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'City of Roses'
Week ¡n
e Review
Portland Earthquake
A magnitude 2.6 earthquake at
9:34 p.m. Sunday gave thousands
of Portland-area residents a brief
jolt. The epicenter was near Colo­
nel Summers Park at Southeast
17th Avenue and Taylor Street. It
was the third small quake in the
last 17 months in southeast Port­
land. The o thers w ere near
Laurelhurst Park at Southeast
39th and Stark.
Raln Brings Flooding
A warm-weather storm pounded
Oregon Sunday, Monday and
Tuesday, flooding rivers, clos­
ing roads and driving some
people from their homes. The so-
called 'Pineapple Express’ is ex­
pected todump more rain through
W ednesday.
Senator Visits Jefferson
U.S. Sen. Ron
s' ^ | Wyden. D-Ore.,
■ - P* v l met
w'*h u^out
at
Jefferson High
School in north
U KM) students
1
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A
Mariah Taylor's messy
and ongoing dispute spills
onto the street
See See
story,
page
A2 A 2
story,
page
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vvwtv.portlandobserver.com
Volume XXXVI. Number 45
F
Setting Record Straight
Portland Thurs­
day. The Q&A session focused
on current events, including Iraq,
Congressional corruption scan­
dals and the future of the Internet.
Wyden also encouraged young
people to vote.
Saddam Calls for Truce
A somber and subdued Saddam
Hussein called on Iraqis to “for­
give, reconcile and shake hands"
as he returned to court Tuesday
forhis Kurdish genocide trial two
days after being sentenced to
death in a separate case.
Scandal Dooms Evangelical
Committed to Cultural Diversity
Jobs
Wednesday • November 8. 2006
Social Justice
New Seasons puts
priority on locals
by S arah B i . ount
T he P ortland O bserver
Step into any New Seasons Market
and you' 11 be pleased to find a neighbor­
hood identity relative to each store’s
location.
It is no accident the Portland grocery
chain has earned accolades as being a
refreshing source o f equal opportunity
employm ent and providing family wage
jobs to local residents in a field where
sim ilar markets fall short.
Brian Rohter, New Seasons chief
executive officer and co-founder, has
built a reputation with a philosophy fa­
voring non-exclusivity in the workplace.
“W e're aware many members o f our
com m unity don’t get a fair shot o f a
decent jo b with living wages and health
benefits, and we m ake a concerted
effort to reach out to them .” said Rohter.
who has been awarded several awards
for equal opportunity em ploym ent and
social justice.
Rohter opened New Seasons with
partners Chuck Eggert and Stan Amy
after leaving the natural grocery chain
N ature's, which soon becam e part of
the national Wild Oats grocery chain.
Together they have built a network of
eight stores dotting the Portland area,
with a Clackam as C ounty store opening
next fall in Happy Valley.
New Seasons stands apart from other
grocers for two reasons: its blend of
healthy and locally grown foods, and an
innovative work environm ent that of­
fers more than the typical, no-frills se-
New S ea so n s Markets CEO Brian Rohter (above) has built a small
empire o f grocery stores .attracting shoppers b ecause o f its locality
and em ployees because o f a diverse and welcoming culture.
lection o fretailjo b s. Em ployees start at
a m inimum of $9 per hour with health
benefits forpart-tim e and full-time work-
ers.
It’s a win-win situation for the com -
Fresh produce at New S ea so n s Markets is often
from local growers.
Pilotos by S ean
pany and com m unity si
services stays high and ti
The com pany has no pla
business model.
“We plan on staving 1
Rev. Ted Hag- r
O 'C onnor /T he P or i land O bserver
said. “Leaving the Portland area would
change how we do business.”
R ohter personally greets all new em-
continued
on page A8
gaid. president
the National
a White
House advisor,
agreed to resign Saturday after
his New Life Church’s investiga­
tive board recommended removal,
saying the Colorado Springs pas­
tor was guilty ‘o f sexually im­
moral conduct’.
US Fails to Stop Leftist
Critics say the U.S. failed in ef­
forts to stop former Sandinista
president Daniel Ortega from a
second term. Many view it as a
sign of America's waning influ­
ence in Central and Latin America.
Great Expectations for Grant Youth
photo by M ark
W ashington /
T he P ortland
O bserver
Chris Rock Divorce?
Chris Rock has
can
either he "m ar
ned anil hured.
m s in g le and
lo n e ly." and it
PSU’s Rahel Yared
(left) and educator
Mark Jackson
prepare for
Thursday’s student
empowerment
conference at
Grant High in
northeast Portland
with its focus on
racial, cultural and
academic identity.
I
® •X
ap p ears h e ’s
opted to try the solitary life.
TMZ.com says the comedian, 4 1,
has started divorce proceedings
against Malaak Compton-Rock.
«
Empowerment conference
goes beyond the classroom
by S arah B lount
T he P ortland O bserver
W hen Grant High School teacher
M ark Jackson was young, A frican
Am erican studies narrowly focused on
"M artin. Malcolm and Parks,” the big
three civil rights leaders o f our time.
“Throw inci vil rights and slavery," he
said. “The curriculum taught me I was
3/5 o f a person.”
Now, as a teacher o f African Am eri­
can history, Jackson is working with the
cityw ide student m entoring organiza­
tion REAP, Inc. (Reaching and Em ­
powering All People) to offer black
students at Grant High School adaylong
conference with a focus on racial, cul­
tural and academ ic identity.
The “Challenge 2006: African Ameri­
can Student C onference" takes place at
the northeast Portland school on T hurs­
day, Nov. 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The goal is ,0 support high levels o f
success for G rant’s black population
while encouraging their futures as life
long learners. Stereotypes o f achieve­
ment gaps reinforced by society and
even faculty will be challenged.
“ W e've found students feel alienated
in predominantly white classroom s,”
Jackson said. “T here’s a tendency to
shy away from challenging oneself."
This is the second year REAP will
bring together Grant students, parents
and invited guests. African American
leaders helping this year are Sen. Avel
G o rd ly , M ultnom ah C o unty Ju d g e
Adrienne Nelson, Dr. Dalton M iller-
Jones o f the Oregon Board o f Higher
Education, author Dr. Joy Leary, m em ­
bers o f the Portland Trail Blazers and
other business professionals.
The students will engage with repre­
sentatives from 35 professions, includ­
ing a surgeon. Nike executive and news
reporter, and a range o f panelists in non­
profit. education and governm ent fields.
The generous am ount o f experience
continued ' y f on page A3
I