Carollyn Smith's fight continues, but she may be running out of time. Smith has been battling state Child Services since 2005 for custody of two grandchildren, Kofi and C'Lynn, ages 7 and 4, who have lived much of their short lives in the foster care system...

The construction company site in the Pearl District where a noose was hung early Aug. 4 was broken into by vandals, company officials said. R&H Construction CEO John Ward, in an email message to The Skanner, indicated ... "unauthorized entry," over the preceding weekend....

Carletta Wilson talks about her multi-media collages at a reception Aug. 10 for the 4th annual NW African American Group Art Exhibition at Art/Not Terminal Gallery.  The show features over 40 works of art and runs through Sept. 4.
Photo by Susan Fried

"Left Behind! Black America: A Neglected Priority in the Global AIDS Epidemic," praises the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.... However the report issues a stinging criticism ...

State officials have settled two false advertising cases involving mortgage firms, requiring the companies to pay more than $200,000 in fines and costs.... Both firms were previously charged with false advertising....

King County officials are urging voters to double-check their polling place before voting day, Tuesday, Aug. 19. Since 2004, 141 poll sites have been consolidated or closed either because the location was not accessible to people with disabilities or the site was underutilized....

What's happening for you in Portland this week? Read here a day-by-day diary of free community events to fill your spare time. For a full calendar please click on "Read the complete article" below.

What's happening for you in Seattle this week? Read here a day-by-day diary of free community events to fill your spare time. For a full calendar please click on "Read the complete article" below.

Washington State has long been a leader among states to grant the right to vote to those who could not. However, in its 119 years as state, it has been historically under-represented by minorities and has yet to elect a Black candidate to a national congressional seat.
In the upcoming primary on Aug. 19 there are 592 candidates on the ballot for national and state seats. Out of these, six are African-American, only two of whom are incumbents.
"I would hope that our representatives would reflect our demographics," said James Bible, president of the Seattle NAACP.
The situation is ironic; even as the nation's attention is riveted by the presidential campaign of Barack Obama, few candidates are riding his coattails on the state or local level.
The question of why this is the case is complex and deep-reaching....

http://www.miniclip.com/games/letter-lasso/en/ Letter Lasso

http://www.miniclip.com/games/alex-in-danger/en/ Alex in Danger