Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current, July 20, 2011, Page 2, Image 2

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    'ri’t Fortiani» OObscrürr
Page 2
Job Hiring Stagnation
State officials say O regon's unem ­
ploym ent rate w as essentially u n ­
changed last m onth at 9.4 percent,
m arking four m onths o f stagnation
in hiring. T he figures suggest that
■Oregon's rate is tracking w ith the
national econom ic slow dow n.
TLWeek in
The Review
school days this w eek w ith box-
office highs around the w orld as
"Harry Potter and the D eathly H al­
low s: Part 2," hit the big screen over
the w eekend. D istributor W arner
Bros, predicts the finale w ill easily
to p $ l billion worldwide, joining only
a handful o f film s that have reached
that level.
Policy to Protect Children
Harry Potter Epic Finish
H arry Potter finished his H ogw arts
T he nation's largest pediatricians'
group issued its first policy on p ro ­
tecting children from sexual abuse
by doctors, urging m edical facilities
to screen em ployees for previous
abuse. T he new policy cam e after a
form er D elaw are pediatrician was
convicted on 14 counts o f rape and
five counts each o f second-degree
assault and sexual exploitation o f a
child last m onth.
luly 20. 2011
O ffic ia ls said th a t 7 6 4 c o u p le s
w ere e x p e c te d to be m a rrie d S u n ­
d a y , m o re th an th e c ity 's p re v io u s
s i n g l e - d a y h ig h o f 6 2 1 o n
V a le n tin e 's D ay in 2 003.
Injured Timbers Defender
Lottery for Gay Marriages
D efender Kevin
O verw helm ed by m arriage applica­ G oldthw aite o f
tio n s fro m th e P o r tla n d
gay and les- T im b e r s w ill
- « xj.u’d ■ bian couples m iss the rest o f
w ho can wed the season after
under a new he ruptured liga­
s ta te
la w m ents in his left
starting S u n ­ knee during the te a m ’s victory, and
day,
N e w first road w in, over the C hicago Fire
Y ork C ity is on Saturday.
conducting a lottery to decide w ho
w ill be allow ed to m arry that day. Flu Vaccine Decided
T he FD A has approved the flu vac-
IffU W l
cine lineup for the upcom ing fall and
w inter influenza season, w hich e x ­
perts said are identical to the vac­
c in es p ro d u c e d last y ear. T h e
agency determ ines the three strains
o f flu they believe will be m ost likely
to cause illness during the upcom ­
ing season based on virus sam ples
and patterns collected w orldw ide.
Special Olympics
T he 2011 Special O lym pics O r­
egon S u m m er State G am es w ere
held over the w eekend in N ew berg,
bringing in thousands o f athletes,
coaches, volunteers and fans. P o­
lice throughout the state jo in e d in
the cerem onies by p articipating in
the g a m e ’s torch run as G uardians
o f the Flam e.
Property Tax Deferrals Limited
Poor economy blamed for changes
IMPOSSIBLE
The h a rd e s t p a rt a b o u t g o in g to c o lle g e is g e ttin g s ta rte d . Learning
T he O regon D epartm ent o f R ev-
en u e has a n n o u n ce d sig n ific a n t
changes m ade by the 2011 O regon
L egislature to the S en io r and D is­
abled Property Tax Deferral program.
M ost o f the changes, w hich will
affect property tax paym ents start-
ing in N ovem ber, m ake qualifying
fe r the program m ore difficult.
C reated in the 1960s, the program
allow s qualifying seniors and people
with disabilities to defer paying prop-
erty taxes w hile they're living in their
hom es.
C urrently about 10,500 O rego-
nians are enrolled in the program
that pays their property taxes and
charges interest, w hich they repay
as they leave the program o r sell
their hom es.
"The p o o r econom y and strug-
gling housing m arket resulted in
changes to the program to bring
things into b alan ce.”
A m ongst the m any changes in ­
clude: a lim it to h o usehold incom e
and personal net w orth lim its, hom e
value lim its, a five year m inim um
occupancy, p ro o f o f h o m eo w n er’s
insurance, and changes to how in ­
terest is calculated w hen the pay-
m ent is due.
P articipants m ust also re-certify
f o r th e p r o g r a m e v e r y tw o
years. "These changes w on't affect
the property taxes the state has al-
ready paid," E kstrand said. "But
they will affect property taxes paid
from N o v em b er on."
O n T hursday, the D epartm ent o f
R evenue sent letters to all current
participants and new applicants that
ex plained changes and included a
certification application required to
m ore program participation, but less
capacity to p ay ,” said program m an-
ag er B ram Ekstrand. “T h e L egisla-
tu re h a d to m a k e p re tty d e e p
be returned by July 25.
For m ore inform ation and an
application, visit oreg on.gov/dor/
SCD or call 503-378-4988.
a b o u t the steps needed, a ffo rd a b ility and u ltim a tely reaching your
career goals can, at first, seem a little unrealistic. But
now it's easier than ever to g e t started. That's because
there are counselors available to assist you w ith
e ve ryth in g from the process o f enrolling to financial
aid o p tio n s and career guidance.
Call O regon's to ll-fre e C ollege Line at 1-877-848-4669
or visit the State o f O regon w ebsite at w w w .O re g o n O p p o rtu n itie s .
g o v to g e t the resources to help adult learners access training or
degree program s at O regon colleges and universities. A nd help make
your dream o f g oing to college a reality.
Shots Fired Lead to Arrest
A 19-year-old m ale w ho police
said w as know n to them as gang
m em ber w as arrested M onday night
at U nthank Park after au thorities
responded to a shots fired call at
N o rth S h av er S treet and K erby
A v en u e.
A uthorities said T im othy G aines
appeared to be holding a handgun
in his w aistband w hen p olice ar­
rived on the scene. W hile trying to
m ake contact, G aines took o ff ru n ­
ning and threw the handgun w hich
w as recovered by officers.
A ccording to G ang E nforcem ent
T eam in v estig ato rs, G ain es w as
possibly the intended victim o f the
shooting, and the recovered hand-
gun w as not used in the shooting.
Police said w itnesses described
how a large, black SU V drove by a
group o f gang m em bers, w hich in­
cluded G aines, w hen som eone in
the vehicle fired m ultiple shots at
the group.
G aines was taken to jail on charges
o f being a felon in possession o f a
firearm and unlaw ful possession o f
a firearm.
N o one w as hurt during the shoot­
ing.
A nyone w ith inform ation about
this shooting is en co u raged to call
D etective A nthony M errill at 503-
8 2 3 -2 0 9 2
or
e m a il
Anthony .Merrill (i?> portlandoregon.gov.
C o lle g e . It's po ssible no w .
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