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Page A2
May 27. 2009
Screams Lead to
Children in River
A photo o f Jefferson
High School from
the year it o p e n e d in
1 9 0 9 a s the
“W orld's Largest
High School. "
Mother accused in drowning
(AP) - An Oregon mother was
arrested Saturday in the drown
ing of her 4-year-old son after
the boy and his 7-year-old sis
te r en d ed up in the ch illy
Williamette River.
Residents saw the mother's
car parked on the Sellw ood
Bridge near Portland and heard
screams coming from the area.
They called authorities and
some jumped into boats to help
search in the early morning
darkness. After about an hour,
a couple found the children
downstream.
The boy, Eldon Jay Rebhan
Smith, could not be revived; the
girl was in a hospital and ex
pected to survive.
"She's doing well," said De
tective Sgt. Rich Austria of the
Portland Police Bureau. "She
has the will to live."
Austria said it was not imme
diately clear whether the chil
dren were pushed or fell into
the river. They have not yet
questioned the girl.
P olice said th e m other,
Amanda Jo Stott-Smith, was
taken into custody at a down
town parking garage several
hours after her children were
found. Stott-Smith, 31, threat
ened to jump off the garage's
ninth floor before she was ar
rested, Austria said.
Stott-Smith faces aggravated
A m anda Jo Stott-Sm ith
murder and attempted aggra
vated murder charges, Austria
said.
A police spokesman said he
did not know if Stott-Smith had
an attorney.
Stott-Smith's blue 1991 Audi
was seen parked on the Sellwood
Bridge before residents heard
the children's screams.
"Had they not been awake at
one in the morning," Austria
said, "we would investigating
a case here with no children."
When police arrived, officers
also heard screams on the river
but couldn't find the children
because it was dark, said Of
ficer Greg Pashley, a Portland
Police Bureau spokesman.
"As you look down into the
darkness it's hard to see any
thing," Pashley said. "I can't
imagine what it must be like to
be a child in this cold river."
Simpson Appeals
Robbery Conviction
O.J. Simpson has appealed to sentencing and jury instruc
the Nevada Supreme Court to tions.
The document criticizes the
overturn his convictions for
armed robbery and kidnapping trial judge, Clark County Dis
trict Court Judge
during a Las Vegas
Jackie Glass, and
hotel room confron
accuses prosecu
ta tio n w ith tw o
tors of improperly
sports memorabilia
asking questions
dealers.
about allegations
T he ap peal a r
of witness intimi
riv ed T u esd ay at
dation in front of
the Supreme Court
the jury.
in Carson City.
"Cumulative er
The former foot
r o r ... was so egre
ball star, actor and
gious and prejudi
a d v e rtis in g
o. J. S im p so n
cial that the d e
pitchm an asks the
high court to throw out his con fense could not get a fair trial,"
viction on grounds that include S im p so n a tto rn e y s Yale
judicial misconduct, insufficient G a la n te r and M alcolm
evidence, a lack of racial diver LaVergne wrote in seeking the
sity on the jury and errors in reversal.
We’re all about that.
Jefferson Celebrates 100 Years
This year Jefferson High
School turns l(X) years old,
which may be hard to believe
because it doesn’t look a day
over 40.
To celebrate the anniver
sary of the school that was
called “The World’s Largest
High School” when it first
opened its doors, students,
staff, alumni and friends will
hold a three-day long reunion
this week.
The events begin T hurs
day, May 28 with a golf tour-
Edward J. Perkins
nament at Riverside Golf and
Country club, starting at 1 p.m.
The $ 150 registration fee cov
ers golf, car, and dinner.
On Friday, May 29. Jefferson
alum and former UN Ambassa
dor Edward J. Perkins (class of
1947) will address the student
body during the day and a din
ner auction later that evening.
Perkins, who has been added
to I (X) Year Honor Roll of Out
standing Demos, has served in
the Army and Marine Corps,
and has had a long career in the
Lies Cited in Intent to Sue City
Mayor’s former
spokesman claims
damaged reputation
(AP) - Wade Nkrumah says he could
take the stress, but not the lies.
The former spokesman for Portland
Mayor Sam Adams filed notice that he in
tends to sue his former boss and the city,
claiming Adams damaged his reputation
by tellin g a telev isio n re p o rte r that
Nkrumah quit because of the heightened
stress that resulted from the mayor's sex
scandal.
The tort claim states that Nkrumah
"made it clear to Adams that 'stress' was
not an issue." Rather, the document says,
"it was Adams lying as a public official."
Adams, 45, is under an Oregon Depart-
W ade Nkrumah
ment o f Justice investigation after ac
knowledging he and Beau Breedlove had
a sexual relationship and then lied about it
when rumors surfaced at the start of the
mayor's race. Adams admitted the lie a few
weeks after taking office in January.
Adams has said Breedlove had just
turned 18 when the two had sex in 2005.
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Breedlove said the same, but acknowl
edged that the two kissed in a City Hall
men's room when he was 17.
Nkrum ah, who seeks $162,489 and
attorney's fees, resigned Jan. 26, less
than a month into his job with Adams.
The tort claim s states that Adams dam
aged N krum ah's business reputation by
tellin g a telev isio n re p o rte r that his
spokesm an quit because the jo b was
"not what he signed up for in term s of
stress."
Nkrumah's claim states that he made it
clear he was quitting because Adams lied
to him twice about the Breedlove relation
ship. It says the stress comment demeaned
Nkrumah's ability to work under pressure.
The m ayor's new spokesm an, Roy
K aufm ann, told The O regonian that
Adams would not comment on the law
suit.
Obama Picks First Hispanic Supreme Court Judge
continued ¿ ^ f r o m Front
a statem ent saying he looked
forward "to working with both
D em ocrats and R epublicans
on the Judiciary Committee to
confirm Judge Sotom ayor as
the first H isp an ic and the
th ird w om an to sit on the
court."
Senate Republicans pledged
to give her a fair hearing, and
some questioned whether she
would base decisions on her
personal feelings, rather than
constitutional principles. Given
her background, any effort to
filibuster her nomination could
carry political risks, since His
panics are the fastest-growing
segment of the population and
an increasingly important one
overcom e the odds and lived
politically.
Sotomayor would be unlikely out the A merican dream that
to alter the ideological balance brought her parents here so
of the court, since Souter gener long ago."
The president called on the
ally sides with the liberals on key
5-4 rulings. But at 54, she is a Senate to confirm Sotom ayor
generation younger than Souter, before the court begins its
and liberal outside groups hope new te rm in O c to b e r, and
she will provide a counterpoint noted pointedly that she has
to some of the sharply worded already won Senate approval
twice in her career. Seven of
conservative rulings.
I n tro d u c in g h is c h o ic e , the Senate’s current Republi
Obam a said, "Along the way, cans voted to confirm her for
sh e 's faced dow n b a rrie rs, the appeals court in 1998.
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D e p a rtm e n t o f S tate. He
served as ambassador to vari
ous African nations, Austra
lia, and the UN at various
times between 1986 to 1996.
On Saturday, May 30, an all
day reunion event will take
place at the landmark school
beginning at 11:30 a.m. It will
feature performances by the
Je ffe rso n D an cers, the
Alumni and Student Band, a
bazaar, and a talent showcase.
For more information, go to
jeffersoncentennial.com.
o
i .
U n iv e rs ity o f P o rtla n d
B u ck ley A u d ito riu m
5 0 0 0 N W illa m e tte Blvd
P o rtla n d . OR
(5 0 3 ) 2 8 5 -9 3 8 5