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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 28, 2015)
Page 2 The January 28, 2015 Week in Review Arts Focus Falls Short at King Elementary A new report finds that an arts education focus has failed to elevate stagnant test scores at northeast Portland’s King Elementary. The school remained at the bottom 5 percent of Oregon schools for achievement, despite the assistance of an arts curriculum offered through a White House program and actress Sarah Jessica Parker. Oil Train Kills Man in Vancouver A Vancouver man was struck and killed by an oil train around 2:40 a.m. on Monday near Southeast 164th Avenue and Rivershore Drive in Vancouver. The train was headed from North Dakota to Bellingham, Wash. Lawsuit Filed Against State in Foster Care Rape The Department of Human Services is being sued for $950,000 after a Troutdale man raped his 15-year-old foster child. The lawsuit faults the department for placing the girl in the home of Jerrett Hetrick, who pleaded guilty to third-degree rape in October, sentenced to 2 ½ years in prison. Car Used for ATM Heist Attempt at Walgreen’s Police are looking for two men who crashed a pickup truck through the front doors of the Walgreens at Northeast 33rd and Killingsworth early Tuesday to try and steal an ATM near the entryway. An attempt was made to rob the same store earlier this January, and in mid-December someone at- tempted to steal an ATM from a Vancouver Walgreens in a similar fashion. Federal Help on Homelessness Announced The state of Oregon has received nearly $27 million to promote community efforts to end homelessness. Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced Monday that the federal funding will support over 130 programs across the state that seek to house people who struggle to keep themselves housed. Wolf Protections Reviewed in Oregon Wolf protections in Oregon are officially under review after state wildlife officials’ annual population count yielded more than four breeding pairs for the third year in a row. Under the state’s wolf plan, the Oregon Fish and Wildlife commission can consider removing wolves from the state’s Endangered Species act once that population bar is met. 503-288-0033 Subscribe $45.00 for 3 months • $80.00 for 6 mo. • $125.00 for 1 year (please include check with form) Attn: Subscriptions, The Portland Observer, PO Box 3137, Portland OR 97208. N AME : T ELEPHONE : A DDRESS : Official says Wilson won’t be charged Decision has not been confirmed (AP) — The FBI completed its investigation into the police shoot- ing of Michael Brown the un- armed, black 18-year-old killed in a confrontation with a police of- ficer in Ferguson, Missouri, a justice department official not authorized to discuss the case by name, told The Associated Press last week. But on Tuesday, the Justice Department still had not yet an- nounced whether it will file a federal civil rights charge against former Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. Other officials and experts have said such a pros- ecution would be highly unlikely, in part because of the extraordi- narily high legal standard federal prosecutors would need to meet. The New York Times reported last Wednesday that Justice De- partment lawyers were preparing a memo recommending against prosecuting Wilson, and that At- torney General Eric Holder — who is expected to leave his posi- tion within weeks — had not yet made a decision. Wilson, who is white, was cleared in November by a state grand jury in the Aug. 9 death of Brown, a shooting that touched off protests in the streets and Darren Wilson in a hosptial photo after shooting. became part of a national conver- sation about race relations and police departments that patrol minority neighborhoods. Wilson, who shot Brown af- ter a scuffle in the middle of a street, told the St. Louis County grand jury that spent months reviewing the case that he feared for his life during the confron- tation and that Brown struck him in the face and reached for his gun. Some witnesses have said Brown had his hands up when Wilson shot him. A separate, broader Justice De- partment-led investigation into the practices of the Ferguson police department remains open. That investigation, which will examine potential discriminatory practices among officers, has the potential to have more sweeping conse- quences than any individual crimi- nal prosecution, experts say. Benjamin Crump, a lawyer for Brown's family, said in a state- ment that the family would not address speculation from anony- mous officials and was waiting for an official Justice Department announcement. Police Reform Oversight Panel Named or email subscriptions@portlandobserver.com Fritz outlines public process Twenty members, plus several alternates have been selected to serve on a panel that has been charged with monitoring the im- plantation of the city of Portland’s Settlement Agreement on police reforms with the U.S. Depart- ment of Justice. “I am thrilled with the expertise and range of experiences repre- sented by the members on this important oversight committee,” Commissioner Amanda Fritz, who worked with Mayor Hales to Established 1970 P UBLISHER : E DITOR : Mark Washington, Sr. Michael Leighton E XECUTIVE D IRECTOR : Rakeem Washington O FFICE M ANAGER /C LASSIFIEDS : Lucinda Baldwin C REATIVE D IRECTOR : P a u l USPS 959-680 R EPORTER /P HOTOGRAPHER Olivia Olivia with people who have or are per- ceived to have mental illness. The Community Oversight Advisory Board will be comprised of 15 voting community members and five advisory members from the Portland Police Bureau. The panel will meet regularly to assess the implementation of the agreement, and make recommen- dations regarding changes to policy and practices to implement reforms. The group’s meetings are open to the public, including a Feb. 2 training session and regular ses- sion on Feb. 9 at the Midland Library, 805 S.E. 122nd Ave. 4747 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Portland, OR 97211 The Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions. Manuscripts and photographs should be clearly labeled and will be returned if accompanied by a self addressed envelope. All created design display ads become the sole property of the newspaper and cannot be used in other publications or personal usage without the written consent of the general manager, unless the client has purchased the composition of such ad. © 2008 THE PORT- LAND OBSERVER. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED. The Portland Observer--Oregon’s Oldest Multicultural Publication--is a member of the National Newspaper Association--Founded in 1885, and The National Advertising Representative Amalgamated Publishers, Inc, New York, NY, and The West Coast Black Publishers Association Neufeldt A DVERTISING M ANAGER : Leonard Latin support the community selection process, announced Monday. “I thank the Human Rights Com- mission, Portland Commission on Disability, State Representative Lew Frederick, and all the com- munity leaders on the Selection Committee, for demonstrating Portlanders’ capacity to get things done expeditiously and with good public process. A wonderful Com- munity Oversight Advisory Board has been appointed. Now, the hard work really begins,” Fritz said. The Settlement Agreement calls for reform to Portland Police Bureau policies and training, par- ticularly related to interactions news@portlandobserver.com CALL 503-288-0033 FAX 503-288-0015 ads@portlandobserver.com subscription@portlandobserver.com P OSTMASTER : Send address changes to Portland Observer , PO Box 3137 , Portland, OR 97208