The Portland Development Commission (PDC) is one of the most effective organizations in government.  Their mission is to invest local dollars to leverage even greater private development in projects in specific urban renewal districts that wouldn't otherwise happen.  PDC, private developers, and contractors have such a stellar track-record among professionals in economic development that people all over the world talk about Portland as the model in housing and commercial re-development.

Participants in the fourth annual African American Health Coalition Wellness Within Reach Walk warm up before embarking upon their Aug. 19 stroll through North and Northeast Portland. The event helped to raise awareness about health and wellness issues in the African American community, and stressed the importance of preventative steps like regular exercise and a healthy diet.

Alyssa Kaiel, right, buys a book on gardening from a table staffed by Azzree Lathan, left, a volunteer with Augustana Lutheran Church, while the Rev. W.J. Mark Knutson looks on. The three were gathered at Augustana this past weekend for the church's annual Summer in the City festival.

To mark the 43rd anniversary of the epic March on Washington and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legendary "I Have a Dream" speech, The Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods is hosting "To Remember the Dream," a celebration of King's soul-stirring address on the steps at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., on Aug. 28, 1963. The event is set for 4:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 28, at the Dr. King statue in front of the Oregon Convention Center, 777 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

Linnes Finney Jr., a partner in the national law firm of Gary, Williams, Parenti, Finney, Lewis, McManus, Watson & Sperando, P.L., was sworn in as the 64th president of the National Bar Association earlier this month.
Finney, an experienced litigator and dedicated civic activist, assumed the helm of the association during the group's 81st Annual Convention, held Aug. 5 through 12 in Detroit.

The new Northwest Prescription Drug Consortium plan will combine the buying power of the two states' purchasing pools to negotiate better prices and generate substantial savings for participants, Kulongoski said.
Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire called the consortium "great news" for the people of both states.
"By pooling our resources, we have provide even greater buying power and can negotiate prices that will potentially save Washingtonians and Oregonians thousands of dollars a year," Gregoire said. "This partnership is a great example of what we can do when we work together on behalf of consumers."

A new building will house Our House of Portland, an in-patient hospice care facility for people in the advanced stages of HIV and AIDS.

NEW ORLEANS"From the beginning, Spike Lee knew that Hurricane Katrina was a story he had to"

DETROIT—A federal judge ruled Thursday that the U.S. government's warrantless domestic eavesdropping program is not only legal, but unconstitutional, and ordered an immediate halt to it.
U.S. District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor in Detroit became the first judge to strike down the National Security Agency's program, which she says violates the rights to free speech and privacy as well as the separation of powers enshrined in the Constitution.
The Justice Department launched an appeal within hours of Taylor's decision.

City Commissioner Erik Sten, left, Portland Community College Cascade Campus President Algie Gatewood, PCC Cascade Emergency Services Department Director Carol Robertson and Mayor Tom Potter celebrate the city's donation of a new police training cruiser to the school.