WASHINGTON -- Democrats are considering their next step after President Bush's inevitable veto of their war spending proposal, including a possible short-term funding bill that would force Congress to revisit the issue this summer. Another alternative is providing the Pentagon the money it needs for the war but insisting that the Iraqi government live up to certain political promises. Or, sending Bush what he wants for now and setting their sights on 2008 spending legislation.

No murder takes place in a bubble. Those killed by the hand of another leave behind other victims – sons and daughters without a parent, parents without children, sisters without brothers.
For four years now, Perlia Bell has been trying to change the way the Black community treats these left-behind victims.
After her 23-year-old daughter Asia's murder in 2002, Bell was wracked with a sense of being overwhelmed. Her son-in-law, Asia's husband Tyrone James, was blinded in the attack, and the couple's four young children left without a mother. At first, right after the murder, Bell and her family received plenty of community support. But eventually people forget, they go on with their lives and the support dries up.

It has been exactly one year since the most recent the Oregon Progress Board released the Oregon Benchmarks report, which highlights the progress of Oregon's minority populations.
But what does this report really tell us about Oregon and how important is the data?
According to Sean Cruz, chief of staff for Oregon Sen. Avel Gordly, D-N/NE Portland, the local senator frequently uses the state benchmarks to guide her decision-making.

Roy Jay, president of the African American Chamber of Commerce, says the recent Freightliner layoffs will have huge economic impacts on the African American community.
"This is all about economics for (Freightliner)," he said. "But this impacts an entire community."

The number of Oregon teens dropping out of high school has hit its lowest point in more than 15 years, but the dropout rate for minority students continues to climb.
"It is clear from today's report that we need to focus our efforts on reducing dropout rates and increasing graduation rates for poor and minority students," said Oregon Superintendent of Schools Susan Castillo on Tuesday, the day the dropout report was released. "Graduating from high school is fundamental to success in the workforce or in college."

U.S. government officials contacted by AP acknowledged questioning prisoners in Ethiopia. But they said American agents were following the law and were fully justified in their actions because they are investigating past attacks and current threats of terrorism.
The prisoners were never in American custody, said an FBI spokesman, Richard Kolko, who denied the agency would support or be party to illegal arrests. He said U.S. agents were allowed limited access by governments in the Horn of Africa to question prisoners as part of the FBI's counter-terrorism work.
Western security officials, who insisted on anonymity because the issue related to security matters, told AP that among those held were well-known suspects with strong links to al-Qaida.

OLYMPIA, Wash. — When Selena Allen's son was born a month premature in 2003 she faced a painful choice — spend her limited paid leave watching her son recover in the hospital or wait until he returned home.
Allen and her husband decided that she would return to work right away, and take the time once he was released.
"We decided it was more important to be with my son once he came home so we could establish our routine together and bond, rather than me sitting at the hospital," she said. "It was a very difficult decision."
Allen has joined with a coalition of mothers and their supporters to push for a proposal in Washington state, Senate Bill 5659, that would give workers five weeks of paid family leave — at $250 a week — to care for a new baby or a seriously ill relative.
The measure has drawn the ire of business groups, who call it unnecessary for businesses that already offer employees flexible leave options.

The Seattle School Board has narrowed its search for a superintendent from six semi-finalists to two contenders – and both are African American.
"We had a very qualified pool of semi-finalists from which to choose," said School Board President Cheryl Chow. "High-caliber candidates from across the nation were attracted and recruited, and the entire Board was very impressed by their leadership quality, educational experience, and personal enthusiasm."

African American performance artists in King County are getting some support from the Central District Forum for Arts & Ideas and the National Endowment for the Arts. The two entities have funded a new program called The Creation Project to support the professional development of local Black performance artists.
The yearlong Creation Project will support distinctive African American voices in the performing arts community of King County.

The sixth annual Multicultural Family Fair will be held April 7 from noon to 4 p.m. at the Lynwood Convention Center, 3711 196th St. S.W.
Volunteers from South Snohomish County will set up more than 35 booths to share information about their culture though interactive displays of personal artifacts including traditional costumes, photos, flags, maps and artwork.
Arts and craft activities, such as Chinese calligraphy and quilting by the Northwest African American quilters, will give fair-goers the opportunity to try and create their very own piece of another culture, which they can take home with them. Students from Edmonds Community College's Culinary Arts program will demonstrate cooking techniques from around the world and provide free samples and recipes.