11-02-2024  11:00 am   •   PDX and SEA Weather

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NORTHWEST NEWS

African American Alliance On Homeownership Turns 25, Honors The Skanner Cofounder Bernie Foster

AAAH's executive director Cheryl Roberts recalls how the efforts of Bernie Foster led to an organization that now offers one-on-one counseling for prospective home buyers, homebuyer education, foreclosure prevention services, estate planning, assistance with down payments and more.

Police Say Fires Set at Ballot Boxes in Oregon and Washington Are Connected; ‘Suspect Vehicle’ ID'd

Surveillance images captured a Volvo stopping at a drop box in Portland, just before security personnel nearby discovered a fire inside the box. That fire damaged three ballots inside, while officials say a fire at a drop box in nearby Vancouver, Washington, early Monday destroyed hundreds of ballots.

Two Major Affordable Housing Developments Reach Milestones in Portland

Both will provide culturally specific supportive services to residents. 

Washington State AG and Ex-Sheriff Face off in Governor's Race

Former U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert is trying to become Washington’s first GOP governor in 40 years. But he faces a difficult hurdle in the Democratic stronghold against longtime Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, a darling of liberals for his many lawsuits against the Trump administration. 

NEWS BRIEFS

Oregon Begins Rollout of New Housing Benefits for Eligible OHP Members With Health Conditions

The housing benefits include rent assistance for up to six months, utility set-up and payments for up to six months, home...

Oregon Department of Education Releases Cell Phone Policy Guidance

ODE recommends creating policies to limit or reduce cell phone use during the school day. ...

Metro, Central City Concern and Partners to Mark Affordable Housing Complex Grand Opening With Halloween Celebration

Meridian Gardens will offer 85 single room occupancy and studio apartments to people who are in substance use disorder recovery and...

Oregon MESA Expands with Two New Regional Centers in Washington County and Lane County

“Our regional partners are embedded in the communities MESA serves, bringing a wealth of local knowledge and expertise. Regional...

Historic Seattle Black Church Hosts "Bring Your Ballot to Church" Event to Mobilize Voters

As Seattle's oldest African American-founded church, FAME carries forward the legacy of Black churches as centers of civic engagement...

Ballot-sorting machine woes slow count in Oregon county with pivotal US House race

OREGON CITY, Ore. (AP) — Problems with a ballot-sorting machine are slowing the vote tally in a suburban Portland county that was also plagued by counting issues in 2022 and is home to a key congressional race this year. The sorter in Oregon's third-largest county, Clackamas, began...

He’s fast, feisty and could play Quidditch. Meet the bat that won a beauty contest

ASHLAND, Ore. (AP) — A winged creature from Oregon was crowned this year’s winner Thursday in an annual bat beauty contest put on by the Bureau of Land Management. On Halloween, which was also the last day of International Bat Week, a hoary bat with a feisty personality named...

Many top players from one-bid leagues left for bigger schools. Here are some of the best who stayed

Identifying the top returning players in the era of the transfer portal is trickier than ever. Now that players can transfer without having to sit out a season, mid-major and low-major programs have essentially become farm systems for power-conference teams. Players who earn...

Miller rushes for 2 TDs, No. 15 Alabama picks off 3 passes in 34-0 win over No. 21 Missouri

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Jamarion Miller rushed for two touchdowns and No. 15 Alabama's defense had three interceptions in a 34-0 victory Saturday over No. 21 Missouri, which played most of the game without starting quarterback Brady Cook. The Crimson Tide (6-2, 3-2 Southeastern...

OPINION

The Skanner News 2024 Presidential Endorsement

It will come as no surprise that we strongly endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for president. ...

Black Retirees Growing Older and Poorer: 2025 Social Security COLA lowest in 10 years

As Americans live longer, the ability to remain financially independent is an ongoing struggle. Especially for Black and other people of color whose lifetime incomes are often lower than that of other contemporaries, finding money to save for ‘old age’ is...

The Skanner Endorsements: Oregon State and Local Ballot Measures

Ballots are now being mailed out for this very important election. Election Day is November 5. Ballots must be received or mailed with a valid postmark by 8 p.m. Election Day. View The Skanner's ballot measure endorsements. ...

Measure 117 is a Simple Improvement to Our Elections

Political forces around the country have launched an all-out assault on voting rights that targets Black communities. State legislatures are restricting voting access in districts with large Black populations and are imposing other barriers and pernicious...

AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE NEWS

Local sheriff asks FBI to investigate death of Black man found hanging in Alabama

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The FBI is investigating the death of a Black man in Alabama, who was found hanging in an abandoned house, following a request from a local sheriff amid fears among community members who accuse local law enforcement of longstanding, unchecked misconduct. ...

UK Conservatives pick Kemi Badenoch as new leader, first Black woman to head a big British party

LONDON (AP) — Outspoken, right-leaning lawmaker Kemi Badenoch was named leader of Britain's opposition Conservatives on Saturday, as the party tries to rebound from a crushing election defeat that ended its 14 years in power. The first Black woman to lead a major British political...

Listen to business owners and voters in Erie, Pennsylvania. They could help decide the White House.

ERIE, Pa. (AP) — It wasn’t much when he bought it, but Michael Hooks has made the old garage his own haven. And the city of Erie knows it. Half a dozen cars honk as they pass by one October afternoon, the people hanging out of car windows to wave hello at him. About a dozen cars...

ENTERTAINMENT

Samuel L. Jackson lauded at MoMA film benefit by close family and friends

NEW YORK (AP) — The Museum of Modern Art was filled with expletives and laughter Wednesday evening as Samuel L. Jackson’s family and friends celebrated the actor and director’s storied career of box office hits, larger-than-life characters and explosive one-liners at the annual film benefit. ...

A playwright in Africa hopes to break the cultural silence on rape

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Under a spotlight in an otherwise dark room, Oliva Ouedraogo held up a piece of fabric that looked stained with blood. “Long live the girl!” she cried, her voice competing with the loud hum of a generator. Ouedraogo was starring in her own play —...

Music Review: Muna frontwoman Katie Gavin makes her solo debut with folky, evocative 'What A Relief'

On “What a Relief,” the debut solo album from Katie Gavin, the Muna frontwoman tackles love, family and selfhood through folk and country twang that departs from the band's usual dance-forward pop. Don't worry, this isn't the end of Muna — the trio of Gavin, Naomi McPherson and...

U.S. & WORLD NEWS

What to watch over the final weekend of the 2024 presidential campaign

NEW YORK (AP) — The 2024 presidential contest speeds into its final weekend with Democrat Kamala Harris and...

Debate over abortion rights leads to expensive campaigns for high-stakes state Supreme Court seats

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Abortion and reproductive rights have been central to the races for president and...

At U.N. summit, historic agreement to give Indigenous groups voice on nature conservation decisions

CALI, Colombia (AP) — After two weeks of negotiations, delegates on Saturday agreed at the United Nations...

What to know about the unprecedented floods that killed more than 200 in Spain

MADRID (AP) — In a matter of minutes, flash floods caused by heavy downpours in eastern Spain swept away...

Negotiations stall over some crucial issues on final day of UN biodiversity summit in Colombia

CALI, Colombia (AP) — At the United Nations biodiversity summit in Colombia, negotiators have struggled to find...

FBI links video falsely depicting voter fraud in Georgia to 'Russian influence actors'

WASHINGTON (AP) — A video purporting to depict voter fraud in Georgia is fake and the work of “Russian...

Bill Mears CNN Supreme Court Producer

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A war opponent's chance encounter with then-Vice President Dick Cheney -- which triggered an arrest and a lawsuit -- saw his appeal rejected by the Supreme Court Monday.

The case tested the balance between free speech and security concerns for top government officials.

The justices, by a unanimous vote, ruled in favor of two U.S. Secret Service agents, who remain shielded from a lawsuit filed by Steven Howards of Golden, Colorado. The man was arrested after confronting Cheney in a public area in 2006 -- making physical contact with the vice president -- and announcing his disagreement over the Iraqi war.

At issue was whether the agents deserved immunity as government employees. Believing there was probable cause, they detained the 59-year-old environmental consultant.

"This court has never recognized a First Amendment right to be free from a retaliatory arrest that is supported by probable cause," wrote Justice Clarence Thomas. "Nor was such a right otherwise clearly established at the time of Howards' arrest."

Howards claims his detention was in retaliation for his political views.

The incident occurred at Beaver Creek Mall in the Colorado mountain resort town of the same name. Howards was taking his 8-year-old son to a piano recital when he noticed Cheney coming out of a grocery store, accompanied by his security detail.

Howards used his cell phone to note the vice president was shaking hands with passers-by, and stated -- according to court records -- "I'm going to ask him (Cheney) how many kids he's killed today," an apparent reference to casualties in the Iraq conflict.

That remark was overheard by one of the agents. Howards let his son continue walking to the recital while he waited to speak with the vice president. The protester eventually told Cheney the administration's "policies in Iraq are disgusting," and then placed his open hand on Cheney's shoulder.

There is much dispute over whether that contact represented a "pat" as Howards later claimed, or a "shove" as some agents interpreted it. The touching alone did not lead to the man's immediate arrest, but he was later taken aside and questioned.

Howards at first refused to talk, then strongly denied touching Cheney. He also repeated his views on the war. "If you don't want other people sharing their opinions, you should have him (Cheney) avoid public places," he said, according to court records.

Agent Virgil "Gus" Reichle, who had been dispatched to do the questioning, became "visibly angry" at those remarks, according to the lower court ruling. He admitted later not overhearing the cell phone conversation -- nor witnessing the shoulder contact -- but said he had been briefed by fellow agents. Reichle was the detail's intelligence coordinator, and was dressed in plain clothes.

Howards was then arrested for assaulting the vice president, but he was never prosecuted for that or for a separate charge of harassment. He sued Reichle and another agent for alleged civil rights violations, and a federal appeals court in Denver tentatively allowed the case to proceed.

That three-judge panel said Howard's initial denial of the touching was sufficient reason -- or "probable cause" -- for agents to arrest him, but also concluded, on balance, the man's First Amendment rights were violated in the process.

The Justice Department urged the high court to reverse, saying protective details must often make lightning-fast judgments of life and death for top government officials. Those agents, said the Obama administration, should not err on the side of caution when handling potential threats for fear of being sued later.

The high court agreed. "An officer might bear animus toward the content of a suspect's speech," Thomas said. "But the officer may decide to arrest the suspect because the speech provides evidence of a crime or suggests a potential threat."

Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer agreed these Secret Service officials were not liable, but said other law enforcement agents in some cases may be held accountable for retaliatory arrests.

The justices five years ago ruled in a separate appeal that an individual claiming to have been prosecuted in retaliation for exercising his rights must show that government officials lacked probable cause when bringing criminal charges. The issue here was whether that rule applies to retaliatory arrests.

Justice Elena Kagan did not participate in this case, since she apparently worked on the government's legal strategy while serving as the Justice Department's solicitor general, before being nominated to the court in May 2010.

The case is Reichle v. Howards (11-262).

 

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