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‘City of Roses'
Established in 1970
www.portlandobserver.com
Committed to Cultural Diversity
Volume XXXIV • Number 40
Wednesday • October 13, 2004
T,Weekin
ThcReview
Election
Ballots
On Way
Teen Rescued After Vision
A 17-year-old Seattle girl whi
survived eight days after her ca
crashed and tumbled 2(X) fee
down a ravine may have beei
saved by her own dehydration
which prevented the expansioi
of a blood clot in her brain, doc
tors said. Laura H atch's familj
had almost given her up for dead
and sheriff’s deputies had all bu
written her off as a runaway. Ther
she was found, badly hurt ant
severely dehydrated, but alive
and conscious, in the back seal
of her crumpled Toyota Carnry
after a searcher had a vision about
where she disappeared.
People o f color
find a political fit
Many Americans Qualify as
Working Poor
T he P ortland O bserver
Ballots in the November General Election will be mailed o
Friday and many Portlanders are ready.
One in every five U.S. jobs pays
less than a poverty-level wage
for a family o f four, according to
a study by the nonpartisan W ork­
ing Poor Families Project. The
result o f so many low-paying jobs
is that nearly 39 million Am eri­
cans. including 20 million chil­
dren, are members of "low-income
working families” - with barely
enough money to cover basic
needs like housing, groceries and
child care, the study found.
At stake are elections for president, mayor and several k c
ballot measures, including a tax measure for schools and socia
Reeve Remembered
Christopher Reeve often said he
w anted to be
know n
fo r
s o m e th in g
otherthan play­
ing Superman.
But it was real
life-not another
movie role-that
gave the actor the chance to star
in his biggest drama: as a spinal
cord injury victim championing
research in hope that people like
him would someday be able to
walk again. Reeves died last Sun­
day after surviving nine years
with a spinal cord injury that left
him paralyzed.
Bush Rumor Laughed Off
Campaign aides to President Bush
Saturday laughed off rampant
In te rn e t sp e c u la tio n ab o u t
whether the president was wired
to get help from advisers during
his first debate with Sen. John
Kerry. "It’s not true. It’s ridicu­
lous." Bush campaign spokes­
man Scott Stanzel said. A still
photo from television footage of
Bush as he debated Kerry on
Sept. 30 in Coral Gables, Fla.,
appears to show a small, boxy
shape between the president’s
shoulder blades.
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’
Reexamined
A pro-gay Republican group
plans to file a lawsuit asking a
federal court to overturn the U.S.
governm ent’s "don’t ask, don’t
tell" policy covering gays in the
militaiy.
photo by O wen C are
It's live theater and live basketball combined when Portland's Michael Harper (left), a former Trail Blazer
and Sam Burns, a Grant High School sophomore and professional Oregon Children's Theater student,
star in the production ‘The Former One-on-One Basketball Champion. '
ONEON-ONE
Premiere bonds live theater to live basketball
Live theater. Live basketball. One-on-One, person to
person, no subs, no refs, no free throws.
O regon C hildren’s Theatre presents the Oregon
I première o f "The Former
O n e -o n -O n e B a sk e tb a ll
Cham pion.” Friday, Oct. 15
through Sunday, Oct. 3 1 at
the W inningstad Theatre,
1111 S.W. Broadway.
The unique production is
the story o f two lives intri­
t
cately entwined in a battle to
2 1 points; fighting for integ­
rity, truth, principles and re­
demption one shot at a time.
F orm er Portland Trail
Blazer Michael Harper stars in this two-person-play along
with Sam Bums, a 15-year-old sophomore at Grant High
School and the O regon's Children's Theatre's Young
erotessional student.
The intimate W inningstad forms a theater in the rou
where a street basketball court dominates - and onb
hurricane fence separai
the audience’s courtsi
seats from the stark drai
u n fo ld in g th ro u g h
onstage game o f one-c
one.
Fourteen-year-old Ir
ing K a ,z is s h o o tii
hoops one day when
com es face-to-face wi
The intimate
Winningstad forms a
theater in the round
where a street basketball
court dominates...
A
Irving A llen, a form
NBA star who represen
the sport he loves ai
the tragedy he cannot forget.
co n tin u ed
3
) official ballot dropt site is added to the Goodwill retail
ore and donation center at 3134 N. Lombard. Ballots
the November General Election will be mailed to
ters on Friday.
But w hat have political parties done to woo and persuade tl
linority vote and which party is the best fit for communities
□lor?
Shirley Minor, a community activist, said that neither mai
ream party is as inclusive as it should be. but she has chost
to work with the Multnomah County Democratic Party.
“I'm closer to being a Democrat than another affiliation. I ju
ink on the whole, on a national and state level, I haven't set
:ry much openness for including black people," said Mine
ho is African American.
She said her mission is to get people o f color invested
»litics by volunteering and supporting candidates who wi
turn their loyalty by supporting issues important to minorit
mericans.
Job creation is an issue Minor is raising.
"People are having trouble caring for their families, payin
îirm ortgages and just meeting theireveryday family needs,
sh e said. "W e need to raise a much higher awareness with slat
an d local politicians about job creation."
Jeff Merrick, chairman of the local party, said Democrat
Jtect the rights of minorities.
"It’s a good fit because we care about people, whether it'
mi nority people or white people, we care about wage earning
npi jple. We re not focused on how do we squeeze more ta:
on page A 7
co n tin u ed
y^ on page A 7
Flu Vaccine in Short Supply
-
Experts tout
preventive tips
©
f i
News that as much as half of the nation's
flu vaccine supply w on’t be available this
season is prompting Oregon public health
photo by J aymf . e
R. C lti /T he P ortland O bserver
• Safeway pharmacist Shazia
Zafar delivers a quick and nearly
painless flu vaccine to Delores
Rider during a clinic at the store
on Northeast Martin Luther King
Boulevard.
officials to recommend that healthy people
under 65 forgo vaccination, at least tem po­
rarily.
Locally, pharmacist ShaziaZafar, adminis­
tered flu vaccines last Friday at Safeway on
Northeast Martin Luther King Boulevard to
those meeting strict guidelines.
“We had a really successful clinic today.
We gave 150 shots and no one had a bad
experience," Zafar said.
Because of recent restrictions, the vac­
cines at Safeway were administered only to
those with chronic medical conditions, resi-
contioued
yf on page A 8