It's ugly, it's destructive and it's everywhere. Graffiti is a problem that goes well beyond the frustration of the property and business owners who have become victims.
"Graffiti has a dramatic effect on just about everything," said Officer Matt Miller, graffiti investigator for the Portland Police Bureau. "Ninety-nine percent of the victims I've talked to associate it with gangs, and they think their neighborhood is being taken over."

Amalia Alarcón will be the new director of the city of Portland's Office of Neighborhood Involvement.
Appointed by Mayor Tom Potter, Alarcón served as interim director after Jimmy Brown was appointed manager of the Portland Water Bureau's community outreach and customer services group in January. She assumes her new duties immediately.

Stefon Spruill Sr., right, plays defense on Hezeki Ross, 10, at King School Park June 24 during the annual Good in the Neighborhood festival.

Oregon's school food policies received a grade of "F" in a nationwide evaluation by the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
The Washington, D.C.-based organization failed the school system because Oregon has no statewide nutrition standards for foods sold outside the national school meals programs. While some school districts have policies addressing foods sold in schools, many districts do not. The state follows only U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations.

Author, actress and director Perri Gaffney, left, entertains an admiring crowd June 27 at the North Portland Library. Gaffney was on hand to read from her own works while her audience enjoyed a spot of tea.

Thousands of children each year are injured or killed by guns not properly stored. Experts in the Doernbecher Children's Safety Center urge families with guns to store them unloaded and locked in places where children can't gain access.
They also recommend families follow guidelines suggested by the Asking Saves Lives campaign, which offers solutions to gun violence and urges parents to ask friends and neighbors whether there are guns in the house before allowing their children to play.

After a short illness of one week, James Harrington died on June 18.
"Jack" was the first child born to James "Jim" Harrington and Isabella Briggs Harrington. He was born in Beirne, Ark. on Dec. 24, 1911.
He married Myrtle Taylor on July 15, 1939, and moved to Gurdon, Ark., where he lived until moving to Portland in 2002, remaining there until his death.
He worked for the Missouri Pacific Railroad Co. and the Reynolds Metals Co., until he retired in 1976.
He professed a hope in Christ at an early age, joining Shady Grove Baptist Church in Beirne, Ark. In 1975, Jack joined Bethel AME Church in Gurdon, Ark., where he served as a trustee, steward and member of the senior choir.

Tracie Yevette Lane-Diamond was born on Jan. 4, 1967 in Stockton, Calif., to James L. Lane and Lila Lane. She was the youngest of six children.
Tracie and her family moved to Portland in 1976, where she graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in 1985.
She was employed with the Oregon Humane Society for 17 years.
She always greeted people with a warm pleasant smile; she loved children and animals. She was full of fun, enjoyed music and stayed up-to-date on the latest movies.

Providence Center on Aging offers "The Secrets of Living to be 100," a four-part course on living longer, healthier lives. The course will be offered at the St. Vincent Medical Center and at Portland Medical Center.
At the Providence St. Vincent Medical Center, the course will run from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursdays, July 13, 20, 27, and Aug. 3.

Irma Thomas, the "Soul Queen of New Orleans," will sing "The Star Spangled Banner" during the fireworks show following the final performance of the Waterfront Blues Festival on July 4.
Thomas will bring her southern warmth and gospel-tinged voice to the festival at 8:45 p.m. and will close with the festival's grand finale, the national anthem, at 10 p.m. as the fireworks display begins.