When word came last November that Seattle's Rainier Beach High School was off the "needs improvement" list, Principal Robert Gary Jr. – at the goading of jubilant students – walked right down to the waterfront and jumped into Lake Washington wearing his suit and tie.
In Portland, Jefferson High School is, in many ways, a mirror image of Rainier Beach High: comparable student under-enrollment in a large, expensive facility; predominantly Black and low-income students; a history of low-achievement; coupled with record-setting championship basketball programs. ...

State School Superintendent Terry Bergeson announcing Washington Assessment of Student Learning examination success rates for ethnic groups exceeded 80 percent. 
"I am thrilled at the results," Bergeson said.
The announcement marks the first year that seniors successfully met the states new graduation requirements inherent in the WASL.
Bergeson reported 91.4 percent of this year's high school seniors have successfully passed both the reading and writing segments of WASL.

Sen. Earl Blumenauer this week passed a resolution naming the U.S. Post Office at 630 Northeast  Killingsworth Street after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Blumenauer told The Skanner that the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Post Office name was made official after employees of the post office, and neighborhood residents, had organized to spearhead the effort.
He was pleased to help make it official, he said, because the effort was so overwhelmingly supported by Portlanders – with absolutely no opposition....

Would you like to learn more about the ways the city and county make decisions? The Seattle Martin Luther King Jr. County NAACP hosts the inaugural African American Legislative Day to provide African Americans with information about local politics and give access to their political officials.
This event has the ability to unify the community around common interests and provide children with positive examples. Attending the event you will have the opportunity to....

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...

As the warm, summertime weather continues to sporadically make its presence known in the Rose City, you know Juneteenth is right around the corner.
Unlike last year, with multiple celebrations on different days, there is only one Juneteenth celebration this year, held from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. on June 14 at Jefferson High School. The parade prior to the event starts at 11 a.m. and leaves from the Wells Fargo Bank Walnut Park branch, 5730 N.E. MLK Blvd.
Tisha Stigler, co-chair of the People's Juneteenth Committee, says the celebration is different this year and they are working to get the "sour taste" left by some of the failed celebrations of the past....

In just one moment, an entire year's worth of work was lost for local artist F.X. Rosica. On Friday, May 23, thieves smashed out a window on his car in broad daylight and stole nearly all the work he was scheduled to display next month at the Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center.
IFCC Creative Director Adrienne Flagg says the theft was devastating to the artist and the center. Unlike some art installations, Rosica was debuting a full year's worth of prints and paintings about the passage of time as we move around on bus, train and bicycles. In addition to the artwork – bright copper plate etchings – specialized tools, prints and sketchbooks were also stolen.

LONDON (AP) -- Here's all Barack Obama has to do to meet the world's expectations if he's elected U.S. president:
End an unpopular war in Iraq, heal misery in nations hit by the global food crisis and stop global warming in addition to building bridges to Muslim countries and reverse the unilateralist approach of the Bush administration.
The euphoria that has swept much of the world at the sight of a young and idealistic Black politician seizing the Democratic nomination has generated waves of anticipation.
Yet Obama, precisely because of his lofty yet undefined message of hope and renewal, can be all things for all people -- a blank canvas on which to project the world's longings....

National Arboretum in the city's northeast section. Police checked drivers' identification and turned away those who didn't have a "legitimate purpose" in the area, such as a church visit or doctor's appointment.
The checkpoints were announced after eight people were killed in the city last weekend. Most of the killings occurred in the police district that includes Trinidad. Already this year, the district has had 22 killings -- one more than in all of last year.
The checkpoints have drawn harsh criticism from civil rights groups.
"Trinidad should not be treated like Baghdad," said Mark Thompson, the leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's (NAACP's) local police task force....