Established in 1970
Committed to Cultural Diversity
Volume XXXVIII, Number 52
.W eek ¡n
The Review
Minimum Wage Goes Up
O regon’s lowest paid workers
will get some help in making
ends meet starting on New
Y ear’s Day, when a 45-cent
hike in the state’s minimum
wage takes effect. Adjusted
for the cost of living, the wage
will rise from $7.95 to $8.40 per
hour. See sto ry , page A2.
PGE Power Rates Rise
The New Year will bring an
overall 5.6 percent rate increase
for customers of Portland Gen
eral Electric. The boost was
blamed on fuel costs and mar
ket prices that are beyond
PGE’scontrol, said Lee Beyer,
chairman of the Oregon Public
Utility Commission.
Oldest Man Dead at 112
George Francis, the nation's
oldest man,
w ho liv e d
th ro u g h
b o th w o rld
wars, m an's
first walk on
the moon and the election of
the first black president, has
died. The Sacramento, Calif,
resident was 112. See sto ry ,
page A2.
Halt to Bombing Weighed
Israel, under international pres
sure, is considering a 48-hour
halt to its punishing four-day
aircam paign on Hamas targets
in Gaza to see if Palestinian
m ilitants will stop their rocket
attacks on southern Israel, Is
raeli officials said Tuesday
New Year law begins at midnight
Oregon
Bottle Bill
Expands
Starting at midnight on New Year’s cent say employees should be protected egonians benefit from cleaner air, but
Eve, Oregon’s Smokefree Workplace Law from secondhand smoke.
businesses are likely to reap the rewards
will protect nearly every Oregon employee
Many businesses support the new law of a productive workplace including
from the health risks of secondhand smoke. as well. A recent survey showed that 66 healthier workers, fewer sick days and
The new law covers bars, bingo halls percent of businesses affected by the reduced cleaning costs.
and bowling centers, as well as
They also stand to gain cus
75 percent of hotel and motel
tomers from among the 80 per
sleeping rooms and all em
cent of Oregonians who don’t
ployee breakrooins.
smoke. Many businesses are
In addition, every Oregon
using the new law as an oppor
business will be required to
tunity to reupholster furniture
maintain a 10-foot smokefree
and install new carpet to get
zone around doors, windows
rid of smoke damage.
and ventilation systems.
Monday, two customers at
“Every Oregonian benefits
the Moon Star restaurant and
from this law,” said Dr. Bruce
lounge on Northeast Martin
Goldberg, director of the Or
Luther King Jr. Boulevard, lit
egon Department of Human Ser
up a cigarette inside the estab
vices. “Employees will be able
lishment for one of the last
to punch in without endanger
times.
ing their health, businesses will
“It’s not fair that you can
save money on maintenance
buy a smoke anywhere, but
and sick time costs and the
you can’t smoke them any
public will have more smokefree
where," said Felisa Washing
choices. Laws like this are
ton-Berry, a sentiment that was
proven to help smokers quit.
echoed by her bar companion
Ali Williams.
This is a monumental change
A new smokefree workplace law prohibits smoking in all
Business owners are re
for Oregonians.”
bars and taverns beginning at midnight on New Year's Eve.
The new law, passed by the
sponsible for complying with
2007 Oregon Legislature, has its support new law are already smokefree. Many the law and preventing smoking in and
ers and detractors.
other businesses have been preparing for around their property.
Employees and the public can help
Public health officials cite surveys the change all year, including some that
showing that 90 percent of Oregonians, opted to go smokefree in advance of the ensure that the law is followed by report-
including 76 percent of smokers, prefer law.
continued
on page A2
The health officials argue that all Or-
smokefree indoor workplaces, and 86 per-
Adds 5 cents to
water containers
Oregon’s Bottle Bill expansion goes
into effect with the New Year, Jan. 1
The first change is that water and
flavored water will be added to the list
o f containers that can be redeemed for
a 5 i deposit. The containers must be
labeled with the OR 5e deposit on the
label and be purchased in Oregon.
The second change is that larger
retail outlets of 5,000 square feet or
more will be required to take back bottle
and can returns of all brands and sizes
if they sell the same type o f beverage.
For example, if a large supermarket
sells water and soft drinks, they are
required to accept bottle returns of all
brands and sizes of water and soft
drinks - even brands that they don’t
carry in their stores. However, they
would not be required to accept beer
containers, if they do not sell beer.
The smaller retailers may con
tinue to accept back only contain-
continued
'y f
on page A2
Year in
Review
Obama Clinches! - Sen. Barrack
Gov. Rod Blagojevich named a
black political trailblazer to
Barack Obama's Senate seat
Tuesday, putting the Illinois
governor's opponents in the
uncom fortable position o f try
ing to block his choice from
becom ing the Senate's only
black member. The appoint
ment o f form er state Attorney
General Roland Burris came
days after Blagojevich was
charged with trying to sell the
seat to the highest bidder.
Franken Lead at 50
Adult Film Star
Sentenced
An adult film a c tre ss and
former Penthouse model who
failed to pay for than $200,000
in federal taxes was sentenced
in E ugene M onday to six
months in prison, followed by
a year of supervised release.
Janie M. James, 40, also known
as Janie Lindemulder, was also
ordered to pay restitution.
Wednesday • December 31, 2008
Smoke Free Countdown
Defiant Governor
nils Seat
D e m o c ra tic c a n d id a te Al
Franken now holds a 50-vote
lead o v er R epublican Sen.
Norm Coleman in Minnesota's
Senate race, but w rangling
over inclusion o f absentee
bal lots continued Tuesday and
any final determ ination o f a
winner was still days or weeks
away.
www.portlandobserver.com
Obama campaigns during a visit to
Oregon ju s t days prior to winning
the state's May 20 Primary and
clinching the Democratic Party
nomination for president. The Port
land Observer looks back at some
o f the top stories from 2008, in
side.
Supporters Rescue Local Bookstore
Saving resource for women
by J ake T homas
T he P ortland O bserver
Sebastian Florian has been a
regular at In Other Words book
store for over five years, but more
for the events than the books.
She attends aerobics courses
and a discussion group that
helped her come to terms with her
sexual identity. She said that no
other place offers anything com
parable.
"It's been invaluable," said
Florian, of the volunteer-driven
bookstore.
.
Last m onth, regulars like
Florain almost had the door to In
Other Words shut on them after a
financial crisis rocked the femi
nist institution.
For many patrons, the store
was more than a place to buy
books dealing with political, so
cial and economic equality is
sues, it was a community space
where they could take yoga
classes, use the job resource
center, hear live music, or take a
workshop.
A lthough supporters m us
tered enough support to give
the store a stay of execution, its
path isn't completely free of
obstacles.
In O ther W ords is located on
Northeast Killingsworth Street
just off North Williams Avenue.
Its walls are painted soft-hues.
The smell from someone’s lunch
hints at being cooked from in
gredients from a health food
store. A small space is cleared
in the back for live music. Its
wooden shelves house an ex
tensive collection of materials
that include zines written by
local authors and books on ev
erything from gardening to
sexuality. But this serene set
ting belies its financial tumult.
Like seemingly everything.
In Other Words has been hit by
photo by J ake T homas ZT he P orti . and O bserver
the economy and its sales were
down $ 15.000 from the previous Volunteers and supporters o f In Other Words Women's Books and Resources. 8B N.E.
Killingsworth St.. have raised $13,000 to cover a debt and keep the community resource
continued y ^ on page A2
alive. However, the feminist bookstore isn 't in the clear yet.
i