Committed to Cultural Diversity
www.portlandobserver.com
May 19. 2004
Coach, Mentor
Inspired by Youth
M etro
Jenean Dunn honored for
volunteerism
a'*1' ^orttani» ©baeruer
See Sports, Page B2
SECTION
C
o ni in u n i t y
a I e n cl a i
Honoring Our Legacy
The Oregon Alliance of Black
School Educators holds the 23"1
annual Student A chievem ent
Awards and Scholarship Banquet
at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 20 at
the U n iv ersity o f P o rtlan d
Com m on’s Building, 5000 N.
W i 1 lamette BI vd. Tickets are $25.
For more information, call 503-
2X4-4268.
Take Charge
IRCO’s African RefugeeCommu-
nity Self-Help program hosts the
African Youth Leadership Con­
ference: Taking Charge of Your
Education and Your Future from
9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. May 22 at the
IRCOCommunity Center, 10301
N.E. Glisan. For more information,
call 503-234-154 lexL 222.
Nature Near Home
Enjoy the outdoors w ith an
Evening Bird Walk at Orchard
Park in Hillsboro, led by Metro,
from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday,
May 20. Register by cal 1 i ng 503-
797-1850option4.
Know Your Rights
APOC is holding a Know Your
Rights public training for people
o f color from noon to 3 p.m.
Saturday, May 29 at Bethel AME
C hurch, 5828 N.E. 8,h Ave.
Childcare and lunch will be pro­
vided. For more information, call
503-288-5429.
Plan On It
A Juneteenth Planning Com m it­
tee wi 11 meet every Friday at 6:30
p.m. through June 4 at the Phila­
d e lp h ia M issio n ary B a p tist
Church, 236 N.E. Mason. For
information, call 503-282-2216.
B
Mice Infest Vernon School
Community questions building’s maintenance
BY JAYMEE R . C t r l
T he P ortland O bserver
A recent mouse infestation at Vernon
Elementary School isa part of life in the city,
according to officials with Portland Public
Schools.
But some parents and other community
members are un wil ling to accept that answer
and ask whether this rodent problem isn’t
anotherexample of a pattern o f neglect plagu­
ing northeast Portland schools.
Lew Frederick, a spokesman for the dis­
trict, said during his 11 years with the dis­
trict, mice have been a problem at all schools,
approximately three different schools each
year. He said location and economics were
not factors in V ernon’s outbreak.
“Last year, the mouse problem was at
Duniway (Elementary School) in southeast
Portland, and that’s one o f the wealthiest
schools in the district, so it’s not a matter of
a particular area o f town,” Frederick said.
Exterminators have laid non-toxic traps
throughout the school and are catching four
to five mice each night. Faculty has cleaned
up materials that might be used as food or
bedding for the creatures. T hat’s the best it
can do until school is out, insiders say.
“W e’ll do much more extensive things
when school is out but we don’t want to put
bait down while kids are around,” Frederick
said.
A ccording to Frederick, M ultnom ah
County Vector Control had been notified
but acall to VectorControl SupervisorChris
Wirth said there was no record o f the com ­
plaint.
Wirth said Vector Control does not pro­
vide site inspections for mouse infestations.
Kindergarten teacher Chris
Retherford points to the mouse trap
in his classroom at Vernon Elemen­
tary School in northeast Portland.
photoby M ask W ashington /T hm P ortland O ku », via
but it would recommend pest control, trouble­
shoot and suggest literature available on its
Web site for control and prevention.
Joan Miller, principal at Vernon, said ex­
terminators told her the problem is confined
to storage rooms and the teacher's lounge,
but students have reported seeing mice and
droppings in classrooms.
She also said that a m aintenance staff
will search the b u ild in g 's perim eter and
seal holes w here the mice are entering the
school.
“ Mice infestations and ants are som e­
thing we unfortunately have to deal with
due to a sheer number of buildings we own
and they tend to wear out,” Frederick said.
A few years ago, the former W hitaker
Middle School and John Adams High School
site in northeast Portland was forced to
close permanently because of poor mainte­
nance and structural failures.
Better Homes
A Fix-It Fair is a free neighborhood
resource for building a better home
and growing a greener garden horn
8:30 a.m. to2 p.m. Saturday, June 5
at Helens view High School,8678N.
E. Sumner S t
Canine 101
The Oregon Humane Society ex­
plains problem pooches at C a­
nine 101 classes on Saturdays,
June 5 and 19 at 11 a.m. A $10
donation is suggested. For more
information, call 503-285-7722or
visit w ww.oregonhumane.org.
Going Green
OurGarden, Inc. is holding its S'*1
annual O ur Garden Kids Party
and Plant Sale from 12-4 p.m.
Sunday, June 6 at King Plaza,
3939N.E. MLKBlvd.
Birth Ready
W hether you need childbirth
preparation classes, or just a re­
fresher, Providence Health Sys­
tems has a workshop for you.
Prepare for pain, take a weekend
seminar or prepare big sisters
and brothers-to-be throughout
th e su m m e r by v isitin g
www,providence.org/classes or
call 503-574-6595.
Juggling Meds
An Aging Forum at the Provi­
dence Center, 4805 N.E. Glisan
St., helps older adults learn how
to manage multiple medications
at6:30p.m . W ednesday, June 16
in the social room. To register,
call 503-574-6595.
Interstate District Investment Restored
Money Put Back
into Neighborhoods
by L ee P erlman
T he P ortland O bserver
W hen som e north and northeast
neighborhoods m ade their urban re­
new al budget requests, the Portland
D evelopm ent C om m ission cut them to
the bone, draw ing neighborhood pro­
tests. Last w eek, the PDC capitulated.
At stake was $500,000 for a variety
o f program s in the Interstate Urban
Renew al D istrict designed to protect
and benefit local businesses and resi­
dents, provide im provem ents to area
parks and im prove other am enities in
area neighborhoods.
The district was originally conceived
to generate $30m illion to helpcreate the
Max Light Rail Yellow line. But it was
eventually made larger to accommodate
a long wish list o f potential projects,
including $6 million to the HOPE VI
photo by M ark VV ashing ton ZT he P ortland O bserver
project to modernize the former Colum­
An urban renewal district that pays for the new Interstate Max Yellow Line will bring some
bia Villa o f low-income housing.
money for local business and community development projects after all.
Local Business Honored
Big City Produce owner Hugh Gray stocks
fresh greens at his north Portland market
Women Speak
BY JAYMEE R . ClJTI
Women have a voice at Women
in NAACP, a new w om en’s
group, meeting from 10:30 a.m.
to 1 p.m. the first Saturday of
each month at the American Red
C ro ss B u ild in g . 3131 N.
Vancouver Ave. For questions,
call 503-249-6263.
T he P o rtlan d O rserver
Farmer’s Market In Season
For all the season’s best locally
grown produce, meats, dairy and
baked goods, visit the Portland
Farm er’s Market, opening this
week. Live cooking dem onstra­
tions are on Saturdays at 10 a.m.
and Thursdays at 6 p.m.
P D C ’s original budget for the d is­
trict, unveiled in m id-A pril, took ad ­
vantage o f low interest rates to pay
o ff m ost o f its debts for light rail and
HOPE VI. To the constern atio n o f
com m unity leaders, funding for social
and business im provem ent program s
had been eith er cut to the bone or
lopped o ff entirely.
Jennie Portis, a m em b ero f the Inter­
state D istrict A dvisory C om m ittee,
and others argued that, given the in ­
creased values the M ax line is ex ­
pected to bring to the area, the p ro ­
gram s cut are critical to the ability o f
residents and businesses to rem ain
The new “proposed b u d g et” un­
veiled May 12 earm arks $200,000 for
redevelopm ent projects, $ 15 0,000 for
com m unity livability, $ 10 0,000 for
business finance tools and $50,000
for housing.
A d v is o ry C o m m itte e c o - c h a ir
W alter V alenta told the PDC com m is­
sion, “ I’m very happy. W e feel w e'v e
been heard. Now we have a new o p ­
portunity on the ho rizo n .”
pwmiBY
JAYM EE R .
CnV
T he P ortland
O bserver
G reen business practices can both save
m oney and m ake the environm ent better,
as m any local com panies are proving.
Big C ity P ro d u ce, a je w e l o f a b u si-
n ess know n fo r c a te rin g to th e d iv e rse
p o p u la tio n s o f north and n o rth ea st Port-
lan d , w as re c e n tly d istin g u ish e d fo r
p ro m o tin g a su sta in a b le fo o d system .
O w n er H ugh G ray rep rese n ted on e o f
10 local co m p a n ie s th at re c e iv e d an
E n v ironm entally S ustainable T om orrow
(B E S T ) aw ard from P o rtlan d ’s O ffice o f
S u stain ab le D ev elo p m en t.
T he w in n e rs ’ sh o w ca sed su c ce ssfu l
w ay s to co n serv e en erg y an d w ater,
re d u c e and re c y c le w a ste , p ro m o te
I
tra n s p o r ta tio n a lte r n a tiv e s , c re a te
new an d e n v iro n m e n ta lly -frie n d ly
p ro d u c ts an d d e v e lo p s u s ta in a b le
Ow ner Hugh Gray
represented one o f 10
local companies that
received an
Environmentally
Sustainable Tomorrow
(BEST) award...
food sy stem s.
Big C ity P ro d u ce is at 722 N.
S u m n er St.