Slight Decrease
Jazzy Vibes
Oregon gas prices have dropped ever so
slightly. The price fo r regular hit a record
high on July 3 at $4.29, before falling
Tuesday to a statewide average o f $4.28.
Blues artist Catherine
Russell to bring her
saucy smile and jazz
chops to the Oregon Zoo
Summer Concert Series.
see inside, page A 7
‘City of Roses'
Established In 1970
www.portlandobserver.com
Committed to Cultural Diversity
Volume XXXVIII. Number 27
Wednesday • July 9. 2008
.Week in
The Review
Obama Picks Stadium
for Nomination Speech
Barack O bam a will accept the
Dem ocratic presi­
d en tial n o m in a ­
tio n d u rin g a
speech Aug. 28 at
Invesco Field at
M ile H ig h , a
7 6 ,0 0 0 -se at s ta ­
dium and home to the Denver Bron­
cos. The venue was preferred over
D enver’s Pepsi C enter, the site o f
the D em ocratic Party Convention.
See story, page A2.
Rosa Parks’ Belongings
will go to Auction
A probate court
ju d g e in D etroit
h a s a s k e d an
auction house to
find a b u y er -
preferably a m u­
seum , university
o r other institution - for thou­
sands o f personal items from the
estate o f civil rights icon Rosa
Parks. See sto ry , page A3.
Iraq Wants Pullout Timeline
Iraqi officials stepped up pressure
on the U nited States on Tuesday
to agree to a specific tim eline to
w ithdraw A m erican forces, a sign
o f the governm ent's growing co n ­
fidence as violence falls.
Dubious Home
Lending Targeted
The Federal Reserve wi11 issue new
rules next week aim ed at protect­
ing future hom ebuyers from dubi­
ous lending practices, its m ost
sw eeping response to a housing
crisis that has propelled foreclo­
sures to record highs.
Venus Retains Title
V enus W illiam s beat her younger
sister Serena in straight sets Sat­
urday to retain her W im bledon
tennis title and win her seventh
Grand Slam championship. Venus,
2 8 , d e f e a te d
Serena 7 -5 ,6 -4
to becom e the
first w om an to
repeat as cham
pion at the All
England Clubin
southw est London since her sis­
ter in 2003. It's her fifth Wimbledon
crown.
Vick Files for Bankruptcy
F o rm er A m eri­
can football star
M ic h a e l V ick
filed for ban k ­
ruptcy at a U.S.
B a n k ru p tc y
C o u rt M onday, seeking C h a p te r
11 p ro tectio n and citin g debts
betw een $10 m illion and $50
million.
Neglected Woman Dies
on Hospital Floor
A N ew York City Hospital has
agreed to im plem ent reform s at a
psychiatric ward w here surveil­
lance footage show ed her fall from
a chair, withering on the floor and
dying as w orkers failed to help her
for more than an hour. See story,
page A9.
Hurricane Bertha Weakens
Forecasters say H urricane Bertha
has w eakened to a C ategory 1
storm. Tuesday, the center o f the
storm was about 620 miles east-
northeast of the northern Leeward
Islands and about 900 miles south­
east o f Bermuda.
ycaï s
of
•^community service
photo by M ark
Field „f
Dreams
The Little League Urban Initiative, the
Portland Park and Recreation Department,
the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, and the
Portland Beavers, have collaborated on a
field revitalization project for the Penin­
sula Little League, serving inner north
and northeast Portland.
“Peninsula is a deserving recipient,”
said Stephen D. Keener, president and
chief executive officer o f Little League
Baseball and Softball. “ It has done an
outstanding jo b at providing a quality
Little League program for the children
W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver
Peninsula Little League players, coaches and supporters gather for the dedication o f a state-
of-the-art baseball field at Lillis Albina Park a t North Flint Avenue and Russell Street.
Inner city youth draw support
and adults o f this com m unity.”
A dedication cerem ony was recently
held at Lillis A lbina Park to unveil the
im provem ents m ade by Portland Parks
that include a new grass infield and mesh
fence on the backstop, irrigation system,
outfield fencing, renovation o f the dug-
out area, and installation o f bleacher seat­
ing, a concession trailer, batting cage and
pitching machine.
"T o us as coaches and volunteers, the
renovation is more than a grass infield, a
fence and a hatting cage,” Mary Dunn,
president o f Peninsula Little League, said.
“We believe that the activity level o f our
Little League is a barom eter that reflects
the health and spirit o f the com m unity.
The Little League Urban Initiative is a
great program that helps to lift the spirit
and morale o f volunteers w orking with
innercity youths. From talking with other
leagues that are part o f the Urban Initia­
tive, it is apparent to me that Little League
is having a m ajor impact on urban life.”
The costs o f renovations and improve­
ments to the Peninsula Little League field
totaled $150,000. A portion of the Little
League Urban Initiative'scontribution was
made possible by the donation provided
through the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
The Little League Urban Initiative pro­
vides assistance packages for eligible
leagues that aid the local volunteer group
with equipm ent acquisition, capital im­
provem ent cash grants, field im prove­
ment and renovation, access to Little
League Baseball and Softball education
and training program s, advocacy, and
networking.
Apparel Designer Achieves Trend Status
Tony Haynes
keeps it ‘bubbly’
by R aymond R endi . eman
T he P ortland O bserver
T ony H a y n e s’ sh irt co m p an y has com e
a long w ay since its in cep tio n eight years
ago, but the local e n tre p re n e u r's co n cep t
has rem ained the sam e.
H aynes started out m aking T -sh irts
w ith p ress-on m aterials out o f his n o rth ­
east P ortland house, and now his b u si­
ness, B ubbly B ubbly W how ear, has an
o ffice and prin t shop at the R oseland
T heatre dow ntow n.
All the w ay th ro u g h , his m ission has
involved in sertin g the w ord “ b u b b le” into
various catch phrases. "G et y o u r rest and
be B ubbly fre sh ” is an ex am p le o f one T-
shirt slogan he has created.
H aynes has a social ratio n ale for c re a t­
ing hu n d red s o f slo g an s using the “ bub-
continued
on page A3
Shirt company designer Tony Haynes brings his positive message and line o f apparel to the Good in the Neighborhood celebration.
Mosquito Season Warning
West Nile Virus
still a concern
. Heard the buzz? M osquito sea­
son is here and public health o ffi­
cials want to rem ind residents that
m osquitoes can transm it a num ber
o f diseases, including W est Nile
Virus.
W est N ile has had a presen ce
in O regon since 2004, and last
year
C la c k a m a s
C o u n ty ,
M ultnom ah C o u n ty , W a sh in g ­
ton C o u n ty , and C lark C ounty all
had co n firm ed cases w here birds
w ere infected.
T he sp read o f the virus is u n ­
p r e d ic ta b le ; h o w e v e r, tre n d s
th r o u g h o u t th e c o u n try h av e
show n a sig n ifican t increase of
ca se s in su b seq u en t years o f the
v iru s.
W es, N ile V irus is carried by
in fected m osquitoes. It can cause
serio u s illn ess in som e people
and horses. M o squitoes becom e
in fected w hen they feed on in ­
fected birds o f the C o rv id fam ily,
such as ravens, cro w s, ja y s and
m agpies. T he m o sq u ito can then
transm it the infection to hum ans
and anim als by biting them . You
cannot get the virus from ano th er
person o r anim al.
M ost people w ho b ecom e in ­
fected w ith the W est N ile V irus
do not becom e ill. O nly about 20
percent dev elo p W est N ile fever,
w hich features fever, headache,
body aches, and o ccasio n ally a
rash on the trunk o f the body and
sw ollen lymph glands. Sym ptom s
b egin 3-14 d ay s after the bite o f
an infected m osquito and in c ase s
o f m ild d isease last a few days.
P e o p le w ith q u e s tio n s a b o u t
W N V sym ptom s should call their
h ealth care provider.
O nly about one o u, o f 150 o f
th o se w ho becom e infected d e ­
v elo p s a severe infection know n
as W est N ile en cep h alitis or m en ­
in g itis. S ym ptom s o f a severe in ­
fec tio n can in c lu d e h ea d ach e,
high fever, neck stiffn ess, stu ­
por, d iso rie n tatio n , com a, tre m ­
o rs, co n v u lsio n s, m uscle w eak ­
ness and p araly sis. S ym p to m s o f
severe d isease m ay last several
w eeks, alth o u g h som e brain and
nerve d am ag e m ay be perm anent.
T here is no effec tiv e treatm ent
for W N V in fectio n o th e r than
su p p o rtiv e m edical care.
There are no vaccinations for
humans, but vaccinations are avail­
able for horses. H orse ow ners
should contact their veterinarians
for more information.
There are two basic prevention
strategies: reducing the mosquito
population and avoiding mosquito
bites. T he best way to reduce the
continued
on page A2
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