04-26-2024  6:20 pm   •   PDX and SEA Weather
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NORTHWEST NEWS

City Council Strikes Down Gonzalez’s ‘Inhumane’ Suggestion for Blanket Ban on Public Camping

Mayor Wheeler’s proposal for non-emergency ordinance will go to second reading.

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. 

NEWS BRIEFS

Chair Jessica Vega Pederson Releases $3.96 Billion Executive Budget for Fiscal Year 2024-2025

Investments will boost shelter and homeless services, tackle the fentanyl crisis, strengthen the safety net and support a...

New Funding Will Invest in Promising Oregon Technology and Science Startups

Today Business Oregon and its Oregon Innovation Council announced a million award to the Portland Seed Fund that will...

Unity in Prayer: Interfaith Vigil and Memorial Service Honoring Youth Affected by Violence

As part of the 2024 National Youth Violence Prevention Week, the Multnomah County Prevention and Health Promotion Community Adolescent...

Mt. Tabor Park Selected for National Initiative

Mt. Tabor Park is the only Oregon park and one of just 24 nationally to receive honor. ...

Oregon man sentenced to 50 years in the 1978 killing of a teenage girl in Alaska

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — An Oregon man who was convicted in the 1978 killing of a 16-year-old girl in Alaska was sentenced Friday to 50 years in prison. Donald McQuade, 67, told Superior Court Judge Andrew Peterson that he maintains his innocence and did not kill Shelley Connolly,...

Police in Washington city issue alarm after 3 babies overdosed on fentanyl in less than a week

EVERETT, Wash. (AP) — Officials are sounding alarms after a baby died and two others apparently also overdosed in the past week in separate instances in which fentanyl was left unsecured inside residences, authorities said. A 911 caller on Wednesday afternoon reported that a...

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

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

Dozens of deaths reveal risks of injecting sedatives into people restrained by police

Demetrio Jackson was desperate for medical help when the paramedics arrived. The 43-year-old was surrounded by police who arrested him after responding to a trespassing call in a Wisconsin parking lot. Officers had shocked him with a Taser and pinned him as he pleaded that he...

Biden officials indefinitely postpone ban on menthol cigarettes amid election-year pushback

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s administration is indefinitely delaying a long-awaited menthol cigarette ban, a decision that infuriated anti-smoking advocates but could avoid a political backlash from Black voters in November. In a statement Friday, Biden’s top health...

Paramedic who injected Elijah McClain with ketamine before his death avoids prison

BRIGHTON, Colo. (AP) — A former paramedic who injected Elijah McClain with a powerful sedative avoided prison Friday and was sentenced to 14 months in jail with work release and probation in the killing of the Black man that helped fuel the 2020 racial injustice protests. Jeremy...

ENTERTAINMENT

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...

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

Nelson “Nails” McKenna isn’t very bright, stumbles over his words and often says what he’s thinking without realizing it. We first meet him as a boy reading a superhero comic on the banks of a river in his backcountry hometown in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Georgia....

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

#MeToo advocates vow the reckoning will continue after Weinstein's conviction is overturned

NEW YORK (AP) — #MeToo founder Tarana Burke has heard it before. Every time there’s a legal setback, the...

Rooting for Trump to fail has made his stock shorters millions

NEW YORK (AP) — Rooting for Donald Trump to fail has rarely been this profitable. Just ask a hardy...

Antony Blinken meets with China's President Xi as US, China spar over bilateral and global issues

BEIJING (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Friday with Chinese President Xi Jinping and senior...

A US-led effort to bring aid to Gaza by sea is moving forward. But big concerns remain

JERUSALEM (AP) — The construction of a new port in Gaza and an accompanying U.S. military-built pier offshore...

Ukraine pushes to get military-age men to come home. Some neighboring countries say they will help

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s foreign minister doubled down Friday on the government’s move to bolster the...

British Army says horses that bolted and ran loose in central London continue 'to be cared for'

LONDON (AP) — The military horses that bolted and ran loose when spooked by construction noise in central London...

Cuban Fury
By Kam Williams | The Skanner News

BIG BUDGET FILMS   

Draft Day (PG-13 for brief profanity and sexual references) Kevin Costner stars in this gridiron saga as the Cleveland Browns’ general manager determined to turn the franchise around after 13 years of bad luck with the help of this year’s #1 draft pick. Ensemble includes Jennifer Garner, Terry Crews, Frank Langella, Sam Elliott, Chadwick Boseman, Denis Leary, Ellen Burstyn, Rosanna Arquette and Sean “Puffy” Combs.      

Oculus (R for terror, violence, disturbing images and brief profanity) Supernatural thriller about a woman’s (Karen Gillan) effort to exonerate her brother (Brenton Thwaites) of their father’s (Rory Cochrane) killing by proving that the perpetrator was actually an evil spirit that had inhabited their home. With Katee Sackhoff, James Lafferty and Garrett Ryan. 

The Railway Man (R for disturbing violence) Fact-based tale recounting the attempt by a former POW (Colin Firth), with the help of his wife (Nicole Kidman), to track down the Japanese officer who had tortured him during World War II. Co-starring Stellan Skarsgard, Jeremy Irvine and Tanroh Ishida. 

Rio 2 (G) Animated adventure finds Blu the macaw (Jesse Eisenberg) and his brood on an expedition to the rainforest where he’s confronted by his revenge-minded nemesis, Nigel the cockatoo (Jemaine Clement), and company. Voice cast includes Anne Hathaway, Bruno Mars, Jamie Foxx, Leslie Mann, Tracy Morgan, George Lopez, Leslie Mann and will.i.am.     

INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS 

A Fragile Trust (Unrated) Ethics expose about Jayson Blair, the disgraced New York Times reporter who was dismissed after being caught plagiarizing many of his stories. 

Cuban Fury (R for profanity and sexual references) Romantic comedy about a once-promising dance prodigy (Nick Frost) who makes the most of a second chance at glory when he enters a salsa competition with his new boss (Rashida Jones) as his partner. With Chris O’Dowd, Rory Kinnear and Olivia Colman.

Dancing in Jaffa (Unrated) Peace outreach documentary about legendary Pierre Dulaine’s attempt to transcend Middle East tensions by teaching ballroom dancing to a mixed group of Israeli and Palestinian 11 year-olds. (In Hebrew, Arabic and English with subtitles)

Hank and Asha (Unrated) Long-distance romantic romp about a student from India (Mahira Kakkar) living in Europe and a lonely guy in the U.S. (Andrew Pastides) whose love blossoms via video exchanges over the internet. With Emmanuel Baptiste, Robyn Kerr and Brian Patrick Murphy.

Hateship Loveship (R for profanity, sexuality and drug use) Dysfunctional family drama about a conniving teen (Hailee Steinfeld) who manipulates her grandfather’s (Nick Nolte) nurse (Kristen Wiig) into a romantic relationship with her estranged father (Guy Pearce). Cast includes Jennifer Jason Leigh, Christine Lahti and Sami Gayle.

Jesus People (Unrated) Faith-based mockumentary about a terminally-ill minister (Joel McCrary) who decides to start a Christian rock band in order to wean his wayward teenage son (Chris Fennessey) off gangsta rap music. With Octavia Spencer, Wendi McLendon-Covey and Catherine Reitman.

Joe (R for violence, profanity, disturbing themes and graphic sexuality) Nicolas Cage plays the title character in this tale of redemption as an ex-con who serves as an unlikely role model for a troubled 15 year-old (Tye Sheridan) with an abusive, alcoholic father (Gary Poulter). Featuring Ronnie Gene Blevins, Adriene Mishler and Heather Kafka.  

Only Lovers Left Alive (R for profanity and brief nudity) Romantic fantasy revolving around the undying love between a couple of vampires (Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton) who have been married for centuries. Support cast includes Mia Wasikowska, John Hurt and Jeffrey Wright. (In English, French and Arabic with subtitles)

Perfect Sisters (Unrated) Matricide mystery revolving around a couple of teenagers (Abigail Breslin and Georgie Henley) who hatch a plan to murder their alcoholic mother (Mira Sorvino) after getting fed up with years of abuse. With Spencer Breslin, Jeffrey Ballard and Zoe Belkin. 

Thomas Keating: A Rising Tide of Silence (Unrated) Poignant portrait paying tribute to a Trappist monk turned influential author of 30+ books sharing a unique brand of Eastern-influenced Catholicism.

Unthinkable: An Airline Captain’s Story (Unrated) Murder mystery about a commercial jet pilot (Randall Paul) found dead with a single bullet in his head the day after his political conspiracy theory was called crazy by the government. With Dennis Fitzpatrick, Michael Biesanz, Drew Barrios and Jerry Bell, Jr. 

The Skanner Foundation's 38th Annual MLK Breakfast