Causing much controversy over the last decade, Portland's Drug and Prostitution Free Zones have been lauded for – allegedly — reducing street level crimes and reviled for causing a disproportionately high arrest rate for African Americans.
Now, if no City Council action is taken by Sept. 30, the ordinance – which restricts a person arrested for certain drug or prostitution crimes from entering three large geographic areas in the city – could quietly disappear. In the past, most members of City Hall have supported the zones, but support has eroded after a report last spring revealed that the proportion of exclusions given to African Americans was much higher than that of Whites.
Driven by these civil liberties issues and doubts about the zones' oversight, the City Council gave the zones a six month extension. And in July the mayor's office commissioned an independent study of the zone's effectiveness and fairness. Many say the timeline for the study was too short.
John Campbell, the study's author, says he is planning on having his report completed on deadline. Yet he also wants to make sure the council isn't looking at an incomplete report.
"We haven't made this public because we do need more time," Campbell said.
Although Campbell said the timeline to produce the report was short, he's also had a "challenge getting good information."
"We'll have very interesting information ...

For the majority of Portland's students, having a safe home is a comfort that is taken for granted. But a small but growing portion of students in the state are experiencing home insecurity according to a report released by the Oregon Department of Education. The report shows homelessness has jumped 18 percent since the 2005-2006 school year, while federal funding for programs has decreased 10 percent.
Yet student homelessness is one of Portland's shameful  ...

Two years, $150 million, countless volunteer hours and the thoughts of more than 15,000 Portlanders have gone into VisionPdx, the community discussion on what Portland should look like in 2030. The report was presented to the City Council Wednesday along with five funding proposals, designed to begin making the vision come true.
Mayor Potter said he is confident the vision plan will survive his departure...

Portland Center Stage will open the 2007-2008 season with "Cabaret," based on the novel by British writer Christopher Isherwood. Set in the 1930s, "Cabaret" portrays the chaotic period between the wars, in the place that chaos was quite possibly most intense – Berlin during the rise of the Third Reich. While most Germans were struggling to put food on the table, wealthy foreign travelers and the Berlin elite were living like there was no tomorrow. At the center of the high life was the infamous ....

Vincent Taylor prepares some barbecue ribs at the 3rd annual Seattle Urban League Young Professionals BBQ, Sept. 15, 2007 at Gas Works Park. The organization celebrated another successful year after being chosen the 2007 Western Regional Champions by the National Urban League's Young Professionals.

Local efforts to improve community-based substance abuse intervention services for at-risk youth received national attention this week. King County received one of the first-ever Science to Service awards for best practices and innovation in substance abuse treatment. Separate ceremonies celebrated the achievement in Washington, D.C. and Seattle.
King County was honored for the successful implementation of an assessment tool called the Global Appraisal of Individual Needs. The GAIN is a progressive and integrated series of measures and computer applications designed to support substance abuse treatment practices, including initial screening; brief interventions, and referrals to ancillary services. The tool provides a standardized clinical assessment that providers use in the diagnosis, placement and treatment planning process for people receiving services within the King County provider network.
"This national recognition reaffirms King County's ongoing commitment to providing innovative and creative programs that will help young people with drug and alcohol problems receive the treatment they need to achieve healthier and more productive lives and futures," said King County Executive Ron Sims ....

Part of the Urban League's mission is to partnership with community and businesses striving to help people, particularly to help African Americans become self-sufficient.
Thanks to a new partnership between the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle and the Rainier Beach High School football team, student athletes are provided with nutritious meals, as well as tutorial academic help — for those needing it....

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Gov. Chris Gregoire says she's worried that the national problems with sub-prime home mortgages will plague many Washington homeowners. She is creating a state task force to educate consumers and recommend remedies.
State government already is running radio and print ads and is helping prosecute companies that violate the state's mortgage fraud law.
The governor told reporters Monday that Washington has less than half the national average for so-called sub-prime mortgages, and fewer defaults and foreclosures. She said the state doesn't directly regulate the financial ...

20 "A TALE OF TWO VACCINES: HPV/Cervical Cancer and HIV/AIDS," public forum. 7-8:30 p.m. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 1100 Fairview Ave. N. Call 206-667-4211 to register. 21"DROPPING VIOLENCE LIKE its Hot" empowerment conference with Dr. Brenda Caldwell. 4-8:30 p.m. and Sept. 22nd from 9:30 a.m. -2 p.m. Rainier Community Center, 4600 38th Ave. S. Call 206-380-1710 for more information. 22 YOUTH VIOLENCE PREVENTION Conference. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. South Seattle Community College Brockey Center, 6000 16th Ave. S.W. Call 206-323-9666 to sign up.

SEATTLE — Nearly 7,000 volunteers representing more than 115 companies will tackle 360 community service projects throughout King County on Sept. 21, all part of United Way of King County's annual Day of Caring.
The largest single-day volunteer event in Washington state, the Day of Caring encourages people to volunteer year-round and also kicks off United Way's annual fundraising campaign. The 2006-2007 United Way campaign raised a record $121 million.
This year's Day of Caring, which starts at 7:30 a.m. for all volunteers and the public at the Seattle Center Mural Amphitheater, features a continental breakfast, live music and comments from Jon Fine, United Way President ...