November 3, 2021
Page 2
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The
Glass Plant Will Make Fix or Close
Company has
emitted toxins
for decades
A glass recycling plant in
the Cully neighborhood of
northeast Portland has con-
sented to either shut down or
install pollution control tech-
nology, according to an agree-
ment announced between the
plant’s operators and the state
of Oregon.
The Oregon Department of
Environmental Quality gave
Owens-Brockway the two op-
tions after it reached an agree-
ment with the company to re-
solve a fine of more than $1
million for pollution violations
it issued in June. The glass
plant was cited for multiple,
ongoing air quality violations
of particulate matter emissions
as well as permitted opacity.
A recent report by environ-
mental advocates highlighted
the ongoing heath risks posed
by air emissions from the
plant, which does not follow
the same set of air regulations
as similar emitters because it
was built before the Clear Air
Act took effect in 1978, offi-
Photo by Mason Trinca/Courtesy Earthjustice
The Owens-Brockway’s glass facility is located in the Cully Neighborhood, north of Columbia
Boulevard and just west of I-205.
cials said.
“It has been clear for years
that this facility is pumping
many different kinds of harm-
ful pollution into the Cully
neighborhood,” Mary Peveto,
executive director of Neigh-
bors for Clear Air, said in the
report.
DEQ Northwest Regional
in
Week Review
80% Vaccination Rate
The Oregon Health Authority reported last week
that 80% of Oregonians 18 and older have had at
least one does in their vaccination series against
COVID-19. When including children, Oregon
has fully vaccinated 63 percent of all residents.
Inmate Education Sought
Karina LeBlanc
Thorns Name Black GM
Former Portland Thorns goalkeeper Karina LeB-
lanc, a Black executive of women’s soccer on the
national stage, was named the team’s new gener-
al manager Monday. Officials say LeBlanc will
serve as the central leader for the team while also
having an integral voice on key business decisions
related to the club.
Church Massacre Settlement
The Department of Justice announced an $88
million settlement on Thursday with victims of
a white supremacist who shot dead nine Black
churchgoers in Charleston, South Carolina in
2015. The settlement stems from allegations that
the FBI was negligent when it failed to prohibit
the sale of a gun to the attacker, Dylan Roof, who
had a prior criminal record.
Oregon U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden announced last
week that he is cosponsoring legislation that
would expand access to education for Americans
in federal prisons. “Improving educational op-
portunities in prison helps to reduce recidivism
rates, which benefits both the community and the
people returning to it with the hope of finding
jobs and becoming productive citizens,” Wyden
said.
Resident Shot While Sleeping
A Portland man was fortunate to avoid serious in-
jury when he was struck by a bullet that pierced
his bedroom while he was sleeping. It happened
Friday at 1:45 a.m. near Southeast 130th and Pow-
ell. Police don’t believe he was an intended target.
At least 5 bullets hit the residence and another
damaged a parked vehicle out front.
Unmasked Disrupt Meeting
The Portland School Board ended an in-person
meeting last week over a proposed COVID-19
vaccine mandate for children 12 and older. It hap-
pened after unmasked protesters, many not from
outside the district, showed up and disrupted the
meeting with noisy outbursts and refusals to don
face coverings.
Administrator Nina DeConci-
ni was hopeful that the com-
pany will continue to operate
but with new safeguards. The
company has not announced
which direction it will eventu-
ally take.
“The best thing Ow-
ens-Brockway could do to
come into compliance and pro-
tect the community is to install
pollution controls,” DeConcini
said in a statement. “And if the
facility decides to install pol-
lution controls, this agreement
requires they demonstrate that
the controls achieve a 95% re-
duction in particulate matter
emissions.”
Continued on Page 5
Teen Named National
Miss Juneteenth
Winner a voice for equality, positivity
Aceia Spade is helping put
Oregon on the map after being
crowned National Miss June-
teenth.
The 17-year old from Eugene
won the national title during a
pageant held Oct. 16 in Tulsa,
Okla., coming the same year that
the United States made June-
teenth a federal holiday and Ore-
gon made it a state holiday.
Spade’s platform for the schol-
arship pageant was equality. She
spoke about being a voice for
other black girls and being part
of a positive movement in the
Black community, bonding with
others like her. She credited her
ancestral roots for moving her
spirit to compete in the contest.
Spade was supported by the
Juneteenth Oregon organiza-
tion, founded by the late Clara
Mae Peoples, a retired Black
educator and school counselor
who introduced the tradition to
Aceia Spade won the crown as
her co-workers in Oregon back
Miss Juneteenth in a national
in 1945 when she moved from
pageant held Oct. 16 in Tulsa,
Muskogee, Okla. to Portland to
Oka. She is pursuing her platform work at the Kaiser Shipyards. In
on equality and being the voice
for other Black girls promoting a
Continued on Page 5
positive environment.