ilie Jlortlanb ©bseruer Page A2 A p ril I, 2009 The Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center in north Portland is once again is fighting for city funding. Public Hearing Notice Due to th e w eak economy, TriMet is facing a b u d g et shortfall th a t requires a 5 percen t c u t in p rogram s an d services agency wide. In February, w e proposed service cu ts for buses an d MAX th a t included th e d iscontinuation of 12 low- rid ersh ip b u s lines. After review ing m ore th a n 1,500 public com m ents and fu rth e r analysis of ridership d a ta , nearby service an d school/job access, we revised o u r proposal. Sum m ary TriMet proposes th e follow ing service cuts effective S eptem ber 2009: • 5 b u s lines w o u ld be d isco n tin u ed : 41-Tacoma, 74-Lloyd District/Southeast, 86-Alderwood, 153-South End Rd Loop and 157-Happy Valley. • 20 b us lin es w o u ld have m a jo r changes to ro u te, frequency a n d /o r hours of o p e ra tio n : 1 Vermont, 15-Belmont, 18-Hillside, 19-Woodstock, 27 M arket/ Main, 31-Estacada, 33-Fremont, 34-River Rd, 37-Lake Grove, 55-Hamilton, 58-Canyon Rd, 59-W alker/Park Way. 60-Leahy Rd, 63-W ashington Park, 70-12th Ave, 85-Swan Island, 8 8-H art/198th Ave, 152-Milwaukie, 156-M ather Rd and Cedar Mill Shuttle. • 15 b u s lin es w o u ld have som e or all w eek en d service disco n tin u ed : 1-Vermont, 10-Harold, 17-NW 21st Ave/St Helens Rd, 33-Fremont, 34-River Rd. 39-Lewis & Clark, 43-Taylors Ferry Rd, 47-Baseline/Evergreen, 48-Cornell, 51-Vista, 59-Walker/Park Way, 63-W ashington Park, 67-Jenkins/158th Ave, 89-Tanasbourne and 156-M ather Rd. • MAX a n d vario u s o th e r b u s lines w o u ld have re d u ctio n s in ro u te , frequency a n d /o r h o u rs of o p eratio n . Read th e co m p lete service cu t proposal a t trim et.org. How to contact us Email: co m m en ts@ tn m et.o rg C om m ent lin e: 503-962-5806 Fax: 503-962-6469 M ail: TriMet-MK2,4012 SE 17th Ave., Portland, OR 97202 TTY: 503-238 5811 (7.30 a m to 5:30 p.m. weekdays) Public hearings Wilson High School Cafeteria 1151 SW V erm ont Portland, OR 97219 Tuesday, April 7, 2009, 4-7 p.m Portland Building A uditorium , Second Floor 1120 SW 5th Ave. Portland, OR 97204 Wednesday, April 8,2009 4-7 p.m Clackamas County Sheriff's Office Public Safety Training Center 12700 SE 82nd Ave. Clackamas, OR 97015 If you req u ire a sig n -lan g u ag e in te rp re te r or o th e r com m unication aids, please call 503-802-8200 (select o ption 4) or TTY 503-802-8058 (7:30 a m. to 5:30 p.m. weekdays) a t least 48 h o u rs in advance of th e hearing. T R I « Director says arts diversity at stake by J ake T homas C om m ents m u st be received by 5 p.m., Friday, April 10, 2009. Monday, April 6, 2009, 4-7 p.m IFCC Frets over Budget M E T T he P ortland O bserver Adrienne Flagg, the creative d ire c to r for the In te rsta te Firehouse Cultural Center, is worried that the north Portland art center will become “just a venue,” and will be unable to fund any o f its unique multicultural programs. Since the IFCC was founded in 1982 by C harles Jordan, Portland’s first African Ameri can city commissioner, it has been working to foster diver sity in the arts in Portland. It has helped immigrant and mi nority artists just starting out get their foot in the door with mentoring programs, for ex ample. THE 51ST ANNUAL EBONY FASHION FAIR PRESENTS Runway Report • ~ Hosted Bv: The Portland Chapter If the I .Inks, Incorporated The W hite Rose Educational Fund, Incorporated In Partnership with T he Oregon Convention continued ¿ ^ f r o m Front Center For the Benefit Of: T he Finks Educational and Scholarship Fund Even' Ticket Price Oregon Convention Center 777 N F m artin l.uther King Blvd one-vcar antncrlptton to Portland, Oregon E B O N Y magazine or one-year Include« the choice of a «uhMTiptlon to JET magazine, a copy of E B O N Y EASH IO N F AIM magazine plu« a chance to win round trip air-tran« portatlon for two to any desti nation served by A M E R IC A N A IR I INES or A M E R IC A N F.AGI.E in the domestic I .S. Ticket Prices 560.00 General Admission 5100.00 Patrons state«, a one year supply of hair care Item« from 1.1 S I EH P R O D I ( IS and «elected item« from F A S H IO N FA IR C O S M E T IC S . 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A state court previously cut the co m p en sato ry aw ard to $521,(XX). The value o f the award has climbed to more than $145 mil lion because of accrued inter est, the com pany said. Sixty percent of it would go to an Oregon crime victims fund, al though the company has said it might continue to contest the portion owed the state. The Oregon high court made its first decision in 2(X)2, refus ing to hear an appeal from Philip Morris. T h en the U .S. S u p rem e Court rejected the judgm ent of nearly $80 m illion, saying in another case that damages generally should be held to no more than nine times actual e co n o m ic dam ag es. It d e clined, however, to make that a firm rule. Next, the Oregon Supreme Court upheld the punitive dam ages, citing "extraordinarily re p re h e n sib le " c o n d u c t by Philip Morris officials. Then came the U.S. Supreme Court's second take on the case. In 2007, the court said in a 5-4 decision that jurors may pun ish a defendant only for harm done to someone who is suing, not other smokers who could make similar claims. The state court was told to reconsider the award in the con text of instructions for the trial jury that Philip M orris pro posed and the trial judge re jected. In January, the Oregon court said there were other defects in the instructions that violated Oregon law, and supported the trial judge's decision not to give the proposed instructions to the jury. The case is Philip M orris USA v. Williams, 07-1216. Grocery was Maxey’s Tickets Subject To Convenience Charge Studio Slv-Nine Hair Design 545 NE Killingsworth ST. Portland. OR 97221 503-284-1782 get, that the $80,(XX) was being cut. “We were not prepared for that at all,” said Flagg, who ex plained that the money makes up about a third of its budget and the cut would have ham strung the center. However, Flagg said that sup porters quickly rallied. “We’ve been in letter writing mode,” she said. Commissioner Nick Fish, who oversees the parks budget, said he included $72.000 in funding for IFCC all along. “I’m a big supporter of the IFCC,” said Fish. However, he noted that eventually IFCC will have to become self-sufficient and not rely on the city for cash. M ayor Sam A dam s, who helped keep the center from closing its doors as a city com missioner in 2005, said that he has funding for the IFCC in his budget as well because of the unique role it plays in Portland’s art scene. However, every service the city provides is starring down deep cuts, and funding for the IFCC could be gutted before the full council. “This year we have really deep cuts,” said Adams. In May, the city council will hear public testimony on the proposed city budget. Flagg plans to be there along with supporters, but is hoping sh e ’ll be there to thank the council for their support, not to pressure them to restore fund ing. W id o w ’s T ob acco A w ard U p h eld What's Hip. What's Hot. What's Now! Friday A pril 24, 2009 8:00 PM The center is a regular spon sor of multicultural theatrical perform ances, dance studio, and gallery exhibitions. Just re cently the IFCC hosted an exhi bition called “ Due N o rth ,” which featured the visual works of over 50 artists based in north and northeast Portland. “IFCC supports diversity on a daily basis,” said Flagg. The center has relied heavily on the city to supplement its budget, but with city coffers severely strained and with most city bureaus looking at 5 to 10 percent cuts, the arts center’s operations may face a dramatic reduction if it c a n 't m uster enough support from the City Council. Since the IFCC was founded, the city has helped keep it afloat by providing it a 100-year-old firehouse and a steady stream of subsidies, with the under standing that the arts center would have to eventually stand on its own. According to Flagg, the cen ter received $ 100,000 annually for its first 15 years to support its program s. In tw o o ther years, proposals for a complete cut to funding the center were eventually put back in, said Flagg. Since 2005, IFCC has re ceived $80,000 from city funds that they must match. However, early last month Flagg said she got word from her liaison with Portland Parks and Recreation, which has usu ally overseen the IFCC’s bud- The grocery former Sen. Avel Gordly frequented as a child was “Maxey’s". The name was misspelled in the story “Gang War Front Lines" in our March 25 edition. The Portland Observer regrets the error. Advertise with diversity in Il!C ■)Jvtr Maith (Ohscr n e r ( .ill 5O3-2KS-(X)3ft ads<8*portland|b serv er com