R evival on Stage
Daylight Savings
Godspell musical reborn at
Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center
Time Ends
Clocks turn back
one hour Sunday
at 2 a.m.
See A&E section
ommunity service
(The
'Citv of Roses’
F
s tn h lic h p rl in
in 1970
197(1
Established
J
Committed to Cultural Diversity
Volume XXXVII, Number 42
.Week in
The Review
Interstate Rename Limbo
Uncertainty befell the campaign
to change North Interstate Av­
enue to CesarChavez Boulevard
after its most powerful sup­
p o rter, M ayor Tom P otter,
walked out of debate in City
C ouncil cham bers Thursday
saying, "1 am irrelevant.”
California Firefighting
Conditions Improve
Cloudy skies and occasional
raindrops brought a welcome im­
provement in conditions for
firefighters battling stubborn
wildfires across Southern Cali­
fornia. wherehot, dry Santa Ana
winds a week earlier spread fires
over more than a half-million
acres, killing seven people and
destroying more than 2,300
stru ctu res, including 1,700
homes.
Red Sox Sweep Series
Boston fans swarmed the streets to
celebrate the second World Series
title in four seasons for a team that
previously experienced an 86-year
drought See story, page A6.
U.N. Against Cuba Embargo
With 184 votes in favor, four
against and one abstention, the
U.N. General Assembly voted
overwhelmingly on Tuesday to
urge the United States to lift its
fo u r-d eca d e-o ld
em bargo
against Cuba in a nonbinding
resolution adopted for the 16th
consecutive year.
Carolina Fire Mystery
Investigators are still trying to
figure out what caused a North
Carolina beach house fire early
Sunday morning that took the
lives of seven college students
who were active in the Greek
system. One student escaped by
jumping out of the third story.
rtrxrt I 'ln rln h tp rx /p
www.portlandobserver.com
ia m a / i a /
Wednesday • October 31. 2007
Driving
While
Distracted
Safety takes a backseat
by J ason F loyd
T he P ortland O bserver
Like the Columbia River, the streets of Portland are
flowing. Commuters of all types routinely travel at
high velocities in metal boxes on wheels or even more
daringly on two-wheeled contraptions that leave the
rider open to the outside elements.
As a rule, drivers must be licensed, but with so
many unknowns mixed in, that’s not enough to guar­
antee safety.
A growing concern are drivers constantly being
distracted with cell phones, text messaging and I-
phones, making the all-too-common casual approach
to the road all the more dangerous.
The Traffic Division of the Portland Police Depart­
ment doesn't keep quantitative statistics of which
distraction, if any, causes a wreck, but it is the
professional opinion of a seasoned traffic patroller
that cell phones are the most common culprit in terms
of distracted driving.
Officer Tom Larsen has witnessed the streets of
Portland for more than a season or two and has seen a
number of mishaps and misdemeanors blamed on driv­
ers diverting their attention to matters not related to the
road. He can even read the body language, so to speak,
of a driver not giving proper attention to road.
“Driving slow, with kind of unsure behavior,” is
often a tell-tale sign of driving while distracted.
photo by M ark
W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver
Using a cell phone for dialing and text messaging is a dangerous and too often seen distraction that makes
our roads and sidewalks less safe.
Larsen explains.
It sounds similar to driving while under the influ­
ence of intoxicants, and some parties in the State
Legislature agree that it should be policed in a similar
way. Our neighbors to the north in Washington have
taken a stance against the use of cell phones by
teenagers in particular while driving, making texting
and hand-held calling illegal on the road.
Why is the cell phone such a distraction that it beats
out other m'd-drive menaces like applying makeup,
fiddling with the radio/stereo or negotiating a hot cup
of coffee?
According to Larsen, cell phones are a greater
distraction because they are more commonly used:
One major group you don’t see incessantly chatting
on them is the older generation of baby boomers who
grew up with good-old land lines as the primary mode
of communication.
“That group usually uses the cell phones as an
emergency phone” says Larsen. The younger gen­
erations have cell phones like the older generations
had chickenpox.
continued
y^
on page A3
Officer Found Guilty
Following an investigation that
found he touched several women
inappropriately under the guise
of searching them, Matthew
Kohnke. a nine-year police vet­
eran. pleaded no contest to a
misdemeanor charge and sub­
mitted his letter of resignation,
reaching a deal that involves 40
hours of community service and
a $500 fine. See story, page A2.
Dogs Shoot Hunter
As James Harris, 37, crossed a
fence in Iowa Saturday to re­
trieve a bird he shot, his hunting
dogs stepped on the rifle he had
placed on the ground, striking
him in the left calf from distance
of roughly three feet.
An artist's rendering shows a new permanent home for the Miracles Club on Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The drug and alcohol-free club
would have the primary use o f the ground floor with 30-40 units of housing above.
Miracles Club Gets Lifeline
Building would house community group
by M ichael L eighton
T he P ortland O bserver
A drug and alcohol-free club serving
the African-American community is
looking forward to a stable and secure
future with the purchase of property for
a new permanent home.
The Portland Development Cornmis-
sion has added almost a half-acre of
property at 4 2 18 N.E. Martin Luther King
Jr. Blvd. to its Oregon Convention Cen­
ter Urban Renewal Area to help finance
the construction.
The not-for-profit Miracles Club is a
beloved local institution of more than It)
years, assisting individuals with recov-
ery from drug and alcohol addiction.
The vacant parcel will allow construc­
tion of a five-story building with
Miracles as the primary ground floor
use and 30-40 units of housing above.
The housing would be owned and
managed by Guardian Management with
the PDC contributing monies that the
city of Portland requires it to set aside
for affordable and low-income housing.
Miracles provides services for people
in recovery and their families, including
12-step meetings, a social gathering
space, and weekly family nights where
parents and their children get together
in an atmosphere free of drugs and alco­
hol.
Miracles currently rents space nearby
at the corner of MLK and Mason Street
and has faced eviction because of plans
continued
on page A3