The African Americans Reach and Teach Health Ministry, a host of churches and community organizations, will sponsor a forum on HIV/AIDS in observance of the second annual Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.
The free forum will be held from 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday, March 10 at the Langston Hughes Performance Center, 104 17th Ave. S. A buffet meal will be provided, as well as child care for children age 3 and older.

Malik Rahim, a co-founder of Common Ground Relief in New Orleans, speaks at the Oneness Christian Center on Sunday, March 4 about the continued need for housing and assistance for survivors of Hurricane Katrina.

Investigators with the Metro Arson Task Force announced Thursday the source of the fire that consumed the Morning Star Baptist Church on Feb. 5 is officially considered "undetermined."
Portland Fire Capt. Rich Stenhouse said he would like nothing more than to pinpoint the course of the fire's path through the 88-year-old church.
"But I can't do that," he said. "I find that immensely frustrating."
While the findings of the investigation don't rule out arson as a cause of the fire, lab results found no evidence of ignitable liquids.
"There are no detectable signs of arson at this time," Stenhouse said.
Pastor Albert Wayne Johnson said he was grateful to the investigators for their commitment and to the community for their support.
"While many speculate arson … arson which is hate … it does not exist in our community," he said. "That makes me proud."
Colene Domenech, of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, said investigators believe the fire started on the first floor at the south end of the building, where electrical lines, as well as the organ room were located. She said there were no signs of a break-in, and evidence of a hate crime -- including graffiti or someone taking credit for the fire – does not exist. The almost complete destruction of the building made the investigation very difficult, said Stenhouse.

NEW YORK -- The police officers have told their side of the story. The surviving victims gave their version.
Now it's up to a Queens grand jury to decide whether any of the five officers broke the law in the fatal shooting of bridegroom Sean Bell and the wounding of his two friends. Lawyers involved in the case say a decision could come sometime this week.
Over the past three months, 23 grand jurors have listened to more than 60 witnesses testify about a complex case in which four detectives and one police officer unleashed a barrage of 50 bullets on the three Black men, all unarmed, as they were in their car leaving a bachelor party at a Queens strip club at dawn on Nov. 25. The killing of Bell hours before his wedding sparked community outrage and raised questions about police tactics.
Three of the shooters are Black and two White. All have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the grand jury probe.
Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown, whose office is heading the investigation, has assured both sides in the emotionally charged case of a fair and thorough investigation.
The closed-door proceedings inside a Queens office building have produced thousands of pages of transcripts, as fat as four stacked telephone books. Hundreds of exhibits have been presented: maps, crime scene diagrams, 911 tapes, videotapes, transcripts of police communications, ballistic and toxicology tests, hospital and personnel reports.

From left to right, Monie Bowles, 15; Briana Robinson-May, 15; and Erica Jones, 14, all members of the Bridge Builders' Imminent Ladies of Virtue Club and the Class of 2010, receive hugs from educators who were honored as part of the Bridge Builders' "Black History Month Celebration in Honor of Youth and the Educators Who Propel Them to Excellence," on Feb. 23 at the University of Portland.

Pastor Mary Overstreet-Smith of Northeast Portland knows what it's like to care for an autistic child.
For the past 12 years, Overstreet-Smith has cared for her great-grandson, Sir J. Millage, who suffers from a severe case of autism. When Millage, 16, needs help preparing food or adjusting the water temperature for his baths, Overstreet-Smith is there. When he needs guidance doing the small things most parents take for granted, Overstreet-Smith is there.

Nine months ago, business owners in the Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneur's Rockwood business incubator were alarmed to learn that the city of Gresham had not renewed OAME's lease.
Mila Villavicencio, owner of Mila's Hair Salon, said she – as well as the other entrepreneurs in the OAME incubator – believed they had at least five years left on the lease.
"I spent my entire savings to expand my business," Villavicencio said in June, a few weeks after receiving the city's notice to vacate. "If the city makes me move, I won't be able to start over again."

With the exception of two years in the private sector, Charles Hill has devoted his life to public service.
In town since early January, Hill is the Pacific Northwest region's new acquisition management director and the region's highest-ranking African American U.S. Forest Service official in the Northwest.
Hill's title at the agency is really just a technical term for an individual who buys and sells property. He also is in charge of contracts with organizations that do volunteer work, construction and service contracts.

Crews demolish what is left of Iris Court at Vancouver Avenue and Sumner Street. The property will soon become Humbolt Gardens, a $16.9 million Housing Authority development funded by a HOPE VI federal grant.

New Seasons Market will help the Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church and New Generation Revival Church jump-start their rebuilding process. New Seasons stores across the Portland metropolitan area will hold a one-day barbecue benefit from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 3.
The menu includes New Seasons' handmade sausage, bun and beverage for $4. All of the money raised will go toward rebuilding the church and restoring the belongings of both congregations.
The 88-year-old Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church was destroyed in a fire on Monday, Feb. 5. Investigators have not yet released the cause of the fire. The congregation of the New Generation Revival Church, which shared space with Missionary Baptist, also lost its church home and possessions in the fire.