Monday's meeting began with a somber tone. The reading of eight names: names of victims who lost their lives to violence. The youngest was just 14; the oldest was 32.
Started this past Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Youth Violence Prevention Network is a church-based, community action group that promotes nonviolence, and is dedicated to helping teenagers and young adults achieve their goals and dreams.
"It starts with loving young people, " said founding Pastor Zachary K. Bruce, Sr. "We have a common vision to help young people achieve their goals in life and live up to their fullest potential."
The group seeks to help youth establish safe ways to deal with conflicts and differences,...

Past generations have seen this all before. That is why for nearly three decades the ICBA has been warning that our financial system was becoming dangerously over concentrated, and that there would be ruinous consequences to pay — just as in earlier times. Now ICBA's warnings are reality — again.
The financial structure policies of several recent administrations, plus those of a very encouraging and accommodating Federal Reserve Board have led to the bailout of Bear Stearns. For nearly 30 years, national policymakers have allowed our financial system to become so concentrated at the top that it resembles the equivalent of European royal inbreeding — look beneath the skin and there is only one strain of financial DNA — every entity is related (directly or indirectly) to every other entity. ...

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- The chairman of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee said Friday that two Louisiana prison inmates, former Black Panthers in solitary confinement since the 1970s, were wrongly convicted.
U.S. Rep. John Conyers did not say that inmates Herman Wallace and Albert Woodfox should be released, but in a written statement said he urges "a swift and just resolution of this matter." The Michigan Democrat said "I recently became aware of evidence that may suggest both Mr. Wallace and Mr. Woodfox were wrongly convicted."
Wallace and Woodfox are two of the men activists call the "Angola Three." Wallace and Woodfox say they are victims of cruel and unusual punishment because they've been in solitary confinement at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, the state's top-security prison, since 1972. Both are appealing their convictions in the death of a guard.

MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) -- Democratic presidential hopeful candidate Sen. Barack Obama took his message of changing the old partisan politics to a conservative corner of Oregon on Saturday.
Hundreds of supporters stood in a line stretching more than 200 yards in the early morning cold to get good seats for the town hall meeting.
Recreation technician John McKellig, 54, and retired postal worker Arlene Aron, 60, both from the rural community of Applegate, showed up at 9:30 Friday night to be first in line.
"I'm interested in seeing the red state-blue state division disappear," said McKellig, who left the Republican Party and became a Democrat in 2000 after the election of President Bush. "I think we need to heal."
Terry Baker, 27, a forester recently graduated from Yale University and also from Applegate, said he was not closely following the campaign until he read Obama's speech on the need to overcome racism.
"That one speech really did it for me," he said.
Inside, some 1,500 ticket-holders crowded a former bowling alley converted into a kids' gym to ask the candidate about the economy, environmental protection, veterans benefits, stem cell research and how he manages to stay composed under the stresses of the campaign. ...

Stumptown Stages present their production of 'Dreamgirls' at the Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center from March 3 through April 5. Pictured here from left are: Joann Coleman, Julianne Johnson, Lava Alapai. Performances run Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm; Sundays at 2pm. To reserve tickets call 503-381-8686 or visit www.ifccarts.org.

After nearly a generation, a community-wide dream has finally become a reality.
The grand opening of the Northwest African American Museum will be held from 11 a.m.-4 p.m Saturday, March 8 in the former Coleman School, located at 2300 S. Massachusetts St., in Seattle's Central District.
The grand opening celebration kicks off with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, free public tours, live music, children's art activities and more....

This year The Skanner's Black History edition takes a look at the history of African Americans in politics. Did you know that after the Civil War hundreds of Black men were elected to state legislatures across the South? Or that five African Americans have stood as presidential candidates? In this issue we profile a few of the personalities who became public figures nationally and in the Northwest. And to test your general knowledge, we created The Skanner's Black History Quiz. We hope you enjoy the issue. Click Here to read it.

Jacqueline Moscou has been reinstated as artistic director at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center, and city officials say it's time for Moscou and the staff to resolve their differences for the good of the center that has exposed generations of African-American talent. Moscou was placed on administrative leave in October after a report by an independent consultant suggested she made racially offensive and intimidating comments to and about her Asian American colleagues. ...

The Ritz Chamber Players, the nation's first chamber music ensemble comprised of musicians spanning the African Diaspora, made their Seattle debut performance at the University of Washington Tuesday night as part of the UW World Series program.
During their stay in Seattle, the RCP served as ensemble-in-residence went into several schools this week including T.T. Minor, Leschi, Thurgood Marshall and Brighton Elementary as well as the African American Academy teaching and exposing children to classical music. Their work includes educational activities, master classes, professional mentoring, coaching activities and discussion sessions....

It's official. Sen. John McCain is the Republican candidate for president of the United States of America. McCain clinched the nomination Tuesday night after winning all four primaries in Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas and Vermont and emerging with more than the 1,192 delegates he needed to secure the nomination.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, bowed out of the race Tuesday night, vowing to support McCain's bid and offering "my commitment to him and to the party to do everything possible to unite our party but more importantly to unite our country." ...