03-23-2023  10:28 pm   •   PDX and SEA Weather
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4

NORTHWEST NEWS

Idaho Hospital to Stop Baby Deliveries, Partly Over Politics

A rural hospital in northern Idaho will stop delivering babies or providing other obstetrical care, citing a shifting legal climate in which recently enacted state laws could subject physicians to prosecution for providing abortions, among other reasons

Water Contamination in Oregon Could Prompt EPA to Step In

It's been three decades since state agencies first noted high levels of nitrate contamination in the groundwater in Morrow and Umatilla counties and residents have long complained that the pollution is negatively impacting their health.

North Portland Library to Undergo Renovations and Expansion

As one of the library building projects funded by the 2020 Multnomah County voter-approved bond, North Portland Library will close to the public on April 5, 2023, to begin construction processes for its renovation and expansion.

Report: 119K People Hurt by Riot-Control Weapons Since 2015

The report on casualties from a largely unregulated industry cites an alarming evolution of crowd-control devices into more powerful and indiscriminate designs and deployment, including dropping tear gas from drones.

NEWS BRIEFS

Motorcycle Lane Filtering Law Passes Oregon Senate

SB 422 will allow motorcyclists to avoid dangers of stop-and-go traffic under certain conditions ...

MET Rental Assistance Now Available

The Muslim Educational Trust is extending its Rental Assistance Program to families in need living in Multnomah or Washington...

Two for One Tickets for Seven Guitars on Thursday, March 23

Taylore Mahogany Scott's performance in Seven Guitars brings to life Vera Dotson, a woman whose story arose in August Wilson's...

PassinArt: A Theatre Company and PNMC Festival Call for Actors and Directors

Actors and directors of all skill levels are sought for the Pacific NW Multicultural Readers Series and Film Festival ...

Hearing on New Burnside Bridge Construction

The Earthquake Ready Burnside Bridge Project team will present HB 3323 and 3301 this Thursday, March 23 from 5-6:30 p.m. ...

Officials: Safety device, human error derailed Wash. train

ANACORTES, Wash. (AP) — A safety device meant to keep trains from tipping into Puget Sound knocked a train off the tracks last week, spilling 3,100 gallons (11,734 liters) of diesel fuel in Washington state, according to the Federal Railroad Administration. The seven-car BNSF...

Idaho abortion law one reason hospital won't deliver babies

A rural hospital in northern Idaho will stop delivering babies or providing other obstetrical care, citing a shifting legal climate in which recently enacted state laws could subject physicians to prosecution for providing abortions, among other reasons. Bonner General Health in...

March Madness: Sweet 16 begins from NYC to Las Vegas

March Madness has reached Sweet 16 weekend. Two No. 1 seeds, Kansas and Purdue, are already gone along with millions of busted brackets and a host of bluebloods including Kentucky, Duke and Indiana —though UCLA's drive for a 12th national title remains alive. Here is what to know: ...

March Madness: Alabama aims to avoid giant-killers in South

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Alabama was expected to be in the Sweet 16 as the overall top seed in the NCAA Tournament. Few thought the teams standing between the Crimson Tide and a trip to the Final Four would be No. 5 seed San Diego State, sixth-seeded Creighton and 15th-seeded...

OPINION

Celebrating 196 Years of The Black Press

It was on March 17, 1827, at a meeting of “Freed Negroes” in New York City, that Samuel Cornish, a Presbyterian minister, and John Russwurn, the first Negro college graduate in the United States, established the negro newspaper. ...

DEQ Announces Suspension of Oregon’s Clean Vehicle Rebate Program

The state’s popular incentive for drivers to switch to electric vehicles is scheduled to pause in May ...

FHA Makes Housing More Affordable for 850,000 Borrowers

Savings tied to median market home prices ...

State Takeover Schemes Threaten Public Safety

Blue cities in red states, beware: conservatives in state government may be coming for your police department. ...

AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE NEWS

GOP sets vote on 'parents rights' in clash over schools

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans will press forward Friday with a midterm campaign promise by voting on legislation to give parents greater say in what is taught in public schools, even as critics decry the “parents' rights” bill as a burdensome proposal that would fuel a far-right...

1st Black editor named to lead Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Thursday named Leroy Chapman Jr. as its new editor-in-chief, making him the first Black editor to lead the newspaper in its 155-year history. Chapman, 52, has worked in journalism for nearly three decades and has spent the past 12 years at the...

Lawsuit: Slurs, coercion at BBQ chain with racist history

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina barbecue chain known for its pro-segregation stance in a landmark 1960s case and its embrace of the Confederate flag in 2000 is facing allegations of racism and sexual harassment by the fired general manager of one of its restaurants. According...

ENTERTAINMENT

Musicians fight threat of Tennessee anti-LGBTQ, drag bills

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — When Tennessee lawmakers passed legislation this month targeting drag performances and transgender youth, many musicians living and working in the state felt their community, their audiences and their artistic expressions were also under fire. The trend of...

Review: A compassionate immigrant drama in 'Tori and Lokita'

It's one of the great ironies of cinema that many — not all, but many — of the most seemingly arthouse filmmakers make some of the most approachable films. Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne are imposing names in cinema. The Belgian brothers have twice won the Palme d'Or. But you would...

Lindsay Lohan, other celebs settle with SEC over crypto case

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Actress Lindsay Lohan, rapper Akon and several other celebrities have agreed to pay tens of thousands of dollars to settle claims they promoted crypto investments to their millions of social media followers without disclosing they were being paid to do so. Lohan,...

U.S. & WORLD NEWS

Barefoot tours of Westminster Abbey offered after coronation

LONDON (AP) — Visitors to London's Westminster Abbey will be allowed to stand for the first time on the exact...

Violent French pension protests erupt as 1M demonstrate

PARIS (AP) — More than 1 million people demonstrated across France on Thursday against unpopular pension...

Court blocks COVID-19 vaccine mandate for US gov't workers

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — President Joe Biden’s order that federal employees get vaccinated against COVID-19 was...

No red carpet? French unrest impacts King Charles III's trip

PARIS (AP) — Unrest in France is tarnishing the sheen of King Charles III's first overseas trip as U.K. monarch,...

Scotland's Sturgeon exits with pride, brickbats from critics

LONDON (AP) — Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon addressed lawmakers for the last time as Scottish leader...

Germany urges North Macedonia to amend charter for EU bid

SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock urged North Macedonia’s leaders...

By Sumnima Udas CNN

The lawyer for one of the men accused in the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman wants the trial moved out of New Delhi, where emotions have run high over the case.

The defense lawyer will argue before the Indian Supreme Court on Wednesday that transferring legal proceedings outside the Indian capital would ensure a free and fair hearing. His appearance, which was originally scheduled for Tuesday, was pushed back a day.

Meanwhile, a panel appointed by India's home affairs minister after the incident delivered a 600-page report Wednesday criticizing authorities and even everyday Indians for their apathy and "low and skewed priority of dealing with complaints of sexual assault."

The group said social failings, not adequate criminal laws, are to blame for the lackadaisical treatment of sexual assault in India.

"Failure of good governance is the obvious root cause for the current unsafe environment eroding the rule of law, and not the want of needed legislation," the panel said in its report.

However, the group did make several policy recommendations, including creating a new offense of gang rape punishable by at least 20 years in prison, making it a crime for police to fail to investigate sexual assault complaints and making it illegal to consider character or previous sexual experience of the victim at a criminal trial.

Kirti Singh of the National Commission for Women called the report a "landmark document."

The case that sparked the panel's review -- the December 16 gang rape of a woman in New Delhi -- has gripped India, prompting protests in the capital and other cites over the treatment of women and criticism of the way sexual assault cases are dealt with.

The consequences of the case are still unfolding in the Indian news media, with calls for tougher punishment of people convicted of rape.

The five adult suspects in the December 16 incident appeared at a closed-door hearing at a fast-track court in New Delhi on Monday. Details about what was said in court cannot be reported under a judge's ruling imposing restrictions on coverage of the case.

Police say the suspects attacked the woman and her male companion on a bus, robbed them and dumped them by the side of the road.

The woman, badly injured in the attack, died two weeks later, despite being flown to Singapore for treatment. Her companion survived.

The five men are charged with murder, rape and kidnapping and could face the death penalty if convicted. A sixth suspect, who is believed to be too young to be tried as an adult, is facing proceedings in a juvenile court.

The case is being heard in a "fast-track" court, which India introduced to try to expedite cases in a justice system bogged down by red tape. It means that sessions of the trial, once it begins, should take place nearly every working day until a verdict is reached.

The hearing Monday was a procedural step at which the charge sheet detailing prosecutors' accusations against the suspects was submitted. The trial will begin once the prosecution's arguments are made in court.

The next hearing is scheduled for Thursday, according to defense lawyers.

The magistrates' court that initially heard the case imposed restrictions on what the news media can report about events in court.

That practice is common in rape cases in India to protect the victim's identity, and the magistrate said it was also necessary out of concern for the suspects' safety amid intense media coverage and widespread anger.

Authorities have not released the name of the dead woman, but Indian protesters have been calling her Damini, which means "lightning" in Hindi.

"Damini" is also a 1993 Bollywood film whose lead female character fights for a housemaid, a victim of sexual assault.

The events have also focused the attention of the Indian news media on attacks against women around the huge country. Newspapers and television stations have been reporting other shocking rape allegations on an almost daily basis.

In one of the most recent examples, police in the eastern state of Odisha arrested six men after they were accused of gang-raping a 25-year-old woman Sunday as she was on her way home from visiting her brother at a hospital.

The six men, including two who worked as custodians at the hospital, are alleged to have taken the woman to an isolated area by a river and sexually assaulted her, said B.K. Aich, a police superintendent in the district of Mayurbhanj.

Police are waiting for medical reports on the suspects to determine whether to take the case to court, Aich said.

The number of reported rapes in India -- a country where a cultural stigma keeps many victims from reporting the crime -- has increased from 2,487 in 1971 to 24,206 in 2011, according to official figures.

Most women in India have stories of sexual harassment and abuse on public transportation or on the streets, the Indian Council on Global Relations says.

CNN's Michael Pearson and Aliza Kassim in Atlanta and journalist Neiha Sharma in New Delhi contributed to this report.

 

MLK Breakfast 2023

Photos from The Skanner Foundation's 37th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast.