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No Let Up to Ice, Snow
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of
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Winter’s grip expected to mount
in coming days
See page A3
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‘City
Committed to Cultural Diversity
Volume XXXVIII, Number 49
Week ¡n
The Review
President-elect Barack Obama
announced Arne Duncan, the
head of the Chicago school sys­
tem, as education secretary Tues-
day and declared that failing to
improve classroom instruction
is "morally unacceptable for our
children." See related story, page
A2.
Man Shot During Funeral
Police are looking for a man who
shot another man during a Port­
land funeral Friday at New Hope
Missionary Baptist Church. The
victim, Darshawn Lavone Cross,
31, died from his injuries on
Monday. See story, page A2.
Bank Bombing Arrests
I A uthorities
iIic
M m I .1
Wednesday • December 17. 2 00 8
Clinic
o n th e
Mend
Education Secretary Picked
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g
y.
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www.portlandobserver.con
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J bombing of a
Woodburn bank, and said the
two police officers killed in the
blast thought the bomb was a
hoax and were trying to open it
when it detonated. The an ­
nouncement came hours after the
first suspect Joshua Tumidge,
32, appeared in court.
CENTER
Garlington
C enter’s
rough year
by J ake T homas
T he P ortland O bserver
In the early 90s, Ryan Hamit had a “bad
spell" and ended up in a hospital strug­
gling with a personality disorder. He
bounced from various social service agen­
cies and hospitals, encountering counse­
lors that talked down to him and seemed
to make problems worse.
Things got better when he started us­
ing the Garlington Center, a longtime local
mental health provider with multicultural
roots, currently operated by Cascadia
Behavioral Healthcare.
At Garlington, he found himself better
respected by the staff and not talked to as
if he was a confused child, like he had at
other places. Hamit started to improve.
“I w ouldn't be near as well off if it
wasn’t for the Garlington Center," said
Hamit.
But over the past year, Garlington has
had its own bad spell. It almost collapsed
financially when Cascadia fell into finan­
cial turmoil. Then the center had a devas­
tating fire.
N am ed after the late Rev. John
Garlington, an African-American minister
who worked closely with the poor, the
Garlington Center is one of the most cul­
turally sensitive providers of mental health
photo by J ake T homas /T he P ortland O bserver
Boarded up windows show where a fire gutted Portland's major provider o f mental health services for low-income
minority populations and other local residents, the site of a former NIKE outlet store. Temporary trailers will soon
open behind the Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. location to accommodate clients.
and substance abuse services in the area.
It also connects people with stable hous­
ing and jobs.
"These are the folks, where if they
don’t have these services, they’re going
to be downtown costing the community a
lot more m oney,” said Jim H lava,
Cascadia's vice president of housing.
Essie Mae Morphis, an African-Ameri­
can client of the center for about 10 years,
explained how Garlington has provided
her with care that has no parallel in its
cultural tactfulness.
"If I couldn’t get my meds I’d be some­
where in a state hospital,” said Morphis of
the value she places on Garlington ser­
vices,
C ascadia’s chief executive officer
Deraid Walker explained that the center
helps people through group therapy, help­
ing them develop a sense of stability, and
assisting them in managing their own
medication regimen.
Statew ide, Cascadia has an operat­
ing budget of about $42 million, which
com es from a patchw ork o f state,
county, and federal funds, according to
Walker. It services about 525 people, he
added.
Last summer, the non-profit nearly
collapsed financially due to mismanage­
ment. According to reports on Multnomah
County’s website, Cascadia was hemor­
rhaging money due to a faulty billing
system (among other problems) that es­
sentially didn't charge the appropriate
sources for services.
continued
on page A3
Economy Wallops Transit
Shoes Thrown in Contempt
The most unexpected point in a
carefully scripted, two-day presi­
dential trip came when a reporter
threw his shows at George W.
Bush during a press conference
in Baghdad, both of which Bush
artfully dodged from behind the
podium. See story, page A2.
Walsh Son’s Killer Named
Ottis Toole, a serial killer who
died more than a decade ago, is
the person who murdered the 6-
year-old son o f "America's Most
Wanted" host John Walsh in
1981. police in Florida said Tues­
day. The announcement brought
to a close a case that has vexed
the Walsh family for more than
two decades.
Oregon Jobless Rate Rises
O regon’s unemployment rate
rose to 8.1 percent last month
from 7.2 percent in October. The
figures reflect a decline of 6,300
jobs in November, following a
drop of 11,700 jobs the month
earlier. See story, page A3
Feds Cut Key Interest Rate
The Federal Reserve cut its tar­
get for a key interest rate to the
lowest level on record T ues­
day and pledged to use "all
available tools" to com bat a
severe financial crisis and pro­
longed recession.
First U S Face Transplant
A woman so horribly disfigured
she was willing to risk her life to
do something about it has un­
dergone the nation's first near­
total face transplant, the Cleve­
land Clinic announced Tuesday.
The patient's name and age were
not released, and the hospital
said her family wanted the rea­
son for her transplant to remain
confidential.
revenue means less service.
Instead. Young said the mass
TriMet's health is closely linked, transit provider is postponing
by J ake T homas
some capital projects and new
are faltering.
T he P ortland O bserver
The transit provider relies routes to help it cut costs.
As Oregon gets walloped by
TriMet has earned distinc­
waves of economic tribulation, heavily on a payroll tax to finance
its operations. With unemploy­ tion for getting people out of
TriMet is no exception.
Portland's mass transit pro­ ment topping 8 percent this source their cars, making Portland sev­
vider is facing several hurdles as of this revenue has fallen. T riMet's enth in the nation for transit use.
In the last year,
it tries to balance
e c o n o m ic a lly -
more ridership with
squeezed c o m ­
falling revenues, in­
m uters
have
creased deficits and
sta rte d
using
other competing de­
Tri Met even more,
mands.
causing ridership
Like many local
to jump by 17 per­
governm ents, the
cent.
The increase
agency is pegging
has
put
a heavy
some of its hopes
strain
on
the Max
on the federal policy
light
rail
lines
and
ch an g es com ing
certain
bus
lines,
when the Obama
like the 72. The
a d m in is tra tio n
problem
has been
takes pow er next
particularly
acute
month.
during
rush
hour.
As a transit sys­
"We have more
tem that provides 34
people who want
million rides a year,
to ride us then we
TriMet is particu­
have se rv ic e ,"
larly susceptible to
Young said.
economic fluxes.ex­
The local tran­
p lain s
C aro lyn
sit sy ste m has
Young, the agency’s
also come under
executive director
fire fo r h aving
for communications
faulty ticket dis­
and technology.
- Carolyn Young, TriMet executive director
pensers. prom pt­
In August, diesel
for communications and technology
ing one frustrated
p ric e s so ared to
rider to create the
$3.95 agallon, which
blew a $4 million hole in TriMct's investments in stocks and bonds w ebsite trim etdow n.com to
m onitor the problem. Young
b u d g et. As a c o n se q u e n c e , are also doing poorly.
"We re just starting to feel it." a c k n o w le d g e d the issu e s,
TriMet had to raise its fares to $2.
"We're still digging our way said Young of the ef fects of the pointing out that some m a­
chines are 20-years old. She
out of that," said Young.
economic downturn.
She explained that lowerdiesel
She said the last thing TriMc, said that TriM et has ordered
prices in the last month still haven't wants to do is cut services or 40 new machines, and four are
out currently.
assuaged the agency's gaping layoff drivers.
She explained that some cit­
deficit, and that it's difficult to get
Raising fares is never easy,
ies
have moved toward an elec­
a handle on whether or not fuel and is a prickly balance. If the
tronic
system to dispense tick-
prices will stay low.
mass transit provider raises fares,
To make matters worse, two people who rely on it can't use it continued
on PaKe ^2
other areas of the economy, which as often as they need to. but less
TriMet pins some hopes on Obama
We have more people
who want to ride us then
we have service.
photo by M ark
W ashing ion / T he P ortland O bserver
Bundling Up
Against the Cold
Ariana Jenkins, 21 months, walks outside her
northeast Portland home Sunday for her first
experience ever in snow and ice. More snow with
the possibility o f freezing rain is in the forecast
over the next several days. See page A3.
»