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November 9, 2011
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A rmed F orces
J ustice
page 4-27
pages 10-11
METRO'
Letter carriers rally at the Martin Luther King Jr. post office at 630 N.E. Killingsworth St. on Tuesday
to build public support for saving the U.S. Postal Service from massive cuts in services, including
Saturday and door-to-door deliveries.
pages 15
Rally for Post Office Survival
ENTERTAINMENT
H ealth
pages 16-19
pages 10-11
Portland area letter carriers g ath ­
ered before w ork outside the Pied­
mont-Dr. M artin Luther King Jr. Post
O ffice in northeast Portland on T ues­
day to discuss C ongressional bills,
that if passed, will dism antle postal
services.
“ M any h av e h eard ab o u t the
USPS ’ s financial crisis, but few know
there are solutions that d o n ’t cost
the taxpayer a dim e. W e w ant fellow
citizen s to u n d erstan d w h a t’s at
stake,” said Jim C ook, president o f
the local branch o f the N ational
A ssociation o f L etter C arriers.
tition from the Internet and the se­
C ook said H ouse Bill 2309 w ould vere recession. He blam es its fin an ­
elim inate S aturday m ail service, cial troubles on a 2006 C o n g res­
m a n d a te s c lo sin g th o u sa n d s o f sional m andate that requires it to
com m unity post offices, and will pay about 10 percent o f its budget,
end door delivery o f m ail for 90 $5.5 billion p er year to pre-fund re ­
percent o f A m erican households tiree health benefits 75-years in a d ­
and businesses.
vance w ithin 10 years.
“C utting service and access is
H ouse R esolution 1351, w hich
the w rong w ay to save an essential has a b i-partisan m ajority o f c o ­
service-oriented governm ent c o r­ sponsors, w ould address the pre-
p oration,” he said.
funding issue. T he bill is bottled up
C ook said the Postal Service has in com m ittee as a N ov. 18 financial
rem ained profitable despite com pe- default deadline loom s.
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Public Housing Waiting Lists Open
O pinion
Aim is affordable rent based on income
by M indy C ooper
pages 20-21
N ovember C alendar page 23
C lassifieds
F o o d
page 24
page 26
T he P ortland O bserver
In an effort to provide safe, d e ­
cent, and affordable housing for
individuals and fam ilies w ho are
challenged by incom e, disability or
special need, H om e Forw ard, the
new nam e for the H ousing A uthor­
ity o f Portland, has o pened a w ait­
ing list for eight apartm ent co m m u ­
“ An opening o f the w aiting list is
im portant because it gives people
nities.
the opportunity to get into o u r p u b ­
A lthough the list for the first lic housing p ro g ram ,” said Shelley
openings located at M adrona Place M archesi, H om e F orw ard public
A partm ents in G resham have already affairs director. “T hey are very a f­
been closed, the second opening* fordable because you have a rent
w ill be fo r studio and on e-bedroom that is d eterm in ed by your incom e.
apartm ents at seven public housing So you pay w hat you affo rd .”
com m unities in P ortland that are
H om e Forw ard is ded icated to
reserved for seniors and p ersons
continued
on page 7
w ith disabilities.
Correction on Homeless Data
A recent census found that 1,700 people sleep outdoors in Portland on any given night and one in 10 o f
the hom eless w ere veterans. A n incorrect nu m b er w as used in o u r story last w eek about efforts to g ath er
donations o f blankets for the hom eless during the V eterans D ay P arade this Friday in the H ollyw ood D istrict.