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Holiday Events Inspire
ian Wilhelm is intrigued by
ZooLights, the holiday season
attraction at the Oregon Zoo. See
- page A7 for a complete calendar
of holiday events.
community service
‘City
Ity of
0Í Roses
^4
,he Color Purple
coming to
Portland
See Eiilertuiiinieflt
inside, page A7
j/'
Established in 1970
Committed to Cultural Diversity
Volume XXXVIII. Number 47
.Week in
The Review
A t-
T jB
www.portlandobserver.com
Wednesday • December 3. 2008
Obama’s Team
Clinton is top tier choice
New Name for Landmark
T he University o f O regon wants
its nam e in lights. The school
has consolidated its P ortland
program s at a building in Old
Tow n and proposes to change
the m essage on the building's
landm ark sign from "M ade in
Oregon" to "U niversity o f O r
egon." The sign is notable for its
leaping deer — with a red nose
during the holidays.
Human Services Targeted
A proposed state budget for the
next two years protects educa
tion from cuts, but requires deep
cuts in some social services. Gov.
T ed Kulongoski, saying theeco?
nomic meltdow n requires hard
choices, calls for reducing the
am ount o f m oney for seniors,
the disabled and child care.
President-elect Barack Obama speaks with U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton after
announcing that she will be his choice for U.S. Secretary of State during a
Monday news conference in Chicago. (AP Photo)
Auto Execs Pledge Cuts
A hum bler group o f auto execu
tives returned to Congress this
w eek, pledging to slash costs,
including their ow n salaries, and
to accelerate the design and co n
struction o f fuel-efficient cars if
Congress coughs up another $25
billion to bail them out.
Bill Richardson
Susan Rice
(AP) - President-elect Barack O bam a
isexpected to nominate New M exico Gov.
Bill Richardson to head the C om m erce
Departm ent, a senior D em ocratic source
said on Tuesday.
T he appointm ent o f R ichardson, a
form er U.N. am bassador and energy sec
retary w ho became an O bam a supporter
earlier this year after dropping his own
presidential bid, would m ake him the first
Hispanic named toO bam a's rapidly filling
Cabinet.
Obama promised “a new dawn of Ameri
can leadership" in a troubled world on
M onday when he announced a strong-
willed national security team headed by
Hillary R odham Clinton, who fought him
long and bitterly for the presidency, and
Robert Gates, the man who has been run
ning two wars for G eorge W. Bush.
T he p resident-elect said he hadn't
changed his mind about bringing most
U.S. com bat troops home from Iraq within
16 m onths but added a
cautionary note — he”l 1
consult with his military
com m anders first.
W hile his new team
may be a bi t more centrist
— some war opponents
might even say hawkish
— than many O bam a
supporters might prefer,
he said the withdrawal
timetable he em phasized
in the presidential cam
paign is still “the right
time frame.”
C linton, as secretary
o f state, and G ates, re
maining as defense sec
retary, will be the most prominent faces—
besides O bam a"s own — o f the new
adm inistration'^ effort to revamp U.S.
policy abroad.
At a Chicago news conference, O bam a
also tapped top advisers Eric H older as
attorney general and Susan Rice as am
bassador to the United Nations. He named
ArizonaGov. Janet Napolitano to be home
land security secretary and retired Marine
Gen. Jam es Jones as W hite House na
tional security adviser.
The time has
come for a new
beginning.
- President-elect Barack Obama
The choices had been telegraphed days
earlier but were remarkable al 1 the sam e—
still another major turn in Clinton’s ex
traordinary career, a show o f faith in Gates
arrd action to support O bam a's frequent
talk of desiring robust debate among sea
soned, opinionated people in his inner
circle.
D eno u n cin g W hite H ouse “ group
think,” O bam a signaled a break from Presi
dent B ush's tendency toward an insular
m anagem ent style and go-with-the-gut
diplomacy.
“The tim e has com e for a new begin
ning,” said Obam a, flanked by flags on a
stage with Vice President-elect Joe Biden
c o n tin u e d
on p a g e A 3
Gas Lowest in 3 Years
Eric Holder
T he average price o f a gallon o f
gas in Oregon has hit $ 1.92, the
low est prices in nearly three
years. W ith the global econom y
faltering, crude oil m ay fall even
fu rth er, d riv in g averag e gas
prices down to $ 1.50 to $ 1.75 a
gallon, according to AAA.
Finding Help During Hard Times
Downs Parole Hearing
T he O regon Parole Board next
w eek will consider the case o f
Elizabeth Diane Downs, the child
killer convicted o f shooting and
killing her 7-year-old daughter
and trying to kill her tw o other
children outside Springfield in
1983.
4"
< -• 3 £ *
Hudson Family
Killer Arrested
It's been more than a month since
the shooting deaths o f Jennifer
H udson's m other, brother and
nephew , but the case is picking
up steam. H udson's estranged
brother-in-law, W illiam Balfour,
w as arrested T uesday for three
counts o f first-degree murder.
Trampled Worker
Not Trained
A fam ily atto rn ey says a te m
p o ra ry w o rk e r tra m p le d to
d eath by cu sto m e rs at a N ew
Y ork W al-M art store had no
tr a in in g in c ro w d c o n tro l.
Jd im y ta i D a m o u r had been
w o rking at the sto re for o nly a
w eek w hen stam p ed in g sh o p
p ers knocked him dow n on the
d ay after T h an k sg iv in g .
Generics Work the Same
There is no evidence that brand-
nam e drugs given to treat heart
and other cardiovascular condi
tions work any better than their
ch eaper generic counterparts.
U.S. researchers said on T ues
day.
Agencies
are lifeline
for those in
economic stress
by J ake T homas
T he P ortland O bserver
As a w ave o f econom ic dis
tress w ashes over the country,
Oregon is getting soggy as well.
T hroughout the state, people’s
econom ic problem s m ount as the
econom y sheds jobs, people lose
benefits, and there seems to be
less slices o f the econom ic pie to
go around.
H ow ever, you d o n 't have to
w hether the econom ic downturn
on your own. There are a num ber
o f services that can help with
some relief during hard times.
If your food budget is being
crow ded out by other dem ands,
there are w ays around it. Families
with children may qualify for free,
or reduced cost, breakfast and
lunch program s if their school
participates in the National School
Lunch Program.
photo by M ark W ashington AT he P ortland O bserver
People unable to afford food
Trisha
Furst
sees
the
impact
of
economic
distress
on
people
s
lives
at
the
Human Solutions Helping Hands Community Store
can also access the federal food
and
Training
Center.
9999
N.E.
Glisan
St.,
where
free
clothing
is
offered
to
men and women needing assistance to overcome
stam p program. The program is
m eant to ease the burden o f buy multiple employment barriers. The agency also has an on-site computer lab. offers life and job skill courses and runs a
ing food so that needy people can homeless shelter.
better cope with other expenses,
bank can also point you in the least 185 percent below of the fed
not to com pletely take care of
food needs.
direction o f other agencies that eral poverty lev el,or$39,200fora
The amount of fcxxl stampered-
can help make sure your stom ach family o f four.
If you have young children,
its people are eligible to receive
isn't em pty. Call 503-282-0555 on
varies, but the average benefit
visit the food b an k 's w ebsite at need to work, artd are having your
per household is $176 a month.
oregonfoodbank.org.
budget squeezed, you might also
For more inform ation, call 1 -8(X)-
W om en who are pregnant or be eligible for the state's Em ploy
723-3638.
have small children areeligible for ment Related Day Care, which
The Oregon Food Bank, with
the W omen. Infants.Children fed subsidizes childcare costs for
its food pantries throughout the
eral nutrition program. The aver people who make 185 percent of
state, is another option for sur-
age benefit is $54. W ICeligibility
co n tin u e d
on p a g e A.J
vivingeconomic turmoil. The food
is lim ited to w omen w ho are at
I f you have young children, need
to work, and are having your budget
squeezed, you might also be eligible
fo r the states Employment Related
Day Care, which subsidizes childcare
costs fo r people who make 185
percent o f the federal poverty level.
I