November 28. 2012__________________________
^ a rtUtth (©bscrÜCr_________________________ Page 3
IN S ID E
This page
Sponsored by
H ealth
p a g es 6-7
O pinion
photo by
M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver
The owners o f Reo’s Ribs, brothers Ricky Varnado (from left) and Reo Varnado, get some moral
support from Tim Causey, co-owner o f the Arlington Mart in Gladstone.
Forced into Closure
Reo’s Ribs gives up on Johns Landing
C ari H achmann
T he P ortland O bserver
by
îriit*7r>
SHERMAN
ALEXIE
ENTERTAINMENT
Co-owner of Reo’s Ribs, also
known as uncle to rapper Snoop
Lion, Reo Varnado will no longer
be cooking up his famous thick
and juicy-sweet Mississippi-style
meats in Johns Landing.
Varnado was forced to close
his barbeque restaurant after es
calating complaints from neigh
bors about smoke from his out
door cookers pressured his land
lord to cut his five-year lease
short.
“I cried for so many days,”
said Varnado a big, curly-haired
man dressed in a yellow suit and
sitting in the Portland Observer
office along with his brother,
Ricky.
A native of Magnolia, Miss.,
Varnado first opened his south
ern -sty le barbeque jo in t on
Tualatin Valley Highway in 1999.
He served customers there for
13 years before moving his res
taurant to a strip mall on South
west Macadam Avenue hoping
for better business.
Since his arrival to the 2,200-
sq u a re -fo o t space b etw een
downtown Portland and Lake
Oswego two years ago, Varnado
said he’s felt unwelcome.
In February 2011, a neighbor
living in a rowhouse behind the
retail complex, Gerriann Fox,
sued Vamado and the strip mall ’ s
owners for damages by smoke
from the restaurant’s barbeque
smokers pouring into her home.
She claims the smoke caused
her headaches and other health
issues.
While too much smoke has
continued
on page 17
p a g es 13-16
College Fair at Concordia
F ood
C alendar
Thinking about college as a
high school student can be an
overwhelming experience. To
help get senior and junior stu
dents prepare for the life of higher
education, the Black United Fund
will host its third annual College
Fair at Concordia Uni versity at 9
a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec.
Students will have the op
portunity to speak with repre
sentatives from public and pri
vate institutions, as well as at
tend inform ative breakout ses
sions that will cover getting
ready for college, college life,
financial aid and scholarships,
and a tour of the northeast
Portland cam pus.
The first 100 students to reg
ister will be entered into a draw
ing for iTunes gift cards, and
attending students will also be
able to apply for a $500 scholar
ship.
To register for the college fair
and apply for other scholarships,
visit b u fo r.o rg . R egistration
closes on Friday, Nov. 30.