Daniel F. Packer

As the industrial age has progressed, the energy industry has progressed along with it, growing in size and sophistication to power our technological world. And as more and more African American professionals have succeeded in the workplace, many have found their niche in the energy industry.

On June 23, local African Americans will have the opportunity to learn about opportunities in the energy industry and get some firsthand information about the nuts and bolts of energy infrastructure when the Seattle-Portland chapter of the American Association of Blacks in Energy hosts a public presentation and forum.

The observance of Juneteenth marks the day — June 19, 1865 — when news of Emancipation reached the last group of enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas. Since then, the unofficial holiday serves as a chance to remember the long road that African Americans have taken to where they are today.

In Portland, past Juneteenth celebrations have been relatively low-key. But under the guidance of Woody Broadnax, the Juneteenth party has been gathering steam over the past few years.

To help educate a new generation of youth, Portland General Ele-ctric has commissioned two plays for local schools.

"Vicky and Igor's Electrifying Adventure" is a program designed to teach students about safety with electricity.

"You Ooze, You Lose," teaches students about energy efficiency and encourages positive action.

"Often times, young people don't understand how electricity works," said Carol Dillin, vice president of public policy at PGE. "Teaching our customers of all ages about electric safety and the wise use of energy is a core part of PGE's mission."

Oregonians can learn how their tax dollars to support K-12 public schools are used by visiting a Web site that shows how their local school district spends money.

They can compare their district's spending to other districts and the state average — all without having to decipher complicated spreadsheets.

Called Open Book$, the site, at www.openbooksproject.org, tracks the spending of each of Oregon's 198 school districts in five categories and shows that spending in simple charts.

As summer temperatures rise, the idea of a night out camping under the stars sounds more and more appealing. But as gas prices climb, too, a long drive to a campground might be out of reach.

Fortunately, Portlanders can go camping in this city's own backyard. A 30-minute drive from Portland, Oxbow Regional Park is a 1,200-acre natural area within the Sandy River Gorge, part of the National Wild and Scenic River System. The park is open to camping all summer.

Summertime is here again, and that means a season of fun activities in Portland's parks. For the 99th consecutive year, Portland parks have offered a summer playground program.

The program features a wide variety of drop-in recreation activities for children ages 5 through 12. With neighborhood sites throughout the city, playground leaders create safe, supervised and fun-filled environments with a variety of activities including sports, games, arts, crafts and nature. Many of the city's parks also have wading pools that open on hot weather days.

Kids who enjoy sports may be able to attend the free National Youth Sports Program from June 29 to July 28.

Registration applications are available through the Police Athletics League. Call 503-823-0250 or visit the Web site, www.palkids.org.

The daylong program runs from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Students are transported to and from the program, centered at Portland State University, where they rotate through four sessions of sports and education classes.

VANCOUVER—Summer is almost here, and that means it's time again for C-TRAN's Summer Blast Pass — a special seasonal fare for youth between the 13 and 18 years old.

The pass costs $36 and allows kids to experience independence, freedom and fun for the entire summer by offering unlimited rides on all C-TRAN routes (except Portland Premium Express routes to downtown Portland), TriMet buses, MAX and the Portland streetcar. It also offers discounts at participating local merchants.

In what could be a record-breaking year in attendance, Portland Parks and Recreation's seven outdoor and six indoor pools are gearing up for this summer's swim season, which begins Monday, June 19.

Pools throughout the city are being spiffed up and prepared for the influx of swimmers that flock to them each year. With the price of gasoline at record highs, more Portlanders are expected to take advantage of neighborhood pools close to home.

Erik Sten

Portland City Commissioner Erik Sten and Portland Business Alliance President Sandra McDonough will discuss "Voter-Owned Elections: What Worked, What Didn't and What Do We Really Want?" at the Portland City Club Friday Forum on June 23.

The event runs from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. at the Governor Hotel, 614 S.W. 11th Ave., under the moderation of Susan Hammer.

Portland's new voter-owned election system made its debut during the May primary. With this "dress rehearsal" now behind us, how did Portland's taxpayer-funded "clean money" election process perform?