07-04-2024  7:28 am   •   PDX and SEA Weather

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NORTHWEST NEWS

Summer Classes, Camps and Experiences for Portland Teens

Although registration for a number of local programs has closed, it’s not too late: We found an impressive list of no-cost and low-cost camps, classes and other experiences to fill your teen’s summer break.

Parts of Washington State Parental Rights Law Criticized as a ‘Forced Outing’ Placed on Hold

A provision outlining how and when schools must respond to records requests from parents was placed on hold, as well as a provision permitting a parent to access their student’s medical and mental health records. 

Seattle Police Officer Fired for off-Duty Racist Comments

The termination stemmed from an altercation with his neighbor, Zhen Jin, over the disposal of dog bones at the condominium complex where they lived in Kenmore. The Seattle Office of Police Accountability had recommended a range of disciplinary actions, from a 30-day suspension to termination of employment.

New Holgate Library to Open in July

Grand opening celebration begins July 13 with ribbon cutting, food, music, fun

NEWS BRIEFS

Pier Pool Closed Temporarily for Major Repairs

North Portland outdoor pool has a broken water line; crews looking into repairs ...

Music on Main Returns for Its 17th Year

Free outdoor concerts in downtown Portland Wednesdays, July 10–August 28 ...

Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care Marks One Year Anniversary

New agency reflects on progress and evolves strategies to meet early care needs ...

Governor Kotek Endorses Carmen Rubio for Portland Mayor

The campaign to elect Carmen Rubio as Portland’s next Mayor has announced that Governor Tina Kotek has thrown her support...

PCC’s Literary Art Magazines Reach New Heights

Two of PCC’s student-led periodicals hit impressive anniversaries, showcasing the college’s strong commitment to the literary...

1 shot at shopping mall food court in Seattle suburb

LYNNWOOD, Wash. (AP) — A person was shot in a shopping mall food court in a Seattle suburb on Wednesday evening, law enforcement officials said. The female of unknown age was shot at Alderwood Mall in Lynnwood, said Lt. Glenn DeWitt of the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office. He was...

Flight to New Hampshire diverted after man exposes himself, federal officials say

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — A flight to Manchester, New Hampshire, was diverted Wednesday after a man allegedly exposed himself and urinated in the aisle of the airplane, officials said. The 25-year-old Oregon man was arrested and charged with indecent exposure after the flight landed at...

Missouri governor says new public aid plan in the works for Chiefs, Royals stadiums

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said Thursday that he expects the state to put together an aid plan by the end of the year to try to keep the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals from being lured across state lines to new stadiums in Kansas. Missouri's renewed efforts...

Kansas governor signs bills enabling effort to entice Chiefs and Royals with new stadiums

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas' governor signed legislation Friday enabling the state to lure the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and Major League Baseball's Royals away from neighboring Missouri by helping the teams pay for new stadiums. Gov. Laura Kelly's action came three days...

OPINION

Minding the Debate: What’s Happening to Our Brains During Election Season

The June 27 presidential debate is the real start of the election season, when more Americans start to pay attention. It’s when partisan rhetoric runs hot and emotions run high. It’s also a chance for us, as members of a democratic republic. How? By...

State of the Nation’s Housing 2024: The Cost of the American Dream Jumped 47 Percent Since 2020

Only 1 in 7 renters can afford homeownership, homelessness at an all-time high ...

Juneteenth is a Sacred American Holiday

Today, when our history is threatened by erasure, our communities are being dismantled by systemic disinvestment, Juneteenth can serve as a rallying cry for communal healing and collective action. ...

AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE NEWS

As temperatures soar, judge tells Louisiana to help protect prisoners working in fields

Amid blistering summer temperatures, a federal judge ordered Louisiana to take steps to protect the health and safety of incarcerated workers toiling in the fields of a former slave plantation, saying they face “substantial risk of injury or death.” The state immediately appealed the decision. ...

California budgets up to million for reparations bills, a milestone in atoning for racist legacy

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California plans to spend up to million on reparations legislation under a budget signed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, marking a milestone in the state's efforts to atone for a legacy of racism and discrimination against Black Californians. The...

Microsoft will pay M to settle allegations it discriminated against employees who took leave

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Microsoft Corp. has agreed to pay .4 million to settle allegations that the global software giant retaliated and discriminated against employees who took protected leave, including parental and disability, the California Civil Rights Department announced Wednesday. ...

ENTERTAINMENT

Book Review: Iris Mwanza goes into 'The Lions' Den' with a zealous, timely debut novel for Pride

Grace Zulu clawed her way out of her village and into college to study law in the Zambian capital Lusaka. Now, at the end of 1990 and with AIDS running rampant, her first big case will test her personally and professionally: She must defend dancer Willbess “Bessy” Mulenga, who is accused of...

Book Review: What dangers does art hold? Writer Rachel Cusk explores it in 'Parade'

With her new novel “Parade,” the writer Rachel Cusk returns with a searching look at the pain artists can capture — and inflict. Never centered on a single person or place, the book ushers in a series of painters, sculptors, and other figures each grappling with a transformation in their life...

Veronika Slowikowska worked toward making it as an actor for years. Then she went viral

LOS ANGELES (AP) — When Veronika Slowikowska graduated from college in 2015, she did what conventional wisdom says aspiring actors should do: Work odd jobs to pay the bills while auditioning for commercials and background roles, hoping you eventually make it. And although the...

U.S. & WORLD NEWS

The Latest | The UK goes to the polls in a national election with results expected early Friday

Voters in the U.K. are casting their ballots in a national election to choose the 650 lawmakers who will sit in...

Ukraine’s army retreats from positions as Russia gets closer to seizing strategically important town

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s army has retreated from a neighborhood in the outskirts of Chasiv Yar, a...

Hezbollah fires over 200 rockets into Israel after killing of senior commander

BEIRUT (AP) — The Lebanese Hezbollah group said it launched over 200 rockets on Thursday at several military...

Japanese man sentenced to 17.5 years in prison, and 20 strokes of the cane in Singapore for rape

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — A Japanese hairstylist has been sentenced to 17.5 years in prison and 20 strokes...

Russian-linked cybercampaigns put a bull's-eye on France. Their focus? The Olympics and elections

PARIS (AP) — Photos of blood-red hands on a Holocaust memorial. Caskets at the Eiffel Tower. A fake French...

The suspect in the attempted assassination of Slovakia's prime minister now faces terror charges

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — The suspect in the attempted assassination in May of Slovakia's populist prime...

CNN Political Unit

(CNN) -- Rep. Marcia Fudge, chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, expressed concern in a letter to President Barack Obama over the lack of African Americans among his new Cabinet picks.

"Congressional Black Caucus offices have had numerous phone calls from constituents questioning why none of the new appointees will be able to speak to the unique needs of African Americans," Fudge, D-Ohio, wrote. "Their ire is compounded by the overwhelming support you've received from the African American community."

The president faced criticism at the beginning of the year when he picked white males for some of the highest spots in the administration, including secretary of state, treasury secretary, defense secretary and chief of staff (the latter of which has the status of Cabinet-rank).

White House staff, however, said Obama was not finished with his cabinet picks.

"His Cabinet when he's finished -- and he's far from finished -- will have diversity including women, including people of color," Obama senior adviser Valerie Jarrett told CNN's chief national correspondent John King and chief political analyst Gloria Borger from the White House on Inauguration Day.

None of his appointees since then, however, have been African American, Fudge notes. Obama has chosen contenders for secretary of energy and secretary of the interior. And CNN reported Saturday that Thomas E. Perez, the U.S. assistant attorney general heading the Justice Department's civil rights division, will be nominated to be the next secretary labor secretary.

His choices for other administration posts that have Cabinet rank are also not African American. Those include his picks for the Environmental Protection Agency and the Office of Management and Budget.

"You have publicly expressed your commitment to retaining diversity within your cabinet," Fudge wrote in the letter. "However, the people you have chosen to appoint in this new term have hardly been reflective of this country's diversity."

Attorney General Eric Holder and U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk are the two African Americans who now sit on the Cabinet. Both were nominated during the president's first term.

Fudge argued the lack of "diverse voices leads to policies and programs that adversely impact African Americans," adding that she was disappointed that none of the CBC's recommendations for Cabinet picks have "received the consideration they deserve."

CNN's Deirdre Walsh and Ashley Killough contributed to this report.