Committed to Cultural Diversity
www.portlandobserver.com
A pril 07. 2004
Clyde Drexler Newest Member
of Basketball Hall of Fame
M etro
See Sports, page Bft
Îlîl JJortíanh © bseruer
SECTION
C
o 111 t i l u n i t y
a l e n
tl u r
'Fashion
Wild Animals
T h e O re g o n Z o o o p e n s
H im alam azon, a sim ulator thrill
ride that soars riders through a
Himalayan climate above the soil
o f the A m azon, on M ay 1. Tick
ets are $4 in addition to zoo ad
mission.
Safety Day
O regon Safe Kids Day features
exhibits, prizes, safety tips and
hands-on activities for kids and
parents at the O regon Z oo from
9 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 8. For infor
mation. call 503-373-1540ext. 227
or visit w w w .oregonzoo.org.
The Ebony Fashion
Fair will feature the
most exquisite
styles like this yellow
embroidered silk
jacket designed by
Oscar de la Renta
worn over matching
silk brocade ciga
rette pants.
-EBONY
Enjoy Nature
G et outdoors with M etro’s slate
o f springtim e activities w ith a
bird w alk at Sm ith and Bybee
Lakes Wi Idl i fe area i n north Port
land from 9to 11 a.m. April 17and
a painted turtle walk from 12:30
to2p.m . April 17.Toregisterand
for m ore inform ation, call 503-
797-1850.
Fundraise for PALS
The Police A ctivities League,
w hich serves youth in Portland
and G resham , is sponsoring its
8,h annual PAL Cam paign for
C ops Helping Kids dinner auc
tion benefiting PA L at 5:30p.m .
May 8 at the M ultnom ah A th
letic Club. For more information,
call 503-823-0250.
Dinos on Trial
D inosaurs are back in Portland
w ithT. R ex o n T rial.an ex h ib itat
OM SI. Explore the evidence and
decide fo ry o u rselfifT . Rex was
a predator o r a scavenger. The
hands-on exhibit runs through
M ay 9.
Compelling Story
“A H undred Little H itlers" will
• be signed and d iscu ssed by
author E linor L anger at Barnes
and N oble, L loyd C enter, a, 7
p.m. Friday, April 16.
Benefit Laughter
C om edySportz hosts a benefit
show for the Portland T illam ook
C ooperative Preschool at 5 p.m.
Saturday, April 17 at 1963 N.W .
K earney Street. Tickets are $ 10.
For m ore inform ation, call 503-
236-8888.
Bunny Love
T he O regon H um ane Society is
open E aster Sunday, April 11,
for E aster bunny adoptions and
a lesson on how bunnies make
great pets. T he E aster Bunny
will be there from I to 4 p .m .F o r
m ore inform ation, call 503-285-
7722
or
v is it
w w w .oregonhum anes.org.
Hospice Training
K aiser Perm anente is offering
free training to adults interested
in providing physical and em o
tional support to term inally ill
patients. T he trainings are on
Tuesdays and T hursdays from
6 to 9:30 p.m ., from April 27
through M ay 13. For more infor
mation, call 503-499-5285.
Portland's chapter o f The Links, Inc. will
build support for scholarships while enjoying
the high styles o f fashion like this leather
design from Eurreuno featuring full leg pants,
pinstriped blouse with turquoise beaded
sweater and wide cummerbund belt. A saucy
brimmed hat completes the ensemble.
Largest traveling
fashion show to
descend on Portland
Varied andexciting designs arrive in Port
land with “C olor Splash,” the 45"’ annual
E bony Fashion Fair, sponsored by The
Links, Inc.
Sharp fashions
for men are part
of the Ebony
Fashion show repertoire such
as this red wool tweed double-
breasted suit (above center) de
signed by Laura Biagiotti comple
mented with a turtleneck stripped
sweater and red shoes.
The benefit raises scholarships for local
A frican A m ericans by attracting area resi
dents to a fantastic show on the changing
trends o f fashion. Expect extravagant styles
by world famous designers such as Bob
M ackie, G ivenchy, O scar De La Renta,
V alentino and A frican-A m erican designers
B. M ichael, De Alexander. L ’Amour, W ayne
Jam es and Kevin Hall.
T h irteen m ag n ificen t m odels, eleven
area. The goal of this y ear’s event is to raise
$30,000.
Tickets are $45 for general adm ission and
$75 to r patrons. Tickets can be purchased at
a variety o f northeast Portland locations,
including G eneva’s Shear Perfection. 5601
N.E. Martin Luther King Blvd., D om onique’s
H air Salon, 222 N. K illingsw orth and O ne
Stop Record Store, 1615 N.E. Killingsw orth
St. and all Ticket M aster outlets.
City Acquires Blighted Grant Warehouse
Once toxic site to become community asset
BloomFest
E aster Seals O regon announces
Bloom Fest through April 10,
asking volunteers to coordinate
and sell fresh-cut tulip bunches
for$5. For m ore inform ation,call
503-228-5108 ext. 317.
Interest in Adoption?
A free inform ation meeting for
p rosp ectiv e adoptive parents
held the third W ednesday o f
every month from 7 to 8 :3 0 p.m.
at Belm ont Public Library, 1038
S.E .39"’Ave. For more inform a
tion, call 503-226-4870 or visit
w w w .openadopt.com .
A Healing Song
Sankofaa H ealth Institute offers
a free diabetes support group
from 6 to 7:30 p.m. every third
Thursday at A lberta Sim m ons
Plaza, 6707 N.E. MLK Blvd. For
m ore inform ation, call 503-285-
2484.
women, including a full figure model and two
men will show case the provocative designs.
The Fashion Fair takes place at the Port
land C onvention C enter at 8 p.m. Friday,
April 16. It s the w o rld 's largest traveling
fashion show and is produced and directed
by Eunice W. Johnson, a prem ier fashion
authority.
Fifty scholarships are given to outstand
ing seniors throughout the Portland metro
Mike Warwick, Eliot neighborhood resident for 26 years, awaits revitalization of
the blighted Grant Warehouse property in inner northeast Portland.
by J aymee R .C u n
T he P ortland O bserver
Eliot and Frem ont neighborhood resi
dents knew som ething w asn’t right with
G rant W arehouse 10 years ago when sm oke
spewed from the boarded building and ru
mors whirled about hom eless people taking
up residence there.
But little did they know that the neighbor
hood eyesore that stunted neighborhood
revitalization efforts at Northeast Martin
Luther King and Freem ont was a site co n
tam inated with dangerous toxic chem icals.
Now, through a com bined and tenacious
effort between the City o f Portland, the
Environm ental Protection A gency and the
Portland Developm ent C om m ission, the site
has been acquired for redevelopm ent and
key players are passing the credit along to
the neighborhood.
The transform ation began in 1998, when
m em bers in the com m unity led an effort to
refocus the city 's Brow nfield cleanup pro
gram from large projects in the dow ntow n
area to small projects in the low -incom e
areas o f north and northeast Portland.
For20years, Erwin Grant’s 16,200square
feet of property was used to recover pre
cious m etals from liquids, ore and process
w aste and may have been used to extract
lead from batteries. The EPA determ ined
that the property posed an im m inent threat
to hum an health and the environm ent.
Sam ples of dust and air collected at the site
and bkxxl sam ples from a hom eless en
cam pm ent occupying the building tested
positive for high concentrations o f heavy
m etals and lead.
"We’ve been w orking with the Eliot
neighborhixxl since about 2000, keeping
them updated at neighborhixxl m eetings
about the federal court proceedings to
acq u ire the p ro p e rty .” said C h ristin e
H erm ann, developm ent m anager for the
PDC “ It had a really negative and blighting
impact on the Eliot neighborhcxxl and sur
rounding neighborhoods.”
A fter co m p letin g the em erg en cy re-
continued
yf
on page H4