A local collaborative effort has resulted in accolades by a national organization. The Skanner News Group has won an Award of Merit in the newspaper category from the American Association of Blood Banks for its partnership with American Red Cross Pacific Northwest Regional Blood Services in encouraging blood and bone marrow donations in the African American community.
The awards of merit are presented annually by the AABB to media and/or public-spirited groups and individuals who have made significant contributions to transfusion medicine and/or cellular therapies. They will be presented in October in Miami Beach, Fla.

Portland played host this past weekend to the annual conference of the National Association of Black Elected Women — the first time in its history that the organization's membership has gathered in the Pacific Northwest. Former U.S. Senator and vice-presidential candidate John Edwards delivered the keynote address, speaking on "Restoring the American Dream: Fighting Poverty and Strengthening the Middle Class." The conference, held over four days at the Lloyd Center DoubleTree Hotel, was hailed as a smashing success.

Former vice presidential candidate John Edwards, who is mulling over a run for the presidency in 2008, called for withdrawal from Iraq within the next 18 months, and for the U.S. government to launch another war — on poverty — in a speech Friday at the National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women's conference.

Northeast Portland's Irving Park will again play host this summer to aspiring basketball and artistic standouts from the surrounding community.
First Step Sports Academy's annual All-American B-Ball Clinic runs through Aug. 24 at the park, corner of Northeast Seventh Avenue and Fremont Street.
The clinic runs from noon to 3:30 p.m. Monday though Thursday, and from 4 to 8 p.m. on Fridays, and culminates with a youth basketball tournament from Aug. 25 through 27. The clinic started June 26, but spots are still available; call 503-604-1718 to register. Cost is $135 for nine weeks.

Rep. John Conyers of Michigan

WASHINGTON—Renewal of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which eliminated many anti-Black voting practices in Mississippi and other states, suffered a setback last week when House Republicans disagreed on whether to require bilingual ballots and federal oversight of Southern states.
The dissension in a closed caucus meeting grew so intense it forced Republican leaders to postpone indefinitely a scheduled vote on renewing the act.

Tony Hopson

What will happen to the children who attend schools participating in the SUN program? With Multnomah County's portion reduced by $1.7 million, the answer is, well … clouded.
"We are trying to figure out what the short-term plan will look like," said Diana Hall, program supervisor in the county's Department of School and Community Partnerships, which operates the SUN program.

John Edwards

Former U.S. Senator and vice presidential candidate John Edwards will deliver the keynote address at The National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women's annual legislative conference breakfast.
Edwards, who ran for vice president in 2004, is now director of the Center on Poverty, Work & Opportunity at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Funding for a new initiative that will result in significantly reduced diesel emissions in Oregon could result in cleaner air and healthier residents in North Portland.
Diesel emissions contribute to asthma and other health problems experienced by residents in the area, which includes many industrial sites.
The effort to curtail diesel emissions is being led by a group called Oregon Solutions North Portland Diesel Emissions Reduction Project.

It's ugly, it's destructive and it's everywhere. Graffiti is a problem that goes well beyond the frustration of the property and business owners who have become victims.
"Graffiti has a dramatic effect on just about everything," said Officer Matt Miller, graffiti investigator for the Portland Police Bureau. "Ninety-nine percent of the victims I've talked to associate it with gangs, and they think their neighborhood is being taken over."

Amalia Alarcón will be the new director of the city of Portland's Office of Neighborhood Involvement.
Appointed by Mayor Tom Potter, Alarcón served as interim director after Jimmy Brown was appointed manager of the Portland Water Bureau's community outreach and customer services group in January. She assumes her new duties immediately.