04-29-2024  11:00 am   •   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

Chair Jessica Vega Pederson Releases $3.96 Billion Executive Budget for Fiscal Year 2024-2025

Investments will boost shelter and homeless services, tackle the fentanyl crisis, strengthen the safety net and support a...

New Funding Will Invest in Promising Oregon Technology and Science Startups

Today Business Oregon and its Oregon Innovation Council announced a million award to the Portland Seed Fund that will...

Unity in Prayer: Interfaith Vigil and Memorial Service Honoring Youth Affected by Violence

As part of the 2024 National Youth Violence Prevention Week, the Multnomah County Prevention and Health Promotion Community Adolescent...

Mt. Tabor Park Selected for National Initiative

Mt. Tabor Park is the only Oregon park and one of just 24 nationally to receive honor. ...

Oregon authorities to reveal winner of jumi.3 billion Powerball jackpot

Oregon authorities on Monday are set to publicly reveal the winner of the jumi.3 billion Powerball jackpot. The winning Powerball ticket was sold in early April at a Plaid Pantry convenience store in Portland, ending a winless streak that had stretched more than three months. The Oregon...

Oregon's Sports Bra, a pub for women's sports fans, plans national expansion as interest booms

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — On a recent weeknight at this bar in northeast Portland, fans downed pints and burgers as college women's lacrosse and beach volleyball matches played on big-screen TVs. Memorabilia autographed by female athletes covered the walls, with a painting of U.S. soccer legend Abby...

The Bo Nix era begins in Denver, and the Broncos also drafted his top target at Oregon

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — For the first time in his 17 seasons as a coach, Sean Payton has a rookie quarterback to nurture. Payton's Denver Broncos took Bo Nix in the first round of the NFL draft. The coach then helped out both himself and Nix by moving up to draft his new QB's top...

Elliss, Jenkins, McCaffrey join Harrison and Alt in following their fathers into the NFL

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Marvin Harrison Jr., Joe Alt, Kris Jenkins, Jonah Ellis and Luke McCaffrey have turned the NFL draft into a family affair. The sons of former pro football stars, they've followed their fathers' formidable footsteps into the league. Elliss was...

OPINION

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

NNPA NEWSWIRE – MAGA proponents peddle baseless claims of widespread voter fraud to justify voter suppression tactics that disproportionately target Black voters. From restrictive voter ID laws to purging voter rolls to limiting early voting hours, these...

Loving and Embracing the Differences in Our Youngest Learners

Yet our responsibility to all parents and society at large means we must do more to share insights, especially with underserved and under-resourced communities. ...

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

Obstacles remain as women seek more leadership roles in America's Black Church

No woman had ever preached the keynote sermon at the Joint National Baptist Convention, a gathering of four historically Black Baptist denominations representing millions of people. That changed in January when the Rev. Gina Stewart took the convention stage in Memphis, Tennessee, —...

Wild onion dinners mark the turn of the season in Indian Country

OKMULGEE, Okla. (AP) — As winter fades to spring and the bright purple blossoms of the redbud trees begin to bloom, Cherokee chef Bradley James Dry knows it’s time to forage for morels as well as a staple of Native American cuisine in Oklahoma: wild green onions. Wild onions are...

2012 Olympic champion Gabby Douglas competes for the first time in 8 years at the American Classic

KATY, Texas (AP) — Gabby Douglas is officially back. Whether the gymnastics star's return to the sport carries all the way to the Paris Olympics remains to be seen. Douglas, who became the first Black woman to win the Olympic all-around title when she triumphed in...

ENTERTAINMENT

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...

Seinfeld's upcoming Netflix movie about Pop-Tarts to be featured in IndyCar race at Long Beach

Jerry Seinfeld's upcoming Netflix comedy will be featured during this weekend's IndyCar race at Long Beach as rookie Linus Lundqvist will drive a car painted to look like a Pop-Tart in recognition of the movie “Unfrosted.” Chip Ganassi Racing's No. 8 will be painted in the texture...

'I was afraid for my life' — Orlando Bloom puts himself in peril for new TV series

NEW YORK (AP) — Orlando Bloom wanted to test himself for his latest adventure project. Not by eating something gross or visiting a new country. He wanted to risk death — with not one but three extreme sports. The Peacock series“Orlando Bloom: To the Edge” sees the “Pirates...

U.S. & WORLD NEWS

US Navy, Army ships building floating pier for Gaza aid. Pentagon estimates cost at 0 million

JERUSALEM (AP) — A U.S. Navy ship and several Army vessels involved in an American-led effort to bring more aid...

Scotland's leader resigns after conflicts over climate change, gender identity weakened government

LONDON (AP) — Scotland’s first minister, Humza Yousaf, resigned on Monday, triggering a leadership contest as...

Likely missile attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels damages a ship in the Red Sea

JERUSALEM (AP) — A suspected missile attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels damaged a ship in the Red Sea on Monday,...

The Latest | Israeli airstrikes on Rafah kill at least 22 people

Israeli airstrikes on the southern Gaza city of Rafah have killed at least 22 people, including six women and five...

5 former officials are convicted over Greece's deadliest wildfire but are freed after being fined

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A Greek court convicted five former firefighting and disaster response officials on Monday...

Likely missile attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels damages a ship in the Red Sea

JERUSALEM (AP) — A suspected missile attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels damaged a ship in the Red Sea on Monday,...

Lisa Loving of The Skanner News

The more-than 700-page plus Grand Jury transcript of the Keaton Otis shooting shows the police officer Otis shot never saw a gun, and also that Otis had assaulted a man in North Portland on Feb. 9.
The Grand Jury ruled last week that there was no wrongdoing on the part of officers in the traffic stop, which resulted in death and injury.
Officer Chris Burley was reportedly shot twice by Otis during the traffic stop May 12. Seven Portland police officers surrounded his car, three of whom fired more than 30 bullets into it.
Otis died at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds. Burley was hospitalized and released, and is expected to make a complete recovery.
Otis' family has publicly stated their 25-year-old son had been diagnosed with a "mood disorder." Otis, who lived with his parents, had no known gang ties, but was shot to death by members of the Portland Police anti-gang squad.
The Grand Jury documents, released Monday afternoon, show that after the hail of bullets ended and Otis stopped moving, officers were ordered to move in and Taser him, then fire three beanbag rounds at his body.
When there was no physical response, an arrest team moved in, pulled Otis' lifeless body out of the car, and handcuffed it.
An unidentified questioner during the Grand jury proceedings asks, "Just to be clear, why did you have him fire beanbag rounds?"
"…I thought potentially we could move forward and take him into custody and, in turn, get him medical care," Sgt. Don Livingstone says. "But before I did this, I wanted to make sure he was not faking, he was not lying in wait for us to make a movement and then again would shoot at us when we walked forward," he said.
A few minutes later Livingtone adds, "We move forward. They grab the suspect's arms. They pull him out of the vehicle, up onto the sidewalk and place him into custody without incident."
Another unidentified person says, "What do you mean when you say, 'They placed him into custody?'"
"They put handcuffs on him,' Livingstone says.
"Around his back on in front?"
"Behind his back, put handcuffs behind his back. We're still going to have to make sure he doesn't have a weapon on him before medical can come in and check him," Livingstone says.
Detective Erik Kammerer reported to the Grand Jury that out of 32 shell casings found at the scene, only one did not correspond with the officers' own bullets.
Kammerer said the unique bullet was found in the front passenger floor of Otis' car.
The AMA Coalition for Justice and Police Reform announced Monday afternoon they'll be holding a press conference to look at "Lingering questions about the incident and the investigation."
In the court transcripts released Monday, Burley testifies that he never saw a gun at the scene. Just before he was shot, he tried unsuccessfully to use a choke hold on Otis.
Burley says that "the last situation" he dealt with like that involved a meth addict who assaulted both him and his partner.
"And I'm backing up, I'm backing up, and then it looks – I'm still kind of got this vision just straight into the car of this guy. And I believe I hear – I believe I hear 'Gun'. And then it looks like he's looking over at me. And I couldn't tell if he was arched back in the seat like this or if he was – kind of bent over in the car so he's hunched over. I couldn't—couldn't tell which was he was situated, because everything's happening so quickly. And then I hear two gunshots from inside the car. And then I automatically – as soon as I hear the gunshots, I feel burning in my legs and I realized that I have been hit, and I go to the ground," Burley says.
On further questioning, Burley said he did not remember that any officers were facing him as he was shot. He said he could not recall seeing any of the officers with their guns out, and also couldn't remember whether Otis had his seatbelt on.
Also in the testimony, a local merchant with a booth at the Lloyd Center said that Otis drove up to him on the street in February, and threatened him with an aluminum baseball bat over a woman the merchant employs.
Farhan Rashtabadi said Otis was under the impression that he was a rival for the woman's affections.
The businessman said Otis waved the bat in his face, cursing and saying, "Leave her alone. She's mine."
After the altercation came to a close, Rashtabadi noted the Toyota's license plate number and reported the incident to the police.
His employee indicated she had dated Otis once, and that he still occasionally sent her "weird" text messages.
"I thought maybe he is just being a psycho or something, he is obsessed with my employee," Rashtabadi said.
As police May 12 decided to pull over Otis' car, they noted that it wasn't linked to any offenses, but that it came back "registered to a woman." After they put on sirens and tried to pull Otis over, his driving became erratic; they eventually boxed in the vehicle and began the fatal stand-off.

The Skanner Foundation's 38th Annual MLK Breakfast