The scene was a public meeting at Portland Community College's Cascade campus, organized by the Oregon Association of Black School Educators. The topic was Portland Public Schools' proposal to change the high school system from the ground up. School district administrators John Wilhelmi and Charles Hobson made the case for turning two high schools into small specialized "focus" schools, while sending most students to larger neighborhood comprehensives. Their audience -- made up mostly of teachers, was less than enthusiastic.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- The Oregon Supreme Court has ruled that workers can be fired for using medical marijuana even if they have a card from the state program authorizing its use.

The state of Oregon will soon be holding hearings to let the public voice their concerns about where money should be allocated within the Department of Human Services. MindFreedom International – an organization made up of mental health care consumers –is calling upon the state to financially support a advocacy office for customers of the state's mental healthcare system

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Jurors on Tuesday found the Boy Scouts of America negligent and awarded $1.4 million to a former Portland man who was abused by an assistant Scoutmaster in the early 1980s, following a three-week trial in which secret Scout ``perversion files'' were used as evidence.

Portland Police Officer, Victoria Burton (formerly Victoria Wade), has seen hundreds of families struggle to deal with trauma and loss. As the founder and leader of the police Crisis Response Team, Burton helped families through some of the worst moments of their lives – a sudden death, a murder, a suicide or violent assault.
This month she is asking some of those families to come to her retirement reception so that she can thank them personally for their courage. The reception will be held Friday, April 23 from 2 – 4 pm at Emmanuel Temple, 1033 N. Sumner.

SHELBYVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Torry Hansen was so eager to become a mother that she adopted an older child from a foreign country, two factors that scare off many prospective parents. Her bigger fears came later.

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) -- The state House has approved a multimillion-dollar tax package that increases the cost of candy, soda, and beer and also eliminates some tax exemptions.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Running as "the outsider," former NBA player Chris Dudley has drawn on insider connections to take a big lead in raising money in the Oregon governor race.

Rebuilding Together Portland and Safeway's Portland Division teamed up to repair the home of Ms. Johnnie Mae Poitier and Mr. Kinnie Lee, this weekend. The couple, who live in North Portland, want to live safely and independently in their own home. The team worked all day Saturday on the building, to create an easy-to-navigate, energy efficient environment.

A $29 million sex-abuse lawsuit against the Boy Scouts of America is in the hands of a jury after a lawyer for the victim closed the case by arguing the Scouts failed to act when they knew they had a serious problem. In closing arguments, Kelly Clark said the organization had been keeping a list of Scout leaders and volunteers suspected of abuse since the 1920s but never came up with any system to improve screening, reporting or prevention.