The U.S. Congress is expected to give special recognition to the Black Press on its 180th anniversary during the annual observance of Black Press Week, March 14-17.
A congressional resolution introduced by the leadership of the Congressional Black Caucus will be presented to officials of the National Newspaper Publishers Association Foundation, sponsors of Black Press Week, and the National Newspaper Publishers Association, the trade group for the more than 200 Black newspapers. The resolution will cite the historic role of the Black Press as the strong, influential voice of the Black community beginning with the anti-slavery movement and the founding of the first Black newspaper, Freedom's Journal on March 17, l827.

AUSTIN, Texas — Dennis Johnson, former player for the Seattle SuperSonics and the Boston Celtics died Thursday, Feb. 22, after collapsing at the end of his developmental team's practice. He was 52.
Johnson, coach of the Austin Toros, was unconscious and in cardiac arrest when paramedics arrived at Austin Convention Center. Paramedics tried to resuscitate him for 23 minutes before he was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead.
"He was one of the most underrated players in the history of the game, in my opinion, and one of the greatest Celtic acquisitions of all time," said former Boston teammate Danny Ainge, now the Celtics' executive director of basketball operations.

The Trail Blazers honored six Portlanders as part of the team's month-long Black History celebration. The Trail Blazers presented the honorees with a ticket section and a grant for $500 to donate to the charity of their choice. The 2007 roster of Trail Blazers Black History Month honorees includes:
Judge Ancer Lee Haggerty, Gregory Gudger , The Reverend Alcena Elaine Caldwell Boozer, Garfield de Bardelaben, Kenneth W. Berry, Antonio Harvey.

A new report by the Democratic Policy Committee shows that President George W. Bush's recent budget engages in gimmickry to distract from the fact that he is once again cutting funding for education, housing, health care, economic development and other programs critical to the African American community.

You wouldn't know it by the laidback atmosphere inside Bradley-Angle House's new Healing Roots Center, but this North Portland community center for Black women and children experiencing domestic violence is pretty revolutionary.
"There's nothing else like this in the country," says Healing Roots Program Director Galadriel Mozee. "We're unique."
Of course, being on the cutting edge is nothing new for Bradley-Angle House. The 32-year-old Portland nonprofit was the first domestic violence shelter on the West Coast, and recently made headlines for its new Allies for Hope program, which brings men into the campaign against domestic violence.

Dova Moore, 6, signs a 50-foot replica of the preamble to the constitution at the Festival for the Constitution, held Sunday, March 4 at the Seattle Center. The Backbone Campaign hosted an afternoon of speakers, music and art at the event.

An idea conceived in the cradle of King County's civil rights movement became reality today as the Metropolitan King County Council unanimously adopted a new design for King County's official logo: an image of the county's namesake, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

"This was a dream introduced by the people of King County, who nurtured the dream when it would have been very easy to give up because of the anger and criticism the dream caused," said Council Chair Larry Gossett, prime sponsor of the ordinance. "When I joined the County Council, the only recognition that this county was named after America's foremost civil rights leader was a plaque placed above the line of sight of people entering the courthouse. Today's vote means that for future generations, we will have a daily visual reminder of Dr. King -- a reminder of who he was, what he stood for, and what we want the county we live in to strive to achieve."

The African Americans Reach and Teach Health Ministry, a host of churches and community organizations, will sponsor a forum on HIV/AIDS in observance of the second annual Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.
The free forum will be held from 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday, March 10 at the Langston Hughes Performance Center, 104 17th Ave. S. A buffet meal will be provided, as well as child care for children age 3 and older.

Malik Rahim, a co-founder of Common Ground Relief in New Orleans, speaks at the Oneness Christian Center on Sunday, March 4 about the continued need for housing and assistance for survivors of Hurricane Katrina.

Investigators with the Metro Arson Task Force announced Thursday the source of the fire that consumed the Morning Star Baptist Church on Feb. 5 is officially considered "undetermined."
Portland Fire Capt. Rich Stenhouse said he would like nothing more than to pinpoint the course of the fire's path through the 88-year-old church.
"But I can't do that," he said. "I find that immensely frustrating."
While the findings of the investigation don't rule out arson as a cause of the fire, lab results found no evidence of ignitable liquids.
"There are no detectable signs of arson at this time," Stenhouse said.
Pastor Albert Wayne Johnson said he was grateful to the investigators for their commitment and to the community for their support.
"While many speculate arson … arson which is hate … it does not exist in our community," he said. "That makes me proud."
Colene Domenech, of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, said investigators believe the fire started on the first floor at the south end of the building, where electrical lines, as well as the organ room were located. She said there were no signs of a break-in, and evidence of a hate crime -- including graffiti or someone taking credit for the fire – does not exist. The almost complete destruction of the building made the investigation very difficult, said Stenhouse.