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il,lf fdortkinb (Dbseruer
May 12, 2010
Obama Picks Insider
Nominee would give high court three female members
O FF TH E GRID
ENVMONNENTAL AWARENESS CONCERT
(A P) -- President Barack O bam a
nom inated Solicitor G eneral Elena
K agan to the Suprem e C ourt on M on
day, dec laring the former Harvard Law
School dean "one o f the nation's fore
m ost legal m inds." She w ould be the
court's youngest justice and give it
three female members for the first time.
T he nom ination to replace liberal
retiring Justice John Paul Stevens set
the stage for a potentially bruising
confirm ation battle, though m ath
em atically D em ocrats should be able
to prevail in the end.
A t 50, K agan is relatively young
for the lifetim e post and could help
shape the high court's decisions for
decades. If confirm ed by the Senate,
she w ould becom e only the fourth
fem ale justice in history.
O b a m a c ite d w h a t he c a lle d
K agan's "openness to a broad array
o f v ie w p o in ts " a n d h e r " fa ir
m indedness."
Standing beside the president in
Elena Kagan
the East Room o f the W hite H ouse,
K agan said she w as "honored and
hum bled by this nom ination."
"I look forward to w orking with the
Senate in the next stage o f this pro
cess, and I thank you again, M r. Presi
dent, for this honor o f a lifetim e," she
said.
R epublicans are expected to criti
cize her for attem pting to bar m ilitary
recruiters from the H arvard Law cam
pus w hile she w as dean. That issue
w as used against her by critics during
her confirm ation hearing last year for
her current post.
Bridge Deck Replacement Project
N Lombard St - Columbia Slough
PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE
St. Johns Community Center
8427 N Central St
Wednesday, May 19
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
■ Please join us to learn more
about the project.
■ The purpose of the project is
to replace the deteriorated
bridge deck that carries
traffic on N Lombard Street
over the Columbia Slough
near Kelly Point Park.
■ Prelim inary design drawings
will be available to view.
■ The Columbia Slough bridge
will be closed and detours
will be in effect during
construction, (see m ap)
The project is anticipated to
be constructed in the
Spring of 2011.
D em ocratic officials said K agan
w ould begin m aking the rounds o f
senators' offices on W ednesday.
W ith control o f 59 votes in the
Senate, D em ocrats should be able to
w in confirm ation. H ow ever, if all 41
Republicans vote together, they could
delay a vote w ith a filibuster.
R epublicans have show n no signs
in advance that they w ould try to
prevent a vote on K agan, but they are
certain to grill her in confirm ation
hearings over her experience, her thin
record o f legal w ritings and her deci
sions at Harvard.
The senator w ho will preside over
her confirm ation hearing, D em ocrat
Patrick Leahy ofV erm ont, said, "The
Senate should confirm Ms. K agan
before" Labor Day.
"O ur constituents deserve a civil
and thoughtful debate on this nom i
nation, follow ed by an up-or-dow n
vote," said the chairm an o f the Senate
Judiciary Committee.
Week in
The Review
City Makes Diversity Pledge
T he S pringfield C ity C ouncil has unanim ously
ap p roved a goal to "create a positive en v iro n
m ent that values diversity." M onday's vote
cam e three m onths after city officials learned o f
racist and crude e-m ails circulating in the city's
m ain ten an ce division.
Walters Needs Heart Valve
B arbara W alters says she w ill
have surgery later this w eek to
replace a faulty heart valve. T he
8 0 -y e a r-o ld te le v isio n leg en d
said she's know n ab o u t her co ndition for a
w hile and thought the tim e w as right for the
surgery because she can take the sum m er o ff
and "can co m e ro aring back in Septem ber."
Biden’s Son Suffers Stroke
V ice President Joe B iden's oldest son, the
D elaw are atto rn ey general, had a m ild stroke
T uesday and w as transferred to a P hiladelphia
hospital, w here he w as recovering. B eau B iden,
41, w as ex p ected to recover, his d o cto r said.
Second Try for Spewing Oil
A second, sm aller oil co n tain m en t box is being
b ro u g h t to the site o f a b low n-out w ell in the
G u lf o f M exico. E ngineers hope to avoid the
sam e kind o f ice crystal buildup that stym ied
their first attem p t at using a larger box. M ore
than 4 m illion gallons o f oil have spew ed from
the w ell since the drilling rig exploded A pril 20.
Dolphins Wash Up on Gulf
Federal w ildlife officials are treating the deaths
o f six dolp h in s on the G u lf C oast as oil-related
even though o th er factors m ay be to blam e.
I
If you have any questions or
need more information, please
contact Cameron Glasgow
at 503-823-9726.
n tm
P ortland
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T ransportation
BLIUAl Of
Whale Stuns Scientists
For ADA Title II or Civil Rights Title VI Accommodations, Translation/
Interpretation Services, Complaints, or for additional information,
call 503-823-9726, or City TTY 503-823-6868,
or use Oregon Relay Service 711.
The app earan ce o f a grey
w h ale sw im m in g o f f the
c o a st o f Isra e l has
s tu n n e d s c ie n tis ts , in
w h at w as th o u g h t to be
the first tim e the g ian t m am m al has been seen
outside the P acific in several h u n dred years.