50j¿ Roberta Flack at the Schnil Schnitzer Y > atthe * years, C zW ï •'community service B Soul diva to open symphony season ZZ'"" See Focus, page C3 F ^ o rtía n h ffibsertier Established In 1970 www.portlandobserver.com Committed to Cultural Diversity Wednesday • October 5, 2005 ‘City of Roses’ Volume XXXV. Number 41 Local Boxing Great Earns Due New Iraq Offensive Some 2,500 U.S. troops along with Iraqi forces launched a second major offensive in western Iraq in a week Tuesday, sweeping into three towns to take them back from insurgents who had killed Marines there last month. Four troops were killed in roadside bombs during the fighting and a fifth was killed elsewhere. Search for Bodies Ends Officials ended theirdoor-to-door sweep for bodies Monday as New Orleans revved up efforts to re cover from Hurricane Katrina. The death toll Tuesday stood at 972, eight more than Monday, the Loui siana health department said. The death toll probably will continue to rise, but authorities have said sweeps yielded fewer bodies than feared. New Court Pick Considered In the face of criticism from the le ft and right. President Bush insisted T u e sd a y that Harriet Miers is the best-quali fied candidate for the Supreme C o u rt. M iers could follow John Roberts to the bench in November. Thad Spencer in class with Muhammad Ali by K atherine B lackmore T he P ortland O bserver At age 14, Thad Spencer’s Portland family didn't think he’d end up a suc cessful boxer when he first joined the Knott Street Boxing Gym in 1957. Inspired by his cousin, professional boxer Willie Richardson, he never gave up training in the sport. Ten years later, he’d go on to prove his family wrong, ranking the top heavyweight contender in the world to the legendary Muhammad Ali. “If you’re going to box, you’ve got to have a lot of heart and do a lot of hard work,” Spencer said. Achieving the top ranking in the world and the many titles leading up to it has put Spencer into the Oregon Sports Hall of fame. The induction will take place during a ceremony, Tuesday, Oct. 11 at the Multnomah Athletic Club. Spencer was an individual fighter for the Knott Street Boxing Team of north east Portland, which will also be in ducted duri ng the ceremony for it' s many championship titles between 1956 and 1972. Before going pro, Spencer won the Amateur Athletic Union’s Golden Boy Award in 1960, a title only four other Knott Street boxers eventually held. “1 don’t know why they kept telling me no,” Spencer said, looking back on continued Military Could Fight Flu President Bush, increasingly con cerned about a possible avian flu pandemic, revealed Tuesday that any part of the country where the virus breaks out could likely be quarantined and that he is consid ering using the military to enforce it. Violation in Boat Accident The owner o f the boat that cap sized on Lake George, NY..killing 20 elderly tourists, could face a fine as low as $25 for failing to have enough crew members on board, police said Tuesday. The 38-foot Ethan Allen needed one crew member besides the captain because it carried up to 48 passen gers. Hurricane Stan Hits Mexico H urricane Stan barreled into M exico’s G ulf coast Tuesday, pummeling Veracruz, a major port city, with heavy rain and punish ing waves, and forcing the evacu ation of thousands of residents and several offshore oil platforms. Fire Destroys Oregon Fort A 50-year-old replica o f the fort where the Lewis and Clark expe dition spent the soggy w inter of 1805-1806 was destroyed by fire, authorities said Tuesday. The log buildings on the O regon C oast near W arrenton had no electricity and a cause for the fire was suspicious. t on page A6 L CAN SPENCER MATCH FRAZIER’S KO PUNCH? _____________________ Boxing legend Thad Spencer graced the cover of Ring Magazine in 1967. Thad Spencer today on the eve of his induction into the Oregon Sports Hall o f Fame. Doors Stay Open for Katrina Survivors Hundreds already served at former school A Family Resource Center serving Hurricane Katrina survivors at the former Washington High School in southeast Portland remains open but has scaled bac«. from 24-hour operations, one month after the natural disaster. The local center established by the local Red Cross with city and state government officials, has now served over 600 people dislocated from the G ulf Coast states by flooding and storm damage. The new hours of operation at the W ashington school site at Southeast 14,b Avenue and Stark Street will be Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Locally, the survivors are receiving assistance with l o u s i n g , education, employment, health and mental health ^Services by staff from Multnomah County, Oregon De p artm en t of Human Services, American Red Cross, and 3 h e Community Welcoming Committee. ~ The City of Portland. Portland Public Schools, Social Security Administration, US Postal Service, Head Start, the Housing Authority of Portland, and 211 -Info are among the agencies involved in efforts to support hurricane survivors who have arrived in the local metropolitan area. The center provides survivors with a single location where they can be linked to the services they need, including acase manager. A current priority is registering survivors with FEMA so that they can receive federal assistance. For information on donations and volunteering, visit www.21linfo.org orcall 211 orl-800-SAFE-NET. Art Studios Open for Inside Peaks Annual tours go behind-the-scenes community, allowing not only for peeks at finished individual mas terpieces, but how those master pieces are made. “It’s a phenomena happening all over the world to watch artists at work in their natural habitats. Y ou're not just looking at the art. but you’re seeing things that are half finished,” said Bonnie Meltzer, di rector of this year’s Port land Open Studios Tour. Meltzer also is one of the many local artists featured in this year's event. She and other work Abstract landscapes where colors of green, red and yellow settle, stand, sink and flow ing artists will show off because of the push o f a hammer and chisel are the creation of Nho Nguyen. the tools, techniques other artists. and personal secrets that allow dimension," Meltzer said. “ It’s incredibly fun to do because you Inspiration for subject matter ranges from them to mold their ideas into a get to see your different neighborhoods,” finished craft. Sculptors will carve social commentary about race, religion and figures, found objects will come politics to abstract ideas about culture and Meltzer said. "It's a total multicultural expe rience with all kinds o f art materials, all kinds together to be marveled at, and everyday life. “Art is a way of communication." Meltzer of techniques, all kinds of tools and all kinds painters will brush theircanvases, giving others a chance to see cre said. “The making of art helps you under of people. T hat’s the beauty of all of this." Sharon Geraci is another artist opening stand the visual world.” ativity at work. The tour not only strays away from the her workspace up. offering demonstrations “It helps them understand what Milena Matic's acrylic paintings showcase the artists are doing. If they see the static environment of a studio, but also acts continued on page A6 beauty and expressions o f ordinary life. whole picture, it brings another an avenue for mingling with neighbors and K atherine B lackmore T he P ortland O bserver As a hub for artists ranging from avant- garde to traditional, Portland is an ever growing mecca of paintings, sculpture, pho tography and more. In the coming weekends, 93 studios across the city will open their doors to the by 4