Ret. Portland police officer Harry Jackson, a member of the Crisis Response Team, says the all-volunteer team is the "single most valuable tool to come out of community policing." The Portland Police Bureau is facing a 3 to 5 percent budget cut next year. . . .

What's happening for you in your city this week? Read here a day-by-day diary of community events to fill your spare time. For a full calendar please click on "Read the complete article" below . . . .

Gambling is, for many, an invisible addiction. While it's true that only a small number of people suffer from out of control, or "pathological" gambling, that small group heavily impacts their family, friends, neighbors — everyone around them.
Experts say that African Americans are more likely to be caught in the grip of gambling addiction, and LifeWorks Northwest is working to bring in more area residents to an array of programs designed just for them. . . .

Jimmie Green passed away on April 2, 2009, after courageously battling Congestive Heart Failure ... A memorial service will be held at 11 A.M. Friday April 10, 2009 at Caldwells, Hennessey, Goetsch and Mc Gee Funeral Home and then a graveside services to be held at Willamette National Cemetery at 1:30 P.M  . . .

You can now view videos of interviews from local stories on The Skanner's new YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/user/TheSkannerNews

Leo Frank Thornton has died on March 25. He was 86 ... He moved on to Portland to join other family members. It was there that he met and later married the love of his life, Eva Mae Adams. They continued to reside in Portland and there began their family. Together they raised 7 children. He was a devoted family man and a skillful barber in his early career and later retired as a professional butcher. . . .

In 1963, Moore graduated from Franklin Parrish Training School in Winnsboro, La. He raised sheep and each year won the blue ribbon at the county fair while growing up. He enlisted in the Marines and served in the Vietnam War. In 1964 the family moved to Portland ... Moore was employed at Cascade General in the position of journeyman painter for the major part of his adult life. . . .

Dwight Terry has been working in the funeral business for nearly 17 years and has owned his own funeral home since July 2007. He was recently appointed to the Oregon Mortuary and Cemetery Board, an 11 member panel that oversees the state's death care industry ... His service with the state board will be to represent the perspective of embalmers. . . .

Some nine years after she first started college at age 17, Liz Vice can finally see light at the end of the tunnel. For Vice, who will be earning a degree in film from the Art Institute of Portland, the accomplishment not only makes her the first in the family to graduate college, it's also the beginning of a dream sparked by a debilitating kidney disease. Vice was one of the lucky ones. She received a kidney transplant in 2006. And a month later, she started school at the Art Institute, intent on following through with her dream of becoming a feature film director. "After the kidney transplant, I figured I'd go after something I've always wanted to do," . . .

Participants in the Kidney Health Fest will learn how to improve their lives to avoid kidney disease. This includes:

• Treating high blood pressure and diabetes, two of the leading causes of kidney failure.
• Quitting smoking.
• Eating a low-salt, low-fat diet. Obesity can lead to kidney disease.
• Exercising at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week.