NEW ORLEANS—They lost homes, neighbors and cherished communities to Hurricane Katrina.

Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire, left, talks with University of New Orleans student Altravese Gardner

October was a month marked by many college reunions. As I reflect on the 35 years since graduating from Stanford University, the usual thoughts people associate with this milestone run through my mind.

WASHINGTON—Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. has dreamed for years of getting the federal government to help build a big, new airport near his district, creating an economic boom for Chicago's South Side and south suburbs.

Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan, left, dishes up some vittles Monday at the Rose Garden during the Blazers' annual Harvest Dinner, put on for low-income Portlanders. In addition to the hundreds of meals served by McMillan and Blazers players, coaches and staff, attendees enjoyed videos, arts and crafts and special reading events for kids.

Invest in Kids released a report Wednesday charging that projected cuts to children's programs and law enforcement in the federal budget will lead to increased crime and greater social costs in the long run. The group, which is made up of police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors, other law enforcement leaders and survivors of violent crime, advocates for social policies shown to prevent crime.
Titled "Congress Proposes Deep Cuts in Programs that Keep Oregon Kids From Becoming Criminals," the report argues that the current budget proposal before the House of Representatives should be rejected.
"This act is a real crime," said Martha Brooks, state director of Fight Crime Invest in Kids.

Last week U.S. News and World Report reported that a senior CIA official, Mary Margaret Graham, a 27-year agency veteran, had revealed the U.S. intelligence budget at an intelligence conference in San Antonio. This is the first time since 1998 that the administration has made public the amount of money spent on America's spy agencies.

Funky. Eclectic. Hip. The newest addition to the burgeoning Alberta Arts District fits right in with its neighbors.

Child welfare cases are hardly ever clear-cut. And with state resources stretched to capacity, Oregon's foster care system is struggling to meet the needs of the children and the families it serves.

Low-income Oregonians will get more financial help paying their heating bills and weatherizing their homes this winter, due to increased state aid.