused severe head concerts next season. aches. T i, j Northeast youth reach for their dreams We 're not really here to teach kids to fly. We 're here to inspire kids to learn. Forum on James Death Meeting may include police, prosecutors and the public City officials w ill conduct a daylong community forum to discuss the fatal May 5 shooting o f Kendra James, who was killed by the single shot o f North Precinct Officer Scott M cCollister as she tried to drive away from a traffic stop. While a date has yet to be set for the forum, the Albina Ministerial Alliance, Mayor Vera Katz's office and the Portland Police Bureau expect it to take place mid- June, possibly on Saturday, June 14. Although details o f the forum are still in the planning stage, organizers expect it to include a panel o f law enforcement officials and com m unity representatives to be present. A meeting facilitator w ill lead the group in discussion and take questions from the audience. Last month a grand ju ry failed to indict M cCollister on any charges o f crim inal wrongdoing in the shooting. Community leaders decried the use o f a grand jury closed to the public saying such proceedings a l most always rule in favor o f law enforcement officers in cases with a minority victim. North and northeast Portland ministers and community leaders along with state senators Avel Gordley add Margaret Carter are also pushing for the state to change its laws governing the use o f deadly force by police and to open the grand jury process to public review.