Portland and Seattle
Free Subscription to Breaking News
Free Subscription to Breaking News
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 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 ...
The nation’s largest Black-owned bank will choose ten winners and award each a $1,000 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 ...
The drug war devastated Black and other minority communities. Is marijuana legalization helping?
ARLINGTON, Wash. (AP) — When Washington state opened some of the nation's first legal marijuana stores in 2014, Sam Ward Jr. was on electronic home detention in Spokane, where he had been indicted on federal drug charges. He would soon be off to prison to serve the lion's share of a four-year...
Firefighters douse a blaze at a historic Oregon hotel famously featured in 'The Shining'
GOVERNMENT CAMP, Ore. (AP) — Firefighters doused a late-night fire at Oregon's historic Timberline Lodge — featured in Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 film “The Shining” — before it caused significant damage. The fire Thursday night was confined to the roof and attic of the lodge,...
Two-time world champ J’den Cox retires at US Olympic wrestling trials; 44-year-old reaches finals
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — J’den Cox walked off the mat after dropping a 2-2 decision to Kollin Moore at the U.S. Olympic wrestling trials on Friday night, leaving his shoes behind to a standing ovation. The bronze medal winner at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016 was beaten by...
University of Missouri plans 0 million renovation of Memorial Stadium
COLUMBIA, 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...
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. ...
The drug war devastated Black and other minority communities. Is marijuana legalization helping?
ARLINGTON, Wash. (AP) — When Washington state opened some of the nation's first legal marijuana stores in 2014, Sam Ward Jr. was on electronic home detention in Spokane, where he had been indicted on federal drug charges. He would soon be off to prison to serve the lion's share of a four-year...
Lawsuits under New York's new voting rights law reveal racial disenfranchisement even in blue states
FREEPORT, N.Y. (AP) — Weihua Yan had seen dramatic demographic changes since moving to Long Island's Nassau County. Its Asian American population alone had grown by 60% since the 2010 census. Why then, he wondered, did he not see anyone who looked like him on the county's local...
USC cancels graduation keynote by filmmaker amid controversy over decision to drop student's speech
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The University of Southern California further shook up its commencement plans Friday, announcing the cancelation of a keynote speech by filmmaker Jon M. Chu just days after making the controversial choice to disallow the student valedictorian from speaking. The...
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 weekend: Conan O’Brien travels, 'Migration' soars and Taylor Swift reigns
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...
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...
Final jurors seated for Trump's hush money case, with opening statements set for Monday
NEW YORK (AP) — The final jurors were seated Friday in Donald Trump’s hush money trial, and an appellate judge...
Not a toddler, not a parent, but still love 'Bluey'? You're not alone
PHOENIX (AP) — A small blue dog with an Australian accent has captured the hearts of people across the world. ...
Emergency rooms refused to treat pregnant women, leaving one to miscarry in a lobby restroom
WASHINGTON (AP) — One woman miscarried in the lobby restroom of a Texas emergency room as front desk staff...
Indians vote in the first phase of the world's largest election as Modi seeks a third term
NEW DELHI (AP) — Millions of Indians began voting on Friday in a six-week election that's a referendum on...
US sanctions fundraisers for extremist West Bank settlers who commit violence against Palestinians
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration on Friday imposed sanctions on two entities accused of fundraising...
Ukraine, Israel aid advances in rare House vote as Democrats help Republicans push it forward
WASHINGTON (AP) — With rare bipartisan momentum, the House pushed ahead Friday on a foreign aid package of ...
BIG BUDGET FILMS
Carol (R sexuality, nudity and brief profanity) Cate Blanchett plays the title character in this romance drama, set in New York City in the Fifties, as a woman in the midst of a bitter divorce who becomes smitten with a department store clerk (Rooney Mara) she meets while buying a Christmas present for her daughter (Kk Heim). With Sarah Paulson, Kyle Chandler and Jake Lacy.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (PG-13 for action, intense violence and mature themes) Franchise finale finds reluctant rebel Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) leading a team of trusted close friends (Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Sam Claflin and Natalie Dormer) on a mission to assassinate the President (Donald Sutherland) and to free the citizens of Panem. Ensemble cast includes Jeffrey Wright, Woody Harrelson, Julianne Moore, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman.
The Night Before (R for pervasive profanity, incessant substance abuse, frontal nudity and graphic sexuality) Raunchy holiday comedy revolving around a trio of lifelong BFFs' (Seth Rogen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Anthony Mackie) wild night of drugs and debauchery during their annual Christmas Eve reunion. Cast includes James Franco, Miley Cyrus, Tracy Morgan, Mindy Kaling, Anthony Mackie, Lizzy Caplan and Jillian Bell.
INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS
Censored Voices (Unrated) Middle East documentary questioning the supposed heroism of Israeli soldiers who fought in '67 war won in just six days. Featuring long-suppressed interviews with veterans recorded by kibbutzniks. (In Hebrew with subtitles)
Democrats (Unrated) Power corrupts documentary chronicling Zimbabwe strongman Robert Mugabe's going through the charade of staging a presidential election in a futile attempt to fool the world into believing the country's a legitimate democracy.
Frame by Frame (Unrated) Free press documentary chronicling the efforts of four Afghan photojournalists to ply their trade following the fall of the Taliban who had made taking pictures a crime. (In Dari and English with subtitles)
Kingdom of Shadows (PG-13 for mature themes and disturbing images) Rio Grande documentary taking an unflinching look at the ever-escalating body count in the drug wars being waged along the U.S.-Mexico border. (In Spanish and English with subtitles)
Legend (R for sexuality, drug use, graphic violence and pervasive profanity) Mob saga revisiting the exploits of Reggie and Ronnie Kray (Tom Hardy), infamous identical twins who ran a powerful crime syndicate in London in the Sixties. Supporting cast includes Emily Browning, Paul Bettany and Chazz Palminteri.
Mediterranea (Unrated) Fact-based docudrama recounting the ordeal of a couple of refugees (Koudous Seihon and Alassane Sy) who make the perilous journey from Africa to Italy in search of a better life only to be met with hostility and violence. With Paolo Sciarretta, Annalisa Pagano and Pio Amato. (In French, Italian, English and Arabic with subtitles)
Mustang (PG-13 for mature themes and sexuality) Tale of female empowerment, set in Turkey, about five, freedom-loving sisters grounded by their parents after engaging in innocent horesplay with boys on their way home from school. Co-starring Gunes Sensoy, Elit Iscan, Doga Zeynep Doguslu, Tugba Sunguroglu and Ilayda Akdogan. (In Turkish with subtitles)
Secret in Their Eyes (PG-13 for profanity, sexual references, mature themes and disturbing violence) Whodunit revolving around a tight-knit FBI unit, investigating a string of murders of teenage girls, that is suddenly torn asunder by the brutal slaying of a team member's (Julia Roberts) daughter (Zoe Graham). With Chiwetel Ejiofor, Nicole Kidman and Lyndon Smith.
The Summer of Sangaile (Unrated) Julija Steponaityte handles the title role in this coming-of-age tale of teen love as a shy and retiring wallflower who falls head over heels for a daredevil (Aiste Dirziute) she meets at an airplane stunt show. Featuring Nele Savicenko, Laurynas Jurgelis and Jurate Sodyte. (In Lithuanian with subtitles)
Very Semi-Serious (Unrated) Jocular documentary highlighting the process by which the New Yorker magazine's cartoon editor Bob Mankoff settles on which submissions to include in each issue.
