04-19-2024  11:50 am   •   PDX and SEA Weather
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NORTHWEST NEWS

Don’t Shoot Portland, University of Oregon Team Up for Black Narratives, Memory

The yearly Memory Work for Black Lives Plenary shows the power of preservation.

Grants Pass Anti-Camping Laws Head to Supreme Court

Grants Pass in southern Oregon has become the unlikely face of the nation’s homelessness crisis as its case over anti-camping laws goes to the U.S. Supreme Court scheduled for April 22. The case has broad implications for cities, including whether they can fine or jail people for camping in public. Since 2020, court orders have barred Grants Pass from enforcing its anti-camping laws. Now, the city is asking the justices to review lower court rulings it says has prevented it from addressing the city's homelessness crisis. Rights groups say people shouldn’t be punished for lacking housing.

Four Ballot Measures for Portland Voters to Consider

Proposals from the city, PPS, Metro and Urban Flood Safety & Water Quality District.

Washington Gun Store Sold Hundreds of High-Capacity Ammunition Magazines in 90 Minutes Without Ban

KGW-TV reports Wally Wentz, owner of Gator’s Custom Guns in Kelso, described Monday as “magazine day” at his store. Wentz is behind the court challenge to Washington’s high-capacity magazine ban, with the help of the Silent Majority Foundation in eastern Washington.

NEWS BRIEFS

Governor Kotek Announces Chief of Staff, New Office Leadership

Governor expands executive team and names new Housing and Homelessness Initiative Director ...

Governor Kotek Announces Investment in New CHIPS Child Care Fund

5 Million dollars from Oregon CHIPS Act to be allocated to new Child Care Fund ...

Bank Announces 14th Annual “I Got Bank” Contest for Youth in Celebration of National Financial Literacy Month

The nation’s largest Black-owned bank will choose ten winners and award each a $1,000 savings account ...

Literary Arts Transforms Historic Central Eastside Building Into New Headquarters

The new 14,000-square-foot literary center will serve as a community and cultural hub with a bookstore, café, classroom, and event...

Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Announces New Partnership with the University of Oxford

Tony Bishop initiated the CBCF Alumni Scholarship to empower young Black scholars and dismantle financial barriers ...

Firefighters douse a blaze at a historic Oregon hotel famously featured in 'The Shining'

GOVERNMENT CAMP, Ore. (AP) — Firefighters doused a late-night fire at Oregon's historic Timberline Lodge — featured in Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 film “The Shining” — before it caused significant damage. The fire Thursday night was confined to the roof and attic of the lodge,...

Idaho's ban on youth gender-affirming care has families desperately scrambling for solutions

Forced to hide her true self, Joe Horras’ transgender daughter struggled with depression and anxiety until three years ago, when she began to take medication to block the onset of puberty. The gender-affirming treatment helped the now-16-year-old find happiness again, her father said. ...

University of Missouri plans 0 million renovation of Memorial Stadium

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — The University of Missouri is planning a 0 million renovation of Memorial Stadium. The Memorial Stadium Improvements Project, expected to be completed by the 2026 season, will further enclose the north end of the stadium and add a variety of new premium...

The sons of several former NFL stars are ready to carve their path into the league through the draft

Jeremiah Trotter Jr. wears his dad’s No. 54, plays the same position and celebrates sacks and big tackles with the same signature axe swing. Now, he’s ready to make a name for himself in the NFL. So are several top prospects who play the same positions their fathers played in the...

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

Each spring, many aspiring students and their families begin receiving college acceptance letters and offers of financial aid packages. This year’s college decisions will add yet another consideration: the effects of a 2023 Supreme Court, 6-3 ruling that...

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

Attorneys argue that Florida law discriminates against Chinese nationals trying to buy homes

An attorney asked a federal appeals court on Friday to block a controversial Florida law signed last year that restricts Chinese citizens from buying real estate in much of the state, calling it discriminatory and a violation of the federal government's supremacy in deciding foreign affairs. ...

Mississippi legislators won't smooth the path this year to restore voting rights after some felonies

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Kenneth Almons says he began a sentence in a Mississippi prison just two weeks after graduating from high school, and one of his felony convictions — for armed robbery — stripped away voting rights that he still has not regained decades later. Now 51,...

Chicago's response to migrant influx stirs longstanding frustrations among Black residents

CHICAGO (AP) — The closure of Wadsworth Elementary School in 2013 was a blow to residents of the majority-Black neighborhood it served, symbolizing a city indifferent to their interests. So when the city reopened Wadsworth last year to shelter hundreds of migrants, without seeking...

ENTERTAINMENT

Celebrity birthdays for the week of April 21-27

Celebrity birthdays for the week of April 21-27: April 21: Actor Elaine May is 92. Singer Iggy Pop is 77. Actor Patti LuPone is 75. Actor Tony Danza is 73. Actor James Morrison (“24”) is 70. Actor Andie MacDowell is 66. Singer Robert Smith of The Cure is 65. Guitarist Michael...

What to stream this weekend: Conan O’Brien travels, 'Migration' soars and Taylor Swift reigns

Zack Snyder’s “Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver” landing on Netflix and Taylor Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department” album are some of the new television, movies, music and games headed to a device near you. Also among the streaming offerings worth your time as...

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

Jazz pianist Fred Hersch fully embraces the freedom that comes with improvisation on his solo album “Silent, Listening,” spontaneously composing and performing tunes that are often without melody, meter or form. Listening to them can be challenging and rewarding. The many-time...

U.S. & WORLD NEWS

Soldiers who lost limbs in Gaza fighting are finding healing on Israel's amputee soccer team

RAMAT GAN, Israel (AP) — When Ben Binyamin was left for dead, his right leg blown off during the Hamas attack on...

The Latest | Iran says air defense batteries fire after explosions reported near major air base

Iran fired air defense batteries Friday reports of explosions near a major air base at the city of Isfahan, the...

Indians vote in the first phase of the world's largest election as Modi seeks a third term

NEW DELHI (AP) — Millions of Indians began voting on Friday in a six-week election that's a referendum on...

European Union official von der Leyen visits the Finland-Russia border to assess security situation

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The head of the European Union's executive branch said Friday that Finland's decision...

Soldiers who lost limbs in Gaza fighting are finding healing on Israel's amputee soccer team

RAMAT GAN, Israel (AP) — When Ben Binyamin was left for dead, his right leg blown off during the Hamas attack on...

The West African Sahel is becoming a drug smuggling corridor, UN warns, as seizures skyrocket

NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Drug seizures soared in the West African Sahel region according to figures released Friday...

Kam Williams Special to The Skanner News

BIG BUDGET FILMS

The Change-Up (R for crude sexuality, pervasive profanity, drug use and graphic nudity) Body swap comedy about a fatigued family man (Jason Bateman) and a jaded bachelor (Ryan Reynolds) whose prayers are instantly answered when they ask for each other's lives while relieving themselves in a magical wishing well. With Leslie Mann, Olivia Wilde and Alan Arkin.   

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (PG-13 for frightening images and intense violence) Prequel to the ever-popular "Gorillas Gone Wild" franchise, set in San Francisco, pits primates against people after a scientist's (James Franco) test of an experimental cure for Alzheimer's leaves millions of chimps with human-like intelligence. Cast includes Andy Serkis, John Lithgow, Freida Pinto and Brian Cox.

INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

Assassination Games (R for torture, profanity, sexuality, nudity and graphic violence) Revenge thriller about a pair of rival assassins (Jean-Claude Van Damme and Scott Adkins) who reluctantly join forces in order to take on a blood-thirsty drug cartel backed by corrupt, undercover DEA officers. With Michael Higgs, Kevin Chapman and Ivan Kaye.   

Bellflower (R for nudity, drug use, graphic sexuality, disturbing violence and pervasive profanity) Romance drama about a couple of buddies (Evan Glodell and Tyler Dawson) who build flamethrowers and other weapons of mass destruction with plans for world domination until one of them has second thoughts when he falls under the spell of a charismatic temptress (Jessie Wiseman). With Zack Kraus, Rebekah Brandes and Vincent Grashaw.

Gun Hill Road (Unrated) Dysfunctional family drama, set in the South Bronx, about a just-paroled ex-con's (Esai Morales) return home after a three-year stint behind bars to an emotionally-estranged wife (Judy Reyes) who's been unfaithful and a troubled, teenaged son (Harmony Santana) contemplating a sex change operation. With Isaiah Whitlock, Jr., Miriam Colon and Franky G.

Habermann (Unrated) World War II saga, set in Sudetenland in 1938, recounting the real-life ordeal endured by the family of a German saw mill owner (Mark Waschke) with a half-Jewish wife (Hannah Herzsprung) upon the outbreak of hostilities. Cast includes Karel Roden, Ben Becker and Radek Holub.

Magic Trip (Unrated) Psychedelic documentary about Sixties cult figure Ken Kesey recounting the best-selling author's (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) fabled, hallucinogen-fueled bus trip across the country from Oregon to New York in the company of a band of freewheeling, fellow acid freaks known as The Merry Pranksters. With file footage featuring Neal Cassady, Jane Burton and The Grateful Dead. 

Mysteries of Lisbon (Unrated) Screen adaptation of Camilo Castelo Branco's historical novel, set in the 19th C., about a priest (Adriano Luz) who orchestrates the reunion of an orphan (Joao Luis Arrais) with an adulteress countess (Maria Joao Bastos) recently released from prison who might be his long-lost mother. Supporting cast includes Rui Morrison, Carloto Cotta and Ricardo Pereira. (In Portuguese, French and English with subtitles)

The Perfect Age of Rock 'n' Roll (Unrated) Prodigal Son drama about a one-hit wonder (Kevin Zegers) who returns to his hometown after his second record flops in order to reconnect with his songwriting friend (Jason Ritter) responsible for his first album's phenomenal success. Ensemble includes Peter Fonda, Ruby Dee, Billy Dee Williams, Kelly Lynch, Lauren Holly, Aimee Teegarden and Sugar Blue.

Protektor (Unrated) Holocaust drama, unfolding in Prague in 1938, revolving around an emotionally-conflicted radio host (Marek Daniel) who decides to collaborate with the Nazi occupiers in order to save the life of his Jewish wife (Jana Plodkova). With Matthias Brandt, Jan Budar and Cyril Drozda. (In Czech and German with subtitles) 

The Whistleblower (Unrated) Fact-based drama chronicling the heroic exploits of Kathryn Bolkovac (Rachel Weisz), an American peacekeeper in postwar Bosnia who uncovered widespread corruption, including a United Nations cover-up of the sex-trafficking of young women.

The Skanner Foundation's 38th Annual MLK Breakfast