As the owner of an independent insurance agency, Vince McCreary makes sure his customers come first. "I work for insurance companies but really, I work for the insured, making sure they get the best rates possible and the right company," he says.

More than 200 people from 14 states attended training on the sex trafficking of minors, at Portland's Embassy Suites Hotel, Oct. 4 and 5.

While most fans know the basic story of hip-hop's origins in block parties in the South Bronx, many aren't aware of the conditions that produced the highest selling music genre in the world.

The Portland Parents Union, a member of the Dignity in Schools coalition, is observing the National Week of Action on School Push-out with  a "restorative listening" event on disproportionate suspensions and expulsions of students, Saturday, Oct. 6, 4 p.m. at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1624 NE Hancock.

Dr. Maya Angelou is scheduled to speak in Portland, Oct. 30, at the Arlene Schnitzer Hall. She tells the Skanner News her thoughts on the president, reading and the Good Life.

Following up on its crusade against pay disparities statewide, the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) and the Oregon Council on Civil Rights (OCCR) host a Community Forum on Pay Equity Tuesday, Oct. 2, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the AFL-CIO Oregon Labor Center at 3645 SE 32nd Ave.

Multnomah County District Attorney's Office has landed a $600,000 grant from the federal Bureau of Justice Assistance: $45,000 a year goes to Eleven:45, the church-led youth violence prevention initiative. It also will fund a Deputy District Attorney who will work in the Albina and Killingsworth corridor to work with the street crimes unit.

As part of the ongoing commemoration of its 100th year in operation, Legacy Emanuel Medical Center has launched a reconciliation project aimed at rebuilding its ties to the inner Northeast African American community, scattered through urban renewal development decades ago.

We've seen the E-zone bring considerable benefits to the businesses and residents in North and Northeast Portland over the last 15 years,

Educator Carolyn Leonard retired from Portland Public Schools this year. But she's showing no signs of stopping work.