See the Metro Dancers, from Gateway’s Portland Metro Performing Arts Center, audition for “Alice in Wonderland” …
To land a part in PMPA’s “Alice in Wonderland” production, these future ballerinas must demonstrate they can quickly learn the dance steps they’ll need if they are chosen.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
The Portland Metro Performing Arts (PMPA) hall was filled both aspiring and studied ballerinas, when we visited a couple weeks ago.
These dancers, each wearing a number, were focused on the instructions given by the center’s Director, Nancy Yeamans, who was giving dance step instructions and playing snippets of music.
At a front table, three dance instructors watched how well the dancers, ranging in age from preschool to adult, could learn the combination of steps, and perform them in time with the music. After each section, these judges wrote down the numbers of dancers who could perform the steps well.
“We’re auditioning performers for the Metro Dancers’ presentation of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ show in April,” Yeamans told us.
Yeamans reminded us that the Metro Dancers is a regional dance company comprised of local pre-professional and professional dancers, now celebrating its 30th Anniversary Season. “Our performances of ‘Coppelia’, ‘La Fille Mal Gardee’, and ‘Les Ruses d’Amour’ have played to sold-out audiences,” she added.
Nancy Yeamans demonstrates a series of steps the dancers are expected to perform in time with the music she’ll play.
Working toward April 5 performance
This ballet version of “Alice in Wonderland” is appropriate for all ages, Yeamans told us. It features all of the classic story’s characters – in full costume – including the busy White Rabbit, the mysterious Cheshire Cat, and the domineering Queen of Hearts, as they romp through dance re-creation of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking Glass”.
It isn’t too early to consider buying tickets. There will be two performances at 2 pm and 7 pm on April 5 at Portland Center for the Performing Arts Newmark Theatre, 1111 SW Broadway.
Tickets are $20 for high school and adults, $14 for children. Reserve your seats by calling (503) 408-0604, emailing them at info@PDXMetroArts.org or pick them up at the PMPA box office at 9933 SE Pine Street.
© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service
If you missed the Portland Classical Chinese Trio’s performance at Midland Library this week – you can still catch these outer East Portland celebrations …
Adding cultural elegance to the main hall of Midland Library is the Portland Classical Chinese Trio.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Celebrations of the Lunar New Year, celebrated by many Asian cultures, are underway in outer East Portland.
We stopped by Midland Library to take in a performance of the Portland Classical Chinese Trio on February 12.
Jerry Lin plays a two-stringed classical Chinese instrument called a derhu.
“We’ve each played our instruments for several years,” said spokesman Jerry Lin. “We’ve been playing together for three or four years.”
Emily Deng serenades playing the zheng.
Emily Deng added, “I think that we enjoy working with each other. We enjoy entertaining others as much as we enjoy entertaining ourselves, at the same time.”
Deng says her instrument is a classical Chinese zheng. “It’s very similar to a Western zither. It has it has 21 strings with movable bridges. I play it with [finger picks made from] tortoise shell fingernails. I learned to play this instrument when I was 6 years old, back in my hometown of Uhon near Shanghai.”
Henry Hung plays one of the many bamboo flutes he brought to the performance. “I have more than one, because each flute plays in a different key,” he says.
More celebrations …
February 17
> Lunar New Year — Celebrate the Lunar New Year traditions of China, Vietnam, and Korea with dance, music, games, food, and crafts. It runs from 1:30 – 5 p.m. at your Midland Library, 805 S.E. 122nd Avenue. Call (503) 988-5392 for more information.
February 18
> Celebrate the Chinese Year of the Rat – Portland Community College’s Southeast Center, in partnership with Legin Restaurant, is hosting its annual Asian New Year Celebration at 9:30 a.m. today. The event, which will be held at the Restaurant (8001 S.E. Division Street, just west of SE 82nd Avenue of Roses), features music, arts and crafts, entertainment, games, food, door prizes, and plenty of lion dancers. Food is $1, and parking is free. The Asian New Year Celebration is open to the public. Children are welcome. For more information, call (503) 788-6262.
© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service
In addition to forcing thousands of residents to awaken to cold houses and chilly showers, this underage drunk driver also shut off power to Adventist Medical Center …
There weren’t any signs of skid marks, which would have shown that the driver made any attempt to stop before plowing in the PGE Midway Substation.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Almost 16,000 homes, businesses, intersections – and yes, even Portland Adventist Medical Center and Emergency Room – lost electrical power in the early morning hours of February 6.
Police say the wide-spread outage was caused by the out-of-control driving of an under-age drunk driver.
A neighbor across the street, Larry Fender, said he slept through the crash. “What woke me up was the noise from the sirens and the flashing lights outside my window. I went to turn on the lights, but our power was off.”
Looking out his window, Fender said he could see that a car had driven into PGE’s Midway Substation on SE Division Street at SE 139th Avenue. “I didn’t see it, but my neighbor said she saw the driver of the car struggling to get out of the car, and try to run away, but she couldn’t get back out through the fence.”
Judging by the damage caused when the car ripped through the fence and into the electrical substation, it must have been traveling at a high rate of speed.
Passed out at the wheel
We inspected the pavement and lawn at the accident scene.
There were no skid marks or signs the driver tried to stop or slow down as she drove wildly south on SE 139th Avenue, whipped across SE Division Street, popped up over the curb, whizzed across 20 feet of lawn, took out guy wires, barreled through a heavy-duty chain-link fence, and came to a stop after knocking out two supports for one of the giant electrical power breakers in the substation.
Neighbors gathered to watch the repairs underway, and commented that the driver must have been “dead at the wheel” drunk.
Dangerous work in the dead of night
Soon after the accident, reported at 2:38 am, Portland General Electric crews were on-site, looking at the damage.
“While the Subaru was still wedged in the tower supports,” PGE spokesman Steve Corson, told us, “our crews were working on ways to get the power back on.”
Long after the intruding car was removed – and long into the following day – PGE crews worked around live, dangerously-high current-carrying equipment, to repair the damage caused by the underage drunk driver.
An electrical power substation, Corson explained, is a central distribution point that feeds the power “feeder” lines snaking out into the surrounding neighborhoods. “When the driver clipped the guy wires holding utility poles that supporting our incoming power transmission lines – and damaged the support stanchions for the lines – the substation shut down.”
By 7:30 a.m., workers managed to restore power to about half of the affected area, still leaving 7,800 homes and business in the dark.
“We want to get power restored quickly to customers, but we do have to do it safely,” commented Corson. “Our workers put their safety training to work, while they were working in a hazardous situation. The Subaru was in the midst of it all, and we had to work safely around it.”
8:15 a.m., everyone’s juice was back on. Yet, throughout the day, as many as a dozen PGE crew members carefully worked around the electrified lines, welding new supports into place, and fixing damaged monitoring equipment.
Police say that this young woman, 20-year-old Felica Londres, was the driver who smashed into the Midway Substation.
Driver shouldn’t have been boozing
The hard-partying driver responsible for this costly and inconvenient incident was, according to Portland Police Bureau spokesman Sgt. Brian Schmautz, 20-year-old Felica Londres.
“Londres attempted to run from the scene, but was trapped by the fence and was taken into custody,” Schmautz reported. “She was evaluated at Portland Adventist Hospital. Then, she was booked into jail on one count each of DUII, Hit and Run, and Attempting to Elude a Police Officer.”
© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service
In addition to forcing thousands of residents to awaken to cold houses and chilly showers, this underage drunk driver also shut off power to Adventist Medical Center …
There weren’t any signs of skid marks, which would have shown that the driver made any attempt to stop before plowing in the PGE Midway Substation.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Almost 16,000 homes, businesses, intersections – and yes, even Portland Adventist Medical Center and Emergency Room – lost electrical power in the early morning hours of February 6.
Police say the wide-spread outage was caused by the out-of-control driving of an under-age drunk driver.
A neighbor across the street, Larry Fender, said he slept through the crash. “What woke me up was the noise from the sirens and the flashing lights outside my window. I went to turn on the lights, but our power was off.”
Looking out his window, Fender said he could see that a car had driven into PGE’s Midway Substation on SE Division Street at SE 139th Avenue. “I didn’t see it, but my neighbor said she saw the driver of the car struggling to get out of the car, and try to run away, but she couldn’t get back out through the fence.”
Judging by the damage caused when the car ripped through the fence and into the electrical substation, it must have been traveling at a high rate of speed.
Passed out at the wheel
We inspected the pavement and lawn at the accident scene.
There were no skid marks or signs the driver tried to stop or slow down as she drove wildly south on SE 139th Avenue, whipped across SE Division Street, popped up over the curb, whizzed across 20 feet of lawn, took out guy wires, barreled through a heavy-duty chain-link fence, and came to a stop after knocking out two supports for one of the giant electrical power breakers in the substation.
Neighbors gathered to watch the repairs underway, and commented that the driver must have been “dead at the wheel” drunk.
Dangerous work in the dead of night
Soon after the accident, reported at 2:38 am, Portland General Electric crews were on-site, looking at the damage.
“While the Subaru was still wedged in the tower supports,” PGE spokesman Steve Corson, told us, “our crews were working on ways to get the power back on.”
Long after the intruding car was removed – and long into the following day – PGE crews worked around live, dangerously-high current-carrying equipment, to repair the damage caused by the underage drunk driver.
An electrical power substation, Corson explained, is a central distribution point that feeds the power “feeder” lines snaking out into the surrounding neighborhoods. “When the driver clipped the guy wires holding utility poles that supporting our incoming power transmission lines – and damaged the support stanchions for the lines – the substation shut down.”
By 7:30 a.m., workers managed to restore power to about half of the affected area, still leaving 7,800 homes and business in the dark.
“We want to get power restored quickly to customers, but we do have to do it safely,” commented Corson. “Our workers put their safety training to work, while they were working in a hazardous situation. The Subaru was in the midst of it all, and we had to work safely around it.”
8:15 a.m., everyone’s juice was back on. Yet, throughout the day, as many as a dozen PGE crew members carefully worked around the electrified lines, welding new supports into place, and fixing damaged monitoring equipment.
Police say that this young woman, 20-year-old Felica Londres, was the driver who smashed into the Midway Substation.
Driver shouldn’t have been boozing
The hard-partying driver responsible for this costly and inconvenient incident was, according to Portland Police Bureau spokesman Sgt. Brian Schmautz, 20-year-old Felica Londres.
“Londres attempted to run from the scene, but was trapped by the fence and was taken into custody,” Schmautz reported. “She was evaluated at Portland Adventist Hospital. Then, she was booked into jail on one count each of DUII, Hit and Run, and Attempting to Elude a Police Officer.”
© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service
Discover how a moment’s inattention while cooking injured a woman and damaged her home …
A firefighter, carrying an extra length of hose, races down the long driveway to reach the house, located in the back of a flag lot.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Fortunately for the residents of a house tucked away on the back of a “flag lot” in the Centennial Neighborhood, they are served by two great fire services – Portland Fire & Rescue and Gresham Fire Department. The combined prompt response saved that house from going up on flames on February 9.
The fire, at a home in the 2300 block of SE 156th Avenue, started in the kitchen, Battalion Chief C-3, Pat Davies, told us at the scene. “We just put out a stove fire, and we’re looking for fire extensions in the kitchen.”
A firefighter, with paramedic kit in hand, rushes to the aid of the homeowner.
Portland Fire & Rescue spokesman Lt. Allen Oswalt told us, “The owner was ‘seasoning’ a cast iron pan with oil. She left it on the stove, with the burner on. She became distracted, and walked away from it.”
Although we’re told the woman didn’t suffer serious injuries, she was treated by firefighters – who are also trained as paramedics.
Providing immediate help for injured victims, the firefighter paramedics check to see if the homeowner needs a trip to the hospital.
“Too often,” Oswalt commented, “we’re called to fires that started because someone left a pot or pan on the stove and walked away from it. In moments, oil can overheat, and start a fire that quickly gets out of hand.”
In addition to paying attention while cooking, Oswalt stressed the importance of having working fire detectors in a house. “It can alert the residents in time to save major damages – or lives.”
Although the fire was small, investigators said the blaze nonetheless caused $10,000 damage.
© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service
Find out what David Douglas High School parents and students learned about a possible case of tuberculosis they’d discovered – and what they’re doing about it …
Dr. Gary Oxman, Multnomah County Health Officer, listens to the concerns of a parent about the potential for the disease tuberculosis, at David Douglas High School.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Because the incidence of tuberculosis (TB) in the United States is at an all-time low, the infectious and once-fatal disease is seldom discussed nowadays.
But, the spectre of a TB epidemic centering on David Douglas High School appeared in January, when a student was rumored to carry the disease.
Although a letter sent to the school’s parents on February 5 indicated that a student had possibly contracted TB, it went on to say that the risk of an infectious outbreak was very low. Nevertheless, school officials also announced an informational meeting to help ease fears.
Information to combat rumors
Dr. Gary Oxman, Multnomah County Health Officer, facilitated the meeting, along with officials from Multnomah Education Service District (MESD). The Department of Health and Social Services made a presentation at the school on February 13.
“This meeting is important, said Mark Haner, Vice Principal at David Douglas High School, as he introduced Dr. Oxman, “in case a parent or student has a question about tuberculosis. It’s a disease we’re not with which familiar. When you do hear that someone in the school has tuberculosis, it’s like an ‘alarm’ goes off.”
Those exposed to TB should be tested, Dr. Oxman says, because few people come down with the active disease soon after exposure.
Tuberculosis 101
“Before antibiotics, tuberculosis was a deadly disease,” began Multnomah County’s health officer Dr. Gary Oxman, MD, MPH. “It was a feared disease, because so many people died from it.”
“The scientific name for TB is Mycobacterium Tuberculosis,” Oxman explained. “Some bacteria grow quickly. TB grows very slowly.”
He said TB is spread from person to person when someone with the disease within their lungs coughs. “The bacterium is spewed into the air as an aerosol. As the bacterium dries out, it can ‘hang’ in a room for hours. This is how most people get infected; breathing air infected with the bacterium.”
Two exposure factors: ventilation and time
Chances of exposure to the disease by inhaling TB bacterium out-of-doors are very slim, according to Oxman. “Exposure occurs in a small, poorly ventilated room.”
The other factor is length of exposure. “Family members may have hundreds of hours of exposure, in close contact, with an infected person, and not know it. Even then, they might catch it only after lengthy exposure.”
Not all infected become ill
When an individual is exposed to TB and becomes ill, they get flu-like symptoms, feel run-down, and chronically cough. “At this point, they are contagious; they can spread the disease.” Even though it takes a lot of medicine – up to four antibiotics at the start of treatment; and the cure is lengthy – six months and more – the individual can be cured,” assured Oxman.
Most people who catch the “TB germ” never develop the TB disease, the doctor added. “It can be ‘jailed’ by the body’s immune system for decades. If the body’s defenses ever weaken, the germ may cause TB disease, even decades after the exposure.”
Medication, taken daily for six to nine months, can prevent latent TB from becoming active, he added.
Whether active or latent, TB can be treated and cured by a long course of medication, says Oxman.
Tests expose TB infection
The county’s top health official went on to say that TB exposure or infection can be detected by a skin test, blood test, chest x-ray and sputum sample testing.
When a group of people are exposed to TB, Oxman said, how many people will get sick depends on the extent of the TB sufferer’s illness, the environment of the exposure space, the closeness of others to the infected person, and length of exposure.
“For example, one case study showed that 135 people had moderate exposure to an infected person. Tests showed that 130 of them were not infected. Five were infected, and had the latent – not active – disease.”
Tuberculosis at David Douglas High
Turning to the situation at David Douglas High School, Oxman said that a student was referred to the county health department because they tested positive for TB and had an abnormal chest x-ray. “A Health Department doctor diagnosed the student with TB.
Oxman lays out the situation with the TB-infected student discovered at David Douglas High School.
Risk of spreading
“The student was not ill; not coughing,” stated Oxman. “Lab tests and x-rays on student showed no signs of concerning for spread of TB. They found no germs in the student’s phlegm. Again, the x-ray was not particularly concerning.”
The student began treatment for TB, Oxman continued. “The student has received enough medication to stop potential for spread of TB. The medications typically cause the patient to lose 90% of TB germs in a week; about 98% of germs are killed in a couple of weeks.”
While the County Health Department cleared the student to return to school, the patient will continue to be tested.
Oxman said that students who had closest contact with the student infected with TB have also been tested. “Conclusive results take up to six weeks. If other students are found to be newly-infected, the Health Department might change its recommendations.”
The risk of an outbreak, beyond the single infected student, is slim, Oxman said. “But, we can’t ever say the risk is zero.”
Student not concerned
After the program, we spoke with DDHS student Grace Mustain, at the meeting to report on matter for the school’s newspaper, The HIGHLANDER.
“I think the presentation went pretty well,” Mustain reported. “But there weren’t very many people here; it looks like few people are worried. I feel very comfortable [about the situation]. Knowing what to look out for, and how it can happen, makes me feel okay.”
On the way out, vice principal Haner commented, “If there was a chance that this is a disease that would be spread in our school, I know the health department would be here in no time, taking immediate steps to protect our staff and students. We care, just like our health Department cares, about all of our students.”
Resources
To contact the Multnomah County Health Department TB program, call (503) 988-3417. If you have health-related questions, contact Dr. Gary Oxman at 503-988-3663, ext. 22640.
© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service
If you could smell the great dinner these guys were cooking up, you’d read about it right now …
Proving these guys can really cook, these Parkrose SUN students, (the one furthest away from the camera was too shy to give his name) Dakota Wright, 9th grade, and Alex Heiden, 10th grade, put the finishing touches on a Chinese dinner fit for kings.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
On the Monday afternoon we visited the school not long ago, it wasn’t difficult to find the SUN School cooking class at Parkrose High School. All one had to do was “follow their nose”.
The savory scent of caramelized, sizzling onions and chicken, pea pods, and spices wafted through the first-floor hallway.
Inside a small, but well equipped modern kitchen, we were somewhat surprised to see young men – not young women – cooking up a full-course Chinese-style dinner.
SUN Schools Life Skills instructor Sarah Shumaker is dishing up a bowl of made-from-scratch egg-flower soup made by her students.
Teaching important life skills
Sarah Shumaker, a Life Skills instructor, told us she’s been holding these classes on Mondays and Wednesdays of each week.
“These classes are all about cooking and eating wholesome meals,” Shumaker explained. “These life skills are important, because sooner or later, the students will move out of their houses, and will need to cook for themselves.”
Dakota Wright, a freshman, said this was his first experience cooking. “I’d like to do more. Who knows? When I get older and get my own place – some candlelight and a nice dinner might make a nice date, you know?”
During our visit, students – and staff members – looked in through the kitchen door to see what was cooking, attesting to the delicious aroma that permeated the school’s halls.
Exploring different cuisines
“At each session,” Shumaker explained, “we cook different types of foods. At the last session, we did African cuisine. This time, we’re preparing Chinese cuisine. In addition to helping the students learn to cook, it opens there eyes to different styles of cooking, and the cultures that created them.”
Another student, sophomore Alex Heiden, agreed that he’s learned there’s a big difference between cooking a meal from scratch and dining on frozen package dinners.
“I like cooking, but I also like eating,” confided Heiden as he dished up Citrus Chicken and pea-pods. “The favorite thing that I’ve made here so far is assuredly the shrimp we made last week.”
Heiden seemed unsurprised that no gals were in class that evening, adding, “some the greatest chefs are men.”
Jill, Alex Heiden’s mom, sits down to a dinner that her son helped prepare.
“Parents are welcome to come to the classes,” Shumaker pointed out. “It’s great when they come and are part of it.”
The instructor added that the class can host a maximum of eight students, “because it gets kind of chaotic in a small kitchen. Students learn how to work together, and work with the ingredients and the kitchen tools at hand.”
Parkrose SUN Community School hosts a wide variety of after-school classes and activities. To get involved, contact their program director, Trevor Todd, (503) 408-2640.
© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service
New concept in patent care provides a lower treatment price, partners say. Learn about it all, right here …
Licensed acupuncturists and herbalists Mia Neuse and partner John Blank (here being treated) say they’ve found a way to make treatments comfortable and affordable.
Story and photo by David F. Ashton
Because even the best health insurance plans offer only limited acupuncture benefits, the co-founders of a new clinic say this health care alternative is often too expensive for folks of average means.
“This is our group room, a community room,” says partner Mia Neuse as we walk into a comfortable-looking room with five easy chairs. “It’s amazing how people enjoy a community setting. We treat families and couples in this room also.”
Offers lower-priced treatments
Because they can treat up to five people in their community room, Neuse says, they can charge between $15 and $25 per person, instead of the typical private rate of $65-$75.
John Blank, Neuse’s partner at the newly opened Montavilla Community Acupuncture Clinic, adds, “I’m treating a mother and four grown daughters in this room.”
“For some families, this is the most time they get to spend together,” comments Neuse, a licensed practitioner since 2005. “It’s a bonus that they can get treated, and have some peaceful time they can be with each other. They say they really appreciate it.”
Black says he’s been practicing since 1991 and notes, “I’ve treated a lot of individuals and groups.”
Herbs and health counseling
In addition to acupuncture, Neuse explains that both she and her partner also provide counseling regarding health changes, and how Chinese herbs may help. “Chinese herbs have a 3000 year history. Herbs provide low interaction, and low risk levels. I also do bodywork, including shiatsu – I learned it studying in Japan. We also use heat therapy, liniments, salve, and other techniques that promote healing.”
Blank continues, “We treat a wide variety of health complaints. I think that says it all.”
Clinic partners reside in Montavilla
“Since we both live in the neighborhood, we looked around to find a space where we could set up a practice. We’re delighted to be opening her clinic here on Stark Street, in part of the building that once housed Dixon’s Pharmacy.”
Neuse adds, “John is one of my mentors. It’s a privilege to be working with him here.”
Open house February 16
From 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, February 16th, the clinic is holding an open house to celebrate its opening. “Come on by and bring the family. Kids are always welcome here.”
Montavilla Community Acupuncture is located at 7925 SE Stark Street, next door to the Country Cat restaurant. Their web site is at www.montavillaacupuncture.com.
© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service
Even though it was sheltered by apartment buildings, see what the wind did to this two-story tall tree – and to the building behind it …
The roots simply gave way, and allowed this tree to fall into the apartments behind it.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
The storm on the evening of Wednesday, February 6, kept many people awake, as wind-blown rain pelted their windows, rattled their doors, and swayed trees in their yards.
But the force of the wind did unexpected damage to an apartment building in the 3700 block of SE Francis Street, just south of SE Powell Boulevard, that night.
A resident of those apartments, later watching the cleanup work being done, commented “At first I thought it was just branches brushing against the awning, being blown by the wind. It seemed a little louder and then it was quiet. But then I heard voices outside, came out and took a look, and saw that the tree had fallen over into the apartment building.”
The damage to the structure appeared light; no one was injured in the incident. However several late-sleeping residents nearby came out to see why the noise of chainsaws and a chipper-grinder howled throughout the morning, as crews removed the tree.
Regular care can’t always prevent a tree from falling over, but care can be more cost-effective than simply letting one fall over and damage your building.
Inspection is cheaper than damage repair
We asked Rob Crouch, Urban Forest Coordinator, Portland Parks & Recreation, why an apparently sturdy tree might fall over, even though it was partially sheltered by the wind.
“It could be root rot, or a micro-gust of wind pushed it over,” said Crouch, adding that he hadn’t inspected the tree. “Rain-saturated soil could contribute to it being uprooted. But we have saturated soil every year here.”
Crouch recommended that property owners have a licensed arborist evaluate large trees every two or three years. “They can appropriately prune trees, and spot decaying and dying trees and provide preventative services. It’s a lot less expensive to have your trees evaluated than to removed from a building’s roof or walls after they’ve fallen.”
© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service
If it passes, Multnomah County consumer car and truck registration fees will go up by nearly $50 per renewal; but commercial trucks get a free ride. See why the County Chair hopes you’ll vote for this tax anyway …
Explaining the county’s need for additional funds for bridge maintenance, Multnomah County Chair Ted Wheeler talks about the history of our aging bridges.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Multnomah County Chair Ted Wheeler is barnstorming the district, hoping citizens will shoulder the fiscal weight of fixing up the county’s sagging bridges.
At sparsely-attended a meeting in SE Portland on February 4, Chair Wheeler reminded attendees that the county, not the city, is responsible for all of the bridges that cross the Willamette River: the Broadway, Burnside, Hawthorne, Morrison, Sauvie Island, and Sellwood.
“These bridges range in age from 50 to 98 years,” Wheeler began. “Each day more than 180,000 vehicles cross the bridges, in addition to an estimated 12,000 bicyclists and thousands of pedestrians.”
Wheeler, supported at this meeting by County Commissioner Lisa Naito and staff transportation bureau staff members, said the county has a 20-year bridge repair capital shortfall of $490 million.
Chair Wheeler says the structural integrity of the bridges are at stake.
Reliability, integrity and seismic upgrades
“Four of our bridges have moveable lift spans,” Wheeler noted. “All machinery is old, and all of it needs work.”
The Broadway Bridge, he said, lifts and rolls back on big wheels. “When these bridges are repaired or upgraded, all of the parts must be custom made. We had a full metal shop at the base of the Burnside Bridge to custom make parts for that bridge.”
Wheeler next spoke about preserving the structural integrity of the structures and surfaces. “When you look at the corroded steel that needs replacement, the paint needed to help to preserve our bridges, and the deteriorating concrete on these bridges, it is clear we must take action.”
Additionally, the County Chair pointed out that these bridges need to be upgraded to modern seismic standards, too.
Calling the Sellwood Bridge the ‘poster child’ for bridges in need of repair, he says the fee increase will give the county money to leverage state and federal funds.
Sellwood: a ‘poster child’
“Of all the bridges that need attention,” Wheeler went on, “The Sellwood Bridge is the ‘poster child’. It was first opened in 1925. What many people don’t know is that it’s perhaps the nation’s first ‘green’ bridge – many parts used to build this bridge were recycled from the old Burnside Bridge when it was replaced.
Wheeler noted that the west end of this narrow bridge sags, has corroded steel and cracked concrete, and is too weak to support bus or truck traffic. “We estimate it will cost $300 Million, or more, to repair or replace this bridge.”
Sings the budget blues
Presenting the message long-sent by Portland City Commissioner Sam Adams, Wheeler bemoaned state’s limited per-gallon gas tax, without increase since 1994. “The revenue is flat, and our costs are up: The cost of asphalt is up 59%, steel up 128% and overall construction costs are up 85% since our last gas tax increase.”
The Board of County Commissioners, explained Wheeler, is considering referring a measure for the May ballot that would increase the county vehicle registration fee by $24 per vehicle, per year. Motorcycles will see a $12 per vehicle per year increase.
“The public has a fair right to say yes or no. We have the obligation to be honest about what it means it ‘live within our means’. If the increased fee is earmarked for roads and bridges, this measure looks best. It’s a straight up or straight down vote on whether or not to support this infrastructure.”
Multnomah County Commissioner Lisa Naito, county bridge project information officer Mike Pullen, and Chair Wheeler field questions.
Federal budget cycle causes urgency
Wheeler said $100 Million of the funds raised will be earmarked for the County’s share of the Sellwood Bridge project.
“We have to go to the regional and state government for funding; this measure doesn’t let the state or federal government off the hook. Federal Transportation Bill negotiations start this year; the next round is 6 years away. We need this money to help leverage federal funding.”
Questions and Answers
Q Many people from Clackamas, Washington and Columbia county use the Sellwood Bridge. Why not impose a toll?
A Wheeler: “I agree completely. We were pre-empted from charging tolls on County bridges when the state gave us the responsibility to care for the bridges. But, these bridges are undoubtedly part of the regional infrastructure picture. We need a Regional Bridge Authority. It is absurd that Multnomah County residents are solely responsible [to pay] for maintaining these bridges. We need the region to chip in.”
Q Commercial vehicles do more damage to bridges than consumer trucks or cars. Why aren’t they charged an additional licensing fee?
A Wheeler: “Commercial vehicles pay fees based on a different formula. We are, by state law, pre-empted from changing those fees.”
Q Why not an additional gas tax? Even visitors from out-of-state have to buy fuel.
A Wheeler: “There are very powerful lobbies involved. Big oil interests have deep pockets. Dealers will be upset in Multnomah County because they say a higher tax here will put them at a competitive disadvantage.”
Naito: “I think we can invoke a gas tax, but voters didn’t support it like they did the [increased] registration fee when we polled on the question. And, the state legislature is considering increasing the tax on gas to support state-wide transportation projects.”
Q What do you say to residents of the City of Maywood Park [landlocked within the City of Portland and in Multnomah County] who claim the fee increase is unfair because they’re being taxed for bridges they seldom use?
A Wheeler: All of the Maywood Park residents – if they get mail, or use goods and services that come into their community, make use of these bridges. Secondarily, the bridges are a part of the regional transportation infrastructure. If a bridge goes down for extended maintenance, everyone will feel the impact.”
More meetings to come
In closing, Wheeler stated, “We have to be honest. If it doesn’t pass, we are where we are today. We will live within our means. We’ll reevaluate all of our projects in terms of maintenance and repair.
“The cost is $2 per month per vehicle. This is not something we take lightly. The alternate question is, ‘If not this, then what?’ I’m not trying to cram this down anyone’s throat. It is very important to the vitality and economic stability of the entire community.”
The remaining town hall events are scheduled for:
- Monday, February 11, 6 – 8 pm, Multnomah Building, Boardroom, 501 SE Hawthorne Blvd., Portland
- Tuesday, February 19, 6 – 8 pm, North Portland Health Clinic, 9000 N. Lombard Blvd., Portland
© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service
Was he holding his ex-girlfriend hostage in the SE Powell Boulevard Motel 6 room with a gun? See why police took no chances, and called in SERT officers …
Because the suspect was reportedly using a handgun to hold a woman hostage, police officers and the SERT team closed down SE Powell Boulevard for blocks around the Motel 6.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Agreeing to meet and “work out problems” in their estranged relationship, 37-year-old Kenneth Clowers and 32-year-old Angel Crowe checked into the Motel 6 in the 3100 block of SE Powell Boulevard the evening of Monday, February 4.
According to Portland Police Bureau spokesman, Sgt. Brian Schmautz, the couple’s subsequent discussion was lubricated with spirits. “After quite a bit of alcohol consumption – about a half-gallon of vodka consumed by both people – Clowers and Crowe began to fight, sometime during the night or the following morning.”
At the front door of the motel, officers continued to gather information about the incident that mobilized the SERT squad.
When things started going badly, apparently Crowe picked up her cell phone, Schmautz said, and called her mother. Crowe’s mom then called 9-1-1 about 11:15 a.m. on Feb. 5 saying her daughter was being held against her will, at gunpoint.
“Because a gun was reportedly involved,” Schmautz told us, “police officers set up a parameter, isolated the motel room, and identified both the man and woman. Both individuals are known to police.”
Officers checked on the victim, reportedly punched during the incident, before she was taken to the hospital for evaluation.
As Special Emergency Response Team (SERT) officers scrambled into the area, hostage negotiators opened contact with Clowers. SE Powell Boulevard, from SE 32nd Avenue west to Cleveland High School – which was placed in a precautionary lockdown during the event – was closed to traffic.
“Negotiators reported hearing Crowe yelling, ‘He doesn’t have a gun’ in the background. We didn’t know if she was being coerced into saying that, or if Clowers was trying to provoke police into taking deadly force,” Schmautz added.
An officer stands guard, as SERT officers go through the motel room in search of a handgun, but found none.
About 12:30 p.m., negotiators convinced Clowers to surrender. Indeed, no handgun was found in the motel room.
“The only injury was to Crowe,” said Schmautz. “She was punched sometime during the incident. It was not a traumatic injury; officers later interviewed her at the hospital.”
Kenneth Clowers has been charged with Violation of a Restraining Order, Assault in the Fourth Degree (Domestic Violence), and Coercion.
© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service
Check out the energy at this event, where the only “rumble” were the bass notes blasting out of loudspeakers, as dancers acrobatically swiveled, spun and did handstands …
Break-dancers from miles around show their moves in this unique dance contest they call a “battle”.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
The name of the event itself, “Arcane Arts 2: The Apocalypse“, sounds like an invitation to a gang fight. But this “battle”, as participants call it, is actually a rather civilized dance contest.
“We held our first event if the kind last year,” says a Portland Parks & Recreation employee Trevor Todd, manager of the Parkrose SUN Community School. “Over 400 showed up, and it became an ‘instant’ annual event. This year we’ve got a crowd of nearly 600.”
Nearly 600 break-dance affictionados enjoy the heavy beat and light-on-the-feet moves of the battling dancers.
In “break-dance battle” competition, we learn, competing teams, or “crews”, of five members each take turns demonstrating their acrobatic hip-hop dance steps that include handstands, cartwheels, spins, and squat-steps reminiscent of traditional Russian dancing.
“They’re battling for a $500 grand prize,” Todd says. “We’ve got local break-dance and music celebrities judging the crews’ performances. DJ Sugarman, DJ from Arizona, is mixing the music.”
Parkrose joins the dance battle circuit
For some time, other battles have been hosted at colleges, such as Portland State University and Reed College, Todd tells us. “We’re becoming a break-dancing hub out here.”
In addition to checking out the newest and most creative dance steps, people who attend this event also consider it a social venue, Todd explains. “They wouldn’t call it ‘networking’, but that’s what it is for them. They get to see what moves the other teams have put together.”
The dancers put their heart, soul, and all of their bodies into their performances, Todd continues. “They definitely they blow off some steam in the process; they call it a ‘battle’ for good reason.”
MC Robert Moore, credited with bringing the dance competition to Parkrose, announces the next crews up to “battle”.
Crediting the Parkrose SUN Community School instructor – and tonight’s Master of Ceremonies – Robert Moore with creating this event at Parkrose High, Todd explains, “He’s brought everything together for this battle, from getting the judges, to the DJ, to printing and distributing the fliers.”
Under Moore’s tutelage, between 30 and 50 of kids and young adults gather at Parkrose High to practice their steps – and learn new ones – three times each week. “The sessions draw from not only Parkrose, but also David Douglas, Centennial, Reynolds, Madison and Benson High Schools,” reports Todd.
One of Skoolie B’s “Mini Bs” – a seven-year-old from his class at Mt. Scott Community Center – impresses the crowd.
Mini-Bees bust a move
This enthusiastic crowd of hip-hop dance aficionados loudly laud dance moves that can only be described as acrobatic – they twist, turn, and jump as the dancers each take their turn.
But the crowd doesn’t reserve cheers for only a few participants. When the 6- and 7-year olds from the class at Mt. Scott Community Center led by “Skoolie B” take the floor, they shout their approval for the youngsters’ dance antics.
Instead of hogging the spotlight, Skoolie B leads off with a couple of steps, and lets his “Mini-Bs” take over.
Skoolie B, also known as Marko Bome, says he’s happy to see his Mini Bs so well received. “We’re from inner SE Portland, you know, Brooklyn and Richmond and those neighborhoods. I have about 30 kids that come to the class. They work hard; they deserve to show their stuff here.”
While enthusiastic about the music and dance, the crowd at the “Arcane Arts 2: The Apocalypse” battle is mellow.
Says dance keeps one grounded
A graduate of Cleveland High School, Bome says, of the art form: “It’s true freedom of expression. It keeps you grounded, keeps your body up, and makes you feel good about yourself. And, it keeps you out of trouble.”
Looking over the crowd, gathered around center court at the Parkrose High gym, Bome adds, “Look at all these people here, there are no problems; everyone’s having a great time.”
Even if you can’t dance a step, Natalie Caminiti and Gina Richardson can help you look cool with one of these limited-edition T-Shirts they’re selling.
The winner is …
The “Massive Knuckle Force” crew won the team prize. We’re told they are a “super-group” recently formed from members of Massive Monkees (Seattle, 2004 World B-Boy Champions) and Knucklehead Zoo (Las Vegas) and other crews. They beat “The Freshest Kids” in the finals.
“Kareem”, a member of Massive Knuckle Force, won the individual prize.
If you are interested in getting involved, contact Trevor Todd, Parkrose SUN Community School, at (503) 408-2640.
© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service
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