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local news Missing continued from page 1 no contribution button or PayPal link. A spokesperson for Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna’s office says that certain types of consultant services do not techni- cally have to register with the state. “There’s a threshold where if you are a nonprofit charitable organization you are going to have to – depending on how much money you are bringing in – you would have to be registered,” spokesperson Kristin Alexander says. But in this area Bart’s efforts are far from harmful. Also not registered as a business in either Oregon or Washington is Harry Oakes and his company K9 Search and Rescue, who was boot- ed from the April 2 police search scene for Vaughn’s remains at rugged Rocky Butte Park in Northeast Portland. Law enforcement contacted for this story had a lot of griping to do against Oakes, who comes from a law enforcement background but has no positive standing with police or sheriff’s deputies. “Any family of a crime victim who has someone approaching them saying I will do this for you – some of them can be very good and very helpful and some of them have ulterior motives,” says Lt. Pete Simpson of the Portland Police. Oakes’ website has a PayPal donation button, as does a Facebook page his supporters have set up called The Private Search for Kyron Horman. The problem with that is – Horman’s family never asked him for help and does not sanction any of his efforts. Nevertheless Oakes has item- ized his “search” work for Kyron on his blog, listing how much he would be charging for the services if he were paid. Kyron’s family foundation is registered with the Oregon Shaquita Louis was at Holladay Park Saturday. Louis is the mother of Yashawnee Vaughn, the 14-year-old Helensview high school student who disappeared March 19. A benefit to support the search is 8 p.m. thursday, April 21 at the good Call on SE 110th and Division Street. Ages 21 and over. A gospel music celebration of Yashawnee’s life is set for 6:30 p.m. Friday May 6 at Maranatha church, 4222 Northeast 12th Ave. Hosted by rev. J.W. Friday. If you know something, call 503-823-HELP. Secretary of State’s charitable organization database, which is searchable on the web. Vaughn’s family foundation has a registered tax ID number, Crime Stoppers is administering the $1,000 reward money for informa- tion in a resolution in her case, and US Bank is hosting the Yashanee Vaughn Search Fund. Bad Business practices A standout in the area of missing children charities is the Everett, Wash.-based Operation Lookout National Center for Missing Youth. Their motto is, “Every missing child deserves the chance to be found” – and the words “Operation Lookout” appear with a registered copyright symbol. Operation Lookout’s website is packed with missing child lists, photos, widgets and search engines, and a custom contribu- tion button in one corner urges donors to give as much as $500. It says, “Every minute matters! Every dollar counts!” The nonprofit organization eval- uation website Charity Navigator, however, gives it 0 ratings for “efficiency,” “capacity,” and “overall” – a rare feat among non- profits listed there. The group’s website says it has been around since 1984, but online public records only go back to 2006. The database shows that of the $2,034,149 total revenue Operation Lookout declared in its most recent report in 2008, $1,663,524 – 82.9 percent — was spent on “fundraising.” Program expenses were pegged at 12.6 percent. With liabilities carried over on its debit sheet since 2006, the group ended 2008 with negative $44,821 in working capital. “We are committed to locating missing children through active casework investigation, assisting law enforcement agencies, and preventing child abduction through education and public awareness,” Operation Lookout’s Charity Navigator listing says. “Since 1984, our resolve has been to remain involved through- out the duration of a case until the child is recovered and not close a case until authorized by law enforcement or the searching fam- ily.” Also rated are The Committee for Missing Children, in Georgia (0 stars out of a possible 4 stars); California-based Find the Children (1 star); the National Child Safety Council in Missouri (1 star); and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in Virginia (3 out of 4 stars). Robert Lowery, executive direc- tor of the Missing Children’s Division of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, told The Skanner News “Nine Most Mismanaged Charities in America” list in November, 2010. Basic financial guidelines Klaas created the KlaasKids foundation to support the parents of missing and murdered children through services and education on how to navigate the painful after- math of a family tragedy. He said part of his recent work has been to establish best practices for how families can work togeth- er with authorities to find missing kids without being ripped off. “Every two-bit con artist within a hundred mile radius is going to angle for a slice of the money pie,” he writes in his online guide for parents. Klaas suggests a four-part strate- gy to deal with fundraising in con- nection with any missing child case: — A local financial institution should tightly control funds raised to assist the family or recover the child. — Accounts should be estab- lished for specific purposes and withdrawals should require two signatures: one from a family member and one from an objective third party. Every two-bit con artist within a hundred mile radius is going to angle for a slice of the money pie’ — Marc Klaas that families have to find a way to look into the backgrounds of the people who offer to help them. “Our ‘Team Hope’ may provide advice on what a family is facing,” he said. “It has a tendency to bring out a lot of people who want to help – it’s good to check out the background for the family” Operation Lookout was named by the 24/7 Wall St. blog on its — The missing child’s family should sanction fundraising activi- ties and money that is raised should be immediately deposited into the relevant accounts. — Media should be scanned for bogus fundraising activities and law enforcement should be con- tacted when they are discovered. For more information go to www.klaaskids.org . Unemployment continued from page 1 alone. “There are over 200,000 unemployed people right now,” Beleiciks said. “It’s not even enough to put a dent in the rate.” Luckily, the seasonally adjusted unem- ployment rates for Multnomah County show a steady improvement over past two years. The economy in Multnomah and Washington counties has officially stabi- lized, according to the Oregon Employment Department. For all industries, except the financial industry, job growth since mid-2009 has remained positive, adding jobs throughout the year. The most jobs have been added in professional and business services, adding nearly 4,000 jobs over the year. Beleiciks said even the finance industry has improved since the end of 2008, if ever slightly. Industries included in this label include some of the biggest losers in the housing bubble and technology sectors – from the banks and realtors who profited off the housing market to all those workers who once stocked and managed the libraries of DVDs at Blockbuster, Hollywood Video and other failed rental business models. He said the slow decline in unemploy- ment – calculated by a comprehensive sur- vey of households in the state – is natural following the steep rise in joblessness at the beginning of the recession. He said that in some cases the unemployment rate can actually rise slightly following a recession as more people reenter the job market look- ing for work. In Region 2 – which consists of Multnomah and Washington counties – sea- sonal hiring in the spring might include jobs in construction, real estate, retail and leisure and hospitality. The other industry that seems almost recession-proof is the all-mighty health care industry. According to Jessica Nelson, Oregon employment economist, that indus- try is riding high due to a number of factors, including a large number of older people, the higher incidence of illness and injury in that age group, improvements in treatment which prolong life, and decreased use of dentures. Nelson does say that the industry may hit a snag or two in the near future, as govern- ment budgets – still strained from the Great Recession – may impact the growth of health care. And despite the fact that the health care industry posts good average wages, those numbers can be smoke and mirrors to many. Like most of the jobs being created now, many in health care are low wage, accord- ing a recent report by the National Employment Law Project. Without advanced education and training, it’s unlikely that many in the unemployment lines will obtain the $73,000 mean wage that some of the odd 24,000 registered nurs- es in Oregon earn. chrome rims and tinted windows. As Hampton was struck by the shots, the rest of the crowd fled from the area. None of the group that was originally with Hampton remained at the scene to talk with detec- tives. Police say they consider the people with Hampton to be “potential victims” and want to speak with them. Anyone with information about the investi- gation, witnesses to the shooting or infor- mation about the persons with Shiloh, or the listed vehicle are asked to contact Detectives Paul Dolbey or Rico Beniga at 503-823-0457. Shiloh continued from page 1 into the crowd of his friends near a park on Northeast 11th Avenue and Multnomah Street. Witnesses say the shots came from a low- ered late 1980s white Mercedes with April 20, 2011 The Portland Skanner page 3
