Colorful kites will fill the sky at Blue Lake Regional Park's new family kite festival Sept. 15. Home to the legendary east winds, Blue Lake Park is guaranteed to have great conditions for learning to fly, seeing demonstrations from expert local flyers and viewing the unique kites on display from event partners, Elmer's Flag & Banner, Kites too! ...

On September 21, The Zimbabwe Artist Project, a nonprofit group that supports rural, predominantly women artists, in Weya, Zimbabwe, will celebrate the grand opening of its new office and exhibition space in the newly renovated Olympic Mills Commerce Center, 107 S.E. Washington St., suite 162, marking the organizations eighth year. ...

The battle between motorists and bicyclists for Portland's roads reached another low point last…

ATLANTA -- Federal agents spied on the widow of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. for several years after his assassination in 1968, according to newly released documents that reveal the FBI worried about her following in the footsteps of the slain civil rights icon.
In memos that reveal Coretta Scott King being closely followed by the government, the FBI noted concern that she might attempt "to tie the anti-Vietnam movement to the civil rights movement."  ...

BATON ROUGE, La. -- A new state law requiring voters show picture IDs with an address and signature will "harm black voters throughout the state," the chairman of the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus says.
Rep. Juan LaFonta, D-New Orleans, wants want the U.S. Department of Justice to object to the law. If it does, the mandate wouldn't stand. ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A city patrol officer who posted online a series of homemade videos disparaging Blacks, Jews, Cubans and illegal immigrants was hired despite a review board's refusal to recommend her application.
According to a review of documents by The Columbus Dispatch, the board characterized Susan Purtee as undependable ...

Brya and Jade Patterson warm up for the 2007 African American Health Coalition's Wellness Within REACH Walk on Aug. 18. This year's event marked the fifth annual celebration of health, music, food and fun.

If 27-year-old Cyreena Boston wins the Democratic nomination for Oregon House District 45, she will be on a fast track to entering the Oregon House as its youngest member and probably the only African American state representative.
Boston already has secured support from some big name players in Oregon politics, who say she has a solid track record of advocacy, a mature grasp of community and state issues and the ability to ....

Immigrants arrive in Portland from all over the world. They speak hundreds of different languages and they arrive in the United States for all kinds of reasons. Documented or not – immigrants are as varied as the rest of us.
Critics of immigration make a mistake when they portray immigrants and refugees as a single monotone group that drains community resources and has little to offer in return, said Kayse Jama, director of the Center for Intercultural Organizing. The facts show otherwise ...

Oregon Attorney General Hardy Myers says he won't run in 2008 for a fourth term as the state's top lawyer.
The 67-year-old Democrat cites his age as a key factor in his decision, noting that he would be into his 70s during a fourth term. He says the Oregon Department of Justice, which he oversees, deserves fresh leadership as well ...