04-26-2024  3:23 am   •   PDX and SEA Weather
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4

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

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

OHCS, BuildUp Oregon Launch Program to Expand Early Childhood Education Access Statewide

Funds include million for developing early care and education facilities co-located with affordable housing. ...

Governor Kotek Announces Chief of Staff, New Office Leadership

Governor expands executive team and names new Housing and Homelessness Initiative Director ...

Governor Kotek Announces Investment in New CHIPS Child Care Fund

5 Million dollars from Oregon CHIPS Act to be allocated to new Child Care Fund ...

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

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

South Africa will mark 30 years of freedom amid inequality, poverty and a tense election ahead

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — As 72-year-old Nonki Kunene walks through the corridors of Thabisang Primary School in Soweto, South Africa, she recalls the joy she and many others felt 30 years ago when they voted for the first time. It was at this school on April 27, 1994, that Kunene joined...

Repatriated South African apartheid-era artworks on display to celebrate 30 years of democracy

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A selection of South African artworks produced during the country’s apartheid era which ended up in foreign art collections is on display in Johannesburg to mark 30 years since the country's transition to democracy in 1994. Most of the artworks were taken out...

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...

ENTERTAINMENT

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

Jazz pianist Fred Hersch fully embraces the freedom that comes with improvisation on his solo album “Silent, Listening,” spontaneously composing and performing tunes that are often without melody, meter or form. Listening to them can be challenging and rewarding. The many-time...

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

Nelson “Nails” McKenna isn’t very bright, stumbles over his words and often says what he’s thinking without realizing it. We first meet him as a boy reading a superhero comic on the banks of a river in his backcountry hometown in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Georgia....

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

Charges against Trump's 2020 'fake electors' are expected to deter a repeat this year

An Arizona grand jury's indictment of 18 people who either posed as or helped organize a slate of electors falsely...

Paramedic sentencing in Elijah McClain's death caps trials that led to 3 convictions

DENVER (AP) — Almost five years after Elijah McClain died following a police stop in which he was put in a neck...

A look at past and future cases Harvey Weinstein has faced as his New York conviction is thrown out

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Harvey Weinstein's landmark New York sexual assault conviction was thrown out by an appeals...

‘There’s Still Tomorrow’ director Paola Cortellesi talks success, toxic relationships and hope

LONDON (AP) — Actor Paola Cortellesi has long been a staple on the Italian pop culture scene, mostly known for...

The Latest | Officials say Egypt sending cease-fire delegation to Israel

Egypt is sending a high-level delegation to Israel in the hope of reaching a cease-fire agreement with Hamas in...

The TikTok law kicks off a new showdown between Beijing and Washington. What's coming next?

WASHINGTON (AP) — TikTok is gearing up for a legal fight against a U.S. law that would force the social media...

Sara Sidner, Arwa Damon and Chelsea J. Carter CNN

GAZA CITY (CNN) -- With an Egyptian official acting as an intermediary, Hamas on Monday gave Israel its conditions for a cease-fire, a general in Egyptian intelligence told CNN.

A special Israeli delegation received the letter in Cairo from intelligence chief Mohamed Shehata, the general said.

"We are optimistic about the negotiations so far," the general said.

No details of the conditions were immediately available, nor was there any immediate confirmation of the letter from Israel.

The movement comes amid mounting international pressure to end the hostilities, including U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon flying to the region to personally appeal for a cease-fire.

Ban's call for a truce came on the heels of the single deadliest attack -- an Israeli airstrike that killed a family of 10 -- in the conflict that began with militant rocket attacks from Gaza, to which Israel responded with an aerial offensive.

"This must stop," Ban said late Sunday. He called on both sides to cooperate with Egyptian-led effort to broker a cease-fire.

"I am heading to the region to appeal personally for ending the violence and contribute to ongoing efforts to that end," he said.

Ban joins a growing chorus of Western and Arab diplomats calling for end to the crisis that has raised fears of a repeat of Israel's 2008 invasion of Gaza following a similar spate of rocket attacks. At least 1,400 people were killed in that conflict.

In Israel, three people have been killed and 68 wounded in rocket attacks, the Israel Defense Forces says.

At least 92 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel began its aerial campaign, Palestinian emergency services said Monday. About 750 people in Gaza have been injured, the group said.

Neighbors and family members used a ditch digger, shovels and, in some cases, their hands to dig through the debris of a two-story house blown apart by an Israeli airstrike.

Ten members of one family were buried in the broken concrete and mangled metal, relatives told CNN.

A ditch digger was used to lift a giant slab of concrete. Underneath, the bodies of two small children were discovered.

Nearby, men dug through concrete blocks to find a missing woman.

"She's my uncle's wife," a young man shouted as he tried to get to a debris pile where the woman was believed buried. "She lived here."

A short time later, the body of the elderly woman was uncovered.

On Twitter, the al Qassam Brigades -- Hamas' military arm -- called it a "massacre committed by Israeli occupation."

The Israeli airstrike was targeting Yehya Bayaa, "a senior Hamas member," said Lt. Col. Avital Leibovich, the IDF's chief spokeswoman. The IDF alleges Bayaa is one of the leaders of a Hamas rocket-launching unit.

"When I say a senior Hamas member, I mean members that have Israeli blood on their hands -- members of Hamas that planned either the abduction of soldiers or are very much involved in targeting Israelis," Leibovich said.

The house was Bayaa's home and suspected command center, according to Leibovitch. She said the Israeli military was examining video of the strike to look for signs of secondary explosions, an indication that there were explosives inside. Initially, the IDF reported it killed Bayaa in the attack. But late Sunday, Leibovich said she did not know for sure whether Bayaa had been killed.

Rockets flew overhead as mourners gathered Monday at the al-Isra mosque for the funeral of some of the family members killed, CNN's Ben Wedeman reported. A short time later, the sound of the firing of more rockets could be heard.

Hundreds turned out for the funeral, where some chanted, "revenge, revenge."

Also on Monday, militants fired six rockets toward Eshkol in southern Israel, with one hitting a school that has been shuttered since the conflict began, the IDF said. Three more rockets fired at Ashkelon -- which has been repeatedly targeted by militants in recent days -- were intercepted by Israel's missile defense system, it said.

Airstrikes Monday in Gaza targeted a stadium where the IDF alleges Hamas militants were launching rockets.

Overnight, a fairly intense air campaign was carried out with a number of airstrikes targeting primarily government buildings.

In the daylight, Gaza City looked something like a war zone with flattened buildings, emptied streets and shuttered store fronts.

An Israeli special envoy was in Egypt for cease-fire talks Monday, the Egyptian government said, and a steady stream of Arab League, U.N. and European diplomats were arriving in the region to promote a cease-fire.

Hamas is putting conditions on any truce offer. In addition to an end the airstrikes, senior Palestinian negotiator Nabil Shaath said Hamas is demanding the end to Israel's long blockade of Gaza.

The territory has been under a crippling economic embargo since Hamas won control of the territory from the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority, which controls the West Bank.

Hamas also wants Israel to stop targeting the leadership of Palestinian factions and to expand the waters Palestinian fishermen are allowed to trawl from three miles offshore to 30, said Shaath, who is also a Fatah leader.

"The attempt is to reach a real stable situation. That's why they are asking for commitment on Israeli typical aggression and periodic incursions and constant shooting and firing at the fishermen in the sea," he said.

Israel, meanwhile, has demanded an end to the rocket attacks.

Militants in Gaza had fired nearly 1,000 rockets at Israel, the IDF reported. Roughly 550 rockets have struck Israel and another 340 have been intercepted, including 41 of the 146 fired Sunday, the military said. About 110 rockets fires by militants in Gaza have landed inside the Palestinian territory.

Israel, meanwhile, carried out 130 strikes during the day, raising to 1,350 the number of sites targeted since it began its bombing campaign on Wednesday, according to the IDF.

The IDF has struck government buildings, police stations and the homes of Hamas officials as well as rocket-launching sites and suspected storage facilities.

"We are exacting a heavy price from Hamas and the (other) terrorist organizations, and IDF is prepared for a significant expansion of its operations," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters Sunday.

The Israeli government also has called up 75,000 reservists and massed tens of thousands of troops and tanks near the border of the border of the Palestinian territory.

The escalation in hostilities has led to an increase in diplomatic efforts in recent days -- with Egypt, France, Turkey, the United States and others wading into the mix after Israel widened its operation and Hamas militants increased its rocket attacks.

The fighting has put new strains on Israel's relationship with Egypt, which is attempting to broker a cease-fire. The Muslim Brotherhood-led government that took power in June has pledged to maintain Egypt's peace treaty with Israel -- the cornerstone of what peace has been achieved in the turbulent region -- but sympathy for the Palestinians runs deep among Egyptians.

The United States and several European countries have put the brunt of the blame for the current crisis on Hamas, saying Israel has a right to self-defense, while Arab and Muslim nations have accused Israel of being the aggressor.

Catherine Ashton, the EU's foreign policy chief, repeated on Monday her previous calls for a long-term solution in Gaza.

"I'm very concerned about the loss of life, but I've also been saying consistently for a long time that we need to find a long-term solution to Gaza," she said. "I've been there three times and we have to find a way to prevent the kind of violent rocket attacks that we've seen, and also to bring some security and peace to the people of that region."

Arab League Secretary-General Nabil el-Araby and 16 foreign ministers from the league's member states will arrive in Gaza on Tuesday for talks, a spokesman for the organization said. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is expected to join the delegation, a ministry spokesman said Monday.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, meanwhile, will hold talks in the West Bank with the U.N. secretary-general during his visit to the region, said Saeb Erakat, a member of the PLO's executive committee and an Abbas ally.

Hamas, a militant fundamentalist Islamic organization, has political, military, social and religious arms. It took political control of the Palestinian territory in 2007 after a landslide election.

The organization has been branded a terrorist organization by the United States, Israel and the European Union.

CNN's Sara Sidner and Arwa Damon reported from Gaza City; CNN's Chelsea J. Carter reported from Atlanta; CNN's Ben Wedeman, Fred Pleitgen, Amir Ahmed, Jessica Yellin and Mohamed Fadel Fahmy contributed to this report.

™ & © 2012 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.

 

The Skanner Foundation's 38th Annual MLK Breakfast