11-12-2024  4:52 pm   •   PDX and SEA Weather

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NORTHWEST NEWS

In Portland, Political Outsider Keith Wilson Elected Mayor After Homelessness-focused Race

Wilson, a Portland native and CEO of a trucking company, ran on an ambitious pledge to end unsheltered homelessness within a year of taking office.

‘Black Friday’ Screening Honors Black Portlanders, Encourages Sense of Belonging

The second annual event will be held Nov. 8 at the Hollywood Theatre.

Democratic Attorney General Bob Ferguson Wins Governor’s Race in Washington

Ferguson came to national prominence by repeatedly suing the administration of former President Donald Trump, including bringing the lawsuit that blocked Trump’s initial travel ban on citizens of several majority Muslim nations. 

African American Alliance On Homeownership Turns 25, Honors The Skanner Cofounder Bernie Foster

AAAH's executive director Cheryl Roberts recalls how the efforts of Bernie Foster led to an organization that now offers one-on-one counseling for prospective home buyers, homebuyer education, foreclosure prevention services, estate planning, assistance with down payments and more.

NEWS BRIEFS

Janelle Bynum Statement on Her Victory in Oregon’s 5th Congressional District

"I am proud to be the first – but not the last – Black Member of Congress from Oregon" ...

Veterans Day, Monday, Nov. 11: Honoring a Legacy of Loyalty and Service and Expanding Benefits for Washington Veterans

Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) is pleased to share the Veterans Day Proclamation and highlight the various...

Nkenge Harmon Johnson honored with PCUN’s Cipriano Ferrel Award

Harmon Johnson recognized for civil rights work in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest ...

Volunteers of America Oregon Announces Retirement CEO, Kay Toran

Toran's tenure at VOA Oregon is marked by decades of dedicated public service in the State of Oregon and unwavering commitment to...

Family of security guard shot and killed at Portland, Oregon, hospital sues facility for M

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The family of a security guard who was shot and killed at a hospital in Portland, Oregon, sued the facility for million on Tuesday, accusing it of negligence and failing to respond to the dangers that the gunman posed to hospital staff over multiple days. ...

Ex-Duke star Kyle Singler draws concern from basketball world over cryptic Instagram post

Former Duke star Kyle Singler’s cryptic Instagram post saying he fears for his life has drawn an outpouring of concern and support from former teammates and others. Singler, 36, spoke slowly and was shirtless in the short video, which was posted Tuesday morning. “I...

Grill makes 8 3s, scores career-high 33 points to lead Missouri over Eastern Washington 84-77

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Caleb Grill matched a career best with eight 3-pointers and scored a career-high 33 points to lead Missouri to an 84-77 victory over Eastern Washington on Monday night. Grill, who missed Missouri's final 23 games last season with a wrist injury, shot 10 of 13...

Missouri hosts Eastern Washington following Cook's 25-point game

Eastern Washington Eagles (1-1) at Missouri Tigers (1-1) Columbia, Missouri; Monday, 7 p.m. EST BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Tigers -18.5; over/under is 155.5 BOTTOM LINE: Eastern Washington visits Missouri after Andrew Cook scored 25 points in Eastern...

OPINION

Why Not Voting Could Deprioritize Black Communities

President Biden’s Justice40 initiative ensures that 40% of federal investment benefits flow to disadvantaged communities, addressing deep-seated inequities. ...

The Skanner News 2024 Presidential Endorsement

It will come as no surprise that we strongly endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for president. ...

Black Retirees Growing Older and Poorer: 2025 Social Security COLA lowest in 10 years

As Americans live longer, the ability to remain financially independent is an ongoing struggle. Especially for Black and other people of color whose lifetime incomes are often lower than that of other contemporaries, finding money to save for ‘old age’ is...

The Skanner Endorsements: Oregon State and Local Ballot Measures

Ballots are now being mailed out for this very important election. Election Day is November 5. Ballots must be received or mailed with a valid postmark by 8 p.m. Election Day. View The Skanner's ballot measure endorsements. ...

AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE NEWS

Panel advises Illinois commemorate its role in helping slaves escape the South

In the decades leading up to the Civil War, fearless throngs defied prison or worse to secretly shuttle as many as 7,000 slaves escaped from the South on a months-long slog through Illinois and on to freedom. On Tuesday, a task force of lawmakers and historians recommended creating a full-time...

Kentucky officer reprimanded for firing non-lethal rounds in 2020 protests under investigation again

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky police officer reprimanded years later for firing chemical agents at a TV news crew during Louisville street protests in 2020 is under investigation for firing other non-lethal rounds on the same night. Louisville Police Officer Dustin Dean received...

Officer injured at Ferguson protest shows improvement, transferred to rehab

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The Ferguson, Missouri, police officer who was badly injured during a protest on the 10th anniversary of Michael Brown's death was moved to a rehabilitation hospital Tuesday, still not speaking but showing significant improvement, according to a family friend. More...

ENTERTAINMENT

Movie Review: In Andrea Arnold's 'Bird,' a gritty fairy tale doesn't take flight

“Is it too real for ya?” blares in the background of Andrea Arnold’s latest film, “Bird,” a 12-year-old Bailey (Nykiya Adams) rides with her shirtless, tattoo-covered dad, Bug (Barry Keoghan), on his electric scooter past scenes of poverty in working-class Kent. The song’s...

After 20 years of acting, ‘My Old Ass’ filmmaker Megan Park finds her groove behind the camera

Megan Park feels a little bad that her movie is making so many people cry. It's not just a single tear either — more like full body sobs. She didn’t set out to make a tearjerker with “My Old Ass,” now streaming on Prime Video. She just wanted to tell a story about a young...

At an art festival in Dakar, artists from both sides of the Atlantic examine the legacy of slavery

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — A whirlwind of color and art at the opening of this year's Dakar Biennale of Contemporary African Art in the Senegalese capital stood in stark contrast to the serious topic of slavery featuring in the artworks of guest artists from the United States. The U.S....

U.S. & WORLD NEWS

Trump ally Steve Bannon blasts 'lawfare' as he faces New York trial after federal prison stint

NEW YORK (AP) — After spending four months in federal prison for snubbing a congressional subpoena, conservative...

Trump picks a pair of experienced advisers motivated to carry out his immigration crackdown

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Donald Trump's first picks for immigration policy jobs spent the last four years angling for...

Israeli strikes kill 46 people in the Gaza Strip and 33 in Lebanon, medics say

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli airstrikes killed at least 46 people in the Gaza Strip in the past 24...

Ghana's Supreme Court restores ruling party's parliamentary majority ahead of Dec. 7 election

ACCRA, Ghana (AP) — Ghana’s Supreme Court restored the ruling party’s majority in the parliament on Tuesday...

Middle East latest: US won't halt any weapons to Israel over Gaza humanitarian aid situation

Eight international aid groups said Tuesday that Israel has failed to meet U.S. demands for greater humanitarian...

Head of UN nuclear watchdog: 'Dire straits dynamic' with Iran's nuclear program amid Mideast wars

BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — The head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog said Tuesday he's hopeful that...

J. Coyden Palmer Special to the NNPA from the Louisiana Weekly

crime scene tapeTwenty-first Ward Alderman Howard Brookins recently proposed a $20 million fund be created for victims of Chicago police brutality and questioned if a three-year mandatory sentence for illegal gun offenses is necessary. Brookins' proposed ordinance also would specifically address issues suffered by victims of former Chicago Police Lt. Jon Burge. The ordinance would provide free tuition at the City Colleges of Chicago; a commission to administer financial compensation to victims with no other financial redress; establish a South Side center that would have medical, psychological and vocational counseling; and require the Chicago Public Schools to teach a history lesson about Burge.

"We have paid out millions in Burge case settlements already," Brookins said. "We need to close this unfortunate chapter in our history and give reparations to those who were victims. This ordinance addresses many of the issues Burge's victims are still facing today." Brookins' ordinance got support from fellow alderman Joe Moreno (1st). Moreno said most of Burge's victims were poor people who did not have a political voice to fight back. One of Burge's victims, Anthony Holmes, spent 30 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Holmes said the fund would help people like him who have been out of the job market so long, many people consider them unemployable. Holmes added the money would give those released time to build their work skills while still being able to live on their own and get used to society again.

"It's a terrible thing to be released from prison but still live in fear, because you have become institutionalized," Holmes said. "It's why so many guys end up right back inside."

Attorneys representing many of Burge's victims also think the proposed ordinance would give them something they have been asking from the city for years that has nothing to do with money. "This ordinance serves as a formal apology for the Chicago police torture cases," said Jeffrey Mogul, an attorney with the People's Law Office, which represents many Burge victims.

As Emanuel continues to face criticism regarding Chicago's crime rate and murder statistics, he and police Supt. Garry McCarthy have been pushing for a mandatory three-year sentence and a requirement that 85 per- cent of the sentence be served for illegal possession of a weapon conviction. The issue could come up this week in Springfield during the fall veto session. But Emanuel is getting pushback from home as several Black aldermen are questioning if that law would only increase the incarceration rate of African Americans while doing little to reduce crime. The Black aldermen are in line with a group they have been fighting with the National Rifle Association and other groups that have come out and opposed the measure.

"We have had tougher sentences shoved down our throat in the past to no avail. It only seems to increase our residents mistrust of the police and the system itself, which is incarcerating Black men at a high rate," said Ald. Jason Ervin (28th), who said he believes poor Hispanics will be targeted by a tougher law as well.

Ald. Walter Burnett, whose ward boundary cuts across all racial lines, said he believes locking up people for longer periods of time is not the answer. He said he believes the behavior must be changed and said that starts with making employment available where people can be paid wages to raise a family on. He also said more discretion needs to be used before using the approach Emanuel wants. He said many senior citizens carry weapons because it is the only possible way they can defend themselves. He questioned the ethical value and the "spirit" of a proposed law that would sentence people to three years right from the start.

"They are afraid because they don't feel like they are being protected by the police," said Burnett to a group of reporters last week at City Hall. "It's wrong to feel like you have to have a gun. It's wrong to have an illegal gun. But also, it's wrong for us if we mandatorily give a person who made the wrong decision three years who may not have ever done anything to anyone." Brookins, who is emerging a strong political foe to Emanuel and is being talked about privately in some political circles as a potential challenger to the Mayor in the next election said mandatory sentences in the past have failed miserably in the war on drugs. He is afraid the same would happen on gun crimes. Brookins said engaging with unemployed and uneducated citizens and providing them services to improve their lot in life is perhaps a better solution to gun crimes.

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