July 16.2014
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TheWeek Review
Page 3
Fred Meyer
What's on your list today?.
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'Æ â a a
O pinion
pages 6-7
photo by
D onovan M. S mith TT he P ortland O bserver
Neighborhood activist Donny Adair (left) is recognized as one o f the leading voices o f Portland’s
black community with his name inscribed in stone at the newly renovated Dawson Park, a longtime
social and economic hub for African Americans. The $ 2 .7 million city-led renovation now features
among other amenities, new slides, swings, benches, and artistic nods to the city’s black commu
nity which historically centered around the park’s surrounding neighborhoods.
M
etro
page 9
Dawson Unveiling
Historic park
ready for
new memories
■n
D onovan M. S mith
T he P ortland O bserver
by
Children frolicked about testing
gravity on the slides and swings,
jumped from structure to structure,
and doused themselves in water
during a media tour Monday o f the
completed renovations at historic
Dawson Park, located at North W il
liams Avenue and North Stanton
Street.
W here bland and dated play
structures once stood, updated and
vibrant assemblies take their place.
The $2.7 million “Dawson Park Im
provement Project” which kicked
off in November is now complete.
Mike Abbate, director of Port
land Parks and Recreation said the
two-acre park has been an impor
tant resource since the city pur
chased the property back in 1921.
“It’s been the gathering place for
the community, and now it’s getting
a fresh look. It’s been renovated,
continued
on page 5
Blue Lake Closed to Swimming
Health Department investigates illness reports
C alendar
page 12
C lassifieds
page 14
The Multnomah County Health
Department is working closely with
Blue Lake Regional Park officials to
investigate reports of diarrheal ill
ness from people who visited the lake
the weekend of July 12 and 13.
As a precaution, park officials
Monday closed the lake to swim
ming, after two families reported sev
eral people in both parties having a
combination of diarrhea, vomiting,
rash and cramps.
The Multnomah County Health
Department Communicable Disease
program is investigating the reports
to determine what kind of illness this
is and whether it can be traced to
swimming in the lake which is located
east of Portland near the Columbia
River.
Officials ruled out E.coli as a pos
sible cause Tuesday. E.coli bacteria
was not detected in water samples
taken Monday from both the shallow
swimming area and deep areas of the
lake. Routine twice-weekly tests lead
ing up to the weekend also showed
levels below those considered to be
a risk to swimmers. No toxic algae
blooms have been observed.
“Our initial impression is that the
illness is due to norovirus or a similar
stomach virus,” said Deputy Health
Officer Dr. Jennifer Vines.
Norovirus is the most common
cause of vomiting and diarrhea. There
is no treatment and most people re
cover in 24 to 48 hours. The very
young and elderly can suffer dehy
dration as a complication.
“Anyone with these symptoms
should be sure to drink plenty of
fluids and contact their health care
provider with any concerns,” added
Dr. Vines.