Committed to Cultural Diversity www.portlandobserver.com M etro August II. 2004 Peninsula Season Ends at Regionals Little League all-stars run into fierce competition See story in Sports, page B2 Œl'1' sportiani* (Obseruer SECTION C o ni ni u n ity a le n d a r Gallery of Visual Arts View art from talented local art­ ists of all ages throughout the month of August at the Inter­ state Firehouse Cultural Center; 5340 N. Interstate Ave., from 9 a.m .-6p.m ., free. Alberta Farm Market Providing healthy, affordable, high quality food, the Alberta Cooperative Grocery offers sea­ sonal produce from local grow­ ers, ready-to-eat food and weekly entertainment. Open from 10a.m. to 2 p.m. daily, located on 1500 N.E. Alberta St. For more infor- mation.call 503-287-4333. The Sabbath Spend your weekend well at the Israelite Church of God and Jesus Christ, 309 N. E. Wygant St., for the Sabbath. Friday ser­ vice begins at 7 p.m. and Satur­ day service is at 8:30 a.m. Fair Housing Join the Fair Housing Council on Aug. 12 for a discussion titled Interpretation of Fair Housing Laws at the Woodstock Library, 6(X)8 S. E. 49th Ave, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Aug. 12. Register by call­ ing 503-772-8825 Humane and Bazaar The Oregon Humane Society hosts a summer craft bazaar and pet fairon Saturday, Aug. 14 and Sunday, Aug. 15 at 1067 N. E. Columbia Blvd. Food Credits are Defense Against Hunger State sees dramatic increase in food stamps Oregon has been ranked among the highest in the nation in the share of eli­ gible residents who received food stamps and the numbers of people who partici­ pate in the federally funded program con­ tinue to rise. Food stamps now reach more than 420,(XX) Oregonians with $35 million in monthly benefits. Gov. Ted Kulongoski welcomes the assistance but laments that food stamp benefits are not a long-term solution to Oregon’s hunger problem. “Because of the federal food-stamp program, many Oregon families who are struggling to make ends meet are able to feed their children, protecting them from the long-term consequences of hunger,” PHOTO BY J a YMF-E R. C u T l/T H E PORTLAND OBSERVER Kulongoski said. In local stores, the Oregon Trail Card holds credit for food stamp purchases helping DirectorofDepartmentof Human Ser­ low-income residents of the state. vices, Gary Weeks said dramatic state­ Weeks said almost 170,(XX)of Oregon’s ing them, according to Patti Whitney- wide increases in food-stamp usage resulted in part from factors that included successful food-stamp recipients are underage 18, of Wise, executive director of the Oregon whom nearly 124,000 are under the age of Hunger Relief Task Force, a statewide outreach to the working floor. 12. The state agency, food stamp advocates, advocacy group created by the 1989 Leg­ “Trust me, if kids are hungry they won’t islature. food banks, schools and other community partners are credited with publicizing food concentrate on their spelling or arithmetic," For more inform ation about food stamps’ availability and expanded eligibil­ Weeks said. stamps or to see if you qualify visit online Still, many Oregonians who would ben­ at http://www.dhs.state.or.us/assistance/ ity. The state has also streamlined the enroll­ efit from food stamps still are not receiv- foodstam ps/foodstamps.htm. ment process. Ready for School Back to the Future School Sup­ plies Give-A-Way is from 1 to 5 p.m. on Aug. 29 at the Chevron Gas Station parking lot at 3435 Martin Luther King BI vd. at Fre­ mont. Get supplies while they last. Call 503-890-0070. Voter Registration Register to vote and learn how to register your friends, family and others in the community Saturday, Aug. 18, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. at Hollywood Library ; 4040 NE Tillamook St. Refreshment will be provided. To learn more, v isit o n lin e at h ttp :// www.multcolib.org. Interest In Adoption? A free information meeting for prospective adoptive parents is held the third Wednesday of every month from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Belmont Public Library, 1038 S.E. 39“’ Ave. For more informa­ tion, call 503-226-4870 or visit www.openadopt.com. PCC Board Leaders Elected The P o r tla n d Com m unity College Board o f D irectors voted Dana A nder­ son as c h a ir and Harold W illiam s as vice c h a ir fo r the 2004-05 school year at its July 15 m eet­ ing. A nderson re p re ­ sents Zone 4, which in c lu d e s n o rth , n o r th e a s t and southeast Portland, w hile W illiam s rep ­ r e s e n ts Z o n e 2, w h ic h in c lu d e s parts o f M ultnom ah and Colum bia coun­ Dana Anderson ties. A nderson is a partner with C o n ser­ vation Services, a hearing health care Harold Williams consulting firm. W illiam s is president of CH2A A ssociates, a local contract policy, consulting and m anagem ent ser­ vices firm. The PCC Board o f D irectors is responsible for the budget and over­ all policy direction and governance o f the c o l­ lege. Board members are not paid for their ser­ vices. PCC is the larg est post-secondary ed u ca­ tional institution in O r­ egon, enrolling nearly 100,000 students annu­ a lly , a n d o p e r a tin g th re e c o m p re h e n siv e cam p u ses along w ith five w orkforce training and education centers, a sm all business d evel­ opm ent center and education outlets in hundreds o f com m unity and business locations. W in to Group wrestles control o f Smart Parks In a unanimous vote, city council com­ missioners in Portland voted to award a lucrative public parking contract to Star Park and the Alliance of Minority Cham­ bers of Commerce, to manage the public parking garages, including all revenue accounting and employee operations. This is the second time that the city has voted to award a multi million-dollar con­ tract to the joint venture partners, making it particularly unique. In 2003, the venture partners successfully wrestled the man­ agement contract from the highly influen­ tial Portland Business Alliance. The latest award takes the city’s Smart Park contract from the politically powerful Goodman family, owners of City Center Parking. The Goodman family had held the lucrative public parking contract with the city for 24 years. The minority chambers had to jump through numerous hoops and participate in high stakes politics, twice, to get the award. An independent evaluation com­ mittee, appointed by the City Council, recommended the group last June. However, in a last-minute appeal, the Goodmans cried foul and claimed that they had the best deal. Their influence was enough for City Council members to take a second look. But a citizen’s review com­ mittee, fora second time, selected Star Park and the Alliance of Minority Chambers, and justified their recommendation in a detailed two-page letter to council com­ missioners. Roy Jay, President of the African Ameri­ can Chamber of Commerce and founder of the Alliance of Minority Chambers, said the joint venture partners had worked long and hard to give the city the best possible proposal. He said, “We were very, very confident in the process, although we had to go through it twice." Vice Chair of the African American Chamber, JoAnn Bowman added, "This is another example of minorities being able to compete on a level playing field without having to be minority certified. The city continued on page R4 Stay Healthy Sankofaa Health Institute offers a free diabetes support group from 6 to 7:30 p.m. every third Thursday at Alberta Simmons Plaza, 6707 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. For more informa­ tion, call 503-285-2484. BIKE Group Completes Habitat Tour ■ .rs»; £ ,la Work For Change Community Advocates invites those interested in protecting children from abuse to become an event volunteer, event out­ reach, tech n o lo g y ex p ert, graphic artists or office support team member. For more informa­ tion, call 503-280-1388. Home Improvement The Community Energy Project holds free workshops on water conservation and weatheriza­ tion. For more information, call 503-284-4962. NAACP Meetings The Portland Branch o f the NAACP holds two monthly ex­ ecutive committee meetings, on the second Thursday of the month and the Thursday before the fourth Saturday of the month. General membership meetings are held on the fourth Saturday of each month. For more infor­ mation, call 503-284-7722. photo by K f . n L f G ros I a Members o f Bicycles and Ideas fo r Kids «« Empowerment (BIKE), a local cycling group, celebrate the Portland finish to a cross-county bicycle tour for Habitat or Humanity, with Rebecca Fausel o f Port­ land, one o f the partici­ pants o f the trek across America raising money fo r the housing ' non-profit. The kids rode r i their bikes in the last leg ; o f the journey. A dance k circle, food and other entertainment followed the July 3 1 festivities at Jamison Sq' downtown.