Obama to Investigate
High Gas Prices
Assigns team to
root out fraud,
manipulation
include several C abinet departm ent
officials, federal regulators and the
N ational A ssociation o f A ttorneys
General.
In a statem ent in W ashington
Attorney General Eric Holder prom
ised to "be vigilant in m onitoring
the oil and gas m arkets for any
w rongdoing so that consum ers can
be confident they are not paying
h ig h er prices as a result o f illegal
activity. If illegal conduct is re
sponsible for increasing gas prices,
state and federal authorities should
take sw ift action."
H ow ever, in a Justice D ep art
m en t m em o a cc o m p an y in g his
statem ent, H older suggested no
ev id en ce had tu rn ed up yet o f
unlaw ful price m anipulation.
T h ere’s not m uch O banja can do
to affect the price o f gasoline in
short term . G as prices have risen
steadily as a result o f tensions in
the M iddle East and northern A f
rica and rising dem and
J A P ) — P r e s id e n t B a ra c k
O b am a an n o u n ced T h u rsd ay
th at the Ju stic e D e p a rtm e n t is
a sse m b lin g a team to "ro o t ou t
an y c a se s o f frau d o r m a n ip u la
tion" in oil m a rk e ts th a t m ig h t be
c o n trib u tin g to $4 a g a llo n -p lu s
g a so lin e p rices.
"W e are going to m ake sure that
no one is taking advantage o f the
A m erican people for their ow n
short-term gain," O bam a said.
T he national average price for a
gallon o f regular gasoline w as$3.84
last w eek, about 30 cents higher
than a m onth ago and alm ost a
dollar higher than a y ear ago.
T he investigation w ill focus on
"the role o f traders and specula
tors," O bam a said. The group will
Black Officers Meet in Portland
T he N ational O rg an izatio n o f
Black Law E nforcem ent Executives
is m eeting in P ortland this w eek for
a regional conference.
V e r a P o o l, o f M u ltn o m a h
C o u n ty S h e rif f’s o ffic e said that
th e T h u rs d a y th ro u g h S u n d a y
c o n fe re n c e at th e D o u b le T ree
L lo y d C e n te r H o tel is e x p e c te d to
a ttra c t in d iv id u a ls fro m law e n
fo rc e m e n t, p riv a te s e c to r, an d
c le rg y from sev en w e ste rn states.
T h e re g io n a l c o n fe re n c e is the
p re a m b le to th e n a tio n a l c o n fe r
ence w hich w ill be h eld in L e x in g
to n , K en tu ck y in Ju ly .
Pool is President Em eritus o f the
N orthw est C hapter b ased -in Port- Vera Pool
land. Som e o f the invited speakers
include O regon State A ttorney G en
eral John Kroger, O regon State Labor
C o m m is s io n e r, B ra d A v a k ia n ,
M ultnom ah C ounty D istrict A ttor
ney M ichael Schrunk; Portland Po
lice C h ie f M ich a e l R ee se; and
M u ltn o m ah C o u n ty S h e riff D an
Staton.
W orkshop presenters from su r
rounding states w ill present train
ing and educational inform ation for
law enforcem ent officers w ith som e
w orkshops and oth er events open
to the general public.
For m ore inform ation, contact Lt.
V era P o o l, M u ltn o m a h C o u n ty
S h e riff s office at 503-988-3397.
Man Shot in Drive-By; TriMet Bus Also Hit
An exchange o f gunfire in the
area o f Frem ont Street and N orth
W illiam s A venue w ounded a man
and left a bullet hole in the w indow
o f a T riM et bus.
Kenneth W. Riley, 29, was shot
after a shootout Thursday betw een a
vehicle and a group o f people on the
sidewalk, but police said it was un
clear w hether Riley was the intended
target. He was treated for a nonlife-
threatening w ound to his right wrist.
The bullet that hit the bus trav
eled through a front w indow and
lodged in the floor w ithout hurting
any o f the passengers, w ho included
children. A parked c ar also w as hit,
police said.
T he G ang E nforcem ent T eam is
investigating and no arrests have
been m ade.
Joyce Washington H igh S chool C lassic
The 11th Annual
Basketball Game
Saturday, May 21 at SEI
3920 N. Kerby Street
Doors open at 12 p.m.
Girls Classic at 1 p.m.
Boy’s Classic at 3 p.m.
Tickets available at The Portland Observer
4747 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Looking for High School Boys & Girls to Participate
fo r more information contact Tony or Mark Washington at 288-0033
Sponsored by: 1‘" P ort binò <0h»m>rr
"Dedicated to our mother, whose purposeful life
is OUr family inspiration. — The Washington family
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