05-13-2024  5:50 am   •   PDX and SEA Weather
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NORTHWEST NEWS

Portland OKs New Homeless Camping Rules That Threaten Fines or Jail in Some Cases

The mayor's office says it seeks to comply with a state law requiring cities to have “objectively reasonable” restrictions on camping.

Safety Lapses Contributed to Patient Assaults at Oregon State Hospital

A federal report says safety lapses at the Oregon State Hospital contributed to recent patient-on-patient assaults. The report by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services investigated a recent choking attack and sexual assault, among other incidents. It found that staff didn't always adequately supervise their patients, and that the hospital didn't fully investigate the incidents. In a statement, the hospital said it was dedicated to its patients and working to improve conditions. It has 10 days from receiving the report to submit a plan of correction. The hospital is Oregon's most secure inpatient psychiatric facility

Police Detain Driver Who Accelerated Toward Protesters at Portland State University in Oregon

The Portland Police Bureau said in a written statement late Thursday afternoon that the man was taken to a hospital on a police mental health hold. They did not release his name. The vehicle appeared to accelerate from a stop toward the crowd but braked before it reached anyone. 

Portland Government Will Change On Jan. 1. The City’s Transition Team Explains What We Can Expect.

‘It’s a learning curve that everyone has to be intentional about‘

NEWS BRIEFS

Governor Kotek Issues Statement on Role of First Spouse

"I take responsibility for not being more thoughtful in my approach to exploring the role of the First Spouse." ...

Legislature Makes Major Investments to Increase Housing Affordability and Expand Treatment in Multnomah County

Over million in new funding will help build a behavioral health drop in center, expand violence prevention programs, and...

Poor People’s Campaign and National Partners Announce, “Mass Poor People’s and Low-Wage Workers’ Assembly and Moral March on Washington, D.C. and to the Polls” Ahead of 2024 Elections

Scheduled for June 29th, the “Mass Poor People’s and Low-Wage Workers’ Assembly and Moral March on Washington, D.C.: A Call to...

Legendary Civil Rights Leader Medgar Wiley Evers Receives Presidential Medal of Freedom

Evers family overwhelmed with gratitude after Biden announces highest civilian honor. ...

April 30 is the Registration Deadline for the May Primary Election

Voters can register or update their registration online at OregonVotes.gov until 11:59 p.m. on April 30. ...

Backcountry skier dies after being buried in Idaho avalanche

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A backcountry skier has died after being buried by an avalanche in Idaho, officials said. The avalanche occurred Friday when two experienced backcountry skiers were traveling on Donaldson Peak in Idaho's Lost River Range, the Sawtooth Avalanche Center said. ...

Seattle man is suspected of fatally shooting 9-month-old son and is held on million bail

SEATTLE (AP) — A Seattle man has been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of his 9-month-old son. Officers responded to reports of a shooting in the Magnolia neighborhood Wednesday evening, the Seattle Police Department said in a post on its website. A woman told officers...

Defending national champion LSU boosts its postseason hopes with series win against Texas A&M

With two weeks left in the regular season, LSU is scrambling to avoid becoming the third straight defending national champion to miss the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers (31-18, 9-15) won two of three against then-No. 1 Texas A&M to take a giant step over the weekend, but they...

The Bo Nix era begins in Denver, and the Broncos also drafted his top target at Oregon

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — For the first time in his 17 seasons as a coach, Sean Payton has a rookie quarterback to nurture. Payton's Denver Broncos took Bo Nix in the first round of the NFL draft. The coach then helped out both himself and Nix by moving up to draft his new QB's top...

OPINION

The Skanner News May 2024 Primary Endorsements

Read The Skanner News endorsements and vote today. Candidates for mayor and city council will appear on the November general election ballot. ...

Nation’s Growing Racial and Gender Wealth Gaps Need Policy Reform

Never-married Black women have 8 cents in wealth for every dollar held by while males. ...

New White House Plan Could Reduce or Eliminate Accumulated Interest for 30 Million Student Loan Borrowers

Multiple recent announcements from the Biden administration offer new hope for the 43.2 million borrowers hoping to get relief from the onerous burden of a collective

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...

AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE NEWS

Australian judge lifts court ban on X showing video of Sydney church stabbing

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — An Australian judge Monday lifted a ban on the social media platform X showing Australians a video of a bishop being stabbed in a Sydney church. The temporary ban was put in place April 22, but the judge rejected the application from Australia’s...

Trump suggests Chinese migrants are in the US to build an 'army.' The migrants tell another story

NEW YORK (AP) — It was 7 a.m. on a recent Friday when Wang Gang, a 36-year-old Chinese immigrant, jostled for a day job in New York City's Flushing neighborhood. When a potential employer pulled up near the street corner, home to a Chinese bakery and pharmacy, Wang and dozens of...

Caitlin Clark, much like Larry Bird, the focus of talks about race and double standards in sports

For much of the past two years, Caitlin Clark has been the centerpiece of the college basketball world. Now Clark, like NBA Hall of Famer Larry Bird was 45 years ago, is involuntarily the focus of discussions about race and her transition to professional basketball. Though Clark...

ENTERTAINMENT

Paul Auster, prolific and experimental man of letters and filmmaker, dies at 77

NEW YORK (AP) — Paul Auster, a prolific, prize-winning man of letters and filmmaker known for such inventive narratives and meta-narratives as “The New York Trilogy” and “4 3 2 1,” has died at age 77. Auster's death was confirmed by his wife and fellow author, Siri Hustvedt,...

Celebrity birthdays for the week of May 12-18

Celebrity birthdays for the week of May 12-18: May 12: Actor Millie Perkins (“Knots Landing”) is 88. Singer Jayotis Washington of The Persuasions is 83. Country singer Billy Swan is 82. Actor Linda Dano (“Another World”) is 81. Singer Steve Winwood is 76. Actor Lindsay Crouse...

Britney Spears and Sam Asghari are officially divorced and single

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Britney Spears and Sam Asghari are officially divorced and single. The dissolution of the couple’s marriage was finalized Friday by a Los Angeles County judge, nearly two years after the two were married. The judgment comes hours after the...

U.S. & WORLD NEWS

Sleepy far-flung towns in the Philippines will host US forces returning to counter China threats

SANTA ANA, Philippines (AP) — The far-flung coastal town of Santa Ana in the northeastern tip of the Philippine...

Small, well-built Chinese EV called the Seagull poses a big threat to the US auto industry

LIVONIA, Mich. (AP) — A tiny, low-priced electric car called the Seagull has American automakers and politicians...

Democratic ad campaign tries to chip away at Trump support among rural swing voters in 3 key states

NEW YORK (AP) — A Democratic group is rolling out a new 0 million ad campaign that aims to chip away at...

Putin replaces Shoigu as Russia's defense minister as he starts his 5th term

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday replaced Sergei Shoigu as defense minister in a Cabinet shakeup that...

North Macedonia's new president reignites a spat with Greece at her inauguration ceremony

SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova was sworn as the first female president of North...

Australian judge lifts court ban on X showing video of Sydney church stabbing

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — An Australian judge Monday lifted a ban on the social media platform X showing...

Faith Karimi and Nima Elbagir CNN

NAIROBI, Kenya (CNN) -- As they strolled through Westgate Mall, guns strapped to their torsos, the attackers chatted on their cell phones while they sprayed bullets at terrified shoppers.

Ruthless and unafraid, they randomly gunned down shoppers at the upscale mall in the Kenyan capital.

At one point, they took turns to pray, removing shoes to perform the ritual washing in a room stacked with boxes. They bowed down in Islamic prayer, taking a break from incessant gunfire.

Chilling footage from mall

Closed-circuit television footage obtained by CNN provides the chilling new details of what happened during the attack last month.

In part, it shows two people with guns casually walking and shooting their way through a supermarket in the mall. During the hours of video, they are seen talking on the phone, praying and shooting toward anything that moved.

A man whimpering in a pool of blood on the floor crawled to get away. A gunman returned and shot him, again.

In between the gunfire, the attackers scanned ceilings for surveillance cameras. Nearby, shoppers hid behind cash registers while some ran for their lives. Others, too terrified to move, cowered on bloody floors.

Parking lot mayhem

The footage was taken on September 21, day one of the four-day siege. Though the video has no sound, the terror on the faces of the victims is loud and clear.

In addition to the two attackers in the supermarket, the footage shows two more making their way through the parking lot. They opened fire. Shoppers slithered under cars. Others tumbled to the ground, felled by bullets.

The attack left at least 67 people dead, many more injured and dozens unaccounted for.

Details match up

Details from the footage appear to corroborate a running commentary by the Al-Shabaab, which claimed responsibility for the attacks.

In its Twitter account during the siege, the terror group said the attacks were conducted by men. It denied reports that terror suspect Briton Samantha Lewthwaite was involved.

Al-Shabaab said it remained in contact with the attackers as they battled Kenyan forces during the hostage crisis.

Hostage takers join forces

The attackers in the parking lot later joined the others in the mall. The four wandered, rounding up hostages.

A woman with two children and a third in a shopping cart walked by a line of cash registers. A bloody teenage girl followed them; a gunman pointed the way. The woman, the children and girl were all eventually released.

The footage focuses on the corner of the mall closest to the supermarket, which occupies the anchor position in the four-story mall. The stories repeated themselves in various places at the mall, which has more than 80 stores.

Many unknowns

There are many mysteries about the mall attack.

With dozens still unaccounted for, how many people did the attackers kill? How many terrorists did the Kenyan forces kill? How many civilians and terrorists are buried beneath the concrete chunks of the collapsed section of the mall?

It's unclear whether the four terrorists in the video were arrested or gunned down by security forces at the scene. Even the total number of assailants is unknown.

At the time of the attack, Kenyan officials said that up to 15 gunmen were involved.

On day four, as the operation wound down, President Uhuru Kenyatta said five terrorists were killed and 11 suspects were in custody.

But since then, the numbers have fluctuated, with different officials citing various numbers between four and six.

This month, military spokesman Maj. Emmanuel Chirchir said four gunmen died when part of the mall collapsed. It's unclear whether he was referring to those in the video. Their charred bodies, he said, are undergoing DNA tests.

Chirchir also released the names of the dead militants, including an American of Somali origin, but analysts say those names may be pseudonyms.

Officials have said the answers may be buried beneath the rubble of the collapsed section of the mall.

But, as they scour through the mangled heap, there are more questions than answers.

CNN's Faith Karimi wrote and reported from Atlanta; Nima Elbagir reported from Nairobi

 

The Skanner Foundation's 38th Annual MLK Breakfast