The African American Tobacco Prevention and Education Network met with a number of health professionals and church leaders on Tuesday to advance the cause of smoking cessation. Pictured is Dr. James Mason of Providence Hospital, who told the group about his employer's anti-tobacco efforts....

The Big Brothers Big Sisters held an African American Mentorship Luncheon in the Rose Room at the Rose Quarter on Sept. 16. The program, lead by Pamela Weatherspoon, tries to get African American adults to mentor African American children in need of mentors. ...

Services were held on Thursday, Sept. 11, at Sharon Seventh-Day Adventist Church for Wilbert "Herkey" LyDay. 
He was born on December 26, 1952 in Portland to Faye Evelyn LyDay and RC Morris. Raised by a single parent, Herkey was the oldest of five siblings and took pride in looking after his brothers and sisters.  He valued family. Growing up Herkey was a very outgoing, adventurous, and spontaneous person.  He quickly made lifelong friends and was well known in his neighborhood. 

A local emergency food relief agency needs 2,500 more cans of cranberry sauce to have enough to provide 4,000 families with the fixings for a complete holiday meal....

On Wednesday Mayor Tom Potter and City Council appointed 15 members to the City of Portland's new Human Rights Commission and 11 members to its Honorary Advisory Board....

Commissioner Nick Fish last week appointed Carmen Caballero Rubio as his senior policy advisor. She will serve as policy advisor, communications manager, and as a bureau liaison. For over three years Rubio served as the community affairs director for Portland Mayor Tom Potter, where she acted as lead contact on community partnerships, outreach and recruitment, and civil and human rights issues...

President Robert Mugabe ceded some power in Zimbabwe for the first time in 28 years, signing a power-sharing deal Monday with opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai amid questions on how the fierce enemies will work together to fix the collapsing economy....

A lawsuit has been filed to challenge what Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's campaign says is an attempt to keep people facing foreclosure from voting. The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in federal district court in Detroit by Obama for America, the Democratic National Committee and several Macomb County voters....

Albina Community Bank has been selected to receive a CDFI Fund Bank Enterprise Award of $675,000 for their 2007 community development work. The bank's award is for its support of Portland's local businesses through small business loans, home improvement loans and commercial real estate loans to underserved areas of the city....

There were fewer jobs in Oregon this August than during the same month last year, an indication that the state may have slipped into a recession, according to the Oregon Center for Public Policy....