Don’t Shoot Portland, University of Oregon Team Up for Black Narratives, Memory
The yearly Memory Work for Black Lives Plenary shows the power of preservation.
Grants Pass Anti-Camping Laws Head to Supreme Court
Grants Pass in southern Oregon has become the unlikely face of the nation’s homelessness crisis as its case over anti-camping laws goes to the U.S. Supreme Court scheduled for April 22. The case has broad implications for cities, including whether they can fine or jail people for camping in public. Since 2020, court orders have barred Grants Pass from enforcing its anti-camping laws. Now, the city is asking the justices to review lower court rulings it says has prevented it from addressing the city's homelessness crisis. Rights groups say people shouldn’t be punished for lacking housing.
Four Ballot Measures for Portland Voters to Consider
Proposals from the city, PPS, Metro and Urban Flood Safety & Water Quality District.
Washington Gun Store Sold Hundreds of High-Capacity Ammunition Magazines in 90 Minutes Without Ban
KGW-TV reports Wally Wentz, owner of Gator’s Custom Guns in Kelso, described Monday as “magazine day” at his store. Wentz is behind the court challenge to Washington’s high-capacity magazine ban, with the help of the Silent Majority Foundation in eastern Washington.
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 ...
The nation’s largest Black-owned bank will choose ten winners and award each a jumi,000 savings account ...
Literary Arts Transforms Historic Central Eastside Building Into New Headquarters
The new 14,000-square-foot literary center will serve as a community and cultural hub with a bookstore, café, classroom, and event...
Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Announces New Partnership with the University of Oxford
Tony Bishop initiated the CBCF Alumni Scholarship to empower young Black scholars and dismantle financial barriers ...
Mt. Hood Jazz Festival Returns to Mt. Hood Community College with Acclaimed Artists
Performing at the festival are acclaimed artists Joshua Redman, Hailey Niswanger, Etienne Charles and Creole Soul, Camille Thurman,...
Idaho's ban on youth gender-affirming care has families desperately scrambling for solutions
Forced to hide her true self, Joe Horras’ transgender daughter struggled with depression and anxiety until three years ago, when she began to take medication to block the onset of puberty. The gender-affirming treatment helped the now-16-year-old find happiness again, her father said. ...
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators shut down airport highways and key bridges in major US cities
CHICAGO (AP) — Pro-Palestinian demonstrators blocked roadways in Illinois, California, New York and the Pacific Northwest on Monday, temporarily shutting down travel into some of the nation's most heavily used airports, onto the Golden Gate and Brooklyn bridges and on a busy West Coast highway. ...
University of Missouri plans 0 million renovation of Memorial Stadium
ROLLA, Mo. (AP) — The University of Missouri is planning a 0 million renovation of Memorial Stadium. The Memorial Stadium Improvements Project, expected to be completed by the 2026 season, will further enclose the north end of the stadium and add a variety of new premium seating...
The sons of several former NFL stars are ready to carve their path into the league through the draft
Jeremiah Trotter Jr. wears his dad’s No. 54, plays the same position and celebrates sacks and big tackles with the same signature axe swing. Now, he’s ready to make a name for himself in the NFL. So are several top prospects who play the same positions their fathers played in the...
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. ...
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...
US committee releases sealed Brazil court orders to Musk's X, shedding light on account suspensions
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A U.S. congressional committee released confidential Brazilian court orders to suspend accounts on the social media platform X, offering a glimpse into decisions that have spurred complaints of alleged censorship from the company and its billionaire owner Elon Musk. ...
Convenience store chain with hundreds of outlets in 6 states hit with discrimination lawsuit
The Sheetz convenience store chain has been hit with a lawsuit by federal officials who allege the company discriminated against minority job applicants. Sheetz Inc., which operates more than 700 stores in six states, discriminated against Black, Native American and multiracial job...
Choctaw artist Jeffrey Gibson confronts history at US pavilion as its first solo Indigenous artist
VENICE. Italy (AP) — Jeffrey Gibson’s takeover of the U.S. pavilion for this year’s Venice Biennale contemporary art show is a celebration of color, pattern and craft, which is immediately evident on approaching the bright red facade decorated by a colorful clash of geometry and a foreground...
Robert MacNeil, creator and first anchor of PBS 'NewsHour' nightly newscast, dies at 93
NEW YORK (AP) — Robert MacNeil, who created the even-handed, no-frills PBS newscast “The MacNeil-Lehrer NewsHour” in the 1970s and co-anchored the show with his late partner, Jim Lehrer, for two decades, died on Friday. He was 93. MacNeil died of natural causes at New...
Celebrity birthdays for the week of April 21-27
Celebrity birthdays for the week of April 21-27: April 21: Actor Elaine May is 92. Singer Iggy Pop is 77. Actor Patti LuPone is 75. Actor Tony Danza is 73. Actor James Morrison (“24”) is 70. Actor Andie MacDowell is 66. Singer Robert Smith of The Cure is 65. Guitarist Michael...
What to stream this week: Conan O’Brien travels, 'Migration' soars and Taylor Swift will reign
Zack Snyder’s “Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver” landing on Netflix and Taylor Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department” album are some of the new television, movies, music and games headed to a device near you. Also among the streaming offerings worth your time as...
Israelis grapple with how to celebrate Passover, a holiday about freedom, while many remain captive
JERUSALEM (AP) — Every year, Alon Gat’s mother led the family's Passover celebration of the liberation of the...
Coyotes officially leaving Arizona for Salt Lake City following approval of sale to Utah Jazz owners
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — The Arizona Coyotes are officially headed to Salt Lake City. The NHL Board of...
Once praised, settlement to help sickened BP oil spill workers leaves most with nearly nothing
When a deadly explosion destroyed BP’s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, 134 million gallons...
Zimbabwe frees prisoners, including those sentenced to death, in an independence day amnesty
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa granted clemency to more than 4,000 prisoners,...
Thousands of Bosnian Serbs attend rally denying genocide was committed in Srebrenica in 1995
BANJA LUKA, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Thousands of Bosnian Serbs rallied on Thursday denying that genocide was...
NATO and the EU urge G7 nations to step up air defense for Ukraine and expand Iran sanctions
CAPRI, Italy (AP) — Top NATO and European Union officials urged foreign ministers from leading industrialized...
Mayor Murray Announced $417,000 in Matching Fund Awards for Neighborhood Projects
Mayor Ed Murray announced an investment of $417,227 in matching funds to support 23 neighborhood-initiated projects across the city. The awards are from the Neighborhood Matching Fund for such projects as community celebrations to multi-media training for youth.
The awards are part of the Small and Simple Projects Fund, one of three funds offered by Seattle Department of Neighborhoods. It provides cash awards of up to $25,000 in matching funds to community organizations committed to fostering and building a better community. The 2016 June awards range from $5,100 to $25,000, and the organizations pledge to match the City of Seattle’s $417,227 investment with $550,072 of locally raised money, donated materials, and volunteer labor.
In addition to the Small and Simple Projects Fund, the Neighborhood Matching Fund (NMF) has two other programs: the Large Projects Fund which provides matching funds of up to $100,000, and the Small Sparks Fund which provides funds of up to $1,000. Over its 28-year history, more than 5,000 projects have been funded with the help of NMF, and its investment in neighborhoods can be seen across the city. For more information about all of the funds visit seattle.gov/neighborhoods/nmf/.
The Small and Simple Projects Fund has one more opportunity to apply this September. To learn more visit seattle.gov/neighborhoods/nmf/smallandsimple.htm.
Ice Cream Story Times at the Capitol Hill Branch Aug. 29 and 31
Families are invited to make and eat ice cream while enjoying stories, rhymes, songs and the history of ice cream on Monday, Aug. 29 and Wednesday, Aug. 31 at the Capitol Hill Branch of the Seattle Public Library, 425 Harvard Ave. E., (206) 684-4715.
Library programs are free and open to the public. Registration is not required. Space is limited at Library events, please arrive early to get a seat.
The ice cream story times are intended for children ages 2-8 and their families. Participants may wish to bring a small towel or oven mitt to use when shaking the bag of ice.
Dates and times for Ice Cream Story Times at the Capitol Hill Branch are as follows:
For more information, call the Capitol Hill Branch at 206-684-4715 or visit Ask a Librarian.
DNR Burn Ban Expanded Statewide
With the arrival of warm summer temperatures and below normal precipitation in western Washington, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has expanded its burn ban to cover the entire state.
The statewide burn ban will run from July 29 through Sept. 30. A burn ban for DNR-protected lands in eastern Washington has been in effect since July 2. The ban may be extended or shortened based on fire weather.
The ban means outdoor burning is prohibited on all forestlands that DNR protects from wildfire. Anyone caught violating the burn ban can face fines. Prescribed ecological burns approved by DNR will be allowed if expressly approved by Commissioner Goldmark.
Recreational fires in approved fire pits within designated state, county, municipal and other campgrounds are allowed.
DNR’s burn ban does not apply to federally-owned lands, such as national forests, national parks, national wildlife refuges or other areas administered by federal agencies. Counties and local fire districts may have additional burn restrictions.
So far this year, DNR has had 408 wildfire starts throughout the state.
Fireworks and incendiary devices, such as exploding targets, sky lanterns, or tracer ammunition, are illegal on all DNR-protected forestlands.
For a copy of the Commissioner’s Order, go to http://www.dnr.wa.gov/burn-bans.
Murray Appoints New Seattle Public Utilities Director
Mayor Ed Murray today announced his appointment for the Director of Seattle Public Utilities (SPU), Mami Hara. Hara is an experienced utility executive and planner.
Hara is currently the network coordinator of a practitioner network that supports communities seeking to expand green storm water infrastructure programs. While in Philadelphia she helped implement national models that Seattle aspires to today. Green City, Clean Waters is the nation’s most ambitious green infrastructure program and its successes are helping to define national practice. Philadelphia is creating living landscapes to reduce the storm water pollution and to enhance quality of life. Seattle has long been a leader in this field and her experience will help us to continue defining best practice.
Prior, Hara served for five years as Chief of Staff at Philadelphia Water, a 2,000-person utility serving more than 2 million customers across 200 square miles, with a $700 million annual operating budget and a $6 billion Capital Improvement Program.
Hara, once confirmed by Seattle City Council, will replace Ray Hoffman, SPU Director since 2009, who will retire tomorrow. Hara is expected to start September 1, with an annual salary of $223,500.
SPU is comprised of three lines of business that provide efficient and forward-looking utility services in Seattle: solid waste and sewage and drainage for Seattle residents and businesses and drinking water for the 1.3 million regional customers both in Seattle and the 26 municipalities and special water districts also served by SPU. SPU’s annual budget is approximately $1 billion, including Operations and Maintenance and Capital Improvement.
For more Seattle and Portland area events see the Community Calendar.