lanuaty 25. 2006
Page A3
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Revamp for Jefferson, Area Schools Coming
School Botird vote is unanimous
lb
M ichael L eighton
T HE P(>K IT.AM) ( >BSEKVER
A n extensive plan to revamp
Jefferson High School in north
Portland and nearly all its feeder
schools in north and northeast
Portland has won final approval
from the Portland School Board.
The seven-member panel put
aside objections from many local
residents and voted unanimously
Monday on the recommendations
by Superintendent V ic k i P h illip s
and a com m unity-based design
team.
The most contentious issue o f
im posing school uniform s on high
school students was rem oved
from the proposal before the vote.
School board members were
united in going forward w ith the
other changes in an effort to re­
verse declining enrollment and
years o f low achievement scores
at Jefferson and the schools that
feed into the high school.
Accusations that the propos­
als were racist because they
w o u ld tre a t J e ffe rs o n area
schools differently from the other
schools in the district were fla tly
rejected. School board members
said ignoring the achievement and
enrolment problems the schools
face w ould continue discrim i natory
practices o f the past
In the new stru ctu rin g , in d i­
vid u a l m iddle schools are e lim i­
n a te d and m o st e le m e n ta ry
schools feeding in to Jefferson
becom e kin d e rg a rte n th ro u g h
eighth grade schools.
Harriet Tubman M iddle School
in north Portland becomes a g irls-
YWCA Justice Award
The Y W C A o f Vancouver has
Diversity Youth in Leadership, a
named educator Leilani Russell as
pn »gram o f both the Evergreen and
human rights and the power o f
its 2005 Val Joshua Racial Justice
Vancouver School Districts, and is
youth. I have a love for working
Award winner.
actively involved in the Washington
with young people,” Russell says.
Russell, the multicultural coor­
dinator at Evergreen High School,
ics o f social justice, nonviolence,
State Board o f Education Equity
"M y grandmother taught me to
Committee.
stand up for injustice; she taught
has dedicated years to educating
She is also on the board o f the
youth iuid school staff on issues
Washington State Association o f
such as racism, harassment, dis­
Multicultural Education and was a
The award w ill be presented
crimination and bullying.
member o f the Peace Jam North­
during the Y W C A 's Annual Cel­
ebration on Wednesday. Aug. 25 at
School District’ s trainer o f diver­
west Planning Committee for nine
years.
sity trainers, is the co-facilitator o f
" I am very passionate about top­
She serves as the Evergreen
me to have a voice and the power
o f youth.”
at 6:30 p.m.
Inmate Freed on DNA Evidence
A judge freed the 45-year-old
C rotzer after D N A testing and
other evidence convinced pros­
ecutors he was not involved in
the 19 8 1 armed robbery and rapes
that led to his 130-year prison
sentence.
“ It's been a long tim e com­
ing,” said Crotzer, his black hair
graying at the temples. “ Thank
God fo r this day.”
C ro tz e r w a lk e d free m ore
than three years a fte r he w rote
to the Innocence P ro je ct in Alan Crotzer throws his arms up in the air as he leaves a Tampa,
N ew Y o rk , a legal c lin ic that Fla. courthouse after being released from prison for a crime he
seeks to exonerate inm ates didn't commit. (AP photo)
last fall after complaints from many
parents about a proposal to merge
younger m iddle school students
into Jefferson.
School board members pledged
to make the changes approved
Monday successful and indicted
they could be copied fo r other
schools in the district in the future,
such as at Roosevelt and Marshall
H igh Schools and th e ir feeder
schools.
Downtown
Parks
Curfew
Expanded
tightened curfew from m idnight to
9p.m . and increasing fix it patrols in
the area.
Because an overall reduction to
crime was reported, the C ity C oun­
cil is now extending that curlew and
police v is ib ility to all five dow n­
town parks.
Whatever your intentions may
be, hanging out in any downtown
parks alter 9 p.m. is no longer al­
lowed.
the Y W C A Helene Schoen Center
( A P) — A lan Crotzer stepped
into the warm sunlight outside
the courthouse in Tampa. Fla.
Monday and raised his arms to
the sky, celebrating his freedom
after more than 24 years behind
bars fo r crimes he d id n 't commit.
o n ly . grades 7 through 12 acad­
emy w ith a focus on science and
te c h n o lo g y . J e ffe rs o n H ig h
School w ould be s p lit in to a boys-
o n ly le a d e rsh ip academ y fo r
grades 7 through 12 and tw o coed
academies, grades 9 through 12.
One o f the Jefferson coed p ro ­
grams w ould place emphasis on
A rts and T e ch n o lo g y and the
other Sciences and T echnology.
The design team was instituted
th ro u g h D N A testing.
“ A re you ready fo r what you
waited so long to hear?” C ircuit
Judge J. Rogers Padgett said to
C rotzer during the b rie f hearing.
“ M otion granted - yo u ’ re a free
man."
M em bers o f C ro tz e r's fa m ­
ily and o th e r c o u rtro o m spec­
ta to rs clapped and cheered as
a b a i l i f f re m o ve d the shackles
fro m his w ris ts and ankles.
P ro se cu to r M ik e S inacore
c o n g ra tu la te d h im . " T r y in g to
fix an e rro r in the system is
ju s t as im p o rta n t as tr y in g to
c o n v ic t s o m e o n e w h o is
g u ilt y , " he said.
D N A has been used to clear at
least 172 people w rongly con­
victed o f crimes in 31 states since
1989, according to the Innocence
Project.
Last October, the Portland Po­
lice Bureau’ s Central Precinct re­
sponded to crim inal a ctivity in the
South Park Blocks by enforcing a
D rug and alcohol abuse and
property crim e have been the main
issues, w ith city parks hosting an
array o f illic it activity.
The dow ntow n’ s parks include
the North and South Park Blocks,
O 'B rya n t Square, Ira K eller Foun­
tain Park, and an unnamed park at
Southwest 14"' and H all. A ll five
parks open daily at five a.m., but
remain open 24 hours to pedestri­
ans passing through.
■
u'*-C m i
"***’ the
a,,<*
Community Budget Forums
Take part in the budget process!
Tuesday, January 31, 6:30 - 8:30 PM
- F o c u s o n In fr a s tr u c tu r e S e rv ic e s -
David Douglas High School Cafeteria
1001 SE 135th Ave - Ample Parking
Bus Lines: 20 & 27
Info tables open at 5:45!!!
A d d itio n a l Forum s:
Feb 28, 6:30 - 8:30
April 8, 10 - Noon
w w w .p o r tla n d o n lin e .c o m /c o m m u n itv b u d qe1
ADA accessible - Special needs: 823-4519 in advance
More info A childcare/interpretation inquiries: 823-5288
TDD: 823-6868
NEW S E A S O N S
M A R K E T
—
Go- Green!
S A T U R D A Y & S U N D A Y • 1 1 A M -5 P M
D id y o u k n o w th e w o r ld o f le a fy
f a r b e y o n d ic e b e r g a n d R o m a in e
m a y n o t b e a s d iv e r s e in c o l o r
m u s h r o o m s , b u t t h e y d e f in it e ly
n u t r it io n .
g r e e n v e g e t a b le s s t r e t c h e s
le t t u c e ? It's t r u e t h a t g r e e n s
a n d s h a p e a s p e p p e rs a n d
m a k e u p f o r it in f la v o r a n d
M o s t p e o p le t h in k g r e e n s h a v e a b it t e r fla v o r . S o m e v a r ie t ie s
d o , b u t o t h e r s a r e s w e e t, p u n g e n t , o r e v e n s o u r a n d c a n a d d
a m a z in g f la v o r s to s a la d s a n d c o o k e d d is h e s .
N e e d a n o t h e r r e a s o n t o e a t m o r e g r e e n s ? T h e s e v ib r a n t
v e g e t a b le s p a c k a p o w e r fu l, n u t r it io n a l p u n c h in c lu d in g
v it a m in A , b e t a - c a r o t e n e , c a lc iu m , m a g n e s iu m , ir o n , f o lic
a c id , a n d c h lo r o p h y ll. G r e e n s a r e a ls o a g r e a t s o u r c e o f f ib e r
a n d a r e fu ll o f p la n t c o m p o u n d s t h a t o f fe r a v a r ie t y o f h e a lt h
b e n e fits . R e m e m b e r t h e g r e e n s w ith t h e d a r k e s t , m o s t v iv id
h u e s t e n d to c o n t a in t h e h ig h e s t le v e ls o f n u t r ie n t s .
J o in u s t h is w e e k e n d a s w e in t r o d u c e y o u to t h e liv e ly w o r ld
o f le a fy g r e e n s . W e ’ll b e s h a r in g t a s t e s o f b o k c h o y , c u r ly
m u s t a r d , g r e e n , r e d a n d r a in b o w c h a r d , d a n d e lio n , b e e t,
s p in a c h , s p e c ia l b r a is in g g r e e n s , a n d g r e e n , re d , a n d la c in a t o
k a le . O u r d e m o s ta ff w ill b e o n h a n d to s h o w y o u e a s y w a y s
t o in c o r p o r a t e g r e e n s in to y o u r d ie t b y w h ip p in g u p s o m e o f
o u r f a v o r it e r e c ip e s .
EA SY
&
ARBOR
FU N
TO
SH O P
•
LO CALLY
Council:
O W N ED
&
O P E R A TE D
L O D G E : N I n t e r s t a t e A v e & P o r t la n d B lv d P o r t la n d O R 9 7 2 1 7 5 0 3 .4 6 7 .4 7 7 7
C O N C O R D I A : N E 3 3 r d & K illin g s w o r t h P o r t la n d O R 9 7 2 1 1 5 0 3 . 2 8 8 . 3 8 3 8
...a n d f o u r o t h e r P o r t la n d a r e a lo c a t io n s . V is it u s o n lin e a t w w w . n e w s e a s o n s m a r k e t . c o m .