11-02-2024  11:05 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...

Martin Luther King's Children
Kate Brumback, Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) — A generation after the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s death, his children are fighting among themselves again, this time over two of their father's most cherished possessions: his 1964 Nobel Peace Prize medal and the Bible he carried.

The civil rights leader's daughter Bernice King has both items, and her brothers, Dexter King and Martin Luther King III, asked a judge last week to order her to turn them over. She said her brothers want to sell them.

In a blistering statement this week, Bernice said their father "MUST be turning in his grave" over the idea. She said that while she loves her brothers dearly, she was "appalled and utterly ashamed" of the plan, and added: "It reveals a desperation beyond comprehension."

Then on Thursday, at a news conference from the pulpit of the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church where her father and grandfather preached, she portrayed herself as the true protector of King's legacy.

"When the record books are written, let it be said that there was at least one heir who tried to further the legacy," she said.

In response to repeated emails and calls, a lawyer for the King estate, which is controlled by Dexter and Martin III, sent a copy of a 1995 agreement among the siblings in which they signed over the rights to many items to the Estate of Martin Luther King Jr. Inc. The lawyer offered no comment.

It is the latest in a string of disputes over the years that some historians have come to see as a sad and unseemly footnote to history that could damage King's name.

David J. Garrow, whose book "Bearing the Cross: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference" won the 1987 Pulitzer Prize, said he wasn't "surprised in the slightest" to hear about the latest fight among the King heirs.

"The agenda has always been greed," Garrow said. "It's been about maximizing the dollar value of Dr. King's legacy."

Bernice has repeatedly acknowledged the validity of the 1995 agreement but is now refusing to hand over the Bible and medal, the brothers said in court papers.

Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968. His widow, Coretta Scott King, died in 2006.

The King children have profited from their father's legacy. In 2006, Sotheby's auctioned off 10,000 documents from their collection for $32 million, with the siblings receiving equal shares of the proceeds.

They also haven't shied from legal battles that push their family disputes into the public eye.

Garrow said King's Bible should go to a museum or somewhere it can be seen by everyone.

"The fundamental bottom line here is that the King children have no clue what their father's legacy really means," the historian said. "Martin Luther King Jr. was the most unselfish, ungreedy person who ever lived."

While their mother was alive, the King children had periods of not speaking to each other, but they mostly kept their disagreements to themselves. After their mother died, it was the oldest daughter, Yolanda, who held the siblings together. When Yolanda died in 2007, that glue was gone.

Just over a year after Yolanda's death, the long-simmering dispute among the three remaining children boiled over, with three lawsuits filed between the siblings in as many months.

In one case, Bernice and Martin III sued Dexter to force him to open the books of their father's estate, accusing him of shutting them out of decisions. The siblings reached a settlement in 2009.

The King estate is also embroiled in a legal battle with the Martin Luther King Center for Nonviolent Social Change, where Bernice is CEO. The estate wants to stop the King Center from using King's image and memorabilia, saying the materials were not being properly cared for.

Bernice said Thursday that she is aware that many people may roll their eyes and say, "Here the King children go again." But this time is different, she said. These two items are sacred and reflect the very essence of their father: a man of God and a champion of peaceful protest.

Bernice said she and her brothers do not take legal action against each other lightly and use it only as a last resort. She said she hopes they will be able to reconcile, and she offered an apology to her parents, adding, "I believe that one day we will set the example you hoped we would provide."

The Rev. Joseph Lowery, one of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s lieutenants and a family friend, has backed Bernice in the latest disagreement.

"I'm deeply disturbed by the thought of selling Martin's Bible and Peace Prize. I sincerely hope that they, his children, will find a way to resolve their differences and address their problems without the thought of putting Martin's Bible or Peace Prize for sale," he said in a statement read by Bernice.

Another civil rights veteran, the Rev. C.T. Vivian, was at the news conference to support Bernice. He said he doesn't believe the children's actions diminish the great deeds of their father.

"It doesn't affect the legacy of their father. It affects the legacy of them," he said. "That's what I think the public has to see. This is not Martin. This is not about Martin King. This is about them."

___

Associated Press writer Jesse Holland in Washington contributed to this report.

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