Page A3
í,lf JJortlanò (Dbseruer
December 17, 2008
More Jobs Lost in Downturn
O regon's seasonally adjusted unem ploym ent rate rose to
8.1 percent in N ovem ber from 7.2 percent in October.
The state's unem ploym ent rate has risen sharply over the
past five months after rem aining stable throughout the first half
o f the year.
In Novem ber, O regon's seasonally adjusted non-farm pay­
roll em ploym ent declined by 6,300 jobs, follow ing a drop o f
11,700 in October.
State Em ploym ent D epartm ent officials say many o f the job
losses were in the leisure and hospitality industries (-1,800
jobs) and trade, transportation, and utilities (-4,200 jobs).
Construction continued to trend dow nw ard (-2,200 jobs),
w hile governm ent (+1,200 jobs) continued to trend higher.
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photo by J ake T hom as /T he P ortland O bserver
Tasha Wheatt-Delancy, clinic director for northeast Portland's Garlington Center, looks over the installation of temporary
trailers which will soon provide space for the clinic's local mental health care and substance abuse services.
Clinic on the Mend
continued
from Front
In April of this year, Cascadia informed
the county that it was on the verge of default­
ing on a $2 million line of credit from Capitol
Pacific Bank, and was about to go under. The
Garlington Center would have expired had it
not been for a loud chorus of voices that rose
in protest.
Gascadia was saved by a $2.5 million loan
comprised of state and county funds. A
nationally recognized consulting fire was
called in to correct the problems with billing,
among others.
According to Walker, Cascadia has imple­
mented many of the firm’s suggestions and
is steadily recovering.
“W e’re cautiously optimistic,” said David
Austin, spokesman for the county’s depart­
ment of human services, which has worked
closely with the Cascadia on its financials.
He added that the mental health provider
continues to provide an essential service to
Portland.
Austin said that Cascadia is taking recom­
mendations from the county and the consult­
ing firm seriously, and appears to be stabiliz­
ing. He also pointed out that Cascadia has
passed along two of its other clinics to other
non-profits, which has been a huge financial
relief.
The fire sparked last October in the
Garlington Center’s Martin Luther King Jr.
Boulevard location extensively damaged the
building, a former NIKE factory outlet.
Currently, the center looks as if it’s the
aftermath of a war. Its windows are boarded
up. Yellow tape lines scorched walls and
corridors. The sharp, sour smell of the smoke
has marinated the air, and still lingers heavily.
The floor of some rooms is pitch black and
sprinkled with broken glass.
Since the fire, clients have had to go out
of her way to an alternate Cascadia center on
Southeast Division Street and 43rd Avenue.
“It’s a hassle,” said Morphis of having to
make the trek to the alternate center.
The clinic’s director Tasha W heatt-
Delancy expects to have the MLK facility
back up in about six months. Currently there
are several trailers outside the building where
clients will be served. They are not quite
ready, said Wheatt-Delancy. But she’s hop­
ing they’ll be ready soon.
Hlava isn’t sure how much the building
repairs will cost.
The fire is considered “suspicious,” and
is under investigation by local and federal
investigators.
W alker said that Cascadia is taking great
care not to allow the tum ult facing the
organization to interrupt services facing
clients.
However, Cascadia’s problems aren’t
entirely in the past. Walker said that the state
budget cuts could affect the non-profit’s
addiction treatment program, but isn't en­
tirely sure what could happen.
“Making sure we have stable funding is
our biggest challenge,” said Walker.
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More Snow, Ice on the Way
Public urged
to prepare
for worst
Mother Nature’s freezing
grip on Portland is expected
to continue over the next few
days with snow and the pos­
sibility of freezing rain.
The National Weather Ser­
vice forecast for Wednesday
calls for snow during the early
day and then rain, possibly
mixed with freezing rain dur­
ing the early evening hours
and turning back to snow by
late night.
Snow showers are again
likely on Thursday, forecast­
ers say, with a chance of
show on Saturday night and
snow expected on Sunday,
followed by a chance of snow
on Monday.
Low temperatures in the
teens and 20s have already
broken several low-tempera­
ture records for Portland and
more records were expected
to fall as cold air remains over
Northwest Oregon and South­
west Washington.
Overnight lows in the teens
and 20s is forecast over the
Winter storms
creates a
serious hazard
to road traffic in
Portland, as
shown here on a
stretch of
Northeast Martin
Luther King
Junior Boulevard.
next few days, with daytime
highs not getting above 32
degrees from W ednesday
through at least Saturday.
The Portland O ffice of
Emergency Management cau­
tions the public to prepare for
the worst with an emergency
kit, extra water and food.
Prolonged exposure to the
cold can cause frostbite or
hypothermia and become life
threatening to humans and
pets. Prolonged freezing tem­
peratures can also cause pipes
to burst in homes that are
poorly insulated or without
heat. Set your faucets to a
slow drip or trickle to avoid
pipe freezing.
Anyone seeking sheltercan
dial 2-1-1 where operators
will be available to identify
available shelter and warming
centers.
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65(X) NE MLK Jr. Blvd.
On the corner of: MLK Jr. & Rosa Park
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