This fundraiser was successful – but, see why
they really need your help in the coming weeks …

Cassie Goulart, Chef Curt Martin, and Patricia Tarkington help serve up turkey dinners at the CherryBlossom Loaves & Fishes Center in an outer East Portland fundraiser.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton
There’s nothing better than a hot meal featuring roast turkey or ginger ham – served with potatoes, yams, and all the trimmings, on a cold, blustery day – to lift the spirits and cheer the soul.

That’s what visitors to the CherryBlossom Loaves & Fishes Center got, for a small donation, on November 2, when more than 200 diners attended the organization’s annual fundraising dinner at the East Portland Community Center.

Donated food and labor
“It’s our 11th year doing it here at the Center,” said Director Bennett Bailey when we stopped by to donate to the cause. “Because the food is donated, and volunteers help prepare and serve it, all of the money from our event goes directly into supporting our meals program.”

Even though Loaves and Fishes is a nonprofit agency serving seniors in need, less than 25% of their budget comes from public sources, Bailey reminded us. “So, in addition to our generous corporate and private sponsors, we’re left with a substantial amount of fundraising to do, to keep our centers going. This is one of our big fundraisers for the year – supporting the meals we serve both here at the center, and those we deliver to seniors at home.”

Bennett Bailey, director of the CherryBlossom Loaves & Fishes Center, serves guests at the annual Turkey Dinner benefit.

Nutritional support served with side order of kindness
The CherryBlossom Center is one of several Loaves & Fishes operations in the greater Portland area, but this one puts out about 600 meals per day. “Our service is important, because we provide about 60% of our home-bound clients’ daily nutrition,” Bailey said.

Almost as important as the food delivered, Bailey added, is the social interaction the delivery volunteers provide when they drop off meals. “When they talk with the senior for a moment, and give them a smile, they give the client a human connection with their community.”

Although they aren’t a full-service social service agency, volunteers also check on the seniors they visit. “They make sure their house is warm, and safe, and that the senior isn’t living in an unhealthy or dangerous environment,” Bailey added. “Occasionally they have found an at-risk senior unconscious on the floor. So, it’s not just the meal.  It’s making sure that there is some social interaction, and finding out what their other needs are, other than the hot meal we bring every day.”

More than 200 diners tucked into a hot turkey dinner to support the efforts of their outer East Portland Loaves & Fishes Center.

Volunteers needed, especially during the holidays
We’re happy to report that this year’s Turkey Dinner Fundraiser was indeed a success – seeing an increase of about 50% over the previous year, we learned.

“We really appreciate the support of our community members. But now, especially during the Holidays when our regular volunteers take time off for their families, we need more volunteers in the kitchen and as drivers,” Bailey said.

If you can spare a couple of hours a week, brighten a senior’s life by helping out. Call Bailey at (503) 256-2381 to volunteer, or e-mail him at bbailey@lfcpdx.org.

© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News

It is unclear why he stabbed his sister to death – especially because the two siblings lived in the same apartment complex. Here are the details of this sad and troubling story …

Both the accused and the victim of the sororicide lived in different units of this same apartment complex on SE Division Street.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Friends of 52-year-old Theresa Ann Rockwood were just concerned about her at first. When no one could reach her for a week, some went to check on her.

Her dog, which friends said she dearly loved, was unfed. Neighbors said her car, parked in the complex lot, hadn’t moved in seven days. It was suggested they call police and ask them to check with her brother, 54-year-old Joseph F. Rockwood, who also lived at Stonehenge Apartments in a different unit.

Police immediately suspect foul play
“Officers from East Precinct were dispatched for a ‘welfare check’ at Joseph Rockwood’s apartment at 11:39 a.m. on November 7,” reported the Portland Police Bureau spokesman, Sgt. Brian Schmautz.

“When Rockwood answered the door, they noted a strong odor of decomposition that led the officers to investigate further,” Schmautz told us. “They found his sister, Theresa, in Joseph’s bathroom with multiple stab wounds. He was arrested on probable cause of murder.”

The medical examiner confirmed the woman had met an untimely death, and then confirmed her identity with dental records.

Police suspect this man, 54-year-old Joseph F. Rockwood, stabbed his own sister to death.

Thought to be mentally ill
According to police records, Joseph Rockwood suffers from mental illness. What led up to the suspected murder, however, remains unclear.

Rockwood was arraigned on November 10 on one count of murder.

© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News

What did Mayor-elect Sam Adams have to say about Portland’s economic outlook, at this meeting with businesspeople held east of the Willamette River? And what did they tell him? Learn all about it, and why it drew business people from all over East Portland, right here …

Before the meeting, Sam Adams listens to comments by John Perkins of the Hollywood Boosters.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Although it was a dreary fall morning, about 80 business people from all over Portland filtered into the Portland Community College Central Portland Workforce Training Center in Inner SE Portland early on November 7 for a “conversation” with Mayor-elect Sam Adams regarding the region’s economic outlook, and the Economic Stimulus Package being prepared by the City.

President of the Alliance of Portland Neighborhood Business Associations (APNBA), Jean Baker of the Division/Clinton Business Association, introduces the program.

Debbie Kitchin, with the Portland Small Business Alliance, introduces Mayor-elect Sam Adams.

Adams told the group he accepts the fact that the nation is in a depression, and thanked business leaders for gathering to talk about key issues.

“Portland city government is going to be cutting its budget,” Adams announced. “We face a shortfall created by reduced revenue and increased costs.” He said that his eleven years as Chief-of-Staff for former Mayor Vera Katz familiarized him with the process. “This is an exercise with which I have some experience.”

Portland Mayor-elect Sam Adams welcomes businesspeople to a conversation about improving Portland’s business climate.

Seeks to define prosperity
Adams decried the lack of interest in creating a durable economic plan for the City, telling how he’s sought to define economic success among all sectors of business and society.

“I think that we suffer mightily as a region, and as a community, when key partnership groups do not agree on what we mean by ‘business success’, and by what we mean by ‘personal and family prosperity’. Lacking that agreement means you get rather muddled economic development efforts.”

Mayor-elect Adams describes the current state of Portland’s economic condition.

Challenges faced in the business community
While the region has fared quite well in comparison to other areas so far, Adams said that, in the recent past, 26,000 living-wage jobs went unfilled. “Yet, we have 84 agencies in the region and spend $125 million a year to educate and train folks. That’s fairly mismatched.”

The Mayor-elect pointed out that the City of Portland has revised its licensing fee structure, shifting some of the burden from small businesses to large firms, grossing more than $20 Million annually, which pay only $100 each year. He also announced the City is streamlining the license fee system, eliminating estimates, and going to an after-the-fact tax. “I’m apologizing to all of the accountants who will lose business from the simplification.”

Decries rampant poverty-level wages
While there is nothing wrong with service-wage jobs, Adams continued, he stated that 21% of Portlanders earn poverty-level wages – earning less than what is necessary to provide for their basic necessities. “Compared to the 9% who earn low wages in Seattle, we’re in lot more vulnerable a position.”

Speaking of his personal background, Adams said he is the son of a single mother who “got by on subsidized housing and government support. I came from a family who couldn’t always get a good job. So, although I have never owned or run a business, we come to similar points of passions from different paths.”

Nearly 100 businesspeople came to Inner SE Portland to hear about the City Council’s plans, and to give their own ideas for economic improvement.

Looks to better educational system
Adams said, as Mayor, a primary focus for him will be improving education. “47% of our eighth-graders do not graduate from high school. 47% of our eighth-graders drop out before they finish high school on a standard-length timeline. It’s no wonder we have a high percentage of people working at poverty wages.

“If you look at the data for our region, you’ll see they we’re a highly educated city, but we’re ‘importing’ most of the talent who work at high-end jobs.”

Working on an economic stimulus package
Being the Mayor-elect of just one city in the world economy, Adams said he had no illusions about our ability to change global economic trends.

“I’ve always wanted to have city government positioned to be less self-absorbed about the impact of a recession on its functions; and more externally focused [on] helping our businesses and workers through tough times.”

While Adams suggested that the term “stimulus package” has become tarnished because of current federal programs, he announced that the Portland City Council is developing a program to aid Portland businesses. “I’d like to see city government to be proactive, trying to locally forestall the worst impacts of a national recession. There are things that we can do to make things better on the local level.”

Specifically, Adams said they’ve requested funds for economic revitalization from the federal government. “We wanted to be first in line, so we submitted our request two weeks ago.”

Also, he said the City is “moving up” construction project start dates for which money has already been earmarked. “Say a project is three years out. Construction inflation is running 7% to 8%. We save money by beating inflation; and, because the construction industry is down right now, we’re getting more competitive prices for our projects.”

Other programs include fast-tracking housing projects, expanding the city’s property tax investment program, and a 12-point small business and start-up business program.

Adams listens to comments during the morning’s conversation.

Business leaders comment
Businesspeople at the meeting praised Adams for his past and present efforts – yet at the same time took the city to task on a variety of issues.

The praise was offered by past-President of the Alliance of Portland Neighborhood Business Associations (APNBA) Patrick Donaldson, who summarized the positive sentiments expressed by many at the forum: “You [Sam Adams] have under-promised and over-delivered. You are the voice of small business on the Portland City Council.”

But Donaldson warned that fees, fines, and permit costs can “whipsaw” small business owners into closing. He suggested the City carefully use incentive plans. “We’d all like to pay employees a good living wage. At the same time, remember that business owners themselves are struggling to earn a living wage and gain benefits for their own families.”

Adams listens to complaints and suggestions about the City’s management.

Complaints and suggestions aired
Answering a complaint regarding System Development Charges (SDC), used to pay for infrastructure improvements in conjunction with new development, Adams responded that Portland’s SDCs rank in the lower third nationally, and have not been increased.

Dan Yates commented, “I’d love to see the Portland Development Commission get out of the housing business. It’s supposed to be an economic development agency.”

Tony Fuentes suggested that a micro-loan program would help spur local growth. He also suggested creating a local “manufacturing brokerage program” that would help local manufacturers more easily connect with area suppliers.

School improvement suggestions
Returning to the City’s high-school drop out rate, Adams suggested businesses find ways to hire interns and provide summer jobs. “When I worked as a dishwasher, I realized I wanted to get better educated.”

The historic Mississippi Business District’s Bryan Steelman told of their youth employment program, funded by businesses, in which ten youths from charter schools worked summer jobs and paid internships.

Amy Salvador and Wayne Stoll, of Century Associates and the Parkrose Business Association, listen intently to the plan Adams outlines.

Wayne Stoll challenged other business districts to match what they do in Parkrose – giving five $1,000 sponsorships to seniors graduating high school.

Promises to keep citizens informed
In conclusion, Adams promised that on November 19 the Portland City Council would be announcing a detailed plan for boosting the City’s economy.

© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News

It’s time for the annual dance festival at Portland Metro Performing Arts. See what’s in store for you – at this great outer East Portland cultural event …

Metro Dancers (Back row) Emilie Larison, Sophie Gunz, Riley Willis, Julia Manning, Sarah Stanton, and (Front row) Beth Barnhart, Angelia Biornstad, Violet Lane-Ruckman, Michaela Martens, and Kylee Martens, rehearse a number from the Dance Mosaic show on November 22 called “Bluegrass”.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton
If you haven’t been to a performance of the Portland Metro Performing Arts (PMPA) dance company called the Metro Dancers, your opportunity is coming up next week.

“We call the program ‘Dance Mosaic’, explained PMPA’s Director Nancy Yeamans, as we watched a group of young ladies rehearse a number from the show. “It’s an exciting repertory dance concert, featuring works ranging from classical ballet to cutting-edge modern.”

Guests artists to perform
Metro Dancers will be joined by guest companies Kinetic Images Dance Company, Western Oregon University Dancers, Anne Kemer Dance and Skylark Tappers, performing the works of dynamic choreographers.

“This program gives the guest artists the chance to be seen by our audience,” Yeamons told us. “And, they bring some of their audience to see what we are doing. There aren’t enough venues and events in Oregon for companies to be seen.”

Dinner helps raise funds
In addition to the afternoon and evening shows, PMPA is hosting an Italian dinner, the organization’s director said. “We’re hoping people will come to support our non-profit organization by joining us for the dinner we’ve scheduled between shows, whether or not they also come for a performance.”

It’s important for PMPA to continue because, as Yeaman’s pointed out, “We’re the only people who do what we do – provide education in dance, music, and theater, all under one roof. And, being a nonprofit organization, it means that every dollar we raise goes into our educational programs – and thus back into the community.”

Two shows on November 22
Showtimes are at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm on Saturday, November 22 at Portland Metro Performing Arts, 9933 SE Pine Street – just a couple of streets north of SE Stark Street.

Advance tickets are $15.00, or at the Door $18.00. The Italian Dinner featuring food from Pizza Baron, Olive Garden, Flying Pie Pizza, and Bridges Café, is on from 4:30 p.m. until 6:00 p.m., and the modest charge is $10 for high school and adult; $5 for grade school kids, and $2.50 for preschoolers.

For tickets, call PMPA at (503) 408-0604.

© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News

The City of Portland overlooked this rainy-weather trouble spot – discover why they may have caused the problem …

Long-time Lents Neighborhood resident Joyce Beedle put on her hip waders and cleared storm drains of debris she believes came from land owned by the Portland Bureau of Environmental Services. Hours later, it’s still draining!

Story and photos by David F. Ashton
We certainly didn’t get the hurricane-like conditions predicted by the forecasters on November 12 – but many of the outer East Portland streets that are prone to flooding were again underwater for hours.

Police simply closed SE 92nd Avenue, between SE Foster Road and SE Division Street – a perennial trouble spot.

Foster Road floods, but not Johnson Creek
We were surprised to learn that Johnson Creek was flowing well below flood stage, even with the heavy rainfall.

Yet, for hours, all lanes but one eastbound on SE Foster Road, just west of SE 111th Avenue, was flooded.

“This morning my son couldn’t bicycle safely to school, because all of the westbound lanes, the turning lane, and one of the eastbound lanes were completely underwater,” reported long-time Lents Neighborhood resident, Joyce Beedle.

Calls it a ‘predictable problem’
By the time we arrived, the water had receded, and only one westbound lane – and the bike lane – were underwater. That was thanks to the intrepid Beedle.

She said she put on her hip-waders, grabbed a pitchfork, and pulled leaves and grass out of the storm drain grates. “It was clear to me that the City of Portland wasn’t going to do it,” she explained.

The water from the leaf-and-grass choked storm drains backed up – and also flooded SE 111th Avenue.

The worst part, she added, is that this flooding was totally predictable – and not because of problems with Johnson Creek.

“Two days ago,” Beedle noted, “the City of Portland’s Bureau of Environmental Services mowed the property they own along Foster Road. The storm water drains were clogged with fresh grass clippings and leaves. There aren’t any trees or grass near the storm drains. I would prefer that they take care of the property in such a way that traffic is not impeded on SE Foster Road.”

So, if you drove along SE Foster Road on Wednesday, please know that it was a neighbor who helped drain the water from the street, and provided you with a safer trip!

No homes or businesses were damaged due to the flooding.

© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News

Discover how and why these two SE Portland artists are giving this former gas station and coffee shop an entirely new – and delightful – appearance …

A board member of the non-profit Cafe au Play – located at Tabor Commons – Charles Heying prepares the exterior for painting.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton
The building on SE Division Street, across from Atkinson Elementary School, that started out as a gas station 50 years ago, and ended up being  a coffee shop that was actually an illegal drug dispensary, is a step closer to becoming a community center.

The former “Drive-thru Wake-up and Deli” is getting an exterior makeover as part of its transformation into the Tabor Commons Community Center.

“When you drive past now, you’ll see a colorful design covering three walls of the building,” said Paul Leistner, a board member of the Southeast Uplift neighborhood coalition. “The public art is a combination of geometric elements with garden and bird motifs.”

Sees building as a canvas
The design was created by John Early and Laura Bender of Site Painters, a local firm that’s been doing murals and commissioned public artwork for 25 years. You’ve seen their work around town – at the former Nature’s Market on SE Division Street, for example.

“We live in the neighborhood, and have been following the progress of this project,” Early told us, while taking a brief break. “This nondescript little box of a building seemed like the perfect place for community art treatment.”

Grant funds local muralists
Early and Bender created a design, and then prepared a grant application to the Regional Arts and Culture Council’s neighborhood mural program.

“Thanks to the support of the community – and in-kind donations from companies like Powell Paint Company – we were awarded the grant. Volunteers prepared the exterior by sealing, sanding, and priming the surface.”

SE Portland residents, and professional mural painters, John Early and Laura Bender transform the former drug-dealing storefront into a work of public art.

Center to create a ‘sense of neighborhood’
“This is our neighborhood – we love this area,” smiled Bender, as the husband-and-wife duo mounted the scaffolding to continue their work. “I like the idea of helping to create art that promotes a sense of neighborhood.”

When they’ve completed their work, Early said, they’ll coat the exterior with an ultraviolet-shielding varnish that will also help fend off potential graffiti vandals.

Working to fulfill their goals
Leistner reminded us that the main goal for the project is to create a community gathering place. “One way the Tabor Commons is achieving this goal is through partnership with a local non-profit, Café au Play,” he said “They’ll create a family-and-community-friendly coffeehouse program to support children and families, by nurturing connections among caregivers and empowering people of all ages to see themselves as both givers and receivers of resources.”

Community members hope to finish the building and site renovation this winter.

© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News

Area residents were worried when reports of a teenage girl being raped surfaced last week; see how alert Portland Police Bureau officers got the man they say is the perpetrator …

Usually Lents Park is a place of fun and recreation for families. Neighbors started getting worried when they heard a girl had been raped here.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton
A broad daylight rape on October 20 left the residents who live around Lents Park – in the area of SE 92nd Avenue and SE Holgate Boulevard – feeling uneasy.

“We have some bad characters running through there,” said Lawrence Brookmeyer, a retired Lents neighborhood resident whose house overlooks the park. “I hope they catch the guy – we’ll all feel a lot better.”

Portland Police Bureau spokesman Sgt. Brian Schmautz told us that, based on information from an interview with the teenage victim, detectives believe she was walking through the park and saw the suspect crouched against a tree. The victim approached the suspect to ask him a question. As she walked towards the suspect he stood up.

“As the suspect stood up,” Schmautz reported, “the victim observed that the suspect’s pants were partially open and his penis was exposed. Before the victim could escape, the suspect grabbed and sexually assaulted her. The victim physically resisted the suspect, who walked out of the area after completing the assault.”

Schmautz said the victim was able to give police a detailed description of the suspect, and helped the bureau’s sketch artist make a drawing of the suspect.

Police say they suspect this man, 26-year-old Andrea Tito Pascua, is the one who sexually assaulted the teenager in Lents Park.

Officer checks transient camps
East Precinct Officer Rian Hamby got on the case and checked several locations frequented by transients in southeast Portland. His work paid off; three days later, on October 23, Hamby found his man.

“In the area of SE 87th Avenue and SE Powell Boulevard, Hamby found and detained 26-year-old Andrea Tito Pascua,” Schmautz said. “Pascua was later positively identified as the suspect by the victim.”

Pascua was arrested and charged with one count of Sex Abuse in the First Degree and one count of Unlawful Sexual Penetration in the First Degree in connection with the sexual assault in Lents Park, Schmautz stated.

This investigation is continuing. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Mary Wheat at (503) 823-0885.

© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News

How does one keep one’s neighborhood from looking trashed? See what these volunteers did – and how much money they raised for their association, in the process…

Neighbor John Bassett recycles his metal and gets rid of his junk – and also spends a few minutes helping Powellhurst/Gilbert Neighborhood Association Vice-Chair Elaine Medcalf organize a Dumpster.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Unlike almost any other grassroots local project, “neighborhood clean-ups” are specifically to help beautify sections of East Portland.

The Powellhurst/Gilbert and Pleasant Valley Fall Clean-Up was one such event.

“We do this to help our neighbors,” said its organizer, Powellhurst/Gilbert Neighborhood Association Vice-Chair Elaine Medcalf, as she closed the doors on a filled-to-the-brim metal recycling dumpster. “It also helps keep debris, trash, and unwanted appliances from being dumped off.”

Medcalf said there were seven sites open across Powellhurst/Gilbert, which is outer East Portland’s geographically-largest neighborhood. “One of our sites is on the border of the Pleasant Valley Neighborhood; they’re participating in the clean-up,” she noted.

At one of the sites there was a bulky waste Dumpster and a Dumpster for metals; at two sites there were a bulky waste Dumpster and a yard debris Dumpster; and at three sites there was a bulky waste Dumpster only.

“It’s great being able to get the trash out of the neighborhood,” neighbor John Bassett told us. “Especially out of my yard!”

Here’s some of the 19.7 tons of bulky waste that won’t be dumped in a park or along a road.

The results? Medcalf said the clean-up netted:

• Bulky Waste: 19.7 tons
• Yard Debris: 2.54 tons
• Metals: 4.3 tons
• Donations: $1,215.

Collection services were provided by Flannery’s Drop Box Service and Scott’s Metal Recycling. Tipping fees were provided by a grant from the City of Portland Office of Sustainable Development, and Metro.

© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News

It’s hard to believe the driver and passenger in this Nissan Pathfinder weren’t killed when he swerved off the road, bouncing and rolling down the dyke, and landing upside down at the edge of the Columbia River …

Officials say the pair were lucky to have walked away with hardly a scratch, after their SUV rolled, bounced and jolted down the steep embankment along Marine Drive – and almost into the river!

Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Those wanting to commute using NE Marine Drive the morning of October 28 were disappointed to find it was shut down, due to what police describe as a drunk-driving mishap.

“At 8:03 a.m., officers were called to the 7000 block of Northeast Marine Drive,” reported Portland Police Bureau spokesman Sgt. Brian Schmautz. “A Nissan Pathfinder driven by 39-year-old Carlton Cherry drove off the road and came to a stop near the Columbia River.”

Investigators determined that Carlton was traveling eastbound on NE Marine Drive when he veered into the oncoming lane, attempted to swerve back into the correct lane, and then lost control of his vehicle.

A Portland Police Bureau Traffic Division officer looks at the crumpled Pathfinder far below his vantage point on the Marine Drive Bike Path. You can see the wheels of the SUV in the lower right-hand corner of this photo.

A tow truck driver hands the vehicle’s keys to the traffic officer before the SUV is recovered. Perhaps this wouldn’t have happened if someone would have taken the driver’s keys before he got behind the wheel.

Crumpled SUV tells a tale
When we arrived on-scene, we couldn’t see the wrecked vehicle while we were standing on Marine Drive. After making our way carefully down to the bike path – about halfway between the top of the levee and the water’s edge – we then could see the crumpled vehicle lying at the water’s edge, next to an estuary. It the accident had occurred during the springtime, high-water months – the car would have been underwater.

The top, front, sides, and rear of the Nissan Pathfinder were smashed in. No wonder – we could clearly see where the vehicle had dug a foot into the earth just above the bike path. It apparently flipped and rolled across the path, continuing down across the jagged boulders on its way to the edge of the Columbia River.

Two wrecker crews arrived, trying to figure out how to recover the mangled SUV. They called in a third, “Heavy Recovery Vehicle”, to yank the vehicle up the steep, rock-covered embankment, so they could load it onto a waiting flatbed truck.

It took several tries to find a strategy – and a heavy-duty “recovery vehicle” – to pull the wrecked SUV up the steep embankment to the flatbed truck waiting on the Marine Drive bicycle path.

Only minor injuries sustained
“Carlton sustained a minor injury,” Schmautz told us, “and his passenger, 47-year-old April Brunson, was not injured. Carlton was transported to Emanuel Hospital for evaluation and has been charged with one count each of Reckless Driving and DUII.

No other vehicles were involved in the accident.

© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News

Officials suspect her son of actually dealing the dope. But the question remains, doesn’t anyone check on kids in foster homes? Learn the answer right here …

Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office detectives say they could smell the pungent aroma of marijuana from outside this Powellhurst-Gilbert neighborhood home.

Story and photo by David F. Ashton
We wanted to make sure we had all of the facts before we brought you this sad, unusual story about an outer East Portland foster mother, 49-year-old Sherry L. Feightner, being caught this week with 11 pounds of marijuana in her home – some of it said to be drying in her foster son’s bedroom.

Child visit 10 days before pot bust
We asked Lauri Stewart, communications officer at Oregon Department of Human Services, how a large-scale pot packaging operation could go on, undetected, in a foster home.

“First, all foster homes are visited for ‘certification’ every 180 days – or every 90 days, if many children are placed in the home,” Stewart told us. “The most recent inspection of Feightner’s home was in August, 2008.”

Stewart added that caseworkers visit foster children at least every 30 days. There had been two visits on October, she said, the most recent on October 17 – just 10 days before the pot bust.

She wouldn’t comment on whether or not she suspected that Feightner’s son, 28-year old Michael Chastain was responsible for bringing the pot into the foster home.

“We did send [Feightner] a letter stating that her adult son [Chastain] was not to visit the home, nor have any contact with the foster children,” Stewart said. “This isn’t a suggestion; it is a directive in the form of a warning letter.”

Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office detectives snapped this photo of the suspected marijuana drying in the bedroom of a foster child. MCSO photo

Smelled the pot outside
Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office detectives, following a tip about possible drug activity at a children’s foster care home, conducted a welfare check 3626 SE 132nd Avenue on October 27, according to Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Deputy Paul H. McRedmond.

“Our detectives said they could smell a strong odor of marijuana while standing on the sidewalk outside the house,” explained McRedmond. “Upon ‘consent entry’ into the home, detectives said they found eleven pounds of marijuana in an upstairs kid’s bedroom, drying on clotheslines strung about the room.”

Detectives said they found 11 pounds of pot being prepared for sale in this foster home. MCSO photo

McRedmond stated that one of the detectives said the odor of marijuana within the house was “so strong it made my sinuses hurt”. Detectives added that they believe that the pot had been in the house for two days.

A nine-year-old male foster child, whose bedroom was next to the “drying room”, was turned over to Child Protective Services. A two-year-old female child left the scene with her mother; the 13-year-old foster child, whose bedroom was the drying room, was not at the residence at the time of the bust.

Whether or not she was actually dealing dope, 49-year-old Sherry L. Feightner was arrested and booked on multiple charges – some of them felonies.

According to McRedmond, Feightner was arrested booked on two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Minor, misdemeanors; two counts of Child Neglect 1, a Class B felony; Possession of a Controlled Substance and Manufacturing of a Controlled Substance – both class-B felonies; and Delivery of a Controlled Substance, a class A felony.

Although he wasn’t supposed to be at the home, 28-year old Michael Chastain was taken into custody there on a Federal pre-trial release supervision program violation, and lodged at the Multnomah County Detention Center.

© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News

Here’s the story behind the summer-long scurry of construction activity on SE Division Street at SE 68th Avenue …

This auspicious group, ready to dedicate the newly-reconstructed Egtvedt Hall at Warner Pacific (WP) College, are: WP alum and Church of God pastor John Parker; Bill Jones, VP with Bank of the West; Steve Stenberg, WP Director of Facilities and Planning; Conner Peckham, Student Body President; Jim Teague, Chair, Board of Trustees and an alumnus; Andrea Cook, interim WP President; Jay Barber, President Emeritus; Wayne Peterson, WP’s CFO; Frank Harris, who is with contractor SD Deacon; Skip Spanaway, from SRD Partnership, architects; and, Ray Cotton, pastor of New Hope Community Church, alumnus and parent of a current student.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton
People motoring east or west along SE Division Street have probably noticed a recent flurry of construction activity at SE 68th Avenue – on the campus of Warner Pacific College (WP).

In what Andrea Cook, interim WP president called “amazing work in a very short time,” the school’s Egtvedt Hall underwent a complete renovation. “Groundbreaking for the project was on April 3, and we got our occupancy permit on August 21.”

Although the turnout was light for the dedication ceremony, everyone at the ribbon-cutting ceremony appeared to be ebullient about the project’s successful, rapid, and timely completion.

Warner Pacific’s interim President, Andrea Cook, introduces the speakers at the building’s dedication ceremony.

Speeches accompany ribbon cutting
After introducing distinguished guests standing behind the dedication ribbon, the school’s interim President, Andrea Cook, said, “Now, our students will have a place in which they can feel proud, when they bring their families and friends.”

Jim Teague, an alumnus and the Chair of the school’s board of trustees, told how, in 1976, the impetus behind the construction of the original building was to have a place to host then-President Gerald Ford when he came to speak at their graduation ceremony.

In the foreground, newly renovated Egtvedt Hall stands ready to serve students, faculty, and the community, school officials say.

“That was our motivation then,” Teague told the assemblage. “The motivation [for the improvements] is really all about our students. We felt deeply that we needed a place to really host our community. This includes our students, our faculty, our alumni – and our staff, as well. What you see here, now, is a place that is all about community. Community is what Warner Pacific is all about.”

Representatives of the architects, contractors, and the school each took turns praising the project and offering up dedication prayers. With that, the ribbon was cut and visitors toured the building.

With a snip of the mighty scissors wielded by Cook, Egtvedt Hall is official open.

Will provide a ‘community space’
Greg Moon, the school’s Development Director, told us that Egtvedt Hall now provides the campus with a spacious dining room, a coffee shop, a student center, and a bookstore. “Additionally, faculty, admissions, the registrar, and the business and financial offices occupy the second story of the building.”

“The renovation gives students a place they can relax,” Moon said. “The dining room, coffee shop, and multi-purpose room are open and available for our neighborhood community to use. The building also houses our ‘black box’ theater and music rehearsal studios. We hope you’ll come to our events.”

Learn more about this unique SE Portland educational facility by visiting their web site: CLICK HERE.

© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News

It’s not a reading lesson! Find out what outer East Portland neighbors learned about Asset Based Community Development, right here …

“Asset Based Community Development” expert Ron Dwyer-Voss leads the training held in the Centennial neighborhood.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Folks from many outer East Portland neighborhoods – all of them looking for ways to help make better their communities – attended a unique training session held at the Parklane Community Church last month.

The workshop’s organizer, Mike Vander Veen, told us, “‘Asset Based Community Development (ABCD)’ is not a program or solution, but rather a way of approaching community.”

Centennial Community Association chair Tom Lewis, and board member Patty Hicks, discuss ABCD concepts with neighbor Aimee Krouskop.

Focusing on strengths
While the attendees were involved in small group discussions, the trainer, ABCD expert Ron Dwyer-Voss, talked about the program with us.

“ABCD is an approach to engaging one’s community,” Dwyer-Voss began, “It’s based on the premise that residents and local institutions will get better results and by first considering the community’s strengths and assets, rather than the traditional approach of starting with the community’s flaws and needs.”

He said they refer to assets as “gifts” – gifts of individuals, the gifts of association, and the gifts of institutions.

During the workshop, neighbors learn to focus on the “gifts” in their community, instead of its problems.

Better communities from the inside out
Dwyer-Voss said he got involved with the ABCD concept years ago when he worked within very poor communities in inner-city Chicago.

“We realized if we just talked about food stamps, and welfare, gangs, and drugs – we would be overwhelmed with problems. But we looked around and saw some people who were good at taking care of kids, some who were good at cooking, others who were in voluntary associations that could be used to help the community.”
It was there, Dwyer-Voss said, that he saw how this positive approach helps communities build “from the inside out”.

Creating sustainable improvement
“The result of stronger connections between existing community assets is that it provides a stronger community,” noted Dwyer-Voss. “This helps people better deal with problems in a way that is sustainable over time.

“It’s not dependent on whether or not there is a government grant, or a nonprofit organization survives, or an expert is available.  Instead it’s sustainable because the community is controlling it.”

Participants in the ABCD workshop learn that the process can help them solve outer East Portland’s problems on a long-term basis.

Ongoing meetings
If you’re interested in participating in on-going ABCD discussions, these monthly sessions are held at the East Portland Neighborhood Organization offices. Contact Vander Veen at (503) 823-4550 for more information.

© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News