10-15-2024  3:20 am   •   PDX and SEA Weather

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NORTHWEST NEWS

The Skanner News Endorsements: Oregon Statewide Races

It’s a daunting task replacing progressive stalwart Earl Blumenauer, who served in the office for nearly three decades. If elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. Janelle Bynum (D-Clackamas) would be the first Black representative Oregon has ever sent to the U.S. Congress. This election offers many reasons to vote.

Washington State Voters will Reconsider Landmark Climate Law

Supporters of repealing the Climate Commitment Act say it has raised energy costs and gas prices. Those in favor of keeping it say billions of dollars and many programs will vanish if it disappears. The law is designed to cut pollution while raising money for investments that address climate change. 

In Pacific Northwest, 2 Toss-up US House Races Could Determine Control of Narrowly Divided Congress

Oregon’s GOP-held 5th Congressional District and Washington state’s Democratic-held 3rd Congressional District are considered toss ups, meaning either party has a good chance of winning. If Janelle Bynum wins in November, she'll be Oregon’s first Black member of Congress. 

Salmon Swim Freely in the Klamath River for 1st Time in a Century After Dams Removed

“It’s been over one hundred years since a wild salmon last swam through this reach of the Klamath River,” said Damon Goodman, a regional director for the nonprofit conservation group California Trout. “I am incredibly humbled to witness this moment and share this news, standing on the shoulders of decades of work by our Tribal partners, as the salmon return home."

NEWS BRIEFS

Senator Manning and Elected Officials to Tour a New Free Pre-Apprenticeship Program

The boot camp is a FREE four-week training program introducing basic carpentry skills to individuals with little or no...

Prepare Your Trees for Winter Weather

Portland Parks & Recreation Urban Forestry staff share tips and resources. ...

PSU’s Coty Raven Morris Named a Semifinalist for GRAMMY 2025 Music Educator Award

Morris, the Hinckley assistant professor of choir, music education and social justice, is one of just 25 music teachers selected as...

Washington State Fines 35 Plastic Producers $416,000 For Not Using Enough Recycled Plastic

The Washington Department of Ecology issued the first penalties under a 2021 state law aimed at reducing waste and pollution from...

Washington state's landmark climate law hangs in the balance this election

SEATTLE (AP) — A groundbreaking law that forces companies in Washington state to reduce their carbon emissions while raising billions of dollars for climate programs could be repealed by voters this fall, less than two years after it took effect. The Climate Commitment Act, one of...

AP Top 25: Oregon, Penn State move behind No. 1 Texas. Army, Navy both ranked for 1st time since '60

Oregon and Penn State each moved up a spot in The Associated Press college football poll on Sunday following thrilling wins in high-profile games, and Top 25 newcomers Navy and Army are in the rankings together for the first time since 1960. Texas strengthened its hold on No. 1 with...

Luther Burden's long TD run gets No. 21 Missouri started in 45-3 rout of Minutemen

AMHERST, Mass. (AP) — Missouri receiver Luther Burden scored on a 61-yard jet sweep less than a minute into the game, and the 21st-ranked Tigers went on to beat Massachusetts 45-3 on Saturday. “The first play Luther scored on I thought set the tone,” Missouri coach Eliah...

After blowout loss to Texas A&M, No. 21 Missouri hopes to bounce back against struggling UMass

AMHERST, Mass. (AP) — Missouri coach Eliah Drinkwitz is hoping his No. 21 Tigers can make people forget about their embarrassing 41-10 loss to then-No.25 Texas A&M. And that’s bad news for UMass (1-4). Mizzou (4-1) heads to Amherst, Massachusetts, on Saturday for...

OPINION

The Skanner News: 2024 City Government Endorsements

In the lead-up to a massive transformation of city government, the mayor’s office and 12 city council seats are open. These are our endorsements for candidates we find to be most aligned with the values of equity and progress in Portland, and who we feel...

No Cheek Left to Turn: Standing Up for Albina Head Start and the Low-Income Families it Serves is the Only Option

This month, Albina Head Start filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to defend itself against a misapplied rule that could force the program – and all the children it serves – to lose federal funding. ...

DOJ and State Attorneys General File Joint Consumer Lawsuit

In August, the Department of Justice and eight state Attorneys Generals filed a lawsuit charging RealPage Inc., a commercial revenue management software firm with providing apartment managers with illegal price fixing software data that violates...

America Needs Kamala Harris to Win

Because a 'House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand' ...

AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE NEWS

US law entitles immigrant children to an education. Some conservatives say that should change

BOSTON (AP) — At a sparsely attended meeting last year, the Saugus Public School Committee approved a new admissions policy, it said, to streamline the process of enrolling students. But critics say the policy — including stringent requests for proof of “legal” residency and...

Harris announces a new plan to empower Black men as she tries to energize them to vote for her

ERIE, Pa. (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris announced a plan on Monday to give Black men more economic opportunities and other chances to thrive as she works to energize a key voting bloc that has Democrats concerned about a lack of enthusiasm. Harris' plan includes providing...

Indigenous Peoples Day celebrated with an eye on the election

As Native Americans across the U.S. come together on Monday for Indigenous Peoples Day to celebrate their history and culture and acknowledge the ongoing challenges they face, many will do so with a focus on the election. From a voting rally in Minneapolis featuring food, games and...

ENTERTAINMENT

Music Review: James Bay's 'Changes All the Time' is soulful folk-pop for the stomp and holler crowd

“Talk,” like much of British troubadour James Bay 's latest album, “Changes All the Time,” ends with a rousing chorus sung above a guitar melody. To get there, he starts with a confession: “I don’t know how to talk to you/I gotta give you something true.” The truth is,...

Book Review: Deborah Levy's 'The Position of Spoons' may be just for the diehard fans

Deborah Levy is a celebrated novelist, memoirist and playwright whose latest book — “The Position of Spoons” — is a petite collection of essays spanning the last few decades of her career. Though Levy calls the entries in her book “intimacies,” at times that feels like the wrong word,...

Book Review: Paula Hawkins returns with psychological thriller ’The Blue Hour'

Since bursting on the scene in 2015 with “The Girl on a Train,” Paula Hawkins has established herself as a reliable writer of psychological thrillers set in the U.K. “The Blue Hour” doesn’t plow any new ground on that front, but it’s a tight story with interesting characters that keeps...

U.S. & WORLD NEWS

A pastry brought to Mexico by British miners is still popular after 200 years

REAL DEL MONTE, Mexico (AP) — Isabel Arriaga Lozano carefully fills a small pastry with a savory mix of meat,...

US law entitles immigrant children to an education. Some conservatives say that should change

BOSTON (AP) — At a sparsely attended meeting last year, the Saugus Public School Committee approved a new...

Rulings signal US courts may be more open to lawsuits accusing foreign officials of abuses

WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. court has given two top associates of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman until...

A bus carrying university students crashes, killing 12 and injuring 33 in Egypt's northeast

CAIRO (AP) — A bus carrying university students crashed and overturned on a highway in northeastern Egypt...

Vial that contained nerve agent that killed UK woman contained enough poison to kill thousands

LONDON (AP) — The lead counsel for a public inquiry into the 2018 death of a British woman poisoned by a...

A pastry brought to Mexico by British miners is still popular after 200 years

REAL DEL MONTE, Mexico (AP) — Isabel Arriaga Lozano carefully fills a small pastry with a savory mix of meat,...

Lolita C. Baldor and Pauline Jelinek Associated Press Writers

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Taliban released a video this week of a man identified as an American soldier captured in Afghanistan last June, showing him pleading for his freedom and to be returned home.
In the video, Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl says he wants to return to his family in Idaho and that the war in Afghanistan is not worth the number of lives that have been lost or wasted in prison. It is the first he has been seen since the Taliban released a video of him on Christmas.
Bergdahl disappeared June 30 while based in eastern Afghanistan and is the only known American serviceman in captivity. The Taliban claimed his capture in a video released in mid-July that showed the young soldier appearing downcast and frightened.
The seven-minute video released this week of Bergdahl shows him sporting a beard and doing a few push-ups to demonstrate he's in good physical condition. There was no way to verify when the footage was taken or if he is still alive.
Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, an Army spokesman, said he could not immediately confirm the authenticity of the video.
``Our thoughts, prayers, and support remain with the Bergdahl family during this difficult time,'' Garver said.
In the sometimes choppy video issued Wednesday, Bergdahl talks about his love for his family, his friends, motorcycles and sailing.
``I'm a prisoner. I want to go home,'' he says in the video, which was made available by Washington-based Site Intelligence Group, which monitors militant Web sites. ``This war isn't worth the waste of human life that has cost both Afghanistan and the U.S. It's not worth the amount of lives that have been wasted in prisons, Guantanamo Bay, Bagram, all those places where we are keeping prisoners.''
At times speaking haltingly, as if holding back emotions, Bergdahl _ clad in what appeared to be an Army shirt and fatigues _ clasped his hands together and pleaded: ``The pain in my heart to see my family again doesn't get any smaller. Release me. Please, I'm begging you, bring me home.''
He added that he is strong and is ``given the freedom to exercise'' and to be a human being, even though he is a prisoner.
Lt. Col. Tim Marsano of the Idaho National Guard said Wednesday that Bergdahl's family was not aware of the new video. But he said the community of Hailey has reminders all over town of Bergdahl's capture, including signs wishing for his safe return and yellow ribbons.
``The community has definitely not forgotten Bowe Bergdahl, and the family continues to appreciate the support,'' said Marsano. ``It's been a difficult nine months. With the support of family, friends and community members, they are doing as well as anyone could expect in this kind of situation.''
U.S. officials have said that there were indications as recently as late January that Bergdahl was still alive.
At the end of the video, a speaker, reportedly Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, demands the release of a limited number of prisoners in exchange for the American.
Military officials had notice prior to the first video of Bergdahl released by the Taliban last summer, giving them time to alert his family before its public release. It was unclear Wednesday whether military officials knew this new video was coming.
Bergdahl, who was serving with a unit based in Fort Richardson, Alaska, was 23 when he vanished just five months after arriving in Afghanistan. He was serving at a base in Paktika province near the border with Pakistan in an area known to be a Taliban stronghold.
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Associated Press writer Todd Dvorak in Boise, Idaho, contributed to this report.