NEW YORK -- The police officers have told their side of the story. The surviving victims gave their version.
Now it's up to a Queens grand jury to decide whether any of the five officers broke the law in the fatal shooting of bridegroom Sean Bell and the wounding of his two friends. Lawyers involved in the case say a decision could come sometime this week.
Over the past three months, 23 grand jurors have listened to more than 60 witnesses testify about a complex case in which four detectives and one police officer unleashed a barrage of 50 bullets on the three Black men, all unarmed, as they were in their car leaving a bachelor party at a Queens strip club at dawn on Nov. 25. The killing of Bell hours before his wedding sparked community outrage and raised questions about police tactics.
Three of the shooters are Black and two White. All have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the grand jury probe.
Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown, whose office is heading the investigation, has assured both sides in the emotionally charged case of a fair and thorough investigation.
The closed-door proceedings inside a Queens office building have produced thousands of pages of transcripts, as fat as four stacked telephone books. Hundreds of exhibits have been presented: maps, crime scene diagrams, 911 tapes, videotapes, transcripts of police communications, ballistic and toxicology tests, hospital and personnel reports.

From left to right, Monie Bowles, 15; Briana Robinson-May, 15; and Erica Jones, 14, all members of the Bridge Builders' Imminent Ladies of Virtue Club and the Class of 2010, receive hugs from educators who were honored as part of the Bridge Builders' "Black History Month Celebration in Honor of Youth and the Educators Who Propel Them to Excellence," on Feb. 23 at the University of Portland.

Pastor Mary Overstreet-Smith of Northeast Portland knows what it's like to care for an autistic child.
For the past 12 years, Overstreet-Smith has cared for her great-grandson, Sir J. Millage, who suffers from a severe case of autism. When Millage, 16, needs help preparing food or adjusting the water temperature for his baths, Overstreet-Smith is there. When he needs guidance doing the small things most parents take for granted, Overstreet-Smith is there.

Nine months ago, business owners in the Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneur's Rockwood business incubator were alarmed to learn that the city of Gresham had not renewed OAME's lease.
Mila Villavicencio, owner of Mila's Hair Salon, said she – as well as the other entrepreneurs in the OAME incubator – believed they had at least five years left on the lease.
"I spent my entire savings to expand my business," Villavicencio said in June, a few weeks after receiving the city's notice to vacate. "If the city makes me move, I won't be able to start over again."

With the exception of two years in the private sector, Charles Hill has devoted his life to public service.
In town since early January, Hill is the Pacific Northwest region's new acquisition management director and the region's highest-ranking African American U.S. Forest Service official in the Northwest.
Hill's title at the agency is really just a technical term for an individual who buys and sells property. He also is in charge of contracts with organizations that do volunteer work, construction and service contracts.

Crews demolish what is left of Iris Court at Vancouver Avenue and Sumner Street. The property will soon become Humbolt Gardens, a $16.9 million Housing Authority development funded by a HOPE VI federal grant.

New Seasons Market will help the Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church and New Generation Revival Church jump-start their rebuilding process. New Seasons stores across the Portland metropolitan area will hold a one-day barbecue benefit from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 3.
The menu includes New Seasons' handmade sausage, bun and beverage for $4. All of the money raised will go toward rebuilding the church and restoring the belongings of both congregations.
The 88-year-old Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church was destroyed in a fire on Monday, Feb. 5. Investigators have not yet released the cause of the fire. The congregation of the New Generation Revival Church, which shared space with Missionary Baptist, also lost its church home and possessions in the fire.

Jefferson High School's Multicultural Film presentation on March 5 explores life as a Chinese person growing up in America.
The presentation features a Bill Moyers' documentary, "Becoming American, The Chinese Experience," the presentation examines a series of personal journeys that begin with the harsh conditions that drove Chinese to the United States shores, continues with the ongoing struggle of Chinese immigrants and their descendants, and ends with new reflections, questions, and possibilities.

James DePriest, the former music director of the Oregon Symphony, will return to Portland for a three-day event, March 10 through 12.
DePriest returns to the podium for "Sweeping Excitement," featuring Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1, on March 10 at 7:30 p.m., March 11 at 7:30 p.m. and March 12 at 8 p.m. in the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. Chosen by Leonard Bernstein in 1965 to become assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic, DePreist has appeared with every major North American orchestra. In 2005, President George W. Bush presented him with the National Medal of Arts, the nation's highest honor for artistic excellence.

People join hands at the first-ever African Heritage Unity Celebration, on Sunday, Feb. 25 at Seattle Central Community College.  The event, which was co-sponsored by the LINKS, SCCC, the Washington State Commission on African American Affairs, Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, U.W. Office of Minority Affairs, Ezra Teshome/State Farm and the Eli Lilly Company, emphasized inclusion, unity and celebration.