TEEN SCREEN.....CHAMBER MUSIC RECITAL.... HOLY GHOST HARVEST RALLY....   FREE BLOOD LEAD TESTING... FRIENDS OF TREES... COMPUTER LAB, ADULTS & SENIORS....  TOUR OF UNTIMELY DEPARTURE.... AUTUMN ART FAIR... TURKEY SWIM.... DEMOCRACY AND INEQUALITY.... HOMEWORK HELPERS.

It was hard for Mercer Island High School Freshman Yahnnica Tate to contain her excitement Saturday.
"This was amazing," she says, "I learned so much today."
Yahnnica was among about 90 students walking the halls of the African American Academy on a day and at a time when most young people are usually hitting the snooze button on their alarm clocks.
These students were up and to the school by 8:30 a.m. for a free workshop for high school and college students interested in a career in journalism.
The Seattle Association of Black Journalists (SABJ) spent nine months putting this workshop together so students would be informed about scholarship opportunities, mentoring programs and internships.
At the workshop, students attended different breakout sessions facilitated by various media professionals in radio, television, newspaper and on-line media ...

JENA, La. (AP) -- The Nationalist Movement, which describes itself as "pro-majority," will hold a rally in Jena, La., on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the group announced.
The organization issued a statement this week saying "Jena Justice Day to Empower the Majority" would be held on Jan. 21, 2008, the day set aside to celebrate the birthday of the slain American civil rights leader.
The statement said the Nationalists were .....

The homeland security chief on Saturday lashed into his own employees for staging a phony news conference at the Federal Emergency Management Agency. "I think it was one of the dumbest and most inappropriate things I've seen since I've been in government," Michael Chertoff said.  "I have made unambiguously clear....

During more than two years in state prison, Genarlow Wilson was confident that he would find justice and be set free. On Friday, the hopes of the young man who had been sentenced to 10 years in prison for having consensual oral sex with another teenager finally became reality: The state's highest court ruled that his sentence amounted to cruel and unusual punishment ....

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama's campaign held a hurriedly put together conference call Thursday night with gay and lesbian leaders in South Carolina to discuss the candidate's gospel tour, which includes a singer who says homosexuality is a choice.
Obama campaign spokesman Kevin Griffis refused to talk about what was discussed on the call with Steve Hildebrand, Obama's early voting state strategist, and Joshua DuBois, who runs faith programs for the campaign ...

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Former Dallas Cowboy Hall-of-Famer and Jefferson High School alumnus Mel Renfro was acclaimed during the homecoming game on Friday, Oct. 12, where Renfro's #37 jersey was retired. Jefferson High School defeated Cleveland High School 58-0 in a resounding win for the Demos.

Oregon's Children are faring worse than at any time in the last 16 years. That's according to the annual report card from Children First for Oregon, that rates the state's progress in five benchmark areas that impact children's lives: Family Financial Stability, Youth Development and Education, Health, Early Care and Education and Child Welfare. This year the data added up to an overall D.
"D is not a good grade, it's true," said Robin Christian, executive director of Children First for Oregon. "But hope is on the way."
The figures highlight problems such as: a sharp, 10 percent, rise in the rate of abuse and neglect; 12 percent of Oregon's children lack health insurance and 20 percent of babies are born to mothers who received no prenatal care.
Still, Christian said, other problems look set to improve. The state legislature already has allocated $130 million over the next two years for programs that will help children, she said, including:

University of Washington associate professor Carolyn West Ph.D. is calling African Americans to action to combat domestic violence in communities of color. Church leaders, men's groups, parents, educators, children's advocates and policy makers all have a role to play in combating the crisis of violence within Black communities ....