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February 1. 2006
Many Troubled by Medicare Part D Supreme Court
Senior service
providers help out
by K haya D arko
T he P or i i and O bserver
D 'N o rg ia P rice, the d ire c to r
o f adult and sen io r services for
the U rban L eague o f P ortland,
and her team at the M ulticultural
S enior C enter on N ortheast M ar
tin L uther King Jr. B oulevard, is
assisting seniors in acquiring a
better understanding o f the p re
scription drug plans under M edi
care Part D.
A ccording to Price, the new
p ro g ra m has p ro v e d c o m p le x
even for an average adult citizen.
T hrow in the d ifficu lties o f se
niors w ho cannot read or suffer
from poor ey esig h t and it b e
com es very difficult for m any to
know w hat is g o in g on, even
photo by M ark W ashington /T he P ortean » O bserver
when special services are offered. Lyda Overton (left) and Lorraine Thompson discuss the difficulties of
Price said som e local seniors knowing what the future holds with new prescription drug plans under
had trouble getting the m edicine Medicare Part D.
Same great service, even greater
a
opportunity.^
they needed after the drug pro
gram started on Jan. I, how ever
w ith th e p a rtn e rs h ip b e tw e e n
M ultnom ah C ounty, the U rban
L eague, as w ell as L o a v e s &
Fishes, local senior service pro
viders are m aking a difference.
O regon and a, least tw o dozen
other states have also taken e m e r
gency action to pay pharm acies
w hen low -incom e people are d e
nied coverage from insurers un
der M edicare Part D.
Lyda Overton, a local senior citi
zen, said she currently is forced to
pay for her medication out of pocket
since she hasn't met the deductible
fees required. She hopes her medi
cation next month will be more
reasonable in price.
L orraine T h om pson, an o th er
local resident, said she is u n cer
tain o f w hat the future holds for
her health and prescription drug
benefits, because she does not
turn 65 until Dec 3.
Justice Confirmed
Samuel A nthony A lito Jr.
was sworn in as the nation’s
110th Suprem e Court justice
on Tuesday after being con
firm ed by the Senate in one of
the most partisan victories in
m odern history.
Alito was sworn in by Chief
Justice John Roberts in a pri
vate ceremony at the Supreme
Court building across from the
Capitol. The 55-year-old New
Jersey jurist took both the con
Samuel A'ito Jr.
stitutional and judicial oaths so
he can immediately participate in court decisions. Alito’s
swearing-in came only hours after the Senate voted 58-42
to confirm him, despite the objections of most Democrats,
the NAACP and civil rights organizations.
Many of the complaints about President Bush’s pick for
the high coun were that he would erode civil rights protec
tions and be beholden to conservatives.
“1 am who 1 am. I ’ m my own person. And 1’ m not like any
other justice on the Supreme Court now or anybody else
who served on the Supreme Court in the past,” Alito said
at his confirmation hearing.
Six Dead in Post Office Shooting
Female postal worker goes on rampage
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A former postal w orker who had been put on
medical leave for psychological problems shot
five people to death at a huge m ail-processing
center in Santa Barbara, Calif, and then killed
herself in what was believed to be the nation's
deadliest workplace shooting ever carried out by
a woman.
The attack Monday night was also the biggest
bloodbath at a U.S. postal installation since a
massacre 20 years ago helped give rise to the term
“going postal.”
Investigators would not release the killer’s
name or discuss a motive for the attack.
The rampage - the nation’s first deadly postal
shooting in nearly eight years - sent employees
running from the Southern California complex and
prompted authorities to warn nearby residents to
stay indoors as they searched for the killer.
The 44-year-old woman had not worked at the
plan, for more than two years but still managed to
■get inside the fenced and guarded facility.
She drove through a gate by following closely
behind another car, and then got in the front door
by taking an em ployee’s electronic identification
badge at gunpoint, authorities said. She opened
tire with a 9 mm handgun, reloading at least once
during the ram page, Santa Barbara County Sher
iff Jim A nderson said.
As the shooting began, some o f the 80 or so
workers streamed out of the building. Som e ran
to a firehouse.
“ I was dum ping mail on a belt w hen the
gunshots suddenly boom, boom , boom, boom !” ’
said postal w orker A lger Busante, 56. He rushed
out o f the building. “ It is really very shocking.
This is a peaceful place,” Busante said.
Postal em ployee Charles Kronick told KEYT-
TV in Santa Barbara that he was inside the
building when he heard shots. “1 heard something
that sounded like a pop, and then I heard a couple
seconds later, another pop, pop, pop,” Kronick
said. Kronick said his boss cam e running over and
told him to get out o f the building, and “we all
hightailed it out real quick.”
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KAMOINGE PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBIT
FEBRUARY 1 - 28,2006
NORDSTROM LLOYD CENTER
SECOND FLOOR
The members of Kamoinge, a New York City-based collective of African-
American photographers, originally united in Harlem in 1963 to alleviate
the sense of isolation generally felt by black photographers. Today,
their mission is to produce significant visual images of our time that reflect
human relationships, political and social interactions, and the spiritual
world of pure imagery.
Throughout February, in celebration of Black History Month, we will showcase
images by the Kamoinge photographers at selected Nordstrom stores,
and on our Web site at nordstrom.com. It is with great pride we shed light on
the work generated by members of Kamoinge, and honor the style, spirit and
pride of the African-American experience, captured so eloquently by this
innovative group of artists.
Boxed sets of 20 note cards featuring images from the exhibit will be
available in Customer Service at Nordstrom stores hosting the exhibit.
The cost Is 8.00. Quantities are limited.
NORDSTROM
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