Republican presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and his vice presidential running mate, Alaska Gov., Sarah Palin, acknowledge the cheers of supporters during a campaign rally in O'Fallon, Mo., Sunday Aug. 31. The next day, 10,000 protesters marched on the Republican convention, and nearly 300 were arrested, including reporters and photographers. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

John McCain announced his vice-presidential pick Friday – Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, a 44-year-old self-described "hockey mom" who was previously the mayor of a town of Wasilla, Alaska, population 6,500.
Palin has been described as a conservative that fought big oil in Alaska, funneling profits from oil companies into Alaska state coffers. She is also staunchly against abortion rights, which fueled many social conservatives to say she was a good choice that would energize that wing of the Republican Party. Early speculation on a number of pro-choice candidates had many evangelical conservatives in an uproar.
Although the newcomer made waves after ousting a sitting Republican governor in a primary in 2006, beating out a former governor as well, riding high approval ratings at home, she has come under scrutiny for a firing she made of Alaska's public safety commissioner after he refused to fire her former brother-in-law, who was a state trooper....

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- A weakened Hurricane Gustav slammed into the heart of Louisiana's fishing and oil industry with 110 mph winds Monday, delivering only a glancing blow to New Orleans that raised hopes the city would escape the kind of catastrophic flooding brought by Katrina three years ago. ...

The Democratic Party has formally nominated Senator Barack Obama as its presidential candidate. The historic moment came after Senator Hillary Clinton walked onto the floor of the convention hall and asked Democratic delegates to suspend their count and back Obama by acclamation.
Senator Joe Biden headlined the evening speakers, accepting the vice-presidential nomination. After Biden spoke, Obama made a surprise appearance on stage, one day before he formally accepts the nomination before 80,000 supporters at Invesco Field.

On Thursday night, August 28th, Barack Obama accepted the Democratic nomination for President of the United States.
Watch Barack's historic speech and share it with your friends and family:
http://my.barackobama.com/barackspeech

The Seattle Urban League this week unveiled a ground-breaking response to the sharp rise in suspected gang shootings this year, even as youth violence prevention officials in both Seattle and Portland are grappling with the crisis...

A small but enthusiastic crowd marched against violence on Saturday, Aug. 23 from the Garfield Community Center to Judkins Park. Speakers included Aleta Fluker, whose nephew survived a recent shooting, Seattle-King County NAACP President James Bible and Henderson Quinn, of Community for Youth.
Photo by Susan Fried

One renter's story illustrates the perils of a 'landlord's market'
Since being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Sharie Smith has lived on a fixed income in an apartment on Northeast Fargo Street. Her rent jumped 30 percent this summer; now it takes up almost her entire monthly check. Her landlord told her if she doesn't like it, she can move.
Photo by Julie Keefe

As law enforcement in Portland prepares to address the rise in gang-related shootings, one local woman is out to advocate for the young people at the center of the storm.
Ronisha Harris, founder of The Respect Project, is a criminal justice student and former inner Northeast Portland resident working since June of this year to change police attitudes towards youth who hang out on the street.
She's also focused on educating local kids about the exceptional dangers of Measure 11.
"Personally I think officers should have better communication skills when they approach young people," Harris told The Skanner....

Imagine the chaos if a tremendous earthquake suddenly struck the Northwest tonight. What if the quake and its aftershocks were powerful enough to rip up streets, destroy bridges and buildings and knock out power and water supplies? But because our local emergency services teams have spent years preparing for a disaster, they would have everything under control in a few hours. Right?
Wrong. The harsh truth is....

Before accepting his position as volunteer coordinator for Jefferson High School, Daniel Capuia spent several months finding out where students needed help. "I saw how students reacted with teachers and each other"...

Nazi flags and swastikas have been flying over parts of North Portland and the FBI is now investigating. Although investigators have not announced a suspect, one source says it was a racist action from the American Nazi Party....