Fireworks and music headline Fourth of July activities at Metro's Blue Lake Regional Park. Pack a picnic, gather friends and family and head to the park for east county's largest fireworks display. But get there early – Metro expects a larger crowd this year.

The Community to Recall Sam Adams said this morning they plan to "file all required paperwork with the Portland City Auditor's office" tomorrow morning, July 7 at 9:30 a.m. The recall drive was launched, organizers say, to remove Adams from office "for willfully lying to get elected, orchestrating an elaborate cover-up and abusing his power." In late June Adams was exonerated by Oregon Attorney General John Kroger's investigation into an alleged affair between Adams and a teenaged boy four years ago. "I made mistakes in my personal life that led to this investigation," Adams said in a statement after the report was released. "As a result, the city I love was put through an ordeal. I am gratified the investigation has been completed, and I want to reiterate that I am sorry." . . .

Queen Latifah, in New Orleans for the 15th annual Essence Music Festival, says she's excited about her latest project _ her first rap album in a decade that will be released in August.
Entitled "Persona,'' she says the release includes influences from rock, dance, reggae and "of course, plenty of straight up hip-hop. It's a rocker, it's a rocker for sure,'' she said Friday, the festival's first day. "I can't wait to put it out and perform for everybody and get in the minds of those who've come to know me only as an actor and to kind of deliver something to those who know me as a rapper, turned actress, turned entrepreneur.''  . . .

After nearly 18 years on death row for killing an off-duty Georgia police officer, Troy Davis got a break when the U.S. Supreme Court last week put the brakes on his execution. The Court postponed until September a decision on granting Davis a new trial. Davis has been spared three times since he was first scheduled to be executed by lethal injection in 2007. . . .

Outgoing U.S. ambassador to Zimbabwe James D. McGee promised more United States support for the country's political and economic recovery Friday but said democratic reforms needed to be in place first . . .

One of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's potential presidential rivals said Sunday that her abrupt resignation won't help her dodge scrutiny. President George W. Bush's chief political adviser said her strategy is, at best, unclear. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said Palin's announcement that she would not seek a second term -- and leave office before finishing her first -- simply doesn't make sense in a conventional political setting. Karl Rove, a longtime Bush counselor, said Palin has engaged in a "risky strategy.''  . . .

Beloved community leader Louis J. Boston has passed away after a long battle with cancer. He was 69. Boston was the president of the Boston Training and Marketing Group and a parishioner at St. Andrew Catholic Church. . . .

Born on Sept. 19, 1966, in Saint James, NY, Maria de la Soledad Teresa O'Brien is the fifth of sixth children born to Edward and Estrella, immigrants from Australia and Cuba, respectively. She and her siblings excelled academically, and all attended Harvard University. But while her brothers and sisters pursued postgraduate degrees in either medicine or the law, Soledad settled on a career in journalism.   
Ms. O'Brien bounced around the television dial for a few years, enjoying stints on The Today Show, NBC Nightly News and at MS-NBC before finally finding a home at CNN where she co-anchored American Morning from 2003 to 2007, often going on location to report such disasters as Hurricane Katrina and the tsunami in Thailand. . . .

In a recent interview, renowned Thriller producer Quincy Jones told Details Magazine that although he called Michael Jackson a close friend, he didn't believe Jackson had a disease that causes depigmitation of the skin. Instead, he insinuated that Jackson – who went from a chocolate brown child to a White-complexioned adult - had deep self-hatred issues ... It's ridiculous, man! Chemical peels and all of it. And I don't understand it. But he obviously didn't want to be Black . . .

While students are doing slightly better each year on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning, the success rates of African-American, American Indian, Latino and Pacific Islander students shows Washington has a long way to go in improving school achievement for everyone. . .