04-19-2024  4:08 pm   •   PDX and SEA Weather
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NORTHWEST NEWS

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.

Four Ballot Measures for Portland Voters to Consider

Proposals from the city, PPS, Metro and Urban Flood Safety & Water Quality District.

Washington Gun Store Sold Hundreds of High-Capacity Ammunition Magazines in 90 Minutes Without Ban

KGW-TV reports Wally Wentz, owner of Gator’s Custom Guns in Kelso, described Monday as “magazine day” at his store. Wentz is behind the court challenge to Washington’s high-capacity magazine ban, with the help of the Silent Majority Foundation in eastern Washington.

NEWS BRIEFS

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 ...

Bank Announces 14th Annual “I Got Bank” Contest for Youth in Celebration of National Financial Literacy Month

The nation’s largest Black-owned bank will choose ten winners and award each a $1,000 savings account ...

Literary Arts Transforms Historic Central Eastside Building Into New Headquarters

The new 14,000-square-foot literary center will serve as a community and cultural hub with a bookstore, café, classroom, and event...

Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Announces New Partnership with the University of Oxford

Tony Bishop initiated the CBCF Alumni Scholarship to empower young Black scholars and dismantle financial barriers ...

Firefighters douse a blaze at a historic Oregon hotel famously featured in 'The Shining'

GOVERNMENT CAMP, Ore. (AP) — Firefighters doused a late-night fire at Oregon's historic Timberline Lodge — featured in Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 film “The Shining” — before it caused significant damage. The fire Thursday night was confined to the roof and attic of the lodge,...

Idaho's ban on youth gender-affirming care has families desperately scrambling for solutions

Forced to hide her true self, Joe Horras’ transgender daughter struggled with depression and anxiety until three years ago, when she began to take medication to block the onset of puberty. The gender-affirming treatment helped the now-16-year-old find happiness again, her father said. ...

University of Missouri plans 0 million renovation of Memorial Stadium

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — The University of Missouri is planning a 0 million renovation of Memorial Stadium. The Memorial Stadium Improvements Project, expected to be completed by the 2026 season, will further enclose the north end of the stadium and add a variety of new premium...

The sons of several former NFL stars are ready to carve their path into the league through the draft

Jeremiah Trotter Jr. wears his dad’s No. 54, plays the same position and celebrates sacks and big tackles with the same signature axe swing. Now, he’s ready to make a name for himself in the NFL. So are several top prospects who play the same positions their fathers played in the...

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

Kansas has a new anti-DEI law, but the governor has vetoed bills on abortion and even police dogs

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas' Democratic governor on Friday vetoed proposed tax breaks for anti-abortion counseling centers while allowing restrictions on college diversity initiatives approved by the Republican-controlled Legislature to become law without her signature. Gov. Laura...

Attorneys argue that Florida law discriminates against Chinese nationals trying to buy homes

An attorney asked a federal appeals court on Friday to block a controversial Florida law signed last year that restricts Chinese citizens from buying real estate in much of the state, calling it discriminatory and a violation of the federal government's supremacy in deciding foreign affairs. ...

Choctaw artist Jeffrey Gibson confronts history at US pavilion as its first solo Indigenous artist

VENICE, Italy (AP) — Jeffrey Gibson’s takeover of the U.S. pavilion for this year’s Venice Biennale contemporary art show is a celebration of color, pattern and craft, which is immediately evident on approaching the bright red facade decorated by a colorful clash of geometry and a foreground...

ENTERTAINMENT

Celebrity birthdays for the week of April 21-27

Celebrity birthdays for the week of April 21-27: April 21: Actor Elaine May is 92. Singer Iggy Pop is 77. Actor Patti LuPone is 75. Actor Tony Danza is 73. Actor James Morrison (“24”) is 70. Actor Andie MacDowell is 66. Singer Robert Smith of The Cure is 65. Guitarist Michael...

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...

U.S. & WORLD NEWS

Soldiers who lost limbs in Gaza fighting are finding healing on Israel's amputee soccer team

RAMAT GAN, Israel (AP) — When Ben Binyamin was left for dead, his right leg blown off during the Hamas attack on...

The Latest | Iran says air defense batteries fire after explosions reported near major air base

Iran fired air defense batteries Friday reports of explosions near a major air base at the city of Isfahan, the...

Indians vote in the first phase of the world's largest election as Modi seeks a third term

NEW DELHI (AP) — Millions of Indians began voting on Friday in a six-week election that's a referendum on...

The West African Sahel is becoming a drug smuggling corridor, UN warns, as seizures skyrocket

NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Drug seizures soared in the West African Sahel region according to figures released Friday...

5 Japanese workers in Pakistan escape suicide blast targeting their van. A Pakistani bystander dies

KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — A suicide bomber targeted a van carrying Japanese nationals in Pakistan's port city of...

A trial is underway for the Panama Papers, a case that changed the country's financial rules

PANAMA CITY (AP) — Eight years after 11 million leaked secret financial documents revealed how some of the...

Charlene Crowell
Charlene Crowell

A college education is supposed to open the doors to life-long careers and entry into America’s middle class. Yet, students that enrolled at one of the more than 100 Corinthian College campuses across the country had college experiences characterized by predatory lending, illegal debt collections, and one-day “career” jobs. Corinthian Colleges operate schools under the names of Heald College, Everest and Wyotech.

On September 16, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) filed a lawsuit against the for-profit Corinthian Colleges, seeking $569 million in forgiveness of loans. An estimated 130,000 private loans students were entered into from July 21, 2011 to the present. March 2013 enrollments totaled about 74,000 students for all of its campuses.

“We believe Corinthian lured in consumers with lies about their job prospects upon graduation, sold high-cost loans to pay for that false hope, and then harassed students for overdue debts while they were still in school,” said Richard Cordray, CFPB Director.

CFPB alleges that Corinthian used bogus advertising targeted to low-income students who were often the first generation of their family to attend college. Exploiting their limited exposure to the world of higher education, ads promised job prospects and careers that never happened. Further, its tuition costs were so high that an associate degree came with a price tag ranging from $33,000 to $43,000. The costs for a bachelor’s degree ran higher from $60,000 to $75,000.

To cover tuition and fees, students were financially forced into the college’s “Genesis loans,” created in concert with investment banks and financial institutions. These loans were much more expensive than federal loans. In July 2011, the Genesis loan interest rate was about 15 percent with an additional loan origination fee of 6 percent. At the same time, federal student interest rates ranged from 3 to 7 percent, depending upon the type of loan, and had either low or no charges for origination. Corinthian needed its loan program in order to comply with a federal law that required no more than 90 percent of an institution’s funding to come from federal sources. The lawsuit alleges that Corinthian knew that most students would default.

Worst of all, loan repayment on most of the private-label loans began as soon as students started classes. By comparison, federal loan repayments typically begin six months after students either graduate or drop out of school.

CFPB found that more than 60 percent of Corinthian students defaulted on their loans within three years. To encourage strong collection rates, CFPB alleges that Corinthian paid its staff bonuses on how well they got students to keep their loan payments current. Informing instructors about overdue debts, meetings with the campus president and pulling students from class were only three of the tactics used to shame students. If students became late on loan payments, they were denied computer access, prevented from buying books, blocked from signing up for classes and even held diplomas until repayments became current.

CFPB said even more abuses were inflicted on Corinthian students who managed to graduate. Although the schools directed students to its ‘career services office,’ only a job postings list was provided. In other instances, Corinthian paid legitimate employers to hire its graduates on a temporary basis, and then counted these jobs as part of the school’s “career” placement – even if the job lasted only a day.

The legal action taken by CFPB is not the only one Corinthian Colleges faces.

This June, the Department of Education increased its financial oversight after Corinthian failed to address concerns about its practices, including falsifying job placement data used in marketing claims to prospective students and allegations of altered grades and attendance. The Department also imposed a 21-day waiting period before Corinthian could draw down federal student aid revenues tied to enrollment. A few weeks later in July, the Department of Education appointed a monitor empowered to have full and complete access to Corinthian personnel and budgets.

Additionally, Corinthian is also being investigated by 20 state attorneys general and received a federal grand jury subpoena in Florida, and another from Georgia. The Peach State is examining the colleges’ job placement, attendance and graduation, while the Sunshine State wants to know more about employee misconduct and student aid funds.

“This action by the CFPB should further encourage the Department of Education to take strong steps to hold for-profit college companies to meaningful accountability standards in the forthcoming ‘gainful employment’ rule,” said Maura Dundon, a senior policy analyst with the Center for Responsible Lending. “Students continue to be placed at risk by practices such as those documented in the Corinthian complaint. The time to act – on behalf of hopeful students across the country – is now.”

A web-based resource from Student Loan Borrower Assistance is available for current or former Corinthian students to better understand refunds, discharge rights and more.

Even more student loan developments may be forthcoming this November when the Department of Education is expected to announcement its rule on “gainful employment,” affecting all for-profit career schools.

Hopefully, the new rule will end what Director Cordray referred to as “the ongoing nightmare of financial despair.”

Charlene Crowell is a communications manager with the Center for Responsible Lending. She can be reached at Charlene.crowell@responsiblelending.org

The Skanner Foundation's 38th Annual MLK Breakfast