ST. LOUIS -- National Urban League president Marc Morial got endorsements from the three leading Democratic presidential hopefuls for the group's agenda, which focuses on children's welfare, jobs, homeownership and entrepreneurship.
Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama and former Sen. John Edwards all endorsed the league's 27-page "Opportunity Compact" while speaking Friday to the group's convention.
Morial didn't ask Rep. Dennis Kucinich -- another Democratic presidential contender -- whether he would endorse the compact. But the objectives the former Cleveland mayor articulated seem to fall into line with the Urban League's policy priorities.
"What we've seen is an elevation of urban issues in the political discourse of this campaign," Morial said after the presidential forum had ended.
He thanked those candidates who "honored us with their presence," saying "those who were not here were invited" -- both Democrats and Republicans -- in a series of letters, e-mails and phone calls since November.
"We're going to continue to court them," he said, adding that the group wants all the candidates to embrace the Urban League's public policy priorities.
Speaking to a predominantly black audience, Kucinich pledged to turn President Bush's foreign policy upside down if he were elected to the White House.

Publisher's Note: Four months after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans, Dr. Jonathan Jui, Multnomah County's director of emergency medical services, delivered a keynote address at The Skanner Foundation's annual Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast.
No one seemed to understand the extent of the catastrophe until it occurred, Jui told the crowd.
"What the community hears and what it knows are two different things," said Jui, who worked with the National Disaster Medical System team at the New Orleans airport after the disaster.
The Skanner Publisher Bernie Foster wants to ensure that this type of smokescreen doesn't happen in Portland or Seattle. Over the past two years, The Skanner has run a series of articles about disaster preparedness and the local government's preparation (or lack of preparation) should a catastrophe strike.

Antwon Jones, center, with the Seattle Super J's drives to the basket against members of the Seatown Ballers in the fourth annual Battle at the Lake tournament, held July 20-22 at Greenlake Community Center. The tournament consists of eight teams of current and former, semi-professional and professional basketball players. Last year's defending champs, the Seattle Super J's, were defeated in the final by the M.T.M.F's (Marvin Thomas Memorial Fund).

You have to see it in their eyes, in their attitudes, says Knott Street Boxing Club Coach John Peters. Some kids have it and some kids don't.
"There are a lot of kids who come in here and they work out, they fight, but they don't have the drive," Peters, known as "Johnnie" to his boxing fans, says. "Corey has it. You could see it right away. He's got good hand speed, quickness and he listens. I wasn't surprised when he won nationals."

Clare Washington didn't consider herself a historian until an interview with the descendant of a female rebel leader from an 1894 uprising on the Caribbean island of St. Thomas helped change her mind.
"I realized that there was not just this woman," Washington says. "I needed to find out about more obscure women ...

Publisher's Note: Four months after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans, Dr. Jonathan Jui, Multnomah County's director of emergency medical services, delivered a keynote address at The Skanner Foundation's annual Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast.
No one seemed to understand the extent of the catastrophe until it occurred, Jui told the crowd.
"What the community hears and what it knows are two different things," said Jui, who worked with the National Disaster Medical System team at the New Orleans airport after the disaster.
The Skanner Publisher Bernie Foster wants to ensure that this type of smokescreen doesn't happen in Portland or Seattle....

Mardica Hicks approaches a client in the Children's Community Clinic's waiting room with a gentle voice and a warm smile.
"Hi. I'm Mardica, the new director of the clinic. How are you?" Hicks asks the Latino mother, whose three young girls are patiently waiting to see a nurse practitioner.
"Have you been waiting long?" Hicks asks.
The mother smiles and shakes her head....

Can you trust the police in your neighborhood to protect your rights on their own? A group of citizens in North Portland think officers might behave better if they knew they were being observed.
A new group called NoPo CopStop is holding regular meetings and neighborhood watches to reduce police brutality, racial injustice and increase community participation in North Portland's neighborhoods.

For 10-year-old Lauren Steele, summer reading is all about the prizes.
Well, OK, maybe it's not all about the prizes, but they do make it more appealing, she admits with a smile. Steele also loves to read, and the Multnomah County Library's Summer Reading Program encourages her to read when school's out.
"I've been reading a lot of the 'Goosebumps' (juvenile horror series)," she says, donning a pair of red sunglasses – a prize she just picked out after completing another reading goal for the summer program.

WORLD OF REPTILES. Pet a python! The Reptile Man, Richard Ritchey, presents reptile wonders. 2:30-3:30 p.m. Fairview-Columbia Library, 1520 N.E. Village St., near City Hall. Bring your own chairs and blankets.
MATINEE. Bring your friends and a pillow, and watch a movie. Popcorn and beverages provided. For teens in grades 6-12. 3-5:30 p.m. St. Johns Library, 7510 N. Charleston Ave.
CONCERT. Bring your blanket and picnic snacks and listen to the NW Gospel Community Gospel Chorus. 6:30-8:30 p.m. Fernhill Park, 5925 N.E. 42nd Ave.