www.portlandobscrver.com
Committed to Cultural Diversity
Tax Preparer Mistakes
Cost Consumers
M etro
Better Business Bureau study on tax-
preparation companies brings warnings
11,1 ^Iortlanb © bseruer
/c o m m u n ity
1 e n d a r
From Harm to Hope
M onday, A p ril 21, from 7 to 9 p.m., hear
the many stories o f how gentrification
has impacted long-term members o f the
black com m unity at the First A M E Zion
Church, 4304 N. Vancouver Ave.
Family Issues Debated
F am ily issues w ill be the focus o f a may-
oral candidate public forum w ith Sam
Adams and Sho Dozono on Saturday,
A p ril 19, at 1 p.m. at M ississippi Studios,
3939 N. M ississippi Ave. The event is
sponsored by urbanMamas and Central
Portland Families.
Candidate Forum
Sunday, A p ril 20, from 2 to 5 p.m., a
com m unity coalition is sponsoring fo ­
rum w ith candidates fo r Portland mayor,
c ity council and the U.S. Senate. The
public event w ill be held at the U niversity
o f Portland’ s B uckley A u d ito rium .
The Rule of Law
Tuesday, A p n l 29. at 6:30 p.m..the H o lly ­
wood Theater, 4122 N.E. Sandy Blvd., w ill
host the 2nd-annual Y outh F ilm project,
featuring creative student film s on the
rules o f law.
Breaking the Cycle
Every 1 stand 3rd Friday o f the month, at
the C alvary Christian Church, 126 N.E.
A lberta, Brother Eric Carson invites men
o f all walks o f life to jo in a safe and
co n fid e n tia l m en’ s fo ru m exam ining
issues and struggles that arrive in life by
n e tw o rk in g
to g e th e r; fo r m ore
inform ation, contact 503-422-8573.
Walk MS 2008
Saturday, A p ril 19, take to the streets to
raise funds and awareness in the m ove­
ment toward a w orld free o f M u ltip le
Sclerosis. T o get involved, call 1-800-
344-4 8 6 7 o rvisitW a lkM S o re g o n .co m .
April »6. 2008
See story in Law/Justice, page B2
Hip-hoppers WIth ‘C red’
Cool Nutz on
national stage
by C harity P rater
T he P ortland O bserv er
Terrance Scott, otherwise known as the
artist "C o o l N u tz," isn’ t slow ing down
anytime soon.
The V oice o f Northeast Portland has
been in the rap business since 1992, when
he decided to turn a hobby o f break danc­
ing and DJing into a jo b as a rap artist and
released his first cassette.
H is career in the music industry has
been uphill and down w ith a crum bling
A tla n tic Records contract, the never-end­
ing change o f the music industry and the
long hours traveling. A ccording to Scott,
it has all been w orth it.
“ T raveling around the w orld and being
able to tour alongside the artists that 1
grew up listening to has been the best part
o f being in this business," he says.
Since his beginning, he has released six
albums and has sold over 70,000 albums.
He is the co-ow ner o f Jus F am ily Records
and has toured w ith big dogs like W u-
Tang Clan, Ja Rule, Tech9, Run D M C ,
among others.
continued
on pane HJ
Portland's hip-hop extraordinaire Cool Nutz is well received on a tour o f the rap venue Union Scene in Norway where he
performed last February in one o f a series o f concert dates in the Scandinavian country.
Portland’s music backbone DJ OG One, also
known as David Jackson, concentrates on
being a positive role model to youth in addi­
tion to making appearances on national
television.
DJ OG One strives
for positive influence
by R aymond R endi . eman
T he P ortland O bserv er
S IT V e I .ENZP ho TC MJRA RHY.COM
Remodeling Seminars
For local music producer D avid Jackson, finding
ways to influence youth positively has become a life
challenge.
Better known as DJO G One, Jackson recognizes that
the civil-rig h ts leaders o f previous generations made
way fo r role models in the form o f hip-hop stars, and he
strives to counter the resulting stereotypes.
“ I f the entertainment business is what's influencing
our young people, then I need to make sure that I
position m yself in that industry to hopefully provide a
balanced image to kids that you don't have to sel I drugs
o r be disrespectful to women to be successful," he told
the Portland Observer.
That's w hy chances to mentor at inner-city high
schools equal the importance o f packed shows at
dow ntow n clubs in the view o f the 4 1-year-old Jack-
Saturday, A p ril 19. beginning at 9:30 a.m „
Neil K elly Shiiwrooms at 804 N . Alberta St.,
and 15573 S.W. Bangy Road in Lake Os­
wego, w ill host free kitchen and bath re­
modeling seminars. For more information,
visit Neilkelly.com orcall 503-335-9204.
Spiffin’ Up MLK
Saturday, A p ril 19, S O L V and neighbor­
hood businesses and com m unity mem­
bers w ill w ork together to pick up trash,
clean g ra ffiti and remove street debris
along Northeast M artin Luther K ing Jr.
B o u le v a rd . T o get in v o lv e d , v is it
H andsonportland.org.
Health Wellness Fair
Wednesday, A p ril 23, from 4 to 8 p.m.,
Self Enhancement, Inc. w ill host a wellness
fa ir to promote awareness to children
about nutrition, health and fitness.
Town Hall
Saturday, A p ril 26, from 10 a.m. to noon.
State Sen. A ve l G ordly and Sisters o f the
Road invite the public to jo in in an open
forum on homelessness in M t. Tabor Hall
at Portland C om m unity C ollege's South­
east Center, 2305 S.E. 82nd Ave.
Free First Fridays
The Portland C h ild re n ’ s Museum has
partnered w ith Target to provide free
admission to everyone the first Friday o f
each month from 5 to 8 p.m.
Homebuyer Programs
PDC's homebuyer-assistance programs
address the gap in home-ownership rates
between whites and communities o f color.
For inform ation about the new and ex­
panded assistance programs, visit Pdc.us/
nhporcall 503-823-3400.
Walk Run for the Animals
Saturday, M ay 3, beginning a, 7:30 a.m..
at the Esther Short Park in dow ntow n
Vancouver, a w a lk-ru n w ill benefit the
Southwest Washington Humane Soci­
e ty .
To
get
in v o lv e d ,
v is it
Soulhwesthumane.com.
Learning English
Every Tuesday and Thursday, currently
through M ay 29, the SUN Center at
M arshall Campus. 3905 S.E. 91st Ave.,
w ill o ffe r the free open English as a Sec­
ond Languageclasses. Form orc inform a­
tion, cal 1971-570-1384.
Tax Help in Rockwood
V IT A tax aide for low-income families w ill
assist clients by appointment only on
Wednesdays, from I to 5 p.m. at the
Rockwood Com m unity office, I8709S.E.
Stark. For reservations, call 503-816-1530.
continued
on page HJ
Community Support Grows with College Expansion
Concordia scholar
from Jefferson High
A g a la c e le b ra tin g C o n c o rd ia
U n ive rsity's "Success to S ignificance”
campaign and the ground breaking o f a
new library and learning center on the
northeast Portland campus was held last
Thursday w ith Portland M ayor Tom Pot­
ter presenting Jefferson High School se­
nior C inthia Hernandez w ith a four-year,
fu ll-tu itio n scholarship.
M a yo r Potter announced the estab­
lishment o f the scholarship, w hich the
U niversity has honored w ith his name, at
his State o f the C ity address in January
and delivered at Jefferson H igh School.
The criteria lo r the awarding the schol­
arship was a m inim um 2.5 G PA, a 480
verbal S A T score and strong letters o f
recommendation. In addition, the student
must have demonstrated an ongoing in ­
volvem ent in com m unity service.
Hernandez lives in northeast Portland
and is the eldest o f three children. A t
Jefferson, she is a senior-class represen­
tative. the varsity wom en's soccer-team
captain and is involved in dance. She also
participates in the Oregon Leadership In ­
stitute. a program designed to help Latino
middle-school students develop leader­
ship skills, learn about opportunities for
post-secondary education anil explore the
various options.
A nn u a lly, she helps organize an as­
sembly fo rC in c o d e M ay by w ritin g plays
and poems dealing w ith the history o f
M exico. She also has a part-time jo b oil the
weekends.
Concordia University President Charles Schlimpert (left) presents Jefferson senior Cinthia Hernandez with a full ride
scholarship in a ceremony Thursday attended by Portland Mayor Tom Potter.
Nate Waas Shull, Youth Engagement
C ixird in a to r in the M ayor's O ffice said,
“ I'v e worked w ith C inthia in the com m u­
nity fo r four years and it's just so g ra tify ­
ing to see her m oving forward in this way,
through the help o f Concordia."
In 2005, the university began an out­
reach program to strengthen and in vig o ­
rate its efforts to connect and serve its
com m unity, w hich it has been a part o f for
103 years.
D uring the 2(X)5-O6 academic year.
C oncordia U niversity students, faculty,
and staff contributed nearly 223,000 hours
o f practicum. internships and service learn­
ing hours. They served over 10.000 com ­
munity members, half o f which were youth
The university has a stated goal to be
a "net contributor" to the com m unity as a
continued
on page HJ
t