Officials around the state are slowing changing the way they view the prostitution trade.
Increasingly, lawmakers, police and prosecutors are viewing women who are prostituted, or who prostitute themselves, as victims.

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) -- Al Hadlock would be the first person to tell you how bad he messed up his life.

State Rep. Jeff Barker joined veterans who work as security officers for the private security contractor, Securitas, to push for unionizing the company, at a downtown press conference Wednesday, Nov. 10.

Your Future Begins Now!
Preparing faith-filled, competent, college-ready citizens.

The Skanner News is looking for local readers to take part in a focus group to help us in planning our company's growth over the next year, with the group meeting Saturday, Nov. 20, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at our offices at 415 N Killingsworth St.

The program to boost the 2-ounce frogs dwindling population was spearheaded in 2008 by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- As the nation turned to Republicans in the Congress, Oregon stood pat and re-elected all of its incumbents, five out of six of them Democrats. It turned to a familiar Democratic hand rather than a fresh GOP face for governor, and it did nothing venturesome in ballot measures.

This week, attorneys representing the family of the late Aaron Campbell filed a lawsuit against the city of Portland and four officers involved in his shooting death in January. The family is seeking compensation for "unreasonable force" violations under the Fourth Amendment and wrongful death under state law.

In Washington state, voters delivered approvals and disapprovals to a number of ballot initiatives, but largely supported measures that retain the status quo.

Wednesday afternoon saw the critical Oregon governor race bust open with a Kitzhaber win, while observers scratched their heads over what looked like an even Democrat-Republican split in both the Oregon Senate and the House of Representatives.