Clarence Johnson was born on March 27, 1971 to Debra Payton and Lamont Johnson in Portland. He died Oct. 30, and services were held Nov. 8.
Johnson was raised by his mother and aunt Phyllis. In younger years he enjoyed playing basketball, pop dancing, breakdancing, drawing and hanging out with his friends.
Friends said he was an adventurous young man ...

Hailing from the small West African nation of Senegal, one emerging R&B artist is looking for the same American Dream so many other immigrants have. He wants to be an internationally famous musical sensation. And with tour stops in Senegal, India and cities across the U.S., he might just be on his way. ISSA ...

With the impending threats of the mortgage industry progressively getting worse instead of better, Rep. Chip Shields (D-N/NE Portland) leads "There's No Place Like Home," a summit to address mortgages, foreclosures, and deceptive lending practices impacting North and Northeast Portland.
The summit takes place this Saturday, Nov. 22nd from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Portland Community College Cascade Campus, Moriarity Auditorium ...

Oregon had 12.4 percent of its population, about 458,000 people, living in households that struggled with hunger or were "food insecure" during the 2005-2007 period, the term given to describe households that struggle with affording enough food. Nationally, more than 36.2 million people lived in households that were food insecure in 2007 – up from 35.5 million in 2006 and 33.2 million in 2000 ...

President-elect Barack Obama's aides have privately asked senators whether a former Clinton administration official would be confirmed as the next attorney general, according to a person involved in the talks. Obama is reportedly looking at Washington attorney Eric Holder, who served as the No. 2 official in the Justice Department under President Bill Clinton, to serve as the nation's top law enforcement officer  ...

Congress and the Obama administration should end the two-year wait that people deemed too sick to work by the government face before qualifying for Medicare, lawmakers and leading advocacy groups said Wednesday. Medicare covers people 65 and older and the disabled, and at any time, 1.5 million disabled people find themselves waiting to qualify ...

The Rainier Valley Cultural Center partners with Adefua Cultural Education Workshop to present the 23rd Annual Odunde Festival, an African harvest celebration for families ...  features an Intergenerational Dance Musical, entitled "HOMELAND" ... and a talented group of regional performers, including the traditional West African-based Adefua African Music and Dance Company, Seattle's renowned Hip Hop group, Kutt 'N' Up and other local performers ... 

African American and Asian American interactions are discussed in "Akira's Hip Hop Shop" at The Langston Hughes African American Film Festival ... starring James Kyson Lee ("Heroes") and Emayatzy Corinealdi ("The Young & the Restless"). It is an interracial love story about a Japanese immigrant in love with hip hop who meets a young Black woman with a passion for Asian cuisine and culture ...

WASHINGTON (AP) _ President-elect Barack Obama is laying a foundation for his new administration, calling on a trusted central bank figure to help create jobs and block the economy from falling deeper into a financial morass not seen in eight decades.
Obama also delved into one of the most pressing foreign policy issues facing his presidency, calling Afghan President Hamid Karzai by telephone and telling him that fighting terrorism there and in the region would be a top priority, Karzai's office said on Sunday ...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- When Chrysler teetered on the brink of bankruptcy in 1979, the automaker spent months building support for a $1.5 billion loan guarantee that helped save the company and tens of thousands of jobs. Nearly 30 years later, the U.S. auto industry is getting only weeks to make its case. Still, the Chrysler chapter offers lessons to the executives of ... the private equity successor to the old Chrysler Corp. -- as well as the United Auto Workers union as they try to win support in Congress for a stalled $25 billion rescue plan ...