Sens. Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith joined forces last week behind a proposal aimed at helping uninsured people get health coverage and those with insurance avoid financial ruin from a catastrophic illness.

The amount of Medicare spending considered questionable by the federal government is drastically lower than what state investigators suggested earlier this year, state Auditor Brian Sonntag said.
The change comes after a review from federal watchdogs, who found that about $80 million of the $950 million in Medicaid spending flagged by Sonntag is considered questionable spending under federal rules.
That's a reduction of about 92 percent, which pleased officials with the state Department of Social and Health Services, The Olympian newspaper reported Friday.

More than 600 volunteers gathered Tuesday at Memorial Coliseum to launch Project Homeless Families Connect.
Said to be the first event of its kind in the nation, the project mobilized community members and organizations specifically to help homeless families with children.

Don't be fooled by the breathtaking sunsets, top-notch boating and bountiful hauls of shellfish — Puget Sound's health is in danger, members of a special task force say.Many people living in the region have a rosy outlook on the sound, despite dire warnings about dwindling aquatic life and increasing urban pollution.
Such pressures have been widely documented, but the group was surprised that two-thirds of people contacted for a survey rated the sound's health as ``good.''
If leaders aren't able to persuade and inspire the public to get involved in improving the sound's health, ``I'm not sure we can win,'' said Brad Ack, director of Gregoire's Puget Sound Action Team.
``There's this disconnect between what the actual state of the sound is and what people's impression is, because it looks beautiful — the water sparkles, the mountains glisten,'' he said.

Ambree Cobb, 2, marches with the Greenwood Drill Team July 7 during the 57th Annual Wallingford Kiddie Parade.

Jordan Warren takes a turn at chess during a community event hosted by Nike at its Northeast Portland Factory store on Tuesday. Local dignitaries and store officials attended the event, where Nike awarded more than $100,000 in grants to 18 neighborhood nonprofit organizations. The corporation's annual donations to North and Northeast Portland have totaled $1.2 million since the store opened in 1984.

High Noon Parade12:00 start at Fremont and MississippiACTIVITIES - ALL DAYKids' Activities…

United Way of the Columbia-Willamette is giving $100,000 to help expand the summer food program in Washington and Clackamas counties and to increase the number of summer food program sites.
The grant supports a partnership with the Oregon Hunger Relief Task Force and Oregon State University Extension Service in Washington County.
The summer food program serves a free lunch to all children under the age of 18 at local parks and community centers.

Save The Date!!2006 Breakfast InformationFor tickets e-mail mlkbreakfast@theskanner.com or…

The recent National Organization of Black Elected Women Legislative Conference, held recently in…