'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 . Sponsored by the State of Oregon A dvertise w ith diversity in "H* P( )rtland Observer Cull 503-288-0033 ads@portlandob sei \ er.com