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Established in 1970
Volume XXXX, Number 32
Committed to Cultural Diversity
www.portlandobserver.com
Wednesday • August II. 2010
Sustainability on Tour
House Speaker
puts weight
behind energy
conservation
by J ake T homas /
T he P ortland O bserver
Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the U.S.
House of Representatives, lavished
praise on Portland for taking initia­
tives on sustainability that she said
would pay dividends in economic
growth during a visit to the city
Thursday, which included a tour of
a recently weatherized home of a
northeast Portland family.
"When I come here 1 always know
I'm going to see the future," said
Pelosi, speaking to reporters. She
said that Portland was far ahead of
the rest of the country in fighting
climate change, promoting alterna­
tive transportation, and developing
renewable energy. She praised Port­
land Congressman Earl Blumenauer
for his work on the issues.
"Mr. Bluemenauer showed us the
way with his sustainability initia-
photo by J ake T homas /T he P ortland O bserver
continued
on page 20
Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, puts a spotlight on energy conservation and economic stimulus efforts
during a visit to a northeast Portland couple's home. Pictured with Pelosi are homeowner Heather Ficht and her young daughter.
Yam Yam’s Closes
Eatery struggled after drug bust
photo by J ake T homas /T he P ortland O bserver
Closed signs go up at Yam Yam’s Southern Cooking and Barbecue, 7339
N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Yam Yam’s Southern Cooking and Barbe­
cue, an eatery on North Martin Luther King Jr.
Boulevard that has struggled to stay open
after being labeled a drug front in a federal
investigation, has closed.
Two men, who declined to comment, were
hauling kitchen equipment out of the restau­
rant on Thursday. The process of gutting the
eatery already appears to be well underway,
with big heaps of furniture and miscellaneous
items heaped up inside. A red “closed” sign in
one of its windows.
In October, Yam Y am ’s was the subject of a
search warrant as part of a federal investiga­
tion into a Portland cocaine ring that resulted
in the arrest of 24 Crip gang members, includ­
ing James Ray "Lonnie" Yoakum, who was
fingered as the group’s kingpin.
Sixty thousand dollars were seized from a
safe in the eatery, which investigators alleged
was drug money. Yam Yam’s owner Larry
Matthews was also $415,000 in default on the
continued
on page 20