05-19-2025  2:03 am   •   PDX and SEA Weather

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NORTHWEST NEWS

The Bottle Redemption Law may Change due to Concerns over Drugs and Homelessness 

Oregon's trailblazing bottle redemption law may undergo changes because of concerns that redemption centers have become gathering places for drug users and homeless people while having no services to support them. Proposed changes could allow nonprofits to run alternative bottle redemption centers possibly mobile centers such as trucks. Stores could stop accepting bottles after 8pm and convenience stores in some areas after 6pm

PHOTOS: The Skanner Celebrates Its 50th with Longtime Sponsors, Supporters, Community

More than 200 people raised their glasses to toast The Skanner’s 50th anniversary at the Oregon Convention Center on April 24. 

Senator-designate Courtney Neron to Serve Remainder of Term Held by Late Senator Aaron Woods

County commissioners in Washington, Clackamas and Yamhill counties have chosen State Rep. Courtney Neron yesterday to serve in Senate Dist.13. The district covers Wilsonville, Sherwood, King City, Tigard and parts of Beaverton and Yamhill County. It was most recently represented by the late Sen. Aaron Woods

Bill to Help Churches, Nonprofits Turn Extra Property into Affordable Housing Advances to Senate

Faith leaders estimate there are thousands of acres of prime real estate being offered by shrinking congregations. 

NEWS BRIEFS

Sellwood-Moreland Library Will Close June 6 For Vital Updates as Part of Refresh Projects

Library will receive new furniture, technology from this work ...

East Portland TIF District Community Leadership Committees – Applications Now Open

Each district-specific committee’s purpose is to advise PHB and Prosper Portland staff, the Portland City Council, and the Prosper...

Merkley, Wyden Blast Trump Administration’s Attacks on Head Start

42 lawmakers write to RFK Jr. demanding answers on Trump admin’s actions undermining Head Start as Trump reportedly plans to...

Alerting People About Rights Is Protected Under Oregon Senate Bill

Senate Bill 1191 says telling someone about their rights isn’t a crime in Oregon. ...

1803 Fund Makes Investment in Black Youth Education

The1803 Fund has announced a decade-long investment into Self Enhancement Inc. and Albina Head Start. The investment will take shape...

OPINION

Policymakers Should Support Patients With Chronic Conditions

As it exists today, 340B too often serves institutional financial gain rather than directly benefiting patients, leaving patients to ask “What about me?” ...

The Skanner News: Half a Century of Reporting on How Black Lives Matter

Publishing in one of the whitest cities in America – long before George Floyd ...

Cuts to Minority Business Development Agency Leaves 3 Staff

6B CDFI affordable capital for local investment also at risk ...

The Courage of Rep. Al Green: A Mandate for the People, Not the Powerful

If his colleagues truly believed in the cause, they would have risen in protest beside him, marched out of that chamber arm in arm with him, and defended him from censure rather than allowing Republicans to frame the narrative. ...

AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE NEWS

ENTERTAINMENT

U.S. & WORLD NEWS

Paul Wiseman and Christopher S. Rugaber AP Economics Writers

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Employers stopped adding jobs in August, an alarming setback for an economy that has struggled to grow and might be at risk of another recession.

The government also reported that the unemployment rate remained at 9.1 percent. It was the weakest jobs report since September 2010.

Stocks tumbled on the news. The Dow Jones industrial average sank more than 190 points in early-morning trading.

Total payrolls were unchanged in August, the first time since 1945 that the government has reported a net job change of zero. Economists warned that the economy can't keep growing indefinitely if hiring remains stalled.

"Underlying job growth needs to improve immediately in order to avoid a recession," said HSBC economist Ryan Wang.

Fears that the United States will slip back into recession have been rising since the government reported over the summer that the economy barely grew in the first half of the year. Consumer and business confidence has been sapped by the political standoff over the federal debt limit, a downgrade in the U.S. government's credit rating and a debt crisis in Europe.

Job growth had already been sputtering before it stalled completely last month. The economy produced an average 166,000 a month in the first quarter, 105,000 a month in the second quarter and just 28,000 a month so far in the third quarter, said John Silvia, chief economist at Wells Fargo.

The dispiriting job numbers for August will put more pressure on the Federal Reserve, President Barack Obama and Congress to find ways to stimulate the economy. So far, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke has been reluctant to try a third round of bond purchases designed to jolt the economy by further lowering long-term interest rates.

Obama next week will deliver a rare address to a joint session of Congress to introduce a plan for creating jobs and boosting economic growth. But House Republicans have resisted any federal stimulus spending.

The weakness in employment was underscored by revisions to the jobs data for June and July. Collectively, those figures were lowered to show 58,000 fewer jobs added. The downward revisions were all in government jobs.

The average work week also declined, and hourly earnings fell by 3 cents to $23.09.

"There is no silver lining in this one," said Steve Blitz, senior economist at ITG Investment Research. "It is difficult to walk away from these numbers without the conclusion that the economy is simply grinding to a halt."

With job creation stalled and wages declining, consumers won't see much gain in incomes. That will limit their ability to spend, which undercuts growth. Consumer spending accounts for about 70 percent of the economy.

"The importance of job growth cannot be overstated," said Joshua Shapiro, chief U.S. economist at MFR Inc.

The economy needs to add roughly 250,000 jobs a month to rapidly bring down the unemployment rate, which has been above 9 percent in all but two months since May 2009.

In August, the private sector added 17,000 jobs, the fewest since February 2010. That compares with 156,000 in July and 75,000 in June.

"The stagnation in US payroll employment is an ominous sign," said Paul Ashworth, an economist at Capital Economics. "The broad message is that even if the US economy doesn't start to contract again, any expansion is going to be very, very modest and fall well short of what would be needed to drive the still elevated unemployment rate lower."

Hiring fell across many different sectors. Manufacturers cut 3,000 jobs, its first decline since October 2010. Construction companies, retailers, and transportation firms also cut workers.

The health care industry added 30,000 jobs last month.

The economy expanded at an annual pace of only 0.7 percent in the first six months of the year. That was the slowest six months of growth since the recession officially ended in June 2009.

In August, consumer confidence fell to its lowest level since April 2009, according to the Conference Board.

Most economists forecast that growth may improve to about a 2 percent annual rate in the July-September quarter. But that's not fast enough to generate many jobs.

The Obama administration has estimated that unemployment will average about 9 percent next year, when Obama will run for re-election. The rate was 7.8 percent when Obama took office.

The White House Office of Management and Budget projects overall growth of only 1.7 percent this year.

"The economy continues to stagger," said Sung Won Sohn, economist at California State University Channel Islands. "It wouldn't take much (of a) shock to tip it onto a recession."

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