September 20. 2006
Page A2
Gloomy Assessment for Troop Levels
the number of U.S. troops "are
prudent force levels" that are
achieving the needed military
effect.
Still, his blunt assessm ent
was the first time officials con­
firmed that higher troops levels
would continue into next year
— and it came as U.S. political
le a d e rs
h e a d in g
in to
November's congressional elec­
tions face declining public sup­
port for the war in Iraq.
President Bush, in New York
for U N. General Assembly meet­
ings on Tuesday, told Iraqi Presi­
dent Jalal Talabani that the U.S.
will keep soldiers in Iraq as long
as necessary. Late last year, mili­
tary leaders had said they hoped
to reduce troop levels to about
I OO.(XX) by the end of this year.
But Abizaid said Tuesday that the
rising sectarian violence and slow
progress of the Iraqi government
made that impossible.
Military expects to
maintain or increase force
(AP) -- The U.S. military is
likely to maintain and may even
increase its force o f more than
140,000 troops in Iraq through
next spring, the top American
com m ander in the region said
Tuesday in one of the gloom i­
est assessm ents ye, o f when
troops may come home.
G en. John A bizaid, com ­
mander of U.S. Central C om ­
m and, said m ilitary leaders
would consider adding troops
or extending the Iraq deploy­
ments of other units if needed.
"If it's necessary to do that
because the military situation
on the ground requires that,
we ll do it," Abizaid said. "If we
have to call in more forces
because it’s our military judg-
ment that we need more forces,
we'll do it."
His com m ents came as vio­
lence around Iraq killed at least
16 civilians on Tuesday and
w ounded dozens o f others.
Iraqi lawmakers angered by the
relentless violence demanded
that the defense and interior
m inisters appear before parlia­
ment to explain what they are
doing to elim inate the death
squads that have claimed hun­
dreds of Iraqi lives.
The U.S. military said a U.S.
soldier was killed Tuesday by a
suicide car bomber in northern
Iraq, another died of non-battle
related injuries on Monday, and
two others were killed Sunday.
Abizaid said that right now
U.S. soldiers secure the site of a car bomb explosion in Iraq Tuesday. (AP photo)
r-
O re g o n
D e p a r tm e n t
o f T ra n s p o rta tio n
ODOT IS KEEPING
OREGON ON THE MOVE
Major construction
Interstate 5.
is
under
way
on
The Oregon Department of Transportation is
investing in Oregon's economy and infra­
structure with nearly $3 billion in highway
construction projects. Construction over the
next five years will be the heaviest Oregon
has seen since the interstate system was
built 50 years ago.
SLOW DOWN!
BETTER ROADS AHEAD
Oregon remains open for business as ODOT
manages traffic to keep motorists on the
move. Scheduling work at night and during
off-peak hours helps ease congestion. The
agency is also planning ahead to minimize
delays for events such as university football
games in Eugene and Corvallis.
Still, some delays are unavoidable. For up-to-
date information about construction and
traffic on 1-5 and around the state, visit
TripCheck.com or call 5-1-1.
otä
IR IQ M T M M S P 0R T M IM IW ISTRIMI RCT
Three Dead Confronting Police
Three confrontations with po­
lice have left three Oregon men
dead over the course of three
days.
Police said they shot and killed
Devon Linville, 35, of La Pine,
after he attacked an officer with
a knife. It happened Friday night
in the central Oregon town dur­
ing a domestic violence com­
plaint.
Lukas Glenn, a former Tigard
High School football player was
shot and killed after wielding a
knife the following Saturday night
outside his parents' house in un­
in co rp o rated
W ashington
County. Deputies said they feared
for the safety of the homes’ oc­
cupants.
A third man died Sunday night
in the custody o f Portland Po-
lice. The 42-year-old man was
taken into custody after a Port­
land officer made contact with
him at Northwest 13th Avenue
and Everett Street, describing
the man as “extrem ely com bat­
ive.”
Chief Rosie Sizer said she ex­
pected detectives to spend at least
two days interviewing officers,
at least five, involved.
Minority Businesses Celebrated
The accomplishments of minority and
women-owned businesses in Portland
and the surrounding area will be featured
at the Minority Enterprise Development
Week tradeshow and luncheon.
Representatives from agencies and
businesses looking to partner, network
and exchange ideas will attend the event
on Wednesday, Oct. 4 from 10 a.m. to
Melvin Gravely II
3 p.m. at the Oregon Convention Center.
777 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
The tradeshow will also showcase Dr.
Melvin Gravely II, founder of the Insti­
tute for Entrepreneurial Thinking, as key­
note speaker. Gravely has authored six
books, including "When Black and White
Makes Green: The Next Evolution in
Business and Race."
Senior Meal Drivers Needed
Smooth Jazz Is Here!
Loaves & Fishes Centers, the
M eals-O n-W heels People, is
seeking volunteer drivers to en­
sure homebound seniors in the
downtown Portland area receive
nutritious meals and a bit of com­
panionship. The agency will re­
imburse volunteer drivers for
their mileage.
"These volunteers are so in­
valuable because they not only
help us feed our frail elderly, bu,
they make sure these seniors see a
friendly face at least once a week.
ic u
Sometimes the Meals-On-Wheels
driver is the only person these
homebound seniors see all day,"
said David Lomax with the Martin
Luther King Jr. Loaves & Fishes
Center.
Meals-On-Wheels are deliv­
ered Monday through Friday be­
tween 10:30 a.m. and 12 p.m.
Drivers must be at least 18 years
old and have a valid driver's li­
cense.
For more inform ation, call
Lomax at 503-988-5211.
u I 503-288-0033!
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