12-04-2023  6:22 pm   •   PDX and SEA Weather
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NORTHWEST NEWS

Oldest Black Church in Oregon Will Tear Down, Rebuild To Better Serve Community

As physical attendance dwindles, First African Methodist Episcopal Zion is joining the growing trend of churches that are re-imagining how best to use their facilities.

Cities Crack Down on Homeless Encampments. Advocates Say That’s Not the Answer

Homeless people and their advocates say encampment sweeps are cruel and costly, and there aren't enough shelter beds or treatment for everyone. But government officials say it's unacceptable to let encampments fester and people need to accept offers of shelter or treatment, if they have a severe mental illness or addiction.

Schools in Portland, Oregon, Reach Tentative Deal With Teachers Union After Nearly Month-Long Strike

The agreement must still be voted on by teachers who have been on the picket line since Nov. 1 over issues of pay, class sizes and planning time. It must also be approved by the school board.

Voter-Approved Oregon Gun Control Law Violates the State Constitution, Judge Rules

The law is one of the toughest in the nation. It requires people to undergo a criminal background check and complete a gun safety training course in order to obtain a permit to buy a firearm. It also bans high-capacity magazines.

NEWS BRIEFS

Talk A Mile Event Connects Young Black Leaders with Portland Police Bureau Trainees

Talk A Mile operates on the idea that conversation bridges gaps and builds empathy, which can promote understanding between Black...

Turkey Rules the Table. But an AP-NORC Poll Finds Disagreement Over Other Thanksgiving Classics

Thanksgiving may be a time for Americans to come together, but opinion is divided over what's on the crowded dinner table. We mostly...

Veteran Journalist and Emmy Award-Winning Producer to Lead Award-Winning Digital Magazine Focused on Racial Inequality

Jamil Smith will drive The Emancipator’s editorial vision and serve as a key partner to Payne in growing the rising media...

Regional Arts & Culture Council and Port of Portland Announce Selection of PDX Phase 1 Terminal Redevelopment Artists

Sanford Biggers and Yoonhee Choi’s projects will be on display with the opening of the new terminal in May 2024 ...

Portland Theatres Unite in ‘Go See A Play’ Revival Campaign

The effort aims to invigorate the city's performing arts scene. ...

1 of 3 Washington officers charged in death of Black man Manuel Ellis testifies in his own defense

TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — One of the three police officers charged with killing Manuel Ellis, a Black man whose death in 2020 as he pleaded for air became a touchstone for racial justice protesters in the Pacific Northwest, took the witness stand in his own defense Monday, saying he lamented Ellis'...

Heisman finalists: LSU QB Daniels, Oregon QB Nix, Washington QB Penix Jr., Ohio St WR Harrison Jr.

LSU's Jayden Daniels, Oregon's Bo Nix and Washington's Michael Penix Jr., transfer quarterbacks who have all played at least five college seasons, and Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. were announced as the Heisman Trophy finalists on Monday night. The Heisman has been given to...

AP names LSU's Daniels unanimous SEC offensive player of year; Watson named top defensive player

LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels is the unanimous pick as Associated Press Southeastern Conference offensive player of the year, while Mississippi State linebacker Nathaniel Watson is defensive player of the year. Missouri coach Eliah Drinkwitz won coach of the year honors Monday after...

Big Ten power Ohio State plays rising SEC team Missouri in 88th Cotton Bowl

Ohio State (11-1, Big Ten) vs. Missouri (10-2, SEC), Dec. 29, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN) LOCATION: Arlington, Texas. TOP PLAYERS Ohio State: WR Marvin Harrison, 1,211 yards receiving, 15 touchdowns, 18.1 yards per catch. Missouri: QB Brady Cook, 3,189...

OPINION

Why Are Bullies So Mean? A Youth Psychology Expert Explains What’s Behind Their Harmful Behavior

Bullied children and teens are at risk for anxiety, depression, dropping out of school, peer rejection, social isolation and self-harm. ...

Federal Agencies Issue $23 Million Fine Against TransUnion and Subsidiary

FTC and CFPB say actions harmed renters and violated fair credit laws ...

First One to Commit to Nonviolence Wins

Every time gains towards nonviolence looked promising, someone from the most aggrieved and trauma-warped groups made sure to be spoilers by committing some atrocity and resetting the hate and violence. ...

Boxes

What is patently obvious to all Americans right now is the adolescent dysfunction of Congress. ...

AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE NEWS

New North Carolina congressional districts challenged in federal court on racial bias claims

RALEIGH. N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Black and Latino voters sued in federal court on Monday seeking to strike down congressional districts drawn this fall by Republican state legislators that they argue weaken minority voting power in violation of the U.S. Constitution. The lawsuit...

Texas prosecutor drops charges against 17 Austin police over tactics used during 2020 protests

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas prosecutor whose office oversaw indictments against more than 20 Austin police officers for tactics used during the 2020 protests that followed George Floyd's killing said Monday he was dropping most of the cases and would ask the Justice Department to investigate...

After racist shooting that killed 3, families sues Dollar General firms and others over lax security

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Family members of three Black people fatally shot at a Dollar General store in north Florida by a racist gunman have sued the store's landlord, operator and security contractor for negligence, claiming lax security led to their loved ones' deaths. The...

ENTERTAINMENT

Book Review: Lauren Grodstein’s masterpiece of historical fiction set in Warsaw Ghetto during WWII

The Oneg Shabbat archive was a secret project of Jewish prisoners in the Warsaw Ghetto to record their histories as they awaited deportation to Nazi death camps during World War II. Lauren Grodstein has used this historical fact as the basis for her mesmerizing new novel, “We Must Not Think of...

Book Review: ‘Eyeliner' examines the staple makeup product's revolutionary role in global society

Zahra Hankir opens “Eyeliner: A Cultural History” by marveling over her mother’s elegant beauty process as she delicately sweeps black kohl on her waterline, dreaming of displaying that same confidence one day. For Hankir, eyeliner is more than just a cosmetic product. It...

Eddie Izzard returns to New York for a version of Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' with just one actor onstage

NEW YORK (AP) — Eddie Izzard is returning to a New York stage this winter for an ambitious version of “Hamlet.” It's ambitious because the actor-comedian will be the only one on stage. Izzard will play all the William Shakespeare parts in a one-person staging adapted by Izzard's...

U.S. & WORLD NEWS

The next Republican debate is in Alabama, the state that gave the GOP a road map to Donald Trump

ATLANTA (AP) — Republican presidential candidates will debate Wednesday within walking distance of where George...

Zelenskyy to address US senators by video as White House pushes Congress to support aid for Ukraine

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will address U.S. senators by video Tuesday during a...

More than 0,000 raised for Palestinian student paralyzed after being shot in Vermont

More than 0,000 has been raised for the recovery of one of the three college students of Palestinian descent...

Global warming could cost poor countries trillions. They've urged the COP28 climate summit to help

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A prominent developing-world leader on the issue of climate change said...

Live updates | Israel’s military calls for more evacuations in southern Gaza as it widens offensive

Israel's military called for more evacuations in southern Gaza as it widened its offensive aimed at eliminating...

Judges reject call for near ban on Hague prison visits for 3 former Kosovo Liberation Army fighters

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — International judges on Monday rejected a demand by prosecutors for a nearly complete...

Michael Martinez and Natalie Brunell CNN

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- The father of a homeless California man who died after being beaten by Fullerton police officers filed a wrongful death lawsuit Thursday against the city, its police chief and the six officers allegedly involved in the fatal incident.

The lawsuit filed by Frederick Ronald Thomas Jr., 55, of Cypress, California, also alleges assault and battery, negligence and civil rights violations in the death of his son, Kelly James Thomas.

The suit, filed in Orange County Superior Court one year after the beating, seeks more than $25,000 in damages.

Kelly Thomas, 37, a lifelong resident of Fullerton, was shirtless and carrying a backpack, and was wearing long pants and slippers, when Fullerton police were called to investigate a "homeless" man looking in car windows and pulling door handles of parked cars at the city's bus depot last July 5, the lawsuit said.

A security camera at the downtown bus depot provided 16 minutes of video of the officers questioning and then beating Thomas, who was schizophrenic.

An anniversary vigil was scheduled to be held Thursday evening at the Fullerton depot.

Two of the officers have been charged in the beating death and were ordered in May to stand trial.

Officer Manuel Ramos is charged with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter, and Cpl. Jay Patrick Cicinelli is charged with involuntary manslaughter and felony use of excessive force.

Both have pleaded not guilty.

Ramos, 37, a 10-year veteran of the police department, would face a maximum sentence of 15 years to life if convicted, authorities said. Cicinelli, 39, a 12-year Fullerton police veteran, would face a maximum of four years in prison if convicted.

"The murder of Kelly Thomas was the inevitable result of the culture of corruption and deliberate indifference within the City of Fullerton Police Department," the lawsuit alleges. "The city's police department has a longstanding reputation of running roughshod on its citizens' constitutional rights, ignoring citizen complaints and issuing no discipline to officers accused of wrongdoing," the lawsuit claims.

Fullerton police spokesman Sgt. Jeff Stuart said the department hadn't yet reviewed the lawsuit and didn't have a comment Thursday.

Recently, Thomas' mother, Cathy, received $1 million from Fullerton's insurance reserves in an agreement to settle her claim against the city in her son's death, according to a city statement. Cathy Thomas, who's divorced from Frederick "Ron" Thomas, released the city and its police officers from all potential claims, the city's statement said.

Garo Mardirossian, the attorney in Ron Thomas' suit, told reporters Thursday that he also represented Cathy Thomas at one point. He declined to comment on her settlement agreement.

Meanwhile, Ron Thomas told reporters at Thursday's press conference that he's considering running for mayor of Fullerton.