04-25-2024  5:26 pm   •   PDX and SEA Weather
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NORTHWEST NEWS

City Council Strikes Down Gonzalez’s ‘Inhumane’ Suggestion for Blanket Ban on Public Camping

Mayor Wheeler’s proposal for non-emergency ordinance will go to second reading.

A Conservative Quest to Limit Diversity Programs Gains Momentum in States

In support of DEI, Oregon and Washington have forged ahead with legislation to expand their emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion in government and education.

Epiphanny Prince Hired by Liberty in Front Office Job Day After Retiring

A day after announcing her retirement, Epiphanny Prince has a new job working with the New York Liberty as director of player and community engagement. Prince will serve on the basketball operations and business staffs, bringing her 14 years of WNBA experience to the franchise. 

The Drug War Devastated Black and Other Minority Communities. Is Marijuana Legalization Helping?

A major argument for legalizing the adult use of cannabis after 75 years of prohibition was to stop the harm caused by disproportionate enforcement of drug laws in Black, Latino and other minority communities. But efforts to help those most affected participate in the newly legal sector have been halting. 

NEWS BRIEFS

Mt. Tabor Park Selected for National Initiative

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Governor Kotek Announces Chief of Staff, New Office Leadership

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Governor Kotek Announces Investment in New CHIPS Child Care Fund

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Net neutrality restored as FCC votes to regulate internet providers

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Federal Trade Commission on Thursday voted to restore “net neutrality” rules that prevent broadband internet providers such as Comcast and Verizon from favoring some sites and apps over others. The move effectively reinstates a net neutrality order the...

Biden celebrates computer chip factories, pitching voters on American 'comeback'

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — President Joe Biden on Thursday sought to sell voters on an American “comeback story” as he highlighted longterm investments in the economy in upstate New York to celebrate Micron Technology's plans to build a campus of computer chip factories made possible in part with...

Missouri hires Memphis athletic director Laird Veatch for the same role with the Tigers

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri hired longtime college administrator Laird Veatch to be its athletic director on Tuesday, bringing him back to campus 14 years after he departed for a series of other positions that culminated with five years spent as the AD at Memphis. Veatch...

KC Current owners announce plans for stadium district along the Kansas City riverfront

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The ownership group of the Kansas City Current announced plans Monday for the development of the Missouri River waterfront, where the club recently opened a purpose-built stadium for the National Women's Soccer League team. CPKC Stadium will serve as the hub...

OPINION

Op-Ed: Why MAGA Policies Are Detrimental to Black Communities

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Loving and Embracing the Differences in Our Youngest Learners

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Gallup Finds Black Generational Divide on Affirmative Action

Each spring, many aspiring students and their families begin receiving college acceptance letters and offers of financial aid packages. This year’s college decisions will add yet another consideration: the effects of a 2023 Supreme Court, 6-3 ruling that...

OP-ED: Embracing Black Men’s Voices: Rebuilding Trust and Unity in the Democratic Party

The decision of many Black men to disengage from the Democratic Party is rooted in a complex interplay of historical disenchantment, unmet promises, and a sense of disillusionment with the political establishment. ...

AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE NEWS

Tennessee lawmakers adjourn after finalizing jumi.9B tax cut and refund for businesses

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee's GOP-controlled General Assembly on Thursday adjourned for the year, concluding months of tense political infighting that doomed Republican Gov. Bill Lee's universal school voucher push. But a bill allowing some teachers to carry firearms in public schools and...

Body-cam footage shows police left an Ohio man handcuffed and facedown on a bar floor before he died

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Bishop stabbed during Sydney church service backs X's legal case to share video of the attack

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ENTERTAINMENT

Music Review: Jazz pianist Fred Hersch creates subdued, lovely colors on 'Silent, Listening'

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Book Review: 'Nothing But the Bones' is a compelling noir novel at a breakneck pace

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Cardi B, Queen Latifah and The Roots to headline the BET Experience concerts in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Cardi B, Queen Latifah and The Roots will headline concerts to celebrate the return of the BET Experience in Los Angeles just days before the 2024 BET Awards. BET announced Monday the star-studded lineup of the concert series, which makes a return after a...

U.S. & WORLD NEWS

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Hamas official says group would lay down its arms if an independent Palestinian state is established

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The Latest | Israeli strikes in Rafah kill at least 5 as ship comes under attack in the Gulf of Aden

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Nick Valencia, Catherine E. Shoichet and Holly Yan CNN

SHAWNEE, Oklahoma (CNN) -- A rash of tornadoes destroyed homes and tossed trees around like toothpicks as it ripped through Oklahoma and the Midwest on Sunday and Monday.

And the destructive weather isn't over. Baseball-sized hail, wind gusts and tornadoes could pummel parts of the central Plains and Midwest through Monday.

"Today could be potentially as dangerous as yesterday," CNN meteorologist Indra Petersons said Monday morning, pointing to a wide swath of the country spanning from Texas to Michigan. "We're talking about 500,000 square miles under the gun for severe weather."

Early Monday morning, a tornado touched down in Golden City, Missouri, and tore through two counties, Barton County Emergency Management Director Tom Ryan said. The number of injuries and extent of damage were not immediately clear.


Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin declared a state of emergency after tornadoes tore through 16 counties in her state Sunday. Twenty-three people were injured, she told CNN.

One man was killed in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, where a twister reduced trailer park homes to piles of debris.

In the hardest-hit areas, the damage was devastating, said John Welsh, a helicopter pilot for CNN affiliate KFOR.

"Everything was just gone," he said. "Like you took the house, you put it in a gigantic blender, you turned it on pulse for a couple minutes and then you just dumped it out."

The storm left highways littered with debris, smashed cars and flipped over semi trucks. An 18-wheeler blew off an overpass on Interstate 40 and was practically flattened.

An estimated 300 homes were damaged or destroyed across the state, Red Cross spokesman Ken Garcia said.

Dozens of deputies sifted through the rubble at Steelman Estates trailer park overnight, Pottawatomie County Sheriff Mike Booth said. Two people reported missing there were found late Sunday night.

As many as 28 tornadoes were reported in Oklahoma, Kansas, Illinois and Iowa, according to the National Weather Service, with Oklahoma and Kansas the hardest hit. Some of those reports might have been of the same tornado.

A tornado that touched down near Wellston, Oklahoma, appeared to be a half-mile wide, according to KFOR.

"It's tearing up everything," the affiliate's helicopter pilot said. "Just ripping everything up in its sight."

Fallin said she planned to survey damage throughout the state Monday.

"We're still in the rescue and recovery stage, trying to get through the various communities," she said. "We had so many different tornadoes throughout the state, it was difficult to keep up with all that was going on because it was all happening within an hour to three-hour time span."

Eleven patients were being treated at St. Anthony Shawnee Hospital in Shawnee, Oklahoma, including one in critical condition, spokeswoman Carla Tollett said.

Ethan Mignard told CNN's iReport he caught a terrifying glimpse of a tornado as he rushed to take shelter at a school near the apartment where he lives.

"It was six miles away but it looked like it was right on top of you," Mignard said. "It was huge. It looked like it wasn't going to be good for somebody. When we saw it we stepped on the gas of the car and got to the basement of the school as fast as we could."

After the storm passed, he went to nearby Dale, Oklahoma, to survey damage there. The stark landscape looked like something he'd seen before only on TV, said Mignard, who works for a local newspaper.

Large, rectangular patches of dirt were all that remained where mobile homes once stood. Cinderblocks were scattered across the ground like children's toys. Twisted metal and pieces of insulation filled the trees. At the site of one home, all that remained were the front steps.

"It looks so out of place. ... To think that you would have taken these stairs to enter a home," he said, "but instead, you look around from up there and you see total destruction everywhere."

More tornadoes were spotted in Iowa, near Earlham, Huxley and east of Dallas Center, according to the National Weather Service.

The agency also confirmed a twister in the northwestern Illinois county of Carroll.

A combination of factors -- including strong winds and warm, moist air banging against dry air -- means severe weather could continue sweeping across a wide swath of the country for days, Petersons said.

"Keep in mind we have all the ingredients out there that we need," she said.

Several of the states pummeled by weekend tornadoes could see more trouble Monday. Here's a quick look at CNN meteorologist Melissa Le Fevre's forecast:

Oklahoma

The Sooner State could see more strong storms late Monday afternoon, and flooding could become a problem Monday night.

Kansas

Showers and thunderstorms threaten the state through Monday. Heavy rainfall in some parts may lead to flood watches and warnings.

Iowa

Showers and storms are expected to develop Monday afternoon, with large hail possible. Though the threat of tornadoes looks low, they can't be ruled out.

Missouri

Heavy rainfall could flood parts of Missouri. Afternoon storms could produce large hail, damaging wind gusts and possible tornadoes in areas such as St. Louis.

CNN's Nick Valencia reported from Shawnee, Oklahoma. CNN's Catherine E. Shoichet and Holly Yan reported from Atlanta. CNN's Jareen Imam, Dana Ford, AnneClaire Stapleton, Sean Morris, Jackie Castillo, Alexandra Steele and Chris Friedman contributed to this report.

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The Skanner Foundation's 38th Annual MLK Breakfast