SENTINEL NEWS SERVICE

We recieved this strange email just minutes ago...its very...strange...

from email release

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Your Host, The Kompletely Krazy B-Czar of St Johns

Attention all serfs, 

BEHOLD

This is I,  B-Czar MC Leonoff Romanoff,  Autocrat of Ceremonies and ‘Supreme Babushka’ of the 2008 St Johns Bizarre.
 
As overlord of all serfs, slaves, vendors, mineral extraction workers, pimps, and lovely lovely Czarinas of St Johns I command you to attend tomorrow’s (May 10th) St Johns Parade, Carnival and Bizarre.

The Parade is what all of Mother Russia is wait for through long, cold, dark, winter of miserable life. See for self...

ALL DAY LOVERS SAMPLE POD FEATURES, THE INVITATION, LIFE, LET ME SEE YOU AND THE CIRCLE

By Drew Gemmer. Photo Courtesy of All Day Lovers.

Harmonics and the strum of soft guitar are what introduce Sounds of You, the first full-length release from North Portland duo All Day Lovers.

True to their name, love songs abound on Sounds of You. So heartwarming and uplifting, in fact, that they could easily be mistaken for gospel music at times.

All Day Lovers is Elizabeth Joy Zarek and Jonathan Brinkley, both independent folk artists who, as they describe it, serendipitously met in 2004 at Portland’s Saturday Market. Brinkley was fresh from Ft. Worth, Texas. According to them, “The seamless blend of their two voices established itself right there on the sidewalk, and never left.”

Indeed, the melding of their voices could only be described as beautiful. Brinkley dominates as lead vocalist for much of the time, while Zarek lilts along charmingly and is underplayed, perhaps to the band’s detriment. Neither singer’s voice strays too far from the safe arms of the other though.

As the album progresses the pace increases and ballads are replaced with faster beats. The rhythm-driven djembe track, “The Circle II,” is undoubtedly the catchiest on the disc.

Though Sounds of You isn’t the bearer of huge ideas, it is a vehicle for emotionality and in that respect, a success. One might even argue that the band’s lyrics are a bit simplistic but it’s in their simplicity that lies All Day Lovers’ beauty. A line from the song “Simple” — “I love you so much, it’s simple” — could work as the band’s thesis statement. The album is simple and carefree. It’s music in one of its most uncomplicated forms: plainly, guitar and vocals. Percussion, the lub-dubbing heartbeat of most music, only makes an appearance on six of the 12 tracks.

THE PODCAST FEATURED ABOVE WAS PRODUCED BY WRITER/PRODUCER MEGHAN PLANCHON FOR KBOO RADIO THIS APRIL. MORE PROGRAM LIKE THIS AT KBOO.ORG

PLANCHON'S SECOND KBOO PROGRAM WILL BE PODCAST ON THIS SITE ON FRIDAY MAY 9TH

By Meghan Planchon

On a recent Saturday afternoon, day laborer Jorge Antonio stood on the corner of Southeast Sixth and Ankeny, gazing south. Dark clouds threatened a downpour.

He and 10 or so other men waiting on the street for work passed the time joking and talking. A priest in jeans with a thick southern accent stopped by, and called the day laborers into a circle.  “Paisanos, venga!” he said, leading them in a short prayer before handing out sandwiches. “Dear lord, give the people a place to live, a job to go to, and all the blessings that go with it. Jesus, Amen.”

North Portland resident Hector Vazquez can often be found looking for work on the same corner as Jorge Antonio, wearing his camouflage carpenter pants and yellow-hooded sweatshirt.
Although he is a contractor and will sometimes hire day laborers himself, Vazquez works as a day laborer at times. Last year he picked apples in Washington.

Workers like these will now have a more formal way to find work.  On March 5, the Portland City Council voted unanimously to open a hiring center for day laborers. The site, a vacant lot located at 240 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., was initially scheduled to open on May 6. But funding delays will likely push that back to at least mid-June, as organizers scramble to find a tent and portable sanitation units for the venue. 

By William Crawford and Cornelius Swart

On Saturday, May 10, North Portland will take to the streets for the 46th Annual St. Johns Parade, featuring a day of activities for the whole family in downtown St. Johns, including the return of the St. Johns Carnival, the St. Johns Bizarre, hula dancing, new-age jamborees, sidewalk sales, and more.

St. Johns Days carnival presented by Funtastic Shows returns to parade weekend, running May 9-1. It will be sited at the old Sterling Auto lot at North Richmond Avenue and Lombard Street.  A carnival accompanied the parade for many years and was traditionally sited in the James John School playground at North Charleston.  Joe Beeler, organizer of the Cathedral Park Jazz Festival, stated that he organized this year’s carnival “in about four phone calls.”

The return of the carnival joins the St. Johns Bizarre and a host of other activities downtown that should provide the busiest parade day St. Johns has seen in years.

This year’s parade theme is “There’s No Place Like Home,” with Luaudrey Starnes serving as grand marshal.  The longtime resident with a heart the size of her native state of Texas will be on hand with a host of dignitaries, Rose Princesses, beautiful classic cars, bands, street theater and a solid showing of local community spirit.

For a full festival guide go to page 17 or www.portlandsentinel.com/stjohnsparade.

By Mara Grunbaum. Photo by Jason E. Kaplan.

“Richard!” a grade schooler titters. “Girls can breathe through their butts!”

But not even physiological revelations can distract 9-year-old Richard Smith from the canvas chessboard hanging in the Astor Elementary School library. Twice a week, volunteer coach John Dozier sets up plays and teaches strategies to the advanced group of the Astor Eagles chess club. Twenty kids spill over tables, strain to raise their arms and shout out the moves to complete the checkmate.

SENTINEL NEWS SERVICE

The outside northbound lane of US Highway 30 will be closed near the Sauvie Island Bridge on May 8, 9 and 12 (Thursday, Friday and Monday) due to construction work on the new Sauvie Island Bridge.

The closure will allow the contractor to work on the new bridge abutment. The inside northbound lane will remain open to through traffic and traffic turning right onto the bridge. All lanes of Highway 30 will be open to traffic by 3:00 p.m. each day to accommodate the evening commute north from Portland.

Clarendon-Portsmouth parents back uniforms for students
By Rebecca Robinson

Around 50 parents of students at Clarendon-Portsmouth School attended a Parent-Teacher-Student Association meeting on April 8 to discuss requiring uniforms for all of the K-8 school’s students during the 2008-2009 school year.

While no vote was taken or concrete decision made, there was strong support among the majority of parents present for a uniform policy.

Yolanda Morales, who works with Clarendon-Portsmouth as a Community Liaison with the Multnomah County Health Department, facilitated the meeting.  She said that the PTSA, along with other interested parents, had explored several different uniform companies but had not decided on a supplier or what the required uniform colors would be. All uniform pieces — shirts, pants, skirts, sweaters, and shoes — would be sold separately.  The average shirt would cost approximately $7; the average for pants and skirts would be around $12.

Most of those present — almost all Latino — were in favor of a uniform policy, saying that uniforms would instill discipline in children and help establish equality between students so that pricey jeans and new Nikes would no longer separate the haves from the have-nots. Some also suggested that uniforms could create a safer environment because students couldn’t dress in certain colors to express gang affiliation.

Dear PDC Commissioners:

On behalf of the property owners, business owners, voters and taxpayers of the Portsmouth neighborhood and those of the other nine neighborhoods in the Interstate Corridor Urban Renew Area and the Interstate Corridor Urban Renewal Area Advisory Committee I ask that you respond to the following letter which was placed on the public record in early November 2007.

SENTINEL NEWS SERVICE
 

Bikeportland.org is reporting that transportation commissioner and Mayor Apparent Sam Adams will, himself, pull the plug on the capricious bike-bridge project across I-405.  This time it appears the funding forecast for Oregon's  Department of Transportation looks bleaker than expected due to high gas prices, and that there maybe a projected $2 million "margin for error" in the project's current $5.5 million price tag.

SENTINEL NEWS SERVICE

At approximately 7:15 p.m. Tuesday,  two teen drivers collided at the corner of N. Lombard and N. Omaha in a spectacular crash that left one vehicle destroyed and four young people shaken.

Julyo Ramirez, aged 19, claimed he was driving west-bound on Lombard in the left lane when a Plymouth mini-van crossing Lombard from N. Olma, heading south, struck the car.  The collision tossed the car through the air, across both east-bound lanes where it crashed, facing south, on the sidewalk in front of the parking lot of the Kenton Videorama (a faithful advertiser and supporter of this newspaper).

As the deadline (May 20) approaches for the Oregon primary, KBOO (90.7 FM) will be broadcasting a number of candidate forums. Each will be open for live call-ins to candidates seeking state and local and offices.

From 7:30-9 each weekday morning through May 16, KBOO will broadcast the following candidate forums:

Wednesday, May 7 - Mayoral candidates forum (four candidates)

Thursday, May 8 – City Council Seat No. 1 (Jeff Bissonette, John Branam, Mike Fahey, Amanda Fritz, Charles Lewis, Christopher Smith,)

Supporters of keeping Colwood National Golf Course zoned as open space have unveiled a new website that outlines the problems that would result from allowing industrial development on this golf course.  The purpose of the website is to provide interested citizens with a way to get informed on the issue and to take action; any time day or night.

SENTINEL NEWS SERVICE

Opponents to a proposed rezoning of the Colwood National Golf Club (7313 N.E. Columbia Blvd.) unveiled their website today: www.keepcolwoodgreen.com. 

SENTINEL NEWS SERVICE

7 and half unstoppable minutes of local news featuring a bizarre conversation between Managing Editor Cornelius Swart and Bill Crawford about the St Johns Parade and other events coming up this the weekend of Saturday May 10th. This does include a fairly indepth discussion of the St Johns Bizarre Streetfair, sponsored the Sentinel. All proceeds will go to benifit homeless ringworms in the greater St Johns area. No..that's not true. But it is a non-profit event.

Mentioned in our POD, other things going on beside the Parade....

Zompire: The Undead Film Festival
 
Start: 05/09/2008 - 7:00pm
End: 05/10/2008 - 1:00am
Zompire: The Undead Film Festival is back for the third year, and boasts the best 13 hours of Undead Entertainment around. The festival is dedicated to all things undead, highlighting various filmmakers creative attempts to show the undead in new and unexpected ways. All of the selected films for 2008 have been posted on the website.

By William Crawford

The Boise Neighborhood Association has taken a stand against the city's plan for an extensive streetcar system throughout North and Northeast Portland. In an open letter to Patrick Sweeney of PDOT the neighborhood calls for the process to be put on hold until the city provides "adequate responses."

"We believe that the timeline for communities to reach a decision is too aggressive and that the information being provided to communities is insufficient to support good decisions," reads the letter.

DOWNLOAD OUR PDF ELECTION GUIDE FROM THE ATTACHMENT LINK AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS STORY AND GET OUR ALL OUR CANDIDATE PROFILES, LETTERS AND ENDORSEMENTS FROM THE LAST 6 MONTHS OF OUR COVERAGE

SENTINEL NEWS SERVICE

Portland’s City Council will hold a budget hearing on from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 8 at King School. 4906 NE Sixth Ave. The hearing will seek public input on Mayor Tom Potter’s proposed 2008-09 city budget.

The proposed budget is posted at http://www.portlandonline.com/communitybudget. Council is scheduled to vote on the budget May 14.