March 17,2004
^portlanh (Obstruer
Life
GE)
D
continued
Page AS
TURNAROUND
from Front
She decided to find hope in a higher
* -
power and work to change her life.
Laurie heard about the Women In Com
munity Service’s (WICS)Lifeskills pro
gram offered at Columbia River Cor
rectional Facility.
1
Shortly after her release from prison.
Palmer regained custody ofherchildren
and custody of her youngest sister, who
was also in the care of the state.
“I didn’t have the skills that it took to
live life in a healthy way and WICS
taught me how to do that,” she said. "I
owe this (my life) to WICS, my strong
Ernie YazzoHno, a Drug Free Basketball volunteer at the Mt. Scott Community Center
Passion for the Game
continued
from Front
For him, this is a chance to have
a moment with young people and
teach an important lesson about
life.
His teams pledges before ev
ery game to be drug and alcohol
free, to exhibit good sportsman
ship and lair play, to work hard to
be their best, to respect the offi
cials, the rules of the league and
themselves, and to thank their
families tor the opportunity to
play.
“If they don't take the pledge,
we blow the whistle and stop the
game,” said Y azzolino.
Not only is Drug Free Basket
ball a boon for kids often without
after school programs and super
vision, but Yazzolino says the
games bring the community to
gether.
"It helps kids to get together
with other kids and parents and
have a good time,” he said. "It’s all
in
motivation and my belief in God. Through
these things, I was able to overcome the
things in life that were holding me back such
as drugs and alcohol.”
Palmer said she was dedicated to prove
“everybody wrong that thought I wouldn't
make it and not one time did I think I couldn’t
make it. This was because I had made up my
mind and 1 began to think like a winner and photo by M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver
through that I was able to overcome my past Laurie Palmer is a drug and alcohol intervention
obstacles.”
specialist at the Old Town Clinic.
1 46t/> Annual
E B O N Y
I
F A S H IO N
presenta
f a ir
—
Tre Arrow Arrested in Canada
2003/04
Alleged eco-
terrorist caught
shoplifting
in Victoria as he was trying to
shoplift some bolt cutters, Jor
dan said. Police realized he was a
fugitive when his fingerprints
were run through a database,
Jordan said.
(AP) — A fugitive radical envi
The FBI is working with Cana
ronmentalist wanted in Oregon for
dian
authorities on Scarpitti's ex
setting fire to logging and cement
tradition to Oregon.
trucks in 2001 was captured in
Scarpitti is among four activists
Canada while shoplifting, the FBI
charged
with setting logging trucks
said Monday.
JoAnn Bowman
on fire on June 1, 2001 to protest
Michael Scarpitti — also known
logging on the slopes of Mount
as Tre Arrow — was arrested by
Hood.
police in Victoria, British Columbia
He first gained notoriety in July
on Saturday, said Robert Jordan,
2000 when he scaled a U.S. Forest
the FBI s special agent in charge in
Service building in downtown Port
t._
Portland.
land and lived on a ledge for 11 days
Michael
Scarpitti,
also
known
Scarpitti — who has been on
(AP) — The Democratic
to
protest timber policies.
the FBI’s most-wanted list since as Tre Arrow
Party
of Oregon selected three
In October 2001, he suffered sev
disappearing two years ago — claimed responsibility for dozens
people as candidates to fill a
eral
broken
bones
when
he
fell
60
has been connected by federal of crimes over the past several
vacancy left by Rep. Deborah
feet from a hemlock tree where he
officials to the Earth Liberation years.
Kafoury in House District 43.
had
perched
to
protest
a
logging
Front, a shadowy group that has
Scarpitti was arrested at a store sale in Tillamook County.
serving north and northeast
Portland.
The Multnomah County
Commission will choose from
between JoAnn Bowman,
Tom Markgraf and Joe Smith
to fill the nearly 10 months
reaming on Kafoury’s term.
The Democrat and former
House Minority Leader re
Police officers
signed
on Feb. 27 after mov
escort Marcus
ing
out
of the district.
(AP)— Police carried 12 wooden
Wesson to the
Bowman
is a former legis
coffins out of a home as they
Fresno County
lator
who
now
works for Or
F»
searched for evidence to explain
Jail. (AP photo)
egon Action, coordinating
why a man allegedly killed nine
voter registration drives.
people believed to be his children,
Markgraf is a policy analyst
some possibly the product of in
for Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-
cest.
Wesson walked out of the house in recent years, from a small boat
Ore. Smith is a retired pros
Investigators removed the cof covered in blood and was booked
ecutor from Pendleton and
fins and several large paper bags on suspicion of nine counts of anchored off Santa Cruz to the
mountains outside Watsonville,
former chairman of the Or
out of Marcus Wesson’s house murder. Authorities said Wesson,
before settling in Fresno.
egon Democratic Party.
Monday night and a tow truck 57, may have been involved in po
Wesson was jailed briefly after
There are four candidates
pulled away a yellow school bus, lygamy and is thought to have fa
being convicted of welfare fraud,
in the May 18 primary seek
which had been a fixture in the thered children with at least six
the Santa Cruz Sentinel reported.
ing the District 43 seat: Demo
driveway.
women, including two of his own
Wesson and his family were vio
crats Chip Shields and Tina
An antique store owner has said daughters.
lating city codes by living in the
K otek, and R ep u b lican s
Wesson bought hand-carved, ma
The victims, who had six differ building where the shootings oc
Shirley Whitehead Freeman
hogany coffins about five years ent mothers, showed no signs of
curred, which was zoned for com
and Mitch Lee France.
ago, saying he planned to use the physical or sexual abuse, said coro
mercial use, the Fresno Bee re
Committee members did
wood to repair a houseboat.
ner Loralee Cervantes.
ported 7 uesday. They were given
not choose either of the two
All nine victims had been shot to
Wesson has cooperated with the acitation March I .calling fora $ I (X)
Democratic candidates run
death, according to the coroner’s investigation, police said, but no
fine and ordered to leave the build
ning in the May primary be
office. Investigators were still work motive had been determined.
ing or acquire a special permit.
cause they didn’t want to give
ing to determine the relationships
Authorities expect to release the
"The day of the murder was the
one an advantage, said Jim
among the victims, who were found names of the victims by Friday, a
day they had to comply with the
Robison, chairman of the
tangled in a pile of clothes when 24-year-old woman and eight chil
administrative order," Fresno Plan
D em ocratic
P arty
of
police went to the house Friday dren ranging in age from I to 17.
ning Director Nick Yovino told the
Multnomah County.
about a child custody dispute.
The family moved several times newspaper.
Candidates
Via for Vacant
House Seat
Fresno Man Accused of SlayingFamily
Victims pulled
from home in
wooden coffins
A
Sponsored by
The Portland Chapter
The Links, Inc.
145.00 q ^ ' a
$75.00.
Benefit Of
LINKS EDUCATIONAL
SCHOLARSHIP FUND
4 ^
prll 16, 2004
8:00 P.M..
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W W W .E B O N Y F A S H IO N F A IR .C O M
Portland General Electric presents
I NEW FRONTIERS IN
DIVERSITY
1 DIVERSITY SUMMIT 2 0 0 4
Learn how to build a stronger, m ore com petitive
organization ready to face the challenges of the
21st cen tu ry at PGE’s Diversity Sum m it 2004. I ts an
o p p o rtu n ity for anyone interested in diversity issues
in today's w orkplace. Register o nline to attend
classes w ith w orldw ide
leaders in diversity
W ednesday
issues, netw ork
A p ril 28
w ith the region's top
organizations, and
learn from outstan d in g
keynote speakers.
O regon
C o n ven tio n C enter
8 a.m . - 5 p.m .
Foi fYiofP (Icfriils cfnd to rpgistPf visit
P ortlandG eneial < om/Divci sitySummit
Keynote Speakers
Madame Jehan Sadat, world-renowned
peace and civil-rights activist and widow of
the late Egyptian President Anwar Sadat
Judy Shepard, champion of hate-crime
legislation in memory of her slain son
Matthew Shepard
Mark W illiam s, author o f the highly
acclaimed hook 10 lenses: Your Guide to
Living and Working in n Multicultural World
s
\
'P G E -
Portland General Electric
C-Tran
Tax Hike
Wanted
Vancouver and Clark County
voters will be asked to increase
taxes for public transportation after
the C-Tran Board of Directors
unanimously agreed to put a 0.3
percent sales tax increase before
voters this fall.
Passage of the ballot measure
would stave off a significant
downsizing of transit services.
To operate from a balanced bud
get by 2006, C-Tran must either
reduce services by approximately
40 percent or restore its previous
funding levels by increasing the
amount of sales tax it collects,
agency officials said.
In 1980, Clark County residents
approved the countywide transit
system to be funded with a 0.3
percent local sales tax matched with
an equal amount of motor vehicle
excise tax. An increase in tax rev
enue has not occurred since that
time.
In 1999, when Initiative 695
passed, C-Tran lost 40 percent of
its annual revenue. Officials said
services have been maintained
by drawing on reserve funds,
making some service reductions,
raising fares and creating opera
tional efficiencies, but at the cur
rent rate of spending, the agency
will exhaust its available reserves
in 2005.
THANKS
It
TO
OUR
SPONSORS
Pnnirk-.H. ( Health System
A c a rin g d iffe r e n c e yo u can te a l
♦ PACIFIC POW ER
AwdMeyer
< Jr
standard Insurance Company
H e w lett Packard Company
T R I© M E T
nw N a tu ra l
Port ot Portland
Legacy Health System
Regence BlueCrots BlueShieM ot Oregon
P o rtla n d G e n e ra l.c o m /D iv e rs ity S u m m it