February 24, 2016
INSIDE
The
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Black History Month
Week in Review
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Portland jazz and soul legend Sweet Baby James Benton has died after a long illness. He was 85.
Beloved Musician Remembered
The Portland community is
paying tribute to Sweet Baby
James Benton, a local music leg-
end who died Feb. 14 after a long
illness. He was 85. A private buri-
al was held and an announcement
about honoring Benton with a
public Celebration of Life event
was pending, according to family
and friends.
Benton was a link to Port-
land’s past as a post World War
II jazz city. He came to promi-
nence as a “soul shouter” sing-
er while performing in the for-
Arts &
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ENTERTAINMENT
R ELIGION
C LASSIFIEDS
C ALENDAR
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O PINION
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mer African-American clubs
that lined North Broadway and
Williams Avenue. He formed a
group called the Del-Tones in
the 1960s, and later in his career,
he was a member of ‘The Origi-
nal Cats.” He most recently per-
formed in the band “King Louie
and Baby James,” with Louis
Pain.
“He was one of the most loved
personalities of our music com-
munity,” said Norman Sylves-
ter, another Portland Blues and
R&B favorite and a band mate
who shared the stage with Benton
many times over the years. “With
our loss of James, we also lost a
wealth of stories of our African
American history and the local
music scene.”
Sylvester and Richard Ar-
nold planned to join Sarah Bill-
ings on the Portland Radio Proj-
ect Wednesday to play some of
James’ music and talk a little
about the man. The show airs from
11 a.m. to noon on 99.1 FM and
can be streamed on your computer
at http://prp.fm/.
Tests Offered for Airborne Metals
A major healthcare provider
that enrolls thousands of people in
the Oregon Health Plan and Medi-
care has issued a call concerning
the risks from exposure to elevat-
ed levels of airborne metals found
near two glass company sites in
southeast and north Portland.
FamilyCare Health said it
wants its members to know that
testing for these heavy metals is
covered by the insurer’s plan and,
if they are concerned, they should
talk with their primary care pro-
vider about getting tested.
According to the Department
of Environmental Quality, people
who spent the most time within
about one-half mile of either the
Bullseye or Uroboros glass fac-
tories have the greatest potential
for exposure to airborne heavy
metals. Because the risk of emis-
sions from glass factories can add
to other exposures, the following
is recommended:
Individuals and families are
urged not to smoke or be exposed
to second hand smoke because
burning cigarettes release both
arsenic and cadmium; a healthy
diet including selenium (nuts,
whole grains), iron (enriched ce-
reals, meat, beans), calcium (milk
products, leafy greens) and folate
(beans, spinach, avocado) may
lessen harmfulness from metals;
People are strongly encouraged
to wash their hands after working
or playing outdoors because soil
can be contaminated with a vari-
ety of metals; and families living
within one-half mile of factories
should await further guidance be-
fore eating backyard produce.
“While the degree of exposure
to people living near these facto-
ries is still unknown, FamilyCare
supports the decision members
make with their primary care pro-
vider regarding testing,” stated Dr.
Anna Jimenez, FamilyCare Medi-
cal Director. “We also encourage
everyone to take pro-active steps
to stay healthy by following the
recommendations and getting reg-
ular check-ups.”