SPOKANE—An 18-year-old Spokane man was arrested last week in connection with a July 15 cross burning in front of the apartment of a Black man in nearby Spirit Lake, Idaho. Nicholas J. Schmitt and Michael R. Simmons, 23, allegedly burned a cross fashioned from Tiki torches in front of the man's apartment.

Lesle Miller, left, and her son, Romeo Hendel, 18 months, talk with Seattle Police Officer C.J. McRae during the Seattle Night Out 2006 celebration on Tuesday, Aug. 1 Night Out is a national crime prevention event that helps unite neighbors and heighten crime prevention awareness.

Friday, Aug. 11, GreenStage will perform "Henry VI" at 7 p.m., in Volunteer Park, 1247 15th Ave. E., and again at 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12.
"A Midsummer Night's Dream" will be performed at 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12, in Volunteer Park. A repeat performance takes place at 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 18, in Seward Park, 5902 Lake Washington Blvd.

Helping out your neighbor is an integral part of living in a healthy community. The congregation of Vancouver Avenue First Baptist Church is doing its part to live up to this ideal with its first-ever "Be a Blessing" give-away.

The event will offer, free of charge, items that everyday people need to get through their busy lives -- everything from new or "gently" used furniture, clothing (including back packs for young people), and other miscellaneous household items. All of the items are provided by church members.

The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12, at the church, 3138 N. Vancouver Ave. --  just off the 405 Freeway from the Kerby Ave.

Save The Date!!2006 Breakfast InformationFor tickets e-mail [email protected] or…

LOS ANGELES--Alejandro "Bird" Martinez and a crew of fellow gangbangers were joyriding in a stolen van when they came upon a Black man parking his car -- and decided to kill him.

Three of them riddled Kenneth Kurry Wilson and his Cadillac with bullets from a .357-caliber revolver and a 9 mm semiautomatic and blasts from a 12-gauge shotgun.

This month, Martinez and three other members of the Avenues, a Hispanic gang entrenched in one Los Angeles neighborhood, were convicted of federal hate crimes usually tagged on white supremacists.

Although the slaying was seven years ago, the verdict this month was one in a series of reminders that racially motivated Black and Hispanic gang violence is still a Los Angeles reality.

Save The Date!!2006 Breakfast InformationFor tickets e-mail [email protected] or…

In the annals of African American journalism, few names are as revered as that of A. Philip Randolph. His publication, The Messenger, set the standard for the unflinching, incisive character that is the hallmark of the Black press.
That's why it's such an honor for The Skanner to receive an award in Randolph's name.
The Skanner has been named the recipient of a first-place A. Philip Randolph Messenger Award in the Responsibility category for Helen Silvis' article, "Group Offers to Help Desperate Parents," published in the March 9, 2005 edition of The Portland Skanner. Ms. Silvis' story details the efforts of Parents Anonymous, an organization dedicated to aiding families who have been ravaged by addiction.

Look around any public school classroom and you'll see something that cuts across lines of race, class and creed — boys growing up with absent fathers. All too often, the lack of a strong male influence can lead such boys into drugs, crime and lack of educational achievement.
But it doesn't have to be that way, said J.W. Doncan, a Jefferson High School language arts instructor and the author of Fatherless Boys and Mothers on Their Own (Authorhouse paperback, $9.80).
"Across the board, boys are having difficulties," Doncan said, "because maybe our society nurtures boys and men to move away from familial responsibilities."

Members of the Self Enhancement Inc. Drum Line strut their stuff Aug. 1 at the Concordia neighborhood National Night Out celebration.