04-24-2024  12:23 pm   •   PDX and SEA Weather
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NORTHWEST NEWS

A Conservative Quest to Limit Diversity Programs Gains Momentum in States

In support of DEI, Oregon and Washington have forged ahead with legislation to expand their emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion in government and education.

Epiphanny Prince Hired by Liberty in Front Office Job Day After Retiring

A day after announcing her retirement, Epiphanny Prince has a new job working with the New York Liberty as director of player and community engagement. Prince will serve on the basketball operations and business staffs, bringing her 14 years of WNBA experience to the franchise. 

The Drug War Devastated Black and Other Minority Communities. Is Marijuana Legalization Helping?

A major argument for legalizing the adult use of cannabis after 75 years of prohibition was to stop the harm caused by disproportionate enforcement of drug laws in Black, Latino and other minority communities. But efforts to help those most affected participate in the newly legal sector have been halting. 

Lessons for Cities from Seattle’s Racial and Social Justice Law 

 Seattle is marking the first anniversary of its landmark Race and Social Justice Initiative ordinance. Signed into law in April 2023, the ordinance highlights race and racism because of the pervasive inequities experienced by people of color

NEWS BRIEFS

Mt. Tabor Park Selected for National Initiative

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OHCS, BuildUp Oregon Launch Program to Expand Early Childhood Education Access Statewide

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Governor Kotek Announces Chief of Staff, New Office Leadership

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Governor Kotek Announces Investment in New CHIPS Child Care Fund

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Biden administration announces plans for up to 12 lease sales for offshore wind energy

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A conservative quest to limit diversity programs gains momentum in states

A conservative quest to limit diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives is gaining momentum in state capitals and college governing boards, with officials in about one-third of the states now taking some sort of action against it. Tennessee became the latest when the Republican...

Missouri hires Memphis athletic director Laird Veatch for the same role with the Tigers

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri hired longtime college administrator Laird Veatch to be its athletic director on Tuesday, bringing him back to campus 14 years after he departed for a series of other positions that culminated with five years spent as the AD at Memphis. Veatch...

KC Current owners announce plans for stadium district along the Kansas City riverfront

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The ownership group of the Kansas City Current announced plans Monday for the development of the Missouri River waterfront, where the club recently opened a purpose-built stadium for the National Women's Soccer League team. CPKC Stadium will serve as the hub...

OPINION

Op-Ed: Why MAGA Policies Are Detrimental to Black Communities

NNPA NEWSWIRE – MAGA proponents peddle baseless claims of widespread voter fraud to justify voter suppression tactics that disproportionately target Black voters. From restrictive voter ID laws to purging voter rolls to limiting early voting hours, these...

Loving and Embracing the Differences in Our Youngest Learners

Yet our responsibility to all parents and society at large means we must do more to share insights, especially with underserved and under-resourced communities. ...

Gallup Finds Black Generational Divide on Affirmative Action

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OP-ED: Embracing Black Men’s Voices: Rebuilding Trust and Unity in the Democratic Party

The decision of many Black men to disengage from the Democratic Party is rooted in a complex interplay of historical disenchantment, unmet promises, and a sense of disillusionment with the political establishment. ...

AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE NEWS

2021 death of young Black man at rural Missouri home was self-inflicted, FBI tells AP

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Ancestry website cataloguing names of Japanese Americans incarcerated during World War II

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The names of thousands of people held in Japanese American incarceration camps during World War II have been digitized and made available for free, genealogy company Ancestry announced Wednesday. The website, known as one of the largest global online resources of...

Ethnic Karen guerrillas in Myanmar leave a town that army lost 2 weeks ago as rival group holds sway

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ENTERTAINMENT

Music Review: Jazz pianist Fred Hersch creates subdued, lovely colors on 'Silent, Listening'

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Book Review: 'Nothing But the Bones' is a compelling noir novel at a breakneck pace

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Cardi B, Queen Latifah and The Roots to headline the BET Experience concerts in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Cardi B, Queen Latifah and The Roots will headline concerts to celebrate the return of the BET Experience in Los Angeles just days before the 2024 BET Awards. BET announced Monday the star-studded lineup of the concert series, which makes a return after a...

U.S. & WORLD NEWS

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Biden says the US is rushing weaponry to Ukraine as he signs a billion war aid measure into law

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A Russian Orthodox priest who took part in services for Navalny is suspended by the patriarch

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A Russian deputy defense minister is ordered jailed pending trial on bribery charges

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Poland's prosecutor general says previous government used spyware against hundreds of people

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland's prosecutor general told the parliament on Wednesday that powerful Pegasus spyware...

Ashley Fantz and Nick ValenCIA CNN

BRUNSWICK, Georgia (CNN) -- A teenager suspected in the shooting of a baby in the coastal city of Brunswick, Ga., appeared in court Monday, where a judge told him he will be charged with murder.



Wearing an orange jumpsuit, his hands and feet shackled, the 15-year-old listened as Glynn County Judge Timothy Barton read his Miranda rights. Previously, the boy's age was reported as 14.

Barton didn't indicate if the teen would be charged as a juvenile or adult, and the teen did not enter a plea. His name is not being released because he is a minor.

Asked if the teen had any questions, he told the judge, "No sir."

The teen's mother, Brenda Moses, told CNN earlier that her son was "just a witness," and "he didn't do anything wrong."

The 15-year-old, and a 17-year-old who authorities have identified as De'Marquise Elkins, are facing murder charges in a case that has made national headlines.

On Thursday the infant's mother, Sherry West, told police that she was pushing her son in a stroller in broad daylight when two males approached her.

"A boy approached me and told me he wanted my money, and I told him I didn't have any money. And he said, 'Give me your money or I'm going to kill you and I'm going to shoot your baby and kill your baby,' and I said, 'I don't have any money,' and 'Don't kill my baby,' " she told reporters.

One boy tried to grab her purse and opened fire when she tried to tell him she had no money, West said, with the shot grazing her head. She said the boy then shot her in the leg.

West continued, "And then, all of a sudden, he walked over and he shot my baby in the face."

West said that she tried to perform CPR on her son and that police took over when they arrived. "We lost him," she said.

This isn't the first time West has lost a son to violence, she said Saturday.

Her 18-year-old son was stabbed to death in 2008 in New Jersey, she told CNN.

"This is the second child that people have taken from me in a tragic way," West said. "I'm so afraid to have any more babies now. I tried to raise really good kids in a wicked world."

The day after two teenage boys were arrested and charged in the fatal shooting of her baby, West said she was planning to leave Brunswick and return to New Jersey.

'You killed an innocent human life'

The boy's father has also been distraught, West said.

Asked about the person who shot her son, Antonio, West stated: "I hate you and I don't forgive you.

"You killed an innocent human life," she said. "I hope you die for it."

A private memorial service was held Friday morning for the baby, who was cremated, according to West. She said the family is working with the Catholic relief organization Society of St. Vincent de Paul to help with unforeseen expenses.

West said she put Antonio in a stroller Thursday because it was good exercise for her heart, adding that she was disabled from a car accident.

"I just took a walk with my baby," she said. "I can't believe that this would happen, and I left early in the morning. I thought, you know, that there would be less people on the road and I wouldn't be in anybody's way walking down that road.

"Apparently, either he targeted me or I was just unfortunate," she said.

As of Saturday, authorities had not found the murder weapon, police spokesman Todd Rhodes said.

But they were able to track down the two suspects and take them into custody, aided by a description from West and others, as well as a check of school attendance records to determine who was not in class Thursday.

911 calls reveal witnesses' horror

Earlier Saturday, police in the coastal city released to CNN three recordings of 911 calls about Thursday's shooting.

"A baby has been shot!" one woman said in a 911 call.

The exchange with the emergency operator was emotionally charged.

"Listen to me, ma'am! Is the baby breathing?" the operator replied.

"I don't know," the woman said.

The woman began to cry.

In the background, there was wailing on the corner of London and Ellis streets, in a stately cluster of Victorian-style houses with wraparound porches.

"Listen to me!" the operator said to the weeping woman. "We have people en route. Did you hear shots in the area?"

Yes, she heard shots, she said.

"Be calm," the operator said. "How many shots did you hear?"

"I heard like three shots. And the baby has been shot in the head," the woman said.

The woman was so distraught that she passed her cell phone to a man walking his dog.

"No, the baby is not breathing," the man told the operator.

"The baby was shot in the head?" the operator continued.

"Yes, right between the eyes," the man said, adding that he earlier heard a "small-caliber clap."

As he spoke, sirens wailed as police arrived on the scene, and the man broke off the phone call.

CNN's Nick Valencia reported from Brunswick, Georgia. Michael Martinez, Tom Watkins and Jason Evans contributed to this report.

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The Skanner Foundation's 38th Annual MLK Breakfast