Committed to Cultural IlivcrsiU nnu.porllanilobscivci .tom In k ’ tTltr ^ n rtla n h (OhserUi'r o ni ni u n i t y n I c n d a r Development Leaves Doris’ Without a Home Karaoke with a Cause Join O regonA ction for their karaoke fundraising event from 8 to 11 p.m. Wednesday, July 30, at B ookies Sports Bar, 736 N. Lombard. A $5 donation is sug­ gested, plus bid on karaoke per­ form ance by local perform er Darcelle and many more commu­ nity leaders. For more informa­ tion, call 503-282-6588. An empty space is all that's left o f Doris' Café on Northeast Russell Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Owner Rosie Dean is looking for a new site after a dispute with the building's owner resulted in the cancellation of her lease agreement. Better Than Goldfish 200 pets are looking for love at the Oregon Humane Society’s A dopt-A-PetFairon Aug. 16 and 17 at 1067 N.E. Columbia Blvd. V isit w w w . o re g o n h u m a n e society.com for details. United Voices Radical Women will host an open mic community discussion about . police violence and Kendra James at 7 p.m. W ednesday, Aug. 13 at the Bread and Roses Center, 819 n. Killingsworth. A soup and salad buffet isat6p.m . for$6. Formore information, call 503-240-4462. Benefit Feast DiPrimaDolci Italian Bakery holds a plant sale from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, July 26. You may also be tempted by Italian ices, fruit shakes, and other New York Ital­ ian delicacies. The sale will ben­ efit dogs and cats by helping to I control pet population. 1936 N. Killingsworth St. For more infor-1 mation.call 503-283-5936. Mystery Cats The Oregon Humane Society wants you to communicate with your kitty more affectively by taking a “Finicky Feline” class at 1 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 10. $ 10.1067 N.E. Columbia Blvd. For more information, call 503-285-7722. PHOTO BY M ark W ashington / T he P ortland O bserver Revitalized neighborhood loses African American Landmark by L ee P erlman T he P ortland O bserver D oris’ Cafe, Portland’s oldest barbecue and soul food restaurant and an anchor o f the Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boule­ vard renaissance, is down, if not out. Cafe owner Rosie Dean is looking for a new site to operate her business after a rent dispute with the building’s ow ner resulted in the cancellation o f her lease agreement. Dean had operated D oris’ at 333 N.E. Russell St. for the past 10 years. The cafe became not only one o f the first destination businesses on the boulevard, attracting customers from outside the neigh­ borhood, but a catalyst for other ventures around it. Nike built a new outlet store just a couple o f blocks away, the New Song Church renovated the Egyptian Theater building across the street and Bardy Trophy moved into the former Coverall Uniform building to the south. “ Doris' was or.e o f the first businesses to upgrade,” Shiela Holden ofthe North-North­ east Economic Development Alliance re­ calls. “She helped change the image o f M LK and contributed to the revitalization o f the Eliot neighborhood. This was what we wanted to see: local, home-grown businesses on the avenue.” Dean attorney, Sean Hatfield, thinks the increased value o f the property may have had a lot to do with the lease cancellation. “When Rosie first moved there, that w asn’t the best location for a restaurant,” Hatfield said. “’’She was an anchor. Now it’s become much more valuable and it’s become a priority to get her out. People you’d have continued on page B4 Goldie Dredlocks Enjoy a marionette performance of the classic story o f the three bears I with a Jamaican twist at 2 p.m. I Native Culture Center Nears Completion Friday, Aug. 8.FairviewCommu- nity Center, 300 Harrison St. African Beats at Fairview Enjoy marimba music inspired by the rhythms o f southern and west­ ern Africa from 11:30a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 1 at Fairview Park, 1520N.E. VillageSt. Formorc information, call 503-988-5655. A bronze sculpture by Klameth Native American Jim Jackson will be displayed in the / t "Gathering Area" t ‘¡B o f the new j j l PSU Native American Center. .^Hfi Classics for Canines Improve your reading skills by reading aloud to therapy dogs from 1 to 3 p.m. Sat., Aug. 2 at the Albina Library, 3605 N.E. 15* Ave. Register at 503-988-5362. Native American Fish Quintana Galleries presents Wy- Kan-Ush-Pum Gala, Celebrating Salmon and Art, from 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday, July 26 at the Governor Hotel, 611 SW Tenth Ave. Auc-1 tions will feature internationally renowned Native American art. Enjoy a salmon dinner, live enter­ tainment and Spirit o f the Salmon Awards. For more information, call 503-731-1284. The Ockley Green Middle School community o f north and northeast Portland congratulates Abner Bastida and Ner Bastida for second and third place awards in MESA (Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement program) USA s National Engineering Design competi­ tion. The students won by setting gliders a- sail. The competition was in Albuquerque. NM. An artist's rendering (above) shows the Native American Student and Community Center at Portland State University. The building is under construction on Southwest Broadway Avenue and is scheduled for completion this October, providing study space, class rooms and a meeting place for the . community. Natural Gas Bill May Soar This Winter Oregon PUC warns consumers of high climbing prices The Oregon Public Utility Commission is warning that consumers will likely see higher gas bills this coming winter. The warning comes after a briefing to the Commission last week by a number o f natural gas industry officials who predicted that higher prices this summer mean consumers will likely pay more for natural gas this winter. “N orm ally, w holesale prices com e dow n in the sum m er, and gas retailers take advantage o f these low er prices to store gas for the w inter,” C om m is­ sion Chairm an Roy H em m ingw ay said. “ H ow ever, w e h aven’t seen prices com e dow n much this sum m er. U nfortunately, I fear consum ers should brace them selves for the prospect o f paying more this w inter.” “lfthere is a silver lining in this dark cloud, it’s that our price increases should not be as large as other parts o f the country might see," added Commissioner Lee Beyer. “We are fortunate to have easy access to adequate supplies o f natural gas from Canada. How­ ever, I am concerned about the potential impact o f higher prices on residential, commercial and industrial custom ers.” Higher natural gas prices also put pressure on electric companies to raise their rates, because com pa­ nies use natural gas to generate energy. Î PSU building to serve growing Native American population Poles are set around the c e n te r’s “ Place o f H onor,” the ec o -ro o f is being installed and the sky catcher ro o f is in place as construction nears com pletion for the Portland State U niversity Native Am erican Student and C om m unity C en­ ter. Located adjacent to the cam pus on Southw est Broadway, the center should be finished in Sep- tem ber w ith a reception scheduled for Oct. 24. The university raised nearly $4 m illion to co n ­ struct the building as a place for classroom s, celeb ratio n s and p reserv atio n o f the N ative A m erican culture. In addition, the PGE F ounda­ tion com m itted $50,000,to ensure increased ed u ­ cation opportunities for N ative A m erican stu ­ d ents. The N ative A m erican population at PSU has doubled in the last decade, grow ing to 243 stu­ dents in the 2002 fall term. The college expects the trend to continue. It plans several new courses continued y^ on page B3