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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 20, 2003)
Weekend o f Jazz Queen of Hip Hop Vancouver Wine and Jazz Fest to fill Esther Short Park Mary J. Blige will perform with 50 Cent and other stars at the M TV Awards Sec Focus, Page B3 See Focus, Page B2 nrtlanh ‘City of Roses’ Established in 1970 www.purtlandobserver.com Committed to Cultural Diversity Volume XXXIII • Number 34 Wednesday • August 20. 2003 T,Weekin TheReview Lyden Abenhaim, French director general o f health, resigned over the deaths of 3,000 people from heat- related causes. (AP photo) Heat Claims 5,000 In France A senior health o ffic ia l resigned M onday after France’s health m inister adm itted that up to 5 ,000 people, m any o f them elderly and alone, m ight have died in the heat wave - almost tw ice as m any as previously estimated. The gov ernment and opposition traded accusations over w h o 's to blame. UN Hotel Bombed in Iraq m o t o by A suicide truck bom b ripped through the hotel housing the U .N . headquarters. A t least 20 For the Taxi Camera people were kille d , including the c h ie f U .N . o ffic ia l in Iraq. M ore than 40 others were injured, U .N . o fficia ls said. A U .N . w o rker in Baghdad, Tharer a l-T ik riti, said that he had counted 15 body bags taken from the building, where about 300 people worked. Blackout Causa A M ystery Security surpasses privacy in Portland taxis G rig o riy R o gozhnikov, C ity C om m issioner Randy A cco rd in g to data collected from Leonard’s o ffic e , Leonard pushed to in sta ll cameras in a ll metered cabs licensed in the city. b y J aymee R. c rta u .ig a “ For H ire Transportation Safety Fund,” N e w Y o rk , San Francisco and T oronto, Canada have adopted m andatory cameras, and have seen drops in crim es against drivers. In T o ro n to ’s firs t year to m an date taxi cameras, the c ity reported 50 percent less taxi- related robberies, w ith a 20 percent decrease the fo l lo w in g year. C l ti T he P ortland O bserver T ^e C ity C o un cil passed the ordinance last week, R idership in P o rtla n d ’ s taxis has not co m p le te ly supported by vehicle and d riv e r p e rm it fee increases to fund camera installation. Cameras are slated fo r instal recovered since the recession fo llo w in g the Sept. 11, 2001 te rro rist attacks. The last th in g cabbies w a nt to la tion in every m etered cab in Portland by Ju ly 2004. “ O u r prim ary concern is what drivers thin k o f it and lines fa ile d south o f C leveland, do is discourage riders fro m c lim b in g aboard, but thanks to a new security measure, drivers say passen what passengers thin k o f it... i f drivers consider it some what o f an invasion o f privacy and i f it makes passengers o ffic ia ls said. T his raised new gers m ig h t rather w a lk. nervous about getting in cabs,” said Steve Entier, general manager fo r Radio Cab in northwest Portland. The M id w e st pow er system re c o rd e d n u m e ro u s v o lta g e swings as early as m idday Thurs day, long before high-voltage M ark W ashincton /T he P ortland O bserver questions. A n o ffic ia l o f the o r Prom pted by the m urder o f Portland cab d rive r ganization that manages the flo w o f e le c tric ity across the M id In it ia lly , the o rd in a n ce encountered m uch o p p o s itio n . A b o u t a th ird o f cabbies signed a p e titio n against it. " I t ’ s a pretty dangerous profession to be in ," said continued y f on page A3 west cautioned M o n d a y that system “ contingencies” - v o lt age increases and decreases - Multicultural Street Fair are not unusual. Peace Deal Signed In Liberia The Liberian governm ent and rebels signed a peace accord to end a bloody three-year insur The Inaugural Interstate Avenue Fair enjoyed a big turnout this weekend as local businesses and com munity members mingled along the avenue's new Max light rail line. Lesely (right) has her face painted by Ok Ji Radda, an Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center board member. gency that toppled warlord-presi- dentCharlesTaylor as calm settled into the capital and shopkeepers opened for the first tim e in a month. The accord calls fo r a two-year p o w e r-s h a rin g g o v e rn m e n t, meant to lead Libe ria in to elec tions and out o f 14 years o f con flic t brought on b y Taylor. Tap« Urges Muslims to Fight A n audiotape, p u rp o rte d ly fro m an al-Q aida m ilita n t, calls on M u slim s around the w o rld to travel to Iraq and fig h t the U.S.- photo by M ark W ashington / T he P ortland O bserver led occupation. The speaker on the audiotape, obtained by The Associated Press and aired on A l-A ra b iy a television, claim ed to be A b d u r Rahman a l-N a jd i, a Saudi-bom m ilita n t sought by the U n ited States. Pledge is Best Minority Contractors Get Affirmative action in South Waterfront project falls short $109 m illio n w orth o f pu blic w o rks projects paid fo r by urban renewal ftinds. A n o th e r c o a litio n o f labor unions, churches and non p ro fit agencies, The M etropolitan A llia n ce fo r the C om Another Sniper Brings Terror to East Coast Shootings could be drug-related by L ee P erlman T he P ortland O bserver m on G ood, had asked the council to provide fo r “ p re vail in g wages” and “ affordable” housing" as part o f the (A P ) — A t least tw o o f last w eek's three fatal shootings M in o rity contractors have w o n a pledge fro m the C ity C o u n cil on the need fo r a ffirm a tiv e action in the massive project. Com m issioners E rik Sten and Randy Leonard, w orked to place these provisions from in the c ity ’ s outside a W est V irg in ia convenience stores cou ld be drug- South W aterfron t developm ent, but it m ay fa ll short o f agreement w ith the developers. B u t the alliance went ftirther, asking fo r “ aspirational expectations. Representatives o f the C o m m u n ity A llia n ce , a n e w ly form ed group that includes the C o a litio n o f B la ck M en; related, authorities said Tuesday. The shootings echoed the k illin g s that terrorized V irg in ia , goals” o f 35 percent participation by m in o rity and wom en M a ryland and W ashington, D C , last fa ll. M a n y were single shots from far distances that felled people as they stopped at gas A frican-A m erican, Hispanic and N ative Am erican Cham in jo b s and contracting. The Portland Development Commission andC ity Coun C h ie f D eputy P hil M o rris sent a group o f s h e riff's deputies to Cam pbells Creek, W . Va. on M onday to in te rv ie w residents, and bers ofC om m erce and the A frican -A m erica n Confedera c il declined to alter plans to meet that number, but did pledge they learned o f concerns about m etham phetam ine use in the tion ofC ontractors, appeared before the C ity C o un cil last unincorporated area where the tw o o f the v ic tim s live d and where tractors get some o f the jo b s in a the 30-acre $1.9 b illio n venture by the O regon Health and Sciences U n iv e rs ity to w o rk toward a 20-percent m in ority participation. “ T here 's acom m itm ent to w o rk on this b y a ll parties,” A llia n c e spokeperson Andre Baugh told C o un cil. “ T his is a great start.” The result was disappointing fo r those w ho consider and a group o f private investors to develop fo rm e rly industrial land east o f Southwest Macadam Avenue, t h e requirem ents fo r “ prevailing wages” a means that bars sm all m in o rity contractors who are not “ connected.” Thursday. The group wants to make sure disadvantaged con project w o u ld pro vid e 1,000 construction jo b s, create upwards o f 2,200 housing units and be supported by continued on page A3 one shooting occurred. A ll three shootings occurred at nigh t fro m distances o f 30 yards to 60 yards Each v ic tim was shot in the neck o r head by a sm all caliber rifle . Police have not released the calibe r o f the weapon, o r i f the shots were fire d fro m the same weapon N o arrests have been made, nor is anyone in custody but continued on page A3