On Steps of US Supreme Court, AG Rosenblum Rallies Abortion Rights Supporters
Speaking at an ACLU-organized rally on the steps of the United States Supreme Court this morning, Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum made an impassioned defense of abortion as essential healthcare, and of medication abortion as a key part of those healthcare rights. The rally coincided with arguments being presented inside the Supreme Court in the AHM (Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine) v. FDA (Food & Drug Administration) case.
Should College Essays Touch on Race? Some Feel the Affirmative Action Ruling Leaves Them No Choice
When the Supreme Court ended affirmative action, it left the college essay as one of few places where race can play a role in admissions decisions. Yet the added weight of the college essay has fallen unevenly on students of color, who often feel pressure to exploit their hardships as they compete for a spot on campus.
Bird Flu, Weather and Inflation Conspire to Keep Egg Prices Near Historic Highs for Easter
The cost of filling a basket or completing a Seder plate reflect a market scrambled by disease, high demand and growing costs for farmers. While global prices are lower than they were at this time last year, they remain elevated.
Strippers' Bill of Rights Bill Signed Into Law in Washington State
Gov. Jay Inslee signed the measure on Monday which creates safer working conditions for people in the adult entertainment industry. The law requires employee training in establishments to prevent sexual harassment, identify and report human trafficking, deescalate conflict and provide first aid.
The Portland Art Museum presents Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks
Exhibition on view March 30 - August 11, 2024. Programs to include sneaker-focused Summer Camps and in-gallery activities ...
Portland Street Response Hosts Town Hall
PCCEP is seeking community input to help shape their recommendation in support of Portland Street Response. ...
Joint Center Responds to the U.S. House Office of Diversity and Inclusion Disbandment
This decision jeopardizes the establishment of policies to support diverse communities and threatens the pursuit of inclusivity for...
Bonamici, Kaine Praise Billion Dollar Increase for Child Care, Early Childhood Learning
Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) and Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) —members of the House Committee on Education and Workforce and the...
Portland Rose Festival 2024 Court Member from Benson Polytechnic High School Announced
The Rose Festival Princess from Benson Polytechnic High School, Laedyn Romero, was selected March 22. ...
What's keeping egg prices high for Easter? It's not just inflation
Egg prices are at near-historic highs in many parts of the world as the spring holidays approach, reflecting a market scrambled by disease, high demand and growing costs for farmers. It’s the second year in a row consumers have faced sticker shock ahead of Easter and Passover, both...
Lou Whittaker, among the most famous American mountaineers, has died at age 95
SEATTLE (AP) — Lou Whittaker, a legendary American mountaineer who helped lead ascents of Mount Everest, K2 and Denali, and who taught generations of climbers during his more than 250 trips up Mount Rainier, the tallest peak in Washington state, has died at age 95. RMI Expeditions,...
Georgia ends game on 12-0 run to beat Missouri 64-59 in first round of SEC tourney
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Blue Cain had 19 points, Justin Hill scored 17 off the bench and 11th-seeded Georgia finished the game on a 12-0 run to beat No. 14 seed Missouri 64-59 on Wednesday night in the first round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament. Cain hit 6 of 12 shots,...
Georgia faces Missouri in SEC Tournament
Missouri Tigers (8-23, 0-18 SEC) vs. Georgia Bulldogs (16-15, 6-12 SEC) Nashville, Tennessee; Wednesday, 9:30 p.m. EDT FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Bulldogs -3; over/under is 147 BOTTOM LINE: Georgia plays in the SEC Tournament against Missouri. ...
COMMENTARY: Is a Cultural Shift on the Horizon?
As with all traditions in all cultures, it is up to the elders to pass down the rituals, food, language, and customs that identify a group. So, if your auntie, uncle, mom, and so on didn’t teach you how to play Spades, well, that’s a recipe lost. But...
A Full Court Press to Get the Lead Out
With a “goal of identifying and remediating lead hazards in at least 2,800 Lancaster County homes,” LG Health is setting an example for the private sector. And the Biden-Harris administration’s focus on environmental justice and access to clean and safe...
OP-ED: Congress Is Right: Federal Reserve’s Reg II Will Hurt Minority Communities in America
The Fed is taking every effort to promote income equality and workplace diversity and inclusion, but Regulation II would undercut its great work in this respect and cause potential harm to millions of minority families. Now that a congressional coalition has...
OP-ED: A Silent Killer No More
Data from Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City shows that more than 13 percent of African American men between the ages 45 and 79 will develop prostate cancer in their lifetimes. And Black men have a 70 percent higher rate of developing...
US changes how it categorizes people by race and ethnicity. It's the first revision in 27 years
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — For the first time in 27 years, the U.S. government is changing how it categorizes people by race and ethnicity, an effort that federal officials believe will more accurately count residents who identify as Hispanic and of Middle Eastern and North African heritage. ...
Key findings from AP's investigation into police force that isn't supposed to be lethal
Every day, police in the U.S. rely on common use-of-force tactics that, unlike guns, are meant to stop people without killing them. But when misused, these tactics can still end in death. Over a decade, more than 1,000 people died after police subdued them through physical holds, stun...
Why did more than 1,000 people die after police subdued them with force that isn't meant to kill?
Carl Grant, a Vietnam veteran with dementia, wandered out of a hospital room to charge a cellphone he imagined he had. When he wouldn’t sit still, the police officer escorting Grant body-slammed him, ricocheting the patient’s head off the floor. Taylor Ware, a former Marine and...
Celebrity birthdays for the week of March 31-April 6
Celebrity birthdays for the week of March 31-April 6: March 31: Actor William Daniels (“St. Elsewhere,” ″Boy Meets World”) is 97. Actor Richard Chamberlain is 90. Actor Shirley Jones is 90. Musician Herb Alpert is 89. Actor Christopher Walken is 81. Comedian Gabe Kaplan...
How to make an Easter ham last all week
The beauty of making a baked ham for Easter (or any holiday or large gathering) is that there's bound to be leftovers. Leftover ham, which will last for up to five days in the fridge, can be a springboard for other meals during the week. Of course you’ll want a sandwich or two, but...
Book Review: 'Glorious Exploits' turns classical history into an endearing comedy about tragedy
Best friends Lampo and Gelon are potters by trade, but their souls are filled with poetry. It’s 412 B.C. and the city of Syracuse doesn’t know what hit it when these two hatch up the best worst idea: They’ll put on a play using the Athenian prisoners of war who are starving to death down in...
Russian veto brings end to UN panel monitoring enforcement of North Korea nuclear sanctions
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia vetoed a U.N. resolution Thursday in a move that effectively abolishes the...
VP Harris says US agencies must show their AI tools aren't harming people's safety or rights
U.S. federal agencies must show that their artificial intelligence tools aren't harming the public, or stop using...
US journalist marks a year in a Russian prison as courts keep extending his time behind bars
For Evan Gershkovich, the dozen appearances in Moscow's courts over the past year have fallen into a pattern. ...
Venezuelans are increasingly stuck in Mexico, explaining drop in illegal crossings to US
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Venezuelan migrants often have a quick answer when asked to name the most difficult stretch...
King Charles stresses importance of kindness as he skips pre-Easter service amid cancer treatment
LONDON (AP) — King Charles III on Thursday stressed the importance of friendship and acts of caring in a...
Two people die after falling into the Atlantic along Spain’s north coast during high wind warnings
MADRID (AP) — Two people have died after falling into the Atlantic Ocean on Spain’s northern coast, emergency...
Tensions are running high for tenants in Portland’s rental market.
Rising rents and building-wide evictions dump droves of renters on the street looking for new housing. Apartments listed on Craigslist -- often at prices out of reach for average renters --are snatched up within hours of posting. Rising vitriol on online forums condemn a housing market that has become predatory.
Wednesday morning, the Portland Mercury reported that housing commissioner Dan Saltzman introduced short-term measures to protect renters in a rapidly changing market. Landlords are now required to give 90 days notice for no-cause lease terminations, and must give the same amount of notice if they intend to raise the rent by more than 10 percent. Mayor Charlie Hales went on record as supporting the new protections.
The proposed protections come on the heels of a Tuesday-night press conference at which the Community Alliance of Tenants declared a renter state of emergency, and a Tuesday-morning stakeholder meeting on the future of affordable housing in Northeast Portland.
Justin Buri, the executive director of CAT, said people in Portland are being displaced at an alarming rate.
“Too many tenants over the summer are being pushed out from unreasonable rent hikes, drastic rent hikes, rent hikes that force them out of their home and into one of the worst rental markets in Portland history -- and they only have 30 days (to move),” Buri said.
He also said that CAT’s renter’s rights hotline is getting an unprecedented number of calls regarding rent hikes and no-cause evictions. The health and social services hotline 211info has seen an 8 percent increase housing-related needs requests over the last year.
According to a recent study of rent prices nationwide, the Portland area is the fourth fastest-growing rent, increasing 8.5 percent from July 2014 to July 2015. The city of Vancouver, Wash., has the fastest-growing rent in the entire country, with a 9.8 percent rise from last summer to this one.
On Tuesday, the renter’s rights organization held a rally in North Portland at Peninsula Park to draw attention to the housing crisis. Across the street from the rally were the Brentwood and Pinecrest Apartments which were closed off with bright yellow caution tape.
It was a fitting backdrop for the gathering as these apartments issued building-wide eviction notices, leaving many families scrambling for affordable rents.
“There are very few affordable housing units in Portland, and they will often be competing with 20 other tenants at the same time,” Buri told The Skanner News.
The rally included stories from Jeri Jimenez and Juan Gonzalez and his family. Jeri and Juan were long-time residents of the Brentwood-Pinecrest Building in North Portland. Both ran into barriers securing new housing, as Jimenez has a felony conviction and Gonzalez said he faced racial discrimination.
Gonzalez said he had lived in North Portland for 12 years and is now doubled up with his four children in his sister’s apartment, still looking for a place to live. He told his story through choked tears.
Katrina Holland, the deputy director for CAT, announced three stopgap measures for the renter state of emergency. The first was a year-long ban on no-cause evictions. The second demand was a one-year notice period for rent increases that are larger than five percent.
For an average Portland two bedroom apartment renting at $1,550, a five percent rent increase would be $77.50. Buri said distressed renters are experiencing increases far larger than 5 percent.
“We believe that 5 percent is a reasonable amount to raise the rent from year to year, but what we are seeing is rent increases of 30, 40, sometimes even 80 or 100 percent with only 30 days to respond,” Buri said.
Lastly, Holland asked for landlords to sign a pledge to voluntarily commit to those solutions. “We hear from landlords every day. There are some who do not agree to the level of greed and pain that we are seeing,” she told the crowd.
Earlier on Tuesday, the North/Northeast Neighborhood Housing Strategy Community Oversight Committee meeting on Tuesday morning met to discuss affordability and displacement. The meeting gathered community members and Portland Housing Bureau employees to discuss the $20 million urban renewal funds for North and Northeast Portland.
Bishop Steven Holt of the International Fellowship Family moderated the discussions, which included updates on the Grant Warehouse affordable housing project on MLK Boulevard, funds for home repair and renovations -- and land acquisitions to build more affordable housing.
Matthew Tschabold, the Equity and Policy manager for PHB, gave an update on the preference policy for these projects. The policy would give preferential housing to people who once lived in the Interstate corridor but had been displaced by gentrification. The policy also covers those in the area who had property taken by the city for development projects such as the Memorial Coliseum or Emanual Hospital.
Holt told The Skanner News the meeting is an opportunity to ask questions and ensure that promises made to the Black community were being kept.
“The committee members are people of community, people who are invested and we are committed to seeing something happen differently this time around,” Holt said.
Participants at both gatherings challenged Portland to act on its reputation as a progressive city, and to balance development and inclusion. As Holland wrapped up her speech at the rally, she strongly echoed those sentiments.
“Community development and stability can coexist without displacement. Portland can be an inclusive place… a place where people can grow their dreams, contribute to the community, and people can keep a place to call home,” Holland said.
For more information on the Community Alliance of Tenants Renters State of Emergency, visit their website or facebook page.
For more information on the North/Northeast Neighborhood Housing Strategy Community Oversight Committee, visit their website.