50tf
Black History Month
African Americans in
the U.S. military
Healthy heart advice for
African Americans
See pages A3, A5 and A6
‘Citv of Roses’
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'Jilnrtlanh (©bseruer
Established in 1970
Committed to C u ltu rjl Diversity
Volume XXXIII • Number 6
^.Weekin
TheReview
Researchers Reach Human
Cloning Breakthrough
Researchers in South Korea
have become the first to suc
cessfully clone a human em
bryo, and then cull from it mas
ter stem cells that many doc
tors consider key to one day
creating customized cures for
diabetes, Parkinson’sand other
diseases.
Infant Mortality Rises
U.S. infant m ortality has
. climbed for the first time in
more than four decades, in part
because more women are put
ting off motherhood and then
having multiple babies via fer
tility drugs, the government said.
Republican Students Offer
Whltes-Only Scholarship
A Republican student group
at Roger Williams University
is offering a new scholarship
for which only white students
are eligible; a move they say is
designed to protest affirmative
action.
James Yee, Army Muslim
Confronts Discrimination
James Yee, a Muslim chaplain
in the Army, spent 76 days in a
prison cell while authorities
tried to build a capital espio
nage case against him. Now
he is free, the most serious
allegations replaced by lesser
ones like adultery and posses
sion of pornography, and the
military justice system itself is
on trial.
Sept. 11 Panel Will Ask for
Public Bush Testimony
The federal commission inves
tigating the Sept. 11 attacks
will soon ask President Bush,
former President Clinton and
their vice presidents to testify
in public about possible warn
ings they might have received
from U.S. intelligence sources
before the attacks.
Nuclear Rivals, India,
Pakistan Begin Peace Talks
Nuclear-armed rivals India and
Pakistan began historic meet
ings aimed at preparing for a
sustained peace dialogue on
Kashmir and other disputes
that have divided the neighbors
for decades.
www.portlandobserver.com
Wednesday • February 18. 2004
A CHAMPION’S Formula
Coach shapes
on- and off-
court wins
by J aymee R. C vti
T he P ortland O bserver
Unraveling the story of Jefferson
High School ’ s ath letic di rector can
only be told through his players’
successes.
Marshall Haskins, head coach
for the Jefferson boys basketball
program since 2000, began his own
basketball career in the same
Jefferson gymnasium where he is
now in charge.
Haskins says his own basketball
diaries are now sealed. He prefers
to focus on landing his players with
careers after Jefferson.
“My goal is not to win a state
championship, not to win a game.
It’s for my kids to go to college,”
said Haskins.
He makes good on that promise
and has placed more than 60 ath
letes into collegiate programs. All
graduating seniors on Haskins team
continue to attend college.
“That you have that many Afri
can-American males going to col
lege is a pretty big statement.
Whether they go to the NBA is
irrelevant if they better their lives
and become adults and parents and
become a better scope of people,”
he said.
But his off-court commitments
have amounted to bragging rights
for Jefferson’s team. One of the
smallest athletic programs in the
city, Jefferson has only 700 stu
dents, but often competes against
schools of 2,000.
Since Haskins has been at Jeff,
the boys basketball team has won
photo by
continued
on page B7
M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver
Jefferson Coach Marshall Haskins gives some pointers to Marquis Hall. The winning coach makes good on a commitment to help
his players succeed both on and o ff the court.
Art Imitates
Life at SEI
Student production
addresses social ills
In honor of Black History Month, the
Center for Self Enhancement Theatre Com
pany will perform “If These Walls Could
Talk,” on Thursday, Feb. 19 at 6:30 p.m.
This original play, inspired by poetry and
monologues of SEI students, is the center’s
first public dramatic production. The show
features original songs by SEI’s music pro
duction class.
“If These Walls Could Talk” follows a
group of students surviving in the midst of
achaotic community and deteriorating school
district. When faced with a community ser
vice project assignment, these students rally
together to do something about the wall in
front of their school.
Drug dealers and prostitutes frequent the
wall and the students are determined to paint
over the graffiti and challenge the dealers
and prostitutes to leave. As they begin to
work together, the students realize the com
munity wall is not the only barricade they
have to tear down - they discover that the
greatest challenge is tearing down the walls
they’ve built towards each other in their
hearts.
“This stage play represents the next level
of excellence in our after school program”
said Marcy Bradley, director of youth pro
grams at SEI. “This performance is what
w e’ve always envisioned when we set out to
build an after school program that allows
kids to dream big.”
Seating is limited for this performance at
3920 N. Kerby Ave. Tickets are free, but must
be reserved by calling 503-249-1721, exten
sio n
298
or
by
e m a ilin g
ClaireB@selfenhancement.org.
Ken Hatch says high
rents have driven him to
a decision to close
Ainsworth Pharmacy, an
anchor and landmark
drug store in the
Concordia Neighborhood
of northeast Portland for
more than 50 years.
Hatch plans to open
another pharmacy on
North Interstate Avenue
in the Overlook Neigh
borhood.
photo by M ark W ashington /
T he P ortland O bserver
Ainsworth Drug to Close
Concordia
Neighborhood to
see end to era
by L f . e P eri . man
T he P ortland O bserver
Concordia N eighborhood residents
are bracing for the closure of a drug
store that has served as a neighbor
h o o d in s titu tio n fo r d e c a d e s.
Ainsworth Drug is pulling up stakes and
m oving after serving the public for 50
years at 3002 N.E. A insw orth St.
O w ner Ken Hatch said the pharmacy
will move this spring to a renovated build
ing at 4027 N. Interstate Ave., betw een
M ason and Shaver streets across from
the Alibi Restaurant in the O verlook
N eighborhood.
W hy the ch ange? B ecause the b u ild
ing ow n er “ trip led our re n t," H atch
said.
He said some pluses for the new loca
I
tion is that it's on the new Max light rail
line and contains a building th a t’s large
enough and has its own parking lot.
" It's an appropriate fit. It was very
hard to find," Hatch said.
Hatch has operated A insw orth Phar
macy for 11 years, but the store has
served the neighborhood since the 1940s
and at itscurrcnt location since the 1950s.
In addition to providing a full-service
pharm acy, the location is anchor outlet
continued
yf
on page A2