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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 18, 2006)
First Generation Students Excel OHSU Center for Diversity and Multicultural Affairs helps bring success to medical careers. years of ^community service ‘City of Roses’ See story, Metro section inside ^ìortlùtuò (Olrscriiut Established in 1970 Volume XXXVI, Number 3 www.portlandobserver.com Committed to Cultural Diversity Wednesday • lanuary 18, 2006 M M Week,,, in ThcReview Portland Casino: a Win Assisted Suicide Upheld The U.S. Suprem e C ourt upheld O regon’s one-of-a-kind physician- assisted suicide law Tuesday, re jecting a Bush adm inistration at tem pt to punish doctors w ho help terminally ill patients die. See story, page A3. Mayor Nagin Apologizes M ay o r Ray N agin apolo gized T u es day fo r a M a rtin L uther King D ay speech in w hich he p re d ic te d that New O r leans would be a “choco late” city once m ore. The m ayor he really m eant to convey that blacks were a vital part o f N ew O rleans’ history and culture and should be encouraged to return. See sto ry , page B5. New Orleans Students Back rt. Students returned to New O rleans colleges T uesday for the first day o f school since H urricane Katrina. T he start o f classes at T ulane, X avier and Southern U niversities marked a welcom e return to routine. See sto ry , p ag e A2. Troubled Drug Benefit Plan Since the Bush adm inistration’s prescription m edicine program b e gan on Jan. 1, tens o f thousands o f elderly people have been unable to get m edicines prom ised by the gov ernm ent. Som e 20 states, including Oregon have had to ju m p in to help them. See sto ry , p age A2. Beaten Girl May Die M a s s a c h u s s e ts 's h ig h e st c o u rt ruled T uesday that the state can w ithdraw life support from an 11- year-old girl w ho was badly beaten by her stepfather. The man asked the Suprem e Judicial C ourt last month to block the state from tak ing her o ff life support. He is al ready charged in her beating and if she dies, co u ld face a m urder charge. Groups Sue to Stop Spying Federal law suits w ere filed T u es day se e k in g to h alt P re sid e n t B ush’s d om estic eavesdropping program , calling it an “illegal and unconstitutional program " o f elec tronic eavesdropping on A m erican citizens. The law suits w ere filed by theC enterforC onstitutional Rights and the A m erican Civil Liberties Union. Hostage Standoff Ends A couple surrendered peacefully in Statesboro, G a., T uesday after hold- ing an attorney hostage for more than 24 hours and telling authori ties they were arm ed with an explo sive device. O - G- r*’i O O 5 o 2 t >s ?£ > O s —J c x □ 5Í) J j . photo by M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver The defunct greyhound racing track in Wood Village could become a casino if a plan to open off-reservation casinos is approved through the ballot box. Could help state budget, add to gambling woes by S arah B lount T he P ortland O bserver O regon has spent the past 20 years using lo ttery fu n d s to b alan c e cash- strapped budgets for schools, stim ulate econom ic developm ent and pay for state parks. All the w hile the sta te 's nine feder ally recognized tribes have enjoyed exclu sive rights to operate casinos on tribal land. N ow tw o Lake O sw ego men are hoping to extend the slot m achine’s arm by pro posing a private gam bling facility on P ortland’s edge. C hief petitioners Bruce Studer and M at thew Rossm an are proposing the state’s first private casinoat the form er M ultnomah Kennel C lub greyhound racing track in W ood V illage. T he proposal com es soon after the W arm Springs T rib e's application for an off-reservation casino located in the Colum bia Gorge. There is significant oppo sition to a casino in the gorge, w hich is a N ational Scenic Area. D epending on whom you talk to, a new casino on P ortland's outskirts w ould cre ate more money for schools and roads, as well as thousands o f new family w age jobs. O thers say the casino would drag Oregon governm ent into a deeper dependence on betting revenue, creating more gam bling addicts and the social problem s that ensue. The O regon Lottery is proud o f “doing good things" with their gam ing revenue since it's creation in 1984, when O rego We are asking Oregonians to take a thoughtful look at our proposal and its positive impact on the Oregon economy and OUr SChOOls. -B ru ce Studer nians voted for the state lottery during a severe recession. In 1995, a C onstitutional am endm ent allow ed lottery profits to fund public schools. Studer and Rossm an have created the G ood For Oregon C om m ittee to prom ote a new m easure to am end the C onstitutional to rem ove a casino gam ing prohibition on non-reservation lands. They ’ re aski ng for no tax breaks to bui Id and operate the center and are dedicated to giving back 25 percent o f adjusted gross revenue to the state, w hich they anticipate will break$ l(X) million. "W e are asking O regonians to take a thoughtful look at our proposal and its positive impact on the O regon econom y and our schools," Studer said. If all goes as planned, the casino would continued on page A Council Hopeful Brings Progressive Agenda Tate injects grassroots activism into campaign by S arah B lount T he P ortland O bserv er L ucinda T ate feels the Portland C ity C ouncil needs a different per spective. S he’d like to see more o f her neighbors involved in govern ment and m ore business and hous ing assistance for people o f color. Tate is bringing passion to her cam paign for City Council. S h e’s gathering signatures to qualify in P ortland’s first voter-ow ned elec tion. Then public cam paign finance ordinance levels the playing field, g iv in g ca n d id a tes w ho acq u ire 1,030 signatures with $5 contribu tio n s c ity - f in a n c e d c a m p a ig n funds. Tate, w ho is o f African and N a tive A m erican descent, would be the first w om an o f color to hold a council seat if elected city com m is sioner this Novem ber. She would replace Dan Saltzm an w ho is seek ing reelection. This is T ate’s first run for public office, but she’s been involved in grassroots politics for nearly 20years. She is currently chair o f the Portland Rainbow Coalition and an active m em ber o f the Jobs with Justice F aith /l^ b o r Com mittee and Metro- r a o r o by M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver Community Food Basket volunteers gather collections at St. Andrew Church in northeast Portland, including City Council Candidate Lucinda Tate (center). Bernice Disney (left) and Dolores Montgom ery. If elected during the upcoming primary and general elections, Tate would be the council’s first woman o f color. politan Alliance forC om m on Good. Tate met with her supporters on a recent night at the A lberta Arts Pavilion. The street w here new shops are springing up like m ush room s overshadow s the dw indling older storefronts. It was an appro- priate place for her to sound off on issues she prom ises to address in office. On gentrification she said, “ We need to identify and find out the needs o f people o f color. “ Instead o f helping people relo cate, we need to help them st Colum bia Villa isaprim eexam pl On employ m ent: “Smal 1 busi n is the foundation o f every comn nity, as well as the city. We n< program s to help sm all busines hire one more em ployee to h stabilize them .” Tate noted a particular need for small businesses o f color. “O ne perception is that they are n 't being supported as much as out-of-state businesses, like bou tiques,” she said. On housing: “My intent is to look at how the council can be a proactive force in housing assis tance, as well as provide living- w age jo b s.” On neighborhood investm ent: T a te c h a r g e s th a t e c o n o m ic redlining is alive and well in Port land. “Look at it through the eyes o f the Portland Development Com m is sion,” she said. “Look at how m uch is being invested in new, versus established business.” Tate is excited to shake up City Hall, but her inspiration com es from current and form er council m em b e rs , m o st n o ta b ly G re tc h e n Kafoury, past city com m issioner and champion for low-income hous ing, and M ayor Tom Potter. She pledges to support P o tter's initiatives on com m unity policing and w orkplace diversity. Tate also gives credit to Neil G oldschm idt's early tenure, com m enting on his impact to prom ote em ployable, liv able and sustainable lifestyles. “ He bro u g h t in people w ho w eren 't afraid to risk,” she said. " I’d like to bring that back. Tate has until May to gather 1,000signatures and contributions. Upon qualifying, she’ll begin ca n vassing fo relectio n s in N ovem ber I