The number of people registered to vote is up – way up. Eric Sample, a spokesman for Multnomah County Elections says his office has also seen a huge up tick in the number of voters switching party affiliations.
"The big issue is the presidential primary," Sample says.
Most of those people changing parties have gone Democrat. Unaffiliated voters, Pacific Greens, Libertarians, Independents and a few Republicans have mostly switched their party affiliation to engage in the tug of war of the Democratic primary.
But there's more. Promise King, director of the Oregon League of Minority Voters, says he's never seen so many minorities registered.
"Change begins in Portland," he says....

The competition was fierce at the Connect Four Tournament held last Thursday at Berbati's Pan in honor of local hip hop artist Cool Nutz's birthday, which was a 3-day celebration. Seated next to Cool Nutz is Josonja Watson, formerly of Jammin' 95.5 FM's "The Playhouse," who watches her competitor's every move.

Organizers with Oregon Action plan a march on Portland Police Chief Rosie Sizer on Monday morning, armed with petitions calling for a comprehensive plan to address racial profiling.
"On May 18, 2006, was the first of the community listening session we held to allow a discussion about racial profiling in Portland, and in October of 2006 the Portland City Council accepted the listening session report," said Geri Washington of Oregon Action.

If you are a jobseeker of color who is ready to make that first impression "Jobtini" has you in mind. ... Wednesday, May 21, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at Olea Restaurant, 1338 N.W. Hoyt Ave... More intimate than a career fair, more effective than a mass resume email ...

Members of the 1968 Black Student Union celebrate after being presented the Charles E. Odegaard Award at the 38th annual Friends of Educational Opportunity Celebration on May 7 at the HUB Ballroom at the University of Washington. The 1968 Black Student Union was instrumental in helping create the Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity at the University.

On May 20, 1968, a protest with far-reaching consequences occurred. Members of the Black Student Union staged a sit-in in the offices of University of Washington President Charles Odegaard. The sit-in did not result in arrests. Instead, the students left the office four hours and 15 minutes later with a series of agreements from the administration, including aggressive recruitment of minority and disadvantaged White students, the hiring of more staff and faculty of color, creation of a center on campus for the academic and cultural development of students of color, and the creation of a Black Studies department.
UW will commemorate 40 years of diversity efforts on the anniversary of the sit-in with an alumni and community celebration from noon to 5 p.m. in Red Square. The celebration is expected to draw representatives of 50 academic departments, as well as student organizations, which will talk about their own history of diversity. Ethnic food will be available and there will be music....

Good news for average families. Homes are becoming more affordable as sales slip.
Home sales in early 2008 continued to ease compared to both late 2007 and a year ago, according to statistics prepared by the Washington Center for Real Estate Research at Washington State University ...

For the second year in row, police will again take to the streets at night to pull over and ticket drivers who aren't wearing their seatbelts. The campaign will be waged between May 19 and June 1.
A recent analysis by the WTSC said that the Click It or Ticket campaign may be helping to reduce fatalities on Washington roads. During 2007, both daytime and nighttime vehicle occupant fatalities were lower compared to the previous 10 years ...

What's happening for me in my City this week? Read here a day-by-day diary of free community events to fill your week. For a full calendar please click on "Read the complete article" below.

For the last year, Danielle Tucker spent nearly 18 hours a week studying for one class. But she wasn't alone. Thirty-five other students also joined the Constitution Team for what some could consider an extreme academic endurance competition.
And for the second year in a row, Grant High School – with one of the most diverse teams in its history — placed third in the nation at the "We the People" competition in Washington, D.C. on May 5.
At Grant High School, the Constitution Team is a highly competitive class. According to instructor, Geoffrey Henderson, 96 kids tried out for the 36 slots. The students are selected after submitting an essay and undergoing an oral interview. Then comes the training for the competition — students are broken up into six units of study – ranging from the foundations of the constitution to the bill of rights to case law and spend the rest of the year studying....