w Minority Enterprise Development Week
Entrepreneurs Fuel Economic Prosperity
I Kendra James Family
| Files $10 Million Suit
Portland's minority-owned business community profiled, see special section inside
Ci tv of Roses’
See story, Page A2
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Volume XXXIII • Number 41
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Committed to Cultural Diversity
Wednesday • October 08, 2003
«
Leaving a Wonderful Legacy
Bush Confident
of Justice Probe
President Hush, under pres­
sure from Dem ocrats to name a
special prosecutor, said he is
confident the Justice D epart­
m ent can thoroughly investi­
gate the leak o f an undercover
CIA o ffic er’s identity.
Roy Critical After
Tiger Attack
Fam ed perform er Roy Horn o f
the Siegfried and Roy duo re­
m ained in critical condition
T uesday after being m auled
by a tiger, and their Las V egas
show has been canceled in­
definitely, officials said.
Californians Vote in Recall
Californians headed to the
polls Tuesday for a historic de­
cision on w ho’ll govern the
statf, and watching them were
hundreds o f Republican and
Democratic party lawyers look­
ing for any irregularities. The
final days o f campaigning fo­
cused on character rather than
issues, largely because o f sexual
misconduct allegations against
R e p u b lic a n
A rn o ld
Schw arzenegger, the leading
contender to replace Gov. Gray
Davis, a Democrat.
h
Iraq Aid Package
Advanced
H ouse R epublicans released
their own S86.7 billion legisla­
tion for Iraq and A fghanistan,
m o stly tra c k in g P re sid e n t
B ush’s plan, but erasing his
proposed expenditures forZ IP
codes and garbage trucks for
Iraq.
Turkey May Lend
Troops in Iraq
T u rk e y ’s governm ent voted
M onday to ask Parliam ent to
send soldiers to Iraq, a move
that could ease the burden o f
U.S. o perations there and help
m end frayed relations with
W ashington.
m ends of Trees volunteer Nikki Blake plants a tree in her northeast Portland neighborhood with her daughter Taylor.
Friends o f Trees reverses
c ity ’s course w ith plantings
b y J avmf . i R. Cirri
T he P ortland O bserver
While the green space in most cities has been
replaced by drab asphalt, Portland has reversed the
trend by increasing its greenery over the past 30 years.
The results o f a study by students at Portland State
University, documenting the increase in trees, gar­
dens, shrubs and wildl ife preserves, marked a triumph
for a local group dedicated to increasing the green in
Portland communities.
Friends o f Trees, which formed in 1989, plants
about 30,000 trees and shrubs each year, mostly in
north and northeast Portland neighborhoods, where
the natural setting is desperately lacking.
The non profit plants nearly every weekend through
the planting season spanning from November to
April, with the help o f 2,000 volunteers donating
36,000 hours.
This season begins with a crew leader training from
8a.m .to p.m.onNov. 15,andtheplantingof80large
shade trees along Northeast 72nd Avenue in the heart
o f the Rose way neighborhood.
Planting trees brings neighbors together, says Teri
Ruch, communications director o f Friends o f Trees.
Aside from the environmental benefits that trees
provide, Ruch says planting day is sometimes a spark
to ignite future projects.
“People come out for these plantings and finally
meet their neighbors. The first neighborhood tree
planting som etim es inspires more com m unity
projects," she said. "People feel so positive about it
because they can see such an immediate change, but
Task Force to Oversee
Reconstruction
M ichelle Kwan has made it to
Broadw ay. The cham pion fig­
ure skater w ill appear on a
T im es Square billboard as part
o f the “ Pass It O n" cam paign
p ro m o tin g p o sitiv e values.
The cam paign is run by The
Foundation for a B etter Life.
photo by
M ark W asiungton /T he P ortland O bserver
Portland Community College is in the process of purchasing the former Renaissance Market on
North Killingsworth Street for a public services education building as part of the college 's
expanded Cascade Campus.
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continued y f on page .45
Annual event also to feature
National Urban League president
Michelle Kwan Living Well
±- mi
also feel they are leaving a legacy that benefits people
in neighborhoods to come."
Friends o f Trees focuses on three main environ­
ment-enhancing projects.
Trained volunteers organize neighborhood tree
plantings and select trees and shnibs providing the
most canopy for the space avai lable; schools plantings
engage kids, teachers and faculty in creating a living
laboratory for students to learn as well as to beautify
their grounds; and natural area restorations mobilize
crews to return habitats to their former condition, with
benefits to the wildlife residing there.
"For me and a lot o f volunteers, it's the desire to
return a landscape to the way it was before we mucked
it up," said Anil Devani, the group’s natural area
restoration manager.
Urban League Salutes
Charles Jordan
The White House, facing set­
backs and growing casualties in
Iraq, is asserting a larger role by
opening a special task force to
oversee reconstruction efforts
. in Iraq and Afghanistan. The
panel will monitor the tens o f
billions o f dollars being spent
by the United States.
I s
photo by C h iio T akeda
Renaissance Market Building Annexed
PCC expansion grows
with new purchase
by L ee P eri man
T he P ortland O bserver
Portland Community College is in the process o f
purchasing the former Renaissance Market on North
Killingsworth Street for a new Public Services Edu­
cation Building, expanding a Cascade Campus ex­
pansion further than earlier plans.
t
The site will be made intoa center for fire protection
sciences, emergency medical services and criminal
justice classes, making Cascade a magnet school for
the college’s public services education offerings.
PCC public affairs spokesperson Susan Hereford
said.
Architect Ben Hulford says the plans will extend
the existing structure at 909 N. Killingsworth St., by
seven feet on its southwest end and increase the size
continued y f on page AS
The Urban League o f Portland
will present its Equal Opportunity
Day Award to honoree Charles
Jordan, former PortlandCityC’oun-
cilman and retired director o f the
city’sParksand Recreation Depart­
ment. The award is given in appre­
ciation forand in recognition ofhis
important contributions to equal
opportunity.
This year’s theme: "Building
Economic Empowerment through
Equality and Education " reflects
the Urban League's ongoing com ­
mitment to the community. The din­
ner and silent auction, which be­
gins at 5 :45 p.m. W ednesday, Oct.
15, is at the Portland Hilton Hotel,
921 S.W. Sixth Ave.
National Urban League Presi­
dent and C hief Executive Officer
Marc H. Morial will serve as the
event's keynote speaker. Morial
was appointed to lead the national
organization in May, prior to which
he was the former mayor o f New
Orleans and the president o f the
U.S. Conference o f Mayors.
L o cal b u sin e ssm a n M att
Hennessee, president and CEO o f
Quiktrak, Inc., will be the night’s
master o f ceremonies. Hennessee
is an active public speaker both
Marc H. Morial
nationally and internationally on
topics from business management
to social responsibility.
“ We are very excited about this
year's event and the opportunity
to honorCharles Jordan," said Bar­
bara West, Urban League board
chair. "W ith the Urban League’s
long-standing reputation for advo­
cating empowerment to all individu­
als, this year’s theme will continue
to build on the League’s efforts to
foster econom ic em pow erm ent
through equality and education.”
Proceeds from the dinner and
auction w ill directly benefit the pro­
grams o f the Urban League o f Port­
land. For more information, call 503
280-2600.
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