Mychal Bell, a teen convicted in the "Jena Six" beating case shot himself in the chest with a .22 caliber firearm and was taken to a hospital in Monroe, La., on Dec. 29, according to the police.
Monroe Police Sgt. Cassandra Wooten told the Associated Press that the wound was not life-threatening.
The reported shooting took place days after Bell's arrest Dec. 24 for shoplifting, resisting arrest and simple assault.
Wooten said she believed Bell was "upset over the [shoplifting] incident…and didn't want to be in the news again," she told AP.
Bell was one of a group of Black teenagers who once faced attempted murder charges in the 2006 beating of a White classmate at Jena High School ...

Seattle City Light crews are ready to respond if the high winds and heavy rains predicted to last through the night and until 10:00 a.m.  Wednesday, January 7, cause any outages.
"Our crews are ready to respond if the weather system ends up causing any outages," says City Light Superintendent Jorge Carrasco.  "We are prepared for the possibility of outages occurring throughout our service territory and we can have back-up help available to us quickly if the predicted heavy rains and saturated soil result in significant wind damage.  Heavy wind and rain can bring down whole trees onto power lines." 
The Customer Service Call Center will remain open this evening until 8:00 p.m.  If it appears that the storm coming in is causing extensive damage, the Call Center hours will be extended.
City Light reminds customers to be safe.  Downed lines can be dangerous.  Also, City Light urges customers to be prepared for any possible outages.  Here's what customers can do if they experience a power outage ...

This is Ronnie Fair's family's 12th year in business at the Christmas tree lot on the corner of NE 35th and NE Killingsworth streets, and business is just fine—they have a collection of trees starting at $10. For a small additional charge, Fair will throw in a tree stand ...

Only one out of 10 job seekers in the Pacific Northwest will find an available job that pays enough to live on. Nine out of those 10 will struggle to make ends meet.
That's according to an economic study out this week by the Northwest Federation of Community Organizations.
Its authors say the report takes on new meaning in light of the economic downturn and ballooning numbers of laid-off workers across the region  ...

One day, web designer Kimberley Buckley decided she should stop giving away her services to friends and acquaintances. So despite the fact that she had a full-time job at Nike, she drew up a business plan, styled a sophisticated logo and rolled it all into a sharp-looking website: BlackWebDiva ...

Dozens of girls incarcerated at the Oak Creek Youth Correctional Facility in Albany are drawing up their wish lists for the Christmas holidays – and Rev. Renee Ward is working to find local residents who can fill their modest needs.
Ward has worked as a Youth Authority multicultural liaison and gang specialist since the facility was revamped and reopened to solely incarcerate teenaged female offenders in February of this year. It's the only prison of its kind in Oregon ....

The second "There's No Place Like Home: Mortgage Foreclosure Summit" is Saturday, Dec. 13, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at PCC Southeast Center at 82nd and Division. At the first event held last month, Portland homeowner Gloria Caesar was able to find support to save her home from foreclosure ...

Robin Cabaniss and Akeena Taylor, parents of T.T. Minor Elementary School students talk with Seattle School Board member Harium Martin-Morris at a community workshop on the controversial school closure recommendations Dec. 6 at the Filipino Community Center.  T.T. Minor is one of six buildings recommended for closure, in addition to the African American Academy ...

Seattle hosts the first North American touring production of "The Color Purple," for two weeks from Dec. 16 – 28.
The show features stars of the Broadway production, Jeannette Bayardelle, Felicia P. Fields and Angela Robinson, along with "American Idol" alum LaToya London. Jeannette Bayardelle comes to the tour directly from the Broadway production as the lead character Celie. Jeannette released her debut CD "Praise Report" in 2005, and has toured in productions ...

Stars of the touring Broadway production of "The Color Purple" are Jeannette Bayardelle (Celie) and LaToya London (Nettie).
Tickets are available now for the first North American touring production of "The Color Purple," coming to the Keller Auditorium Dec. 30 – Jan. 4 ...