The Workforce Development Council and other job training programs are being forced to cut back their services in light of million dollar deficits.
The county has won $9.5 million from the statewide Employment Security Department to bolster workers' skills and help connect them to better jobs.
The agency's yearly grant, however, is $1 million less than the council received last year. The Employment Security Department, which receives the funds from the federal Department of Labor, also received $3 million less on the state level. "We've had to cut back our programs," said Margret Graham, a planner for the Workforce Development Council of Seattle King County. "We've received less for the past five years."
Coming during the country's economic downturn, a decrease in funding is squeezing the council to do more with less. With unemployment rates rising, the demand for re-training workers or the unemployed has increased.
"We've had to become more creative with less staff people," said Graham. "There is always more need than we can meet."
On the national level, the Workforce Initiative Act (WIA) has distributed $3.35 billion dollars for the 2008 fiscal year for employment training programs across the country. This is compared with $3.41 billion in 2007 and $3.93 billion in 2006....
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The Seattle Urban League continues with its groundbreaking "To Own and Keep Your Home" counseling workshops – just in time, as it turns out....

Engineering students will soon study cutting-edge technologies for harnessing the power of the wind, sun, biomass, fuel cells and more thanks to a $150,000 gift ...

Legacy Children's Hospital expansion project...
PCC Open House...
Film Screening on Drug War's Victims...
Demos Forfeit Grant Game...

The African American Tobacco Prevention and Education Network met with a number of health professionals and church leaders on Tuesday to advance the cause of smoking cessation. Pictured is Dr. James Mason of Providence Hospital, who told the group about his employer's anti-tobacco efforts....

The Big Brothers Big Sisters held an African American Mentorship Luncheon in the Rose Room at the Rose Quarter on Sept. 16. The program, lead by Pamela Weatherspoon, tries to get African American adults to mentor African American children in need of mentors. ...

Services were held on Thursday, Sept. 11, at Sharon Seventh-Day Adventist Church for Wilbert "Herkey" LyDay. 
He was born on December 26, 1952 in Portland to Faye Evelyn LyDay and RC Morris. Raised by a single parent, Herkey was the oldest of five siblings and took pride in looking after his brothers and sisters.  He valued family. Growing up Herkey was a very outgoing, adventurous, and spontaneous person.  He quickly made lifelong friends and was well known in his neighborhood. 

A local emergency food relief agency needs 2,500 more cans of cranberry sauce to have enough to provide 4,000 families with the fixings for a complete holiday meal....

On Wednesday Mayor Tom Potter and City Council appointed 15 members to the City of Portland's new Human Rights Commission and 11 members to its Honorary Advisory Board....

Commissioner Nick Fish last week appointed Carmen Caballero Rubio as his senior policy advisor. She will serve as policy advisor, communications manager, and as a bureau liaison. For over three years Rubio served as the community affairs director for Portland Mayor Tom Potter, where she acted as lead contact on community partnerships, outreach and recruitment, and civil and human rights issues...