Front Street Weekly; 312

[water noises] Oregon Public Broadcasting presents Front Street Weekly a television magazine featuring news and arts coverage from an Oregon perspective with Gwenyth Gamble and Jim Swenson. [opening music] Good evening Gwenyth Gamble. Welcome to Front Street Weekly.

I'm Jim Swanson and here are some highlights of the stories that we'll be seeing tonight. Oregon has a new juvenile law which prevents kids from being locked up in detention homes before their trials. The problem is that no money was allocated to develop alternative shelter care for the youngsters. For 25 years Barbie has been one of America's most popular dolls. But now Barbie's designer is having second thoughts about his creation. You get to be teenagers, they look in the mirror and Barbie they're not. And it is had a very definitely a profound effect. We'll attend a unique class for children where they learn good manners and proper party protocol. Good Samaritan hospital's research program brings together scientists and physicians in their search for better patient care. Tonight a look at a new device for the diagnosis of dizziness and balance problems. Right now the test is a unique one we're the only ones that do it. This is a one of a kind device in the world. And if you notice the conditions of bridges and highways throughout Oregon, well we have.

Oregon is having a problem with deteriorated highways but so is every other state it's really a national problem. And finally correspondent Steve Ammon hits the streets in search of a good laugh. Oregon's new juvenile law has a lot of people on edge these days. That's because many kids who are suspected of committing serious crimes can be back on the streets before their court hearings. Many believe the legislature was reckless because it did not provide money for alternative shelters for these children. Beth "Willon" has the report. Under the new juvenile law kids suspected of minor and serious crimes cannot be locked up before their court hearings. No one is arguing with the intent of the law that is finding alternatives to detention for runaways, curfew violators and youngsters suspected of their first serious crimes the people who work with these kids are up in arms. That's because a 1983 legislature failed to provide money for alternative shelter care.

What will happen to those kids? They'll be at risk. They're already at risk because they were referred to the juvenile court that puts them at risk when they are turned away from the court and the department without services that puts them at a higher risk So for example if someone were accused of rape for the first time in lived say in an apartment building and we would be unable to hold that youngster in detention it would potentially be exposing the youngster to danger if the community's upset or certainly the victim. If we don't have enough time to know very much about the child. Juveniles arrested for minor offenses can be back on the streets in three hours if shelter, homecare or the minors parents cannot be found and even juveniles suspected of committing serious crimes like rape or burglary can be released shortly after they are taken into custody if they have no previous record. The problem is that children are not entitled to bail in this state and I would certainly prefer that they were and the adult standards applied. But in the absence

of bail we then have to define what children really require security attention. The purpose of pretrial detention as far as I'm concerned whether it's of adults or juveniles is to assure that that person is going to show up at the time he or she is supposed to be in court for hearing. Adult bail is not a concept that's intended to keep people off the streets who might commit crimes if they were let go. Some critics say the new law is one more step in the state's preoccupation with the mechanics of due process and the rights of minors. A shift those critics say that is causing us to lose sight of the purpose of the juvenile justice system. And that my fear is that by all of the rights people will say well then they must have their responsibilities and start looking at punishment and consequences. And we'll closer and closer parallel the adult system until they will merge again the

juvenile department and the court have been pretty much on the front line. So I asked the juvenile department and the juvenile court to disregard the status of the child as a child. It creates a lot of tension. And I think that's it's been a problem in Oregon for as long as I've been practicing law Since the turn of the century it's been up to Oregon's juvenile justice courts to decide who can hold youth offenders and for how long. But those responsibilities have been more and more restricted by juvenile laws enacted during the last 17 years. That leaves the courts and community youth agencies with no direction. I think there's much to be said for whether the juvenile justice system should be providing the resources or rather other agencies in the community should be providing resources. But certainly the resources should be provided.

I think as adults and again recognizing the difference between adults and youths someone needs to be responsible to show that youth some alternatives and not allow them to be self-destructive not allow a young 14 year old girl even though she says she enjoys prostitution to continue to do that. That's irresponsible I think on our part. It's still too early to tell whether there will be cost savings with the new limited detention law but soon Oregon's juvenile commission will ask a legislative emergency board for more money to fund existing shelter homes. In the meantime communities like Multnomah county provided emergency funds in the thousands of dollars to place about 60 kids a month in youth shelters. And youth shelters like Harry's Mother Runaway home here in Portland were willing to take in the additional kids charged with misdemeanor and delinquent crimes but when the money ran out last December they could no longer accept them. What you have to have is a whole variety of options. Those don't exist in the community right now. That variety. We have some resources for some kids but

it's very clear that this bill has flooded the system's ability to absorb kids appropriately. Dennis Morrow directs a youth program providing homes for kids like Misty a runaway. Misty was arrested by the Portland Police last December. Before the new law was in place she might have been kept in the county detention home Instead, Misty was immediately referred to Harry's Mother a non-security shelter home. I think a runaway should be put with a runaway.I mean I don't think like a runaway should be put with someone who's robbed a bank or ripped off something from a store because it's different and you when you run away you can talk to people that have done the same thing you have done. But the number of referrals like Misty's have dropped significantly since a new law took effect last October. In Multnomah the police have the attitude of why bring them in when they're going to be turned out onto the streets. Those things that might not be as important as others often slip through the cracks. And if

the officers are perceiving that it doesn't do any good to take runaways into custody they're probably going to defer that situation to something else perhaps more demanding that puzzles me because For many many years now the court has not had the capacity to hold status offenders for any significant length of time 72 hours maximum We were averaging 190 to 200 detentions a year. We have in the last year reduced that to about a dozen. That raises some significant questions what's happening to those other children. Oregon's rural counties began having problems placing youth offenders in 1982 when a U.S. district court ruled youths cannot be held in adult jails. The only secure facilities many of those communities had in place the counties have resorted to putting juveniles in private homes. And I worry about the possibility of

that blowing up eventually. We've been very fortunate in the last year we haven't had the kind of crisis that we anticipated quite frankly. We haven't had problems with children committing serious property crimes in the community once they have been placed. But even if the state funds those alternative community shelters the youths referred to them are not locked in. They can always walk out the door. I would advocate a change at some point and some other states have it. For example if they have like three chances to in an alternative other than detention if they're placed in shelter caring and care and run away and they're trying to evade supervision in the community and perhaps on the third time then they should be elevated into detention. No I think the detention home all they do is they just lock you up and that's it. And I think that would if anything. If I was in that situation it would just make me mad and I would

probably go right back to doing it. But solutions to alternative shelter home problems cannot be examined until the state provides money for those alternative homes. If there are no funds available on a county or state level to provide services for those youngsters then they will go without service. There's a problem here and these kids are not getting the services. Are we willing to say we don't care about the problem we aren't going to give them services or do we want to try to reach a reasonable responsible decision on how services will be provided. The state Juvenile Services Commission will ask the legislative emergency board for money for alternative shelter homes this month. Who is America's most popular female. Well I guess you could make an argument that it's Barbie the most successful doll in American history. With that success though has come some controversy as Rhonda Barton explains.

Remember 1959 Ike was our commander in the White House and Mack the Knife was number one on the hit parade. Teams were sporting Ducktown haircuts swooning over Elvis the Pelvis and coining phrases like "Cool man Cool". On college campuses Stuffing film booths Was a spring time ritual. Hula Hoops were big that year and Comedies like Ozzie and Harriet kept us glued to the tube 1959 was also the year little girls discovered puberty by the thousands they traded their cuddly baby dolls for this 11 and a half inch knock out Barbie. According to Mattel Barbie was America's first adult figure doll. She had the equivalent of a 40 to 24 38 body and within two years she was the best selling doll ever. A quarter century later Barbie is still a fixture on America's toy shelves in a fickle business where today's hit is tomorrow's has been over 100 and 50

million of these dolls have been sold. That's made Mattel corporation rich and happy. But it's caused some concern for an Oregon man who's known as the father of Barbie He thinks that Barbie dolls may have a negative impact on little girls' self-image. Some of these kids they play with these dolls. They have 10 15 of them or more and they spend a lot of time with them. And they they get in their mind how they should perhaps look when they get older. They to be teenagers they look in the mirror and Barbie they're not. and it is had a very definitely a profound effect. Bill Barton headed the design team that gave birth to Barbie. The idea that launched an Empire was the brainstorm of Barton's employer with Handler of Mattel. Handler noticed that her daughter Barbara enjoyed playing with grown up looking paper dolls. Why not give her and other little girls a three dimensional adult doll with lots of clothes for dress obsessions. Getting just the right look for Barbie took Barton seven and a

half months and 69 versions. Ankles noses and arms of many different women went into the final model. Soon after the dolls introduction Barton left Mattel eventually settling in Oakland Oregon near Roseburg. Today he spends his days in a workshop attached to his house. With a friend Dan Blue. He's developing a $20,000 airplane to be sold in kits. He's also making customized TV satellite dishes. Despite these new projects and dozens of inventions still brewing in his mind Barton remains preoccupied with his most famous creation and how she's changed over time. He's spoken out against Barbie's current emphasis on beauty sex and high fashion. He's also started a foundation to fund research into anorexia, an illness marked by extreme weight loss and fear of obesity. Barton thinks some girls may develop anorexia because of their desire to have a thin Barbie like body.

You have anorexia All around us now it seems to be something that's growing and growing. And there's a lot of psychologists that have identified the roots of that and some of the people we've been treating that identify it coming from, Barbie. The basis for Barton's claims lies mainly in the research of James Dobson the California psychologist who has a national radio show called Focus on the family. Dobson has written that Barbie and her boyfriend Ken load an emotional time bomb set to explode when the teenager realizes she's not a gorgeous slender doll. For a second opinion on this so-called Barbie syndrome we visited Portland Adventist Medical Center Dr. Warner "Sworner" heads a special clinic here that treats young women with eating disorders like anorexia.

We certainly have seen a tremendous increase I believe in eating disorders and people with body image distortions in the past 10 15 years. Enough to suggest that there is a strong cultural factor involved in this increase I believe that the Barbie factor like you described it may be a significant part. Swarner adds though there's no single cause for these disorders. Pointing the finger at Barbie maybe an easy out for people who want a simple answer to a complex problem. Families often seek a release and they blame Barbie rather than really looking at the communication factors in the family that may have broken down or other social cultural factors that may be present as well as a person's own predisposition to developing an anxiety syndrome: overly sensitive to certain types of situations. Mattel says it's ludicrous to link Barbie with anorexia and other psychological problems. Company spokesman Jack Fox calls Barton's allegations very

farfetched and says Mattel has been careful to keep Barbie's image wholesome from the ringing of the cash register. It appears American consumers agree. Barbie isn't hazardous to children's health. Mothers who played with the dolls 20 years ago are buying them now for their daughters. Collectors are also unconcerned about the controversy. Finding appealing in the doll's nostalgia qualities. I think it brings back her childhood because of the things that we used to wear when we were kids and the clothes are just so cute. Of course there's also the investment value of dolls like the 1959 model that Barton worked on. But this came dressed in a box so it's called The dressed box dolls and it had this little outfit on. And it had the barbecue outfit. How much is something like that worth now? It's just according what you can get someone to pay for them. If I want to buy that how much would you try to sell it to me for. About two thousand.

"Seafret Stalls" filled two rooms of her Portland home and provide a kind of pop culture view of our society. There's the bubble hairdo with the 1960s changes in men's styles from the crewcut boy next door to the MoD swinger of the early 70s the emergence of Black's as popular role models such as Diane Carroll as the nurse Julia even the Nehru jacket fad shows up and the campus protest era with its vitriolic slogans cleaned up for mass consumption. How our times will be interpreted in Barbie's of the future Mattel isn't saying but the company says it has no intention of pushing this 25 year old teenager aside. Meanwhile Bill Barton has plans of his own. He's thinking of creating a doll to counteract Barbie's effect one that will bring kids back to reality. You're a cute little doll Adore so she has a flaw. Nose a little crooked ears

a little bit too big. Eyes a little too close together to far apart. Freckles maybe even some zits. So she has a flaw she's not perfect and nobody's perfect. I'm not sure but that may be why the Cabbage Patch doll was so popular this past season. One added bit of trivia to this hard hitting story Mattel sells 20 million Barbie outfits a year which makes it the country's largest manufacturer of women's wear. [Music] There are all kinds of extra curricular classes these days for children ranging from computer

technology to ballet. But our next story deals with a class for very young children with a specialized theme. Good manners for minors. When was the last time you donned white gloves before attending a party. When was the last time you carefully removed your doilie from under your finger bowl before using it or for that matter when was the last time you used a finger bowl. Well we learned in a class of six seven and eight year olds were learning about those and other social amenities here at children's store Le papillon Mary Mark. nee Mrs. Melvin Martin Jr. is a handsome woman whose very essence oozes charm and breeding assisted by Elizabeth "Fewel" also a gracious lady in the true sense of that word. Mary Mark offers a class to the Very Young called white gloves and party manners. But what brings these two ideal pedagogues of protocol to Le Papillon children store. Owner Gene Coon explains.

I had read an article about this manners class from Marjah Belle Young Stewart and she has franchises for it. She started in her start in Washington D.C. teaching diplomat's children and went from there and it grew and grew and she's written books within Buchwald and and she now owns I think over 700 franchises. I was fortunate enough to get it for this area and it's just been a wonderful thing it was so needed and everyone has responded so tremendously well to it. You've been in the retailing business for children's clothes for some time. Have you noticed a change in the behavior of children say in the last 10 years. Yes. I have. What kind of a change. Not always for the good. Unfortunately I think probably there's more permissiveness. Today as far as parents are concerned and there has been less stress on manners and good behavior and I think it is returning. I think that parents are feeling Very much that they need to go back the other way. And. I think that's why this class is

so popular. And parents do agree that their children benefit from the mannerly madams Mark and Fewel I was just impressed I just though Gosh that's something I wish I would have had when I was little. And so I registered them. Well have you seen any difference in your children? Oh much what kind of difference. Well Judy who's six could never give us a full message when she'd answer the phone. So she would you know we get half a message or somebody called and the first week she took telephone manners then we were outside working and she came out and she said so and so called and he wants you to call back as soon as you're not busy and that was the first time I've ever had that. You were flabbergasted. Yeah the program was worth it for just that and Kathy's just more conscious of you know how she carries herself and how she talks to her friends and you know I just she has more confidence in herself. I really feel the class is worth it. Well my mother said I have really bad table manners She really wanted me to get my manners better. What kind of bad

table manners kathy. Like me and my sister used to eat with my hand, our hands. You ate your food with your hands. Yes. But you don't do that any more. With spaghetti we use our fingers for knives. What about peas? How do you how do you eat peas do you put them on a knife? No we eat them like this Eagerly students lined up to greet Mary Mark for their weekly hour long session at the outset. The children learned there is a proper way to greet the teacher. MARTIN How do you do? Very nice. Hello you can't shake hands with your right hand today can you Michelle hello hello Annabel How are you. How do you do Jessica How do you do Kaylyn. Thank you how beautiful. Would you like me to have this one Thank you Should we shake hands too. Here alright Hello Adrian how are you.

Thank you. Upon taking a roll, Mary Mark explains what this day's class will cover. This day she reviewed correct dining etiquette. The children listened attentively. Well most of them and you would take that and you would hold the same way. And sip your soup and turn your spoon away from you. See? Then you would never leave it in your cup like that because it could fall. you put it on the side on the saucer like that The fork and the spoon might be on the dessert plate you lift them up and you'd put them to the side like that. You would lift the finger bowl as a very fancy meal we're You would take the doily and put it to the side and then put the finger bowl on top of it. On another day Elizabeth Fewel stressed the importance of good grooming. Now it's a good idea to pick one night a week in which you're going to take very special care of yourself.

Today they were talking about good grooming. What do you think good grooming means Nicole. I don't know Let's take a look at those fingernails. Well that's interesting. Is that good grooming. Why did you decide to take this class? I need to know I needed to know and you needed you know more manners is that what your mom and dad told you or is that just what you thought. You needed to know. I needed to know Amber This class is called white gloves and party manners where are your white gloves? I left them at home When do you wear your white gloves Amber. I don't really wear them at all. You don't wear them at all but maybe after you've taken this class you'll be wearing your white gloves, you think?Yeah What did you learn today about good grooming? Well, lots of things What can you think of to tell me about that I should know about good grooming. Well how you brush your hair and how you brush your teeth

Do you brush your teeth every night and every morning what about your fingernails what'd you learned about fingernails today? I learned how to keep them clean and just push the cuticles back Christi what is the most fun thing you've done in this class. Listening Listening is that the most fun what do you like to listen about. The thing about parties About parties do you like to go to parties? And learning about manners Learning to carry oneself gracefully as well as to pivot with poise can be arduous for both teacher and student However Both persevere. Put your left for out, bring your right foot forward And the turn. Good very good and then do the same thing again.

Mary mark remains in more than enthusiastic about the concept of this class Has it been fun? No, I have been teaching it now for almost a year and a half and I'll continue yes I've enjoyed it, it's fun working with the children and I've had a good time doing it Less some be concerned. This class on decorum produced nothing but Little Goody Two-Shoes. This Front Street reporter observed that even in a class on manners kids will be kids. [kids laughing] I hope you've enjoyed the class and learned about manners and why manners are important. Manners are important because they

help us get along pleasantly with other people and they're kind and polite ways to act with other people. And when you have questions in the future and you don't know what to do and you can ask your parents or refer to your book and it will probably give you the answer. Mrs. Mark I have one more question. Is it good manners for one to pick up one's bacon. If it's very crispy you may. [laughs] Thank you OK Jimmy now you know it's all right to eat your bacon with your fingers if it's very crisp. I notice there's a note here that says add in to my calendar. Several courses for myself Anchor etiquette Yes actually though what we did discover was that what these children are getting is really the sense that good manners basically are just courtesy. You treat someone fairly and with courtesy and kindness and that's basically good manners right I noticed there weren't any boys in the class. As a matter of fact there weren't in this particular class they give classes for boys. Those are specialized just for boys

classes she said that the boys have little greater tendency to wiggle and fidget and stuff. Well I'll look into that part of it. Now of you know some cultural events coming up so. [music] 50 percent of our healthcare dollars are spent for the treatment of diseases and disorders

which involve the brain and nervous system. No other group of illnesses has been more difficult to treat and endless research is necessary to understand these complicated systems because of the vision of neurologist Dr. Robert Dow. Good Samaritans neurological sciences center in Portland has a research branch the neurological Sciences Institute. The neurological sciences Institute at Good Samaritan Hospital began in the days when Dr. Dow was the only neurologist on staff. Early he saw the need for basic and clinical research as well as treatment. If you're going to have an educational program if you're going to have a clinical service program at a high level of sophistication then research has an important part. Lewis Nashner was one of the first researchers to join the institute staff. What attracted me here was the possibility that I could be working with a basic research group and yet be in a hospital setting where I would eventually have access to patients and be able to test some

of the experimental ideas with patients. Lynn "Newenshronder" a Portland mounted policeman was one of the patients who profited by Dr. Nashner's whose research. In January 1982 Lynn was having his horse groomed at the city barns when the sudden whir of the Clippers startled the animal. The horse swung his head around towards my right side hitting me in the head and knocking me down on a table and knocking me out. Lynn apparently recovered from the blow and then suddenly 10 months later he began to experience severe dizziness and nausea. This brought him eventually to the office of Dr. Owen Black. Head of the hospital's division of neurotology This is especially concerned with the causes and treatment of dizziness and other balance problems. The main complaint that people have in my practice because I'm interested in the inner ear balance system or the vestibular system is either dizziness or disequilibrium sometimes

motion sickness. Sometimes with, sometimes without hearing loss. Dr. Black says that balance problems are at least as common as hearing loss that 40 percent of those people over 40 years of age will at some time be plagued by dizziness and loss of balance. So far head injuries have caused most of the problems Dr. Black has treated. Since his arrival in Oregon a year ago. So Lynn "Newenshronder's" case was typical Mr. "Newenshronder" dislodged one of the inner ear bones from the ear causing some of the fluids to leak from the inner ear to the middle ear. There's a little membrane that separates the middle ear and the inner ear and that membrane had ruptured when the horse had struck me in the head. It healed over a slight bit so that the seepage of the fluids from one side of the ear to the other was being controlled. And then at some point I had re-injured it again. Creating the problem when I had to go to the hospital what he did is he took a small

portion off of my earlobe and took that inside my my inner ear and repaired the damaged membrane with that. Many many laboratories have the capability of doing one type of test and one and one type of. Or maybe a number of types of treatments. It's just that we're putting them all together and in one laboratory and in addition we have a technique that doctor Nashner at NIS - NSI developed and I think is a key technique because it helps us isolate inner ear balance function. Lewis Nashner started his basic research during his graduate study at MIT. He was exploring the use of computers to help him analyze and understand the body mechanisms that keep us in balance so we can sit stand and walk upright. What's come out of the basic research is an understanding of how these systems are put together and what we've done is put the techniques

together to make a test for how well the inner ear is able to function in unraveling problems. At the neurological sciences Institute Nashner has developed this movable platform to help in the analysis of balance problems. For Lynn his was the most important test he was given. Right now the test is a unique one we're the only ones that do it. This is a one of a kind device in the world. And also you'll notice that it's it's looking a little crude as a device in other words it's not something that we would foresee being in a sort of a polished nice device that could be run by a technician in the clinic. It's still in an experimental phase. The collaboration of Owen Black and Lewis Nashner is an excellent example of the way a researcher and physician can work together in the neurological sciences center within a hospital setting.

Dr. Nashner and I have have a list of projects that we would like to see done that would take us 100 years to get accomplished. Research projects at the institute usually develop from the special interest of the scientists themselves or at the request of the clinical departments and physicians with whom they work. But sometimes a layman comes to them with an idea. This is Doug Taylor a Portland schoolteacher who lost both his arms in an industrial accident two years ago the Vancouver Methodist Church Foundation bought him a set of sophisticated myoelectric prosthesis. But after 15 years of working with mechanically operated hooks he felt a lot of frustration trying to learn to use his new arms. Yes actually I'm only wearing half of the arms of the myo- electric components that I have that is because I have found that in the daily use of the arms so far the transition from the mechanical design components which this arm is to the myoelectric components which this arm is, is a slow process.

The motors which power Doug's elbow wrist and hand movements are controlled by electrical impulses which are generated by contractions of his shoulder and chest muscles. Those are very difficult controls to learn. Now with financial help from "Keptronics" working with Dr. Paul Cordo at the institute to devise a training program for amputees who want to use this new type of artificial limb. Dr. Cordo's special interest is in the way the brain controls muscular activity in the upper body and arms. There has been a lot of money and a lot of time and effort has been devoted to the advancement of the technology behind this kind of prosthesis. Little Very little attention if any at all has been devoted to developing methods of training individuals to control myoelectric prosthesis. We're beginning to attempt to train Doug to control multiple

joints simultaneously. The method that we are investigating trying to develop involves the use of computer simulated graphics and what we have here on the screen is a graphic representation of Doug's right myoelectric prosthesis the angle between these two rectangles represents the angle of his elbow the rotational angle of this circle which can be identified by this little notch on the circle represents the rotational position of Doug's wrist and the size of the circle which can shrink or enlargen represents the opening and closure of Doug's hand. By representing the myoelectric prosthesis the three independent joints of the prosthesis on the screen we can then

simulate the movement of the prosthesis and train Doug to track various kinds of movements and develop simultaneous coordination of multiple joints. The importance of the computer is the feedback you see when you're trying to train. We're used to using touch as our feedback with hands and we know that we're doing it right. When we touch or we feel something. Now if you're holding something and you can't feel what you're holding. If it if it starts to slip you don't know it often unless you happen to be looking at it. Well if you're looking at one specific thing you can't be aware of all of them. Now with the computer the addition of that visual stimulus allows you not to be concentrating down there but to be as though you knew where you were as though you had that touch because you can look away from it and it'll allow you to develop the skill without continuously having to be looking at it like this.

For instance you're able just to look and know that what's happening is what you want to occur if successful the work of Doug Taylor and Paul Cordo will help not only Doug but all amputees to face the difficult task of learning to use the new technology available to them. The neurological sciences Institute began as a research group only loosely associated with the hospital. Today it's become an accepted part of the neurological sciences center which will soon be brought together in a new building. We look upon this as being something that will focus the center in a building. It has been hard for people to gain an idea of a center without there being a building. But we've gone about it by developing programs. And now the programs are scattered all over the campus and we're hoping this building will serve to bring them all together and we know that it will. Well as Dr. Dow said the neurosensory center at Good Samaritan Hospital is now under

construction by the fall of 1985 the facility will be ready to serve patients. [river water] [water] [river water noises] Infra- a prefix meaning below infrastructure those structures below us that support us as a society streets sidewalks sewers and bridges. If you haven't taken a look at those structures lately you may not have noticed that they're beginning to crumble right under our very feet. Trish "Nyworth" has this report. It was almost a year ago that this 100 foot long stretch of the Mianus River Bridge in Connecticut collapsed into the river. Luckily nothing of that magnitude has ever happened to any of Oregon's bridges and

state highway division engineers say there's little chance of anything like it happening in the near future. Still that's exactly what the engineers said in the state of Connecticut right before the middle of that bridge fell in. We do have a problem with bridges and highways simply wearing out in Oregon. However balanced against an entire nation on a national basis our highways and bridges are a new problem is not. Perhaps as immediate as some places. But even though disaster isn't imminent. Oregon's highways and bridges are crumbling. According to a recent study done by the Bureau of governmental research and service out of the University of Oregon. This state does have a serious infrastructure problem throughout Oregon highways and bridges are actually deteriorating both minor and major repairs are needed on about one fifth of the state's bridges and on about half of the highways. That means cracks in the pavement that need repair potholes that need filling and faults in bridge

structure and foundation. Oregon is having a problem with deteriorating highways but so is every other state it's really a national problem. And I think this will become one of the main issues of the near future is the deterioration of our infrastructure not just highways but bridges and sewer systems and water systems and all the basic kinds of services that people expect from government. It's only been the last 10 years that Oregon has experienced any kind of deterioration problems. Our bridges and highways are fairly young. Most of ours are about 50 years old compared to the East Coast where many are 100 years and older. But Oregon's highways and bridges are beginning to age and it shows. It seems that they're just plain wearing out and that presents an increasing threat to Oregonians who are walking and driving. Besides natural aging many of Oregon's earlier roads and bridges weren't built to accommodate present vehicle load as Oregon grows the number of cars and trucks using the highway system also

increases. That increase then causes rapid deterioration of the pavement and of bridge structure. And one of those early signs is the formation of potholes on the roadway surface problems that are only the beginning. Potholes is an indication of a deteriorating highway. Usually if you see a pothole there's a lot more wrong with that highway than just filling up that hole. There's things that are happening to that highway underneath the surface too. They're adding to that deterioration No one knows about deterioration better than the people of Gold Beach. The winter of 1983 was a bad one for the Oregon Coast Highway 101 paralleling the coastline was hard hit by high water which literally ate away chunks of the roadway. High water and extensive rainfall also caused problems with mudslides on coastal slopes. We are reestablishing the shoreline down on the south coast we're literally going down into the at the on the beaches and reestablishing a footing

and putting the slopes back into place and then rip wrapping that with heavy rock jetty rock to hold those slopes and then restoring the highway on top of all that. But highway problems just aren't limited to coastal communities. More and more urban areas are facing deterioration problems. The Slough bridge located south of the interstate bridge going into Vancouver Washington has become an increasingly dangerous area. The combination of the poor grades curvature and traffic volume in this area has resulted in numerable accidents, truck spills, and wrecks. All over the highway division says that the Slough bridge construction project is at the top of their priority list. It isn't scheduled to be worked on for at least another year. Except for the collapse of this coastal bridge in Coos Bay in April of 1977. Well again hasn't had any major disaster. The potential is there however especially if maintenance and reconstruction problems aren't taken care of in the early stages.

Portland's Fremont Bridge is a good example of preventative maintenance at work. Just a little over 10 years old this bridge now only needs minor repair. Here underneath the bridge deck. Highway maintenance crews are installing brackets and aluminum screening in between the expansion joints noise suppression devices which act as shock absorbers under the bridge are now falling out. The screening will hopefully catch anything before it causes damage on the ground. We're putting up the brackets to hold aluminum screening. To catch these devices at fall. James explained that these repairs were not caused by poor construction of the bridge initially but by aging and heavy loads hitting the expansion joints. The work being done now is to keep bigger problems from happening in the future. It's projects like this one to preserve an existing structure that the highway division says are top priority. But in order to keep these structures in top condition money and lots of it is needed according

to the division. Each year nearly one hundred fifty million dollars is collected by the division through state fees. Little more than half or about 80 million of that money is used specifically for maintenance of the highway system. But the state highway division says that's still not enough money to meet the increasing needs. 60 percent of the highway fund is going for maintenance yet while they were improving 12 percent of the highways in the last two years 23 percent deteriorated. So they're not keeping pace. Additional funds are provided by the state license and vehicle fees. The state gas tax is used primarily for taking care of the potholes, repairs on bridges and just day to day maintenance. Just recently the state gas tax was raised from 8 to 9 cents with another increase expected again in 1985. The federal gas tax was also raised from 9 to 10 cents.

But even with the increases "Isham" state highway division still isn't planning ahead in the development of its highway system. The highway division relies primarily on traffic count. And accidents to determine where the improvements of the highway should go. We've looked at economic development and how that is impacted by the highway system very very substantial impact And we are probably the number one priority to supporting economic development is in preserving the system you've got to take care of what's out there. I feel that they should not be just reacting to problems but they should be improving highways. Where we want to encourage people to drive rather than just respond to problems. But because of funding limitations the highway division works off a six year highway improvement program which prioritizes projects to get the best use out of the

money available. State residents have questioned the validity of this system though saying that the improvements listed are subject to change every couple of years and those at the end of the list may never get funded. Besides the state's highway and bridge problems many of Oregon cities are having to deal with deterioration as well not only of roads and bridges but also sewer systems because there is no state wide sewer system individual municipalities tend to their own needs and there are problems. Some of our old sewers that were put in were built to have both sewage and storm water were built for that. In fact the catch basin on the street also goes into the sewer. And so these really need to be eliminated over time. And then those communities that have had these combined sewers spend a lot of money over the years doing that their stuff some areas where this needs attention. Oregon City is one that still needs attention. This is one of Oregon's oldest

cities and one that is still using its original sewer system in this downtown area built well over 50 years ago. It's a matter of ignoring the problem for a long period of time and now addressing it of course you don't solve the problem over in one year or two it again takes time. If you've ignored it over time it's going take time to solve. With the combination of state and federal funding now available Oregon City has been able to upgrade this system making the necessary changes repairing old sewers adding an entirely new system and constructing a sewage treatment plant here on this site. The city is collecting sufficient dollars from our fees to do the work. It's just a matter of that it will take time not only to do the work and but to collect the fees. But not all of the state's infrastructure problems are ending happily like in Oregon City's case. Statewide the highway division is operating at a minimal maintenance level with no guarantee that the money will be there in the future.

But at least for the short term the picture is less grim. Our program with the additional federal tax in additional state tax were in very good shape this year and will be in good shape for a couple years because of that funding. Ask Oregon or any other state's official infrastructure systems don't last forever as they get older officials say they require maintenance and often must be modernized or replaced altogether. This state's plan according to officials is for preservation to keep Oregon's infrastructure in a condition that will provide reasonable service to the public in the near future. But some are wondering if reasonable is enough. I think if we keep growing at the same level. We'll have a state and we'll have a nation because it is a national problem. That is slipping back in time really. As far as our transportation and infrastructure needs are concerned. There are also natural causes out of our control which cause deterioration damage to Oregon's

roadways has been heavier than usual because of the recent severe cold weather. Ice and snow tend to speed up pavement erosion while the use of chains and studded tires then add to the damage. Jim finally tonight both Reader's Digest and Norman Cousins tell us that laughter is good medicine. So if that's true then it's time to visit our resident quack or crack correspondent Steve Amen who took to the dark streets of Portland in search of this report. OK it's night time in Portland. The big decision now is just what to do anyway. Let's say you're a little tired of slamming down beers with your buddies and trying to scream over music you don't really like anyway. One alternative may lie right behind this door. [crowd talking] Every Friday and Saturday night these folks head for Rubin's 5 just to stand in line and shell out three bucks. And why well it's not the Dolby sound in 70 millimeter. My name is Rick Reynolds I'm a comedian that's what I do for a living.

Ricks one of the lucky ones. He actually makes a living as a standup comedian but not in his hometown which is Portland No that'd be too easy. Rick had to move to San Francisco to make it big. So why did he move? Well for the obvious reasons there's no place in Portland to do it. Now. There are starting to be clubs where you could do over three years ago there was nothing. The change in Portland stand up comedy scene is due primarily to this fetching beauty. The one on the left. Producer slash agent Patricia "Camposano" now way back in 1981 Patricia decided Portland needed a laugh and contacted this man Tony De McColla who was managing the nightclub Louie the Bambas at the time. And Portland's first laugh night was born. For almost two years Patricia brought in comedians from across the country to entertain us. And then Louie's shut down. Well now Patricia is turning all her attention to the local comedians comedians a got their first break into show business at open mics like this one at the leaky roof which is by the way another Camposano enterprise. While there are still a number of open mics going on around town. And

as a result Portland comedians are getting better but they still have a ways to go. I know of about 10 comedians that you know are good and show promise. But once they move to San Francisco they have to you know they be at the bottom and it takes them a long time to work their way out. Being Good here in Portland. It's a lot different than being good in San Francisco you know here I'm one of maybe five good comics down there I'm one of 10 million comics you know you have to have certain skills to be a stand up comic. You know it's not just being funny. Am I going crazy or is there like a bum convention in Portland this year? [laugh] Have you noticed an abnormally high number of deviant characters on the street. I have a feeling these guys multiply at night you know? Like laying their eggs in garbage cans. Midnight suddenly [whoosh sound] hello! Where's the bus station? And anyway I have just gone blank. No

We have. What is this? Because the professionalism that we're used to here at the Rubin's five. No it get's better My main interest right now is to create the atmosphere conducive to comedy which will be a place where everyone feels welcome. No matter what you're wearing or anything like that. They come as you are kick back relax laugh. Now there's a goal I can certainly relate to. So let's all relax and enjoy some humorous moments from Portland's finest as they share their thoughts on everything everything from dating blues to grocery shopping. Then have to choose which lane to get in. Is this a are you frustrated doing this?. I am always wrong. There can be 20 people in this line 20 people in this line 20 people in this one. Here's an old lady with a potato. I'm not stupid for Christ sake I'll get behind her.

At six cents please. OK she's got you know three cents a chicklet what a hairball war bond she's digging forever. The other lines are a blur they're zipping by like this Andy Rooney is good Andy Rooney always has questions that people really want to know like have you ever wondered what if someone with real bad breath blew up a balloon and handed it to a child and it popped. Would he puke? I go to the zoo to see animals I get there I get like a cage with sawdust and a fur ball in the corner. [harmonica music] [harmonic music] I woke up this morning pick up my paper off the lawn. [harmonica music] I woke up this morning. Picked up my paper off the lawn [harmonica music] I wanna miss my baby, but my baby she ain't gone [laughter] Big fish. Want a big cups. But flunked the test

That is why. That is why they're Portland's best. Give yourself a hand you're marvelous thank you very much. Good night I love my job. You know I mean probably heard this a million times from performers I really love what I do. And there are a number of open mics and comedy nights going on around town. So why not take a chance look for one in your area and have fun. And speaking of open mics that's all of the open mic time for Front Street Weekly. Until next week. Good night. Good night.