Mardica Hicks approaches a client in the Children's Community Clinic's waiting room with a gentle voice and a warm smile.
"Hi. I'm Mardica, the new director of the clinic. How are you?" Hicks asks the Latino mother, whose three young girls are patiently waiting to see a nurse practitioner.
"Have you been waiting long?" Hicks asks.
The mother smiles and shakes her head....

Can you trust the police in your neighborhood to protect your rights on their own? A group of citizens in North Portland think officers might behave better if they knew they were being observed.
A new group called NoPo CopStop is holding regular meetings and neighborhood watches to reduce police brutality, racial injustice and increase community participation in North Portland's neighborhoods.

For 10-year-old Lauren Steele, summer reading is all about the prizes.
Well, OK, maybe it's not all about the prizes, but they do make it more appealing, she admits with a smile. Steele also loves to read, and the Multnomah County Library's Summer Reading Program encourages her to read when school's out.
"I've been reading a lot of the 'Goosebumps' (juvenile horror series)," she says, donning a pair of red sunglasses – a prize she just picked out after completing another reading goal for the summer program.

WORLD OF REPTILES. Pet a python! The Reptile Man, Richard Ritchey, presents reptile wonders. 2:30-3:30 p.m. Fairview-Columbia Library, 1520 N.E. Village St., near City Hall. Bring your own chairs and blankets.
MATINEE. Bring your friends and a pillow, and watch a movie. Popcorn and beverages provided. For teens in grades 6-12. 3-5:30 p.m. St. Johns Library, 7510 N. Charleston Ave.
CONCERT. Bring your blanket and picnic snacks and listen to the NW Gospel Community Gospel Chorus. 6:30-8:30 p.m. Fernhill Park, 5925 N.E. 42nd Ave.

• Forum on racism, bias crimes set for July 23
• Shields will help lead House Democrats
• PCC awards 16 Ford scholarships
• Portland Designates 'International Justice Day'

Odessa Brown Sickle Cell coordinator Emijah Smith holds her 3-month-old son, Marcel, at the Odessa Brown Children's Health Fair on July 14. The fair featured information on the important roles that nutrition, exercise and dental care play in keeping children healthy.

Seattle City Council members are tackling one of the most urgent issues facing the city – a lack of affordable housing.
Councilmembers Sally J. Clarke, chairwoman of the economic development and neighborhoods committee; Richard J. McIver, chairman of the finance and budget committee; and Tom Rasmussen, chairman of the housing, human services and health committee, will hold a community forum and discussion on affordable housing from noon to 2 p.m. Friday, July 20 at City Hall, Seattle City Council chambers, 600 Fourth Ave., second floor.
Representatives from for-profit housing developers, the Office of Housing and council staff will answer questions and discuss the issue of affordable housing.
Some questions to be explored include: How does the private market create housing? How is housing affordability defined in Seattle in 2007? What tools does the city have to develop affordable housing? What other things should the city consider doing...

Every 33 minutes, a student in Washington State will drop out of school and nearly one in three students in our state will not receive their diploma. Those numbers are not acceptable according to Communities in Schools, the nation's largest dropout prevention organization.
Shaun Alexander, Seattle Seahawks running back, agreed to become the national spokesman for the organization to help keep students in school. Alexander will work with Communities in Schools on a national level...

Higher income does not protect Blacks and Hispanics from receiving mortgage loans with above-market rates, a new study by a group pushing for reforms to lending laws says.
The report, released last week by the Washington D.C.-based National Community Reinvestment Coalition, concludes that in 2005 Blacks in 179 metropolitan areas were at least twice as likely as Whites to receive expensive loans.
In the Seattle area, African Americans were more than two and one half times more likely than Whites to receive a high-cost mortgage. Seattle ranked 151st out of...

The Soul Sistas bicycling club hit the road July 14, for their 204-mile ride from the University of Washington campus in Seattle to Holladay Park in Portland.
The group camped out overnight and their families clocked the miles, every inch of the way.
"This will be my first time and I can hardly wait!" said a very enthusiastic Damaris Pearson, a career counselor at Seattle's Franklin High School, before the race.
Elenora Northington and Stephanie LaBoo trained and encouraged the group...