Lawmakers will have about $180 million less to spend in the current fiscal cycle than they thought just two months ago, according to new figures released Friday from state economists.
That's even more than lawmakers had budgeted for in their worst-case scenario, and suggests that the monthlong session that began Monday won't include much in the way of new funding for state programs.
The decline comes thanks to a swift drop in corporate income tax revenue, which is $62 million less than economists had predicted when lawmakers left Salem last June.
Friday's gloomy economic forecasts means that Oregon taxpayers won't see a personal income tax kicker check in 2009, after getting the largest checks in the state's history last December.
Still, state economist Tom Potiowsky said Oregon will probably escape the worst of a potential national recession, especially since the state has been relatively shielded from the housing industry meltdown. Instead, Potiowsky predicted that Oregon is likely to face extremely sluggish growth in personal income statewide. ...

I want to thank you for your participation in the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blood and Organ Donor Registry Drive.
The stories you ran on the Parker/Weiss family donation and the community challenge issued by Charles Hunter, Sr. and Dr. Bethel were very important for visibility to us. The stories you also ran about Yolanda Holmes receiving an organ donation and blood are the foundation for education the local community about African American health disparities and importance of helping a local community member like Dr. T. Allen Bethel waiting for a kidney transplant.
Just as important were your words from the podium and the contact with the 1000 plus who attended The Skanner's annual MLK Breakfast event....

The Skanner Foundation's 22^nd annual Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast brought together 1000 people, to celebrate the life and legacy of the civil rights hero. This year the theme of the breakfast was "In Green Pastures: An Environment Where King's Dream Will Grow... Pictured here are some of the guests and speakers at The Skanner Breakfast.

Low-income Oregonians without health insurance now have a chance of getting health care through the Oregon Health Plan. Between now and the end of February the plan will be taking names and addresses of adults who need health insurance. "If you are interested and you are without health insurance, and you are 19 years or older, then get on the list....

For the 18th year in a row, Portlanders are given free front row seats to some of the most relevant and well-made African films available. Presenting both new and old films, the Cascade Festival of African Films kicks off this year on Friday, Feb.1 and continues throughout the month with a variety of films depicting the vastly different experiences of the people of Africa.....

It could have been just another shopping center. Just another collection of chain stores like those you can visit in any other part of the country. But Vanport Square is different.
Nearly six years in the making, the first phase of the Vanport Square project is now officially open for business, although it will be several more months before all 16 businesses move into their new storefronts.
Developer Jeana Woolley said, unlike many developments, Vanport Square, 5257 N.E. Killingsworth St., offers local, small businesses an opportunity to purchase and own their shops, rather than lease the space at the whim of landlords....

Seattle Pacific University leading scorer and Garfield High School graduate Marques Echols receives a pass during the homecoming game on Jan. 26 at Royal Brougham Pavillion against Saint Martin's College.
The 13 - 3 SPU Redhawks who are tied for second in the NCAA Division II Great Northwest Athletic Conference beat the St. Martin Saints 89-79.

ATLANTA (NNPA) – The eyes of the people at Gate A15 at the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta were focused in one direction – and that was not on the flight monitor.
Heads were turned upward, ears straining to hear the TV set hanging from the ceiling. On the screen the figures showed that Barack Obama had just defeated Hillary Clinton 55 percent to 27 percent in South Carolina's Democratic Primary with John Edwards hanging in with 18 percent.
"In the South where we were lynched?… My God," marveled Tracie Powell, a middle-aged Black accountant on her way home to Maryland. "If the slave masters could only wake up and see this."
Another woman, 27-year-old Stacy Stewart, a copyright lawyer from from the South American nation of Trinidad & Tobago, quickly switched seats in order to get closer to the TV.
"The way the U.S. is viewed today around the world will change," she predicted in an interview. "Also, he will not only bring hope to the U. S., but around the world."....

After seven months of work, the 2007 Police Accountability Review Panel, chaired by retired Judge Terrence Carroll, released its final report.
The panel concluded the general structure of Seattle's police oversight system – with its civilian director, auditor and review board – should continue. The panel found all three components play roles in the oversight process. The panel also found many aspects of the current police accountability system are valuable and encourage an effective citizen-complaint process.
The panel did, however, find room for improvement and provided Mayor Greg Nickels with 29 specific recommendations for enhancing and strengthening the police accountability system in the following four areas:...

Arts producer and communications consultant Vivian Phillips has been named as temporary manager for the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center.
Phillips replaces former manager Jacqueline Moscou, who was placed on three months of forced administrative leave and then asked to leave in October while the city investigates a complaint she only wanted to hire African American actors and staff....