04-24-2024  4:05 am   •   PDX and SEA Weather
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NORTHWEST NEWS

The Drug War Devastated Black and Other Minority Communities. Is Marijuana Legalization Helping?

A major argument for legalizing the adult use of cannabis after 75 years of prohibition was to stop the harm caused by disproportionate enforcement of drug laws in Black, Latino and other minority communities. But efforts to help those most affected participate in the newly legal sector have been halting. 

Lessons for Cities from Seattle’s Racial and Social Justice Law 

 Seattle is marking the first anniversary of its landmark Race and Social Justice Initiative ordinance. Signed into law in April 2023, the ordinance highlights race and racism because of the pervasive inequities experienced by people of color

Don’t Shoot Portland, University of Oregon Team Up for Black Narratives, Memory

The yearly Memory Work for Black Lives Plenary shows the power of preservation.

Grants Pass Anti-Camping Laws Head to Supreme Court

Grants Pass in southern Oregon has become the unlikely face of the nation’s homelessness crisis as its case over anti-camping laws goes to the U.S. Supreme Court scheduled for April 22. The case has broad implications for cities, including whether they can fine or jail people for camping in public. Since 2020, court orders have barred Grants Pass from enforcing its anti-camping laws. Now, the city is asking the justices to review lower court rulings it says has prevented it from addressing the city's homelessness crisis. Rights groups say people shouldn’t be punished for lacking housing.

NEWS BRIEFS

Mt. Tabor Park Selected for National Initiative

Mt. Tabor Park is the only Oregon park and one of just 24 nationally to receive honor. ...

OHCS, BuildUp Oregon Launch Program to Expand Early Childhood Education Access Statewide

Funds include million for developing early care and education facilities co-located with affordable housing. ...

Governor Kotek Announces Chief of Staff, New Office Leadership

Governor expands executive team and names new Housing and Homelessness Initiative Director ...

Governor Kotek Announces Investment in New CHIPS Child Care Fund

5 Million dollars from Oregon CHIPS Act to be allocated to new Child Care Fund ...

Biden administration is announcing plans for up to 12 lease sales for offshore wind energy

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Biden administration is preparing to announce plans for a new five-year schedule to lease federal offshore tracts for wind energy production, with up to a dozen lease sales anticipated beginning this year and continuing through 2028. The plan was to be...

A conservative quest to limit diversity programs gains momentum in states

A conservative quest to limit diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives is gaining momentum in state capitals and college governing boards, with officials in about one-third of the states now taking some sort of action against it. Tennessee became the latest when the Republican...

Missouri hires Memphis athletic director Laird Veatch for the same role with the Tigers

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri hired longtime college administrator Laird Veatch to be its athletic director on Tuesday, bringing him back to campus 14 years after he departed for a series of other positions that culminated with five years spent as the AD at Memphis. Veatch...

KC Current owners announce plans for stadium district along the Kansas City riverfront

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The ownership group of the Kansas City Current announced plans Monday for the development of the Missouri River waterfront, where the club recently opened a purpose-built stadium for the National Women's Soccer League team. CPKC Stadium will serve as the hub...

OPINION

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...

Loving and Embracing the Differences in Our Youngest Learners

Yet our responsibility to all parents and society at large means we must do more to share insights, especially with underserved and under-resourced communities. ...

Gallup Finds Black Generational Divide on Affirmative Action

Each spring, many aspiring students and their families begin receiving college acceptance letters and offers of financial aid packages. This year’s college decisions will add yet another consideration: the effects of a 2023 Supreme Court, 6-3 ruling that...

OP-ED: Embracing Black Men’s Voices: Rebuilding Trust and Unity in the Democratic Party

The decision of many Black men to disengage from the Democratic Party is rooted in a complex interplay of historical disenchantment, unmet promises, and a sense of disillusionment with the political establishment. ...

AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE NEWS

Pro-Palestinian student protests target colleges' financial ties with Israel

Students at a growing number of U.S. colleges are gathering in protest encampments with a unified demand of their schools: Stop doing business with Israel — or any companies that empower its ongoing war in Gaza. The demand has its roots in a decades-old campaign against Israel's...

Olympian Kristi Yamaguchi is 'tickled pink' to inspire a Barbie doll

Like many little girls, a young Kristi Yamaguchi loved playing with Barbie. With a schedule packed with ice skating practices, her Barbie dolls became her “best friends.” So, it's surreal for the decorated Olympian figure skater to now be a Barbie girl herself. ...

A conservative quest to limit diversity programs gains momentum in states

A conservative quest to limit diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives is gaining momentum in state capitals and college governing boards, with officials in about one-third of the states now taking some sort of action against it. Tennessee became the latest when the Republican...

ENTERTAINMENT

What to stream this weekend: Conan O’Brien travels, 'Migration' soars and Taylor Swift reigns

Zack Snyder’s “Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver” landing on Netflix and Taylor Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department” album are some of the new television, movies, music and games headed to a device near you. Also among the streaming offerings worth your time as...

Music Review: Jazz pianist Fred Hersch creates subdued, lovely colors on 'Silent, Listening'

Jazz pianist Fred Hersch fully embraces the freedom that comes with improvisation on his solo album “Silent, Listening,” spontaneously composing and performing tunes that are often without melody, meter or form. Listening to them can be challenging and rewarding. The many-time...

Book Review: 'Nothing But the Bones' is a compelling noir novel at a breakneck pace

Nelson “Nails” McKenna isn’t very bright, stumbles over his words and often says what he’s thinking without realizing it. We first meet him as a boy reading a superhero comic on the banks of a river in his backcountry hometown in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Georgia....

U.S. & WORLD NEWS

Blinken begins key China visit as tensions rise over new US foreign aid bill

SHANGHAI (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has begun a critical trip to China armed with a...

The Latest | Germany will resume working with UN relief agency for Palestinians after a review

Germany said Wednesday that it plans to follow several other countries in resuming cooperation with the U.N....

Pro-Palestinian student protests target colleges' financial ties with Israel

Students at a growing number of U.S. colleges are gathering in protest encampments with a unified demand of their...

A Russian strike on Kharkiv's TV tower is part of an intimidation campaign, Ukraine's Zelenskyy says

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a Russian missile strike that smashed a...

The Latest | Tent compound rises in southern Gaza as Israel prepares for Rafah offensive

Satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press appear to show a new compound of tents being built near Khan...

China blasts US military aid to Taiwan, saying the island is entering a 'dangerous situation'

BEIJING (AP) — China on Wednesday blasted the latest package of U.S. military assistance to Taiwan on Wednesday,...

Maleficent
Kam Williams

BIG BUDGET FILMS   

Maleficent (PG for action, violence and frightening images) Angelina Jolie plays the title character in this reimagining of Sleepy Beauty from the perspective of the classic fairy tale’s infamous villain, an embittered shrew driven by revenge to put a curse on the king’s (Sharlto Copley) young daughter (Elle Fanning). Cast includes Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton and Juno Temple. 

A Million Ways to Die in the West (R for violence, drug use, crude humor, graphic sexuality and pervasive profanity) Seth MacFarlane wrote, directed and stars in this irreverent Western, set in Arizona in 1882, as a cowardly shepherd who finally summons up some courage when his girlfriend’s (Charlize Theron) gun-slinging husband (Liam Neeson) suddenly shows up in town bent on vengeance. With Amanda Seyfried, Neil Patrick Harris, Sarah Silverman and Giovanni Ribisi.

INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS 

Delivery (Unrated) Demon seed horror flick about a couple (Laurel Vail and Danny Barclay) expecting their first child who decide to document the pregnancy for a reality-TV show, only to discover that the newborn’s been possessed by an evil spirit. With Rob Cobuzio, Colter Allison and Rebecca Brooks.    

Emoticon ;) (Unrated) Romance drama about the Digital Age dating frustrations of an Anthropology student (Livia De Paolis) who’s writing her thesis on modern methods of communication. Supporting cast includes Michael Cristofer, Carol Kane, Daphne Rubin-Vega and Sonia Braga. 

Filth (R for violence, profanity, drug use, frontal nudity and graphic sexuality) Screen adaptation of the Irvine Welsh novel of the same name about a bigoted, drug-addicted, cross-dressing, bipolar police officer‘s (James McAvoy) efforts to secure a promotion and to reconcile with his estranged wife (Shauna Macdonald) and daughter (Megan Finn). With Jamie Bell, Eddie Marsan, Jim Broadbent and Imogen Poots.

The Grand Seduction (PG-13 for drug references and suggestive material) English-language remake of Seducing Doctor Lewis, the 2003 French farce about a tiny fishing village’s attempt to convince a visiting physician (Taylor Kitsch) to relocate there from the big city. Co-starring Brendan Gleeson, Liana Balaban and Anna Hopkins.  

The Hornet’s Nest (R for pervasive profanity) Afghan War documentary chronicling veteran journalist Mike Boettcher and son Carlos’ nightmare when their covering U.S. troops on the front lines turned into a hair-raising fight for survival. 

Korengal (Unrated) Sequel to the Oscar-nominated documentary Restrepo, directed by Sebastian Junger (A Perfect Storm), serves up another slice of the War in Afghanistan from the point of view of a decimated platoon of American soldiers stationed in a very vulnerable valley surrounded by Taliban fighters on a suicide mission.    

doris-payne-introPHOTO: Doris Payne's mugshot from a movie still

The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne (Unrated) “Diamond in the Rough” biopic chronicling the exploits of an infamous, African-American jewel thief from humble roots who fleeced upscale retailers like Cartier and Tiffany of millions in gems over the course of a checkered career which spanned 60+ years.

Lucky Them (R for profanity, sexuality and drug use) Toni Collette stars in this tale of redemption as a music critic assigned by her magazine to interview her reclusive, retired rock star ex-boyfriend (Johnny Depp) who hasn’t been seen in public for over a decade. With Oliver Platt, Thomas Haden Church and Amy Seimetz.      

Night Moves (R for nudity and profanity) Eco-thriller revolving around a trio of radical environmentalists (Jesse Eisenberg, Dakota Fanning and Peter Sarsgaard) determined to protect the planet by any means necessary who conspire to detonate a hydroelectric dam. With Alia Shawkat, Clara Mamet and Logan Miller.

Venus in Fur (Unrated) Roman Polanski screen adaptation of the David Ives play of the same name about a director (Mathieu Amalric) who finds himself seduced by an aspiring starlet (Emmanuelle Seigner) auditioning for the lead role in his highly-erotic, upcoming production. (In French and German with subtitles)

We Are the Best! (Unrated) Coming-of-age drama, set in Stockholm in 1982, where we find three 13 year-old girls (Mira Barkhammar, Mira Grosin and Liv LeMoyne) without instruments forming a punk rock band even though their friends and family say the genre is dying. With Alvin Strollo, Mattias Wiberg and Jonathan Salomonsson. (In Swedish with subtitles)

The Skanner Foundation's 38th Annual MLK Breakfast