With the federal economic stimulus package providing a smaller-than-hoped for investment in Oregon schools, more than 5,000 citizens spent their Presidents Day holiday Feb 16 traveling by busload and carpool to Salem with a simple message for the Legislature: Protect kids and schools.

Black kids and White kids in the Portland metro area are basically achieving academically at the same rate – but the high rates of gentrification that push poorer families away from their neighborhoods are disproportionately disrupting African American children's ability to learn.
Those are a few of the findings of a new report . . .

Portland State University's former vice provost of student affairs, Dr. Douglas Samuels, received a $795,000 settlement from the school, concluding a four-year legal battle alleging racial discrimination. He filed suit against the institution in U.S. District Court in 2005, charging that the university violated his civil rights when it demoted him to a teaching post.
Dr. Samuels stated that he was subject to inequitable treatment in terms of pay, committee assignments and job responsibilities during his four-year tenure. . . .

On March 6, students, educators, artists, and activists from all across the city of Portland will gather at Paccini Restaurant & Bar for "Northwest Fresh." Located on Portland State University's campus, 1717 SW Park Ave., live art will serve as a backdrop to the evening's lineup of DJs, emcees, poets and singers. . . .

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) _ William Osborne says he is a victim of mistaken identity and a DNA test would prove it. Alaska prosecutors say his rape and attempted murder convictions are as solid as can be, and would be pointless to revisit.
Osborne's attorneys will argue before the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday that DNA testing is not something states can choose to allow when they have doubts about a conviction, but a constitutional right. . . .

A fake news story circulated last week by an online news service cited a nonexistent report from a nonexistent diversity institute to misrepresent the facts about Western Washington University's student demographics.
The story, which was also carried on The Skanner's website, was called "Western Washington University Ranks Dead Last in Campus Diversity."
It was circulated by the Diversity Online News Service, and posted on a free website that has since pulled it from the web.
The contact number on the story was the same number attributed to Frank Robinson, who listed himself as editor of Diversity Online News.
Robinson has not responded to numerous emails for comment on the bogus report, and does not answer his telephone, which has no answering machine. . . .

The speech at Portland City Club focused on Mayor Sam Adams administration's plans to drive the Portland economy forward, and how the City Council and Mayor Adams plan to make Portland the most sustainable city and economy in the world. . . .

SEATTLE (AP) _ Surveillance video released in an assault case against a King County sheriff's deputy shows a deputy kicking a young girl, slamming her to the floor of a jail cell, striking her repeatedly and pulling her hair.
The video was published by the Associated Press on YouTube, which can be viewed at this link . . .

Thank you all so much. I'm honored to speak with you today and I'm sorry that I cannot join you in person. I want to begin by thanking Tavis Smiley for giving me the chance to address you. And I want to applaud all of you for participating in this forum.
It represents an incredible opportunity to highlight not only the challenges facing the African American community – but also the ways in which ordinary men and women are working to meet them. You have tapped into a yearning in the community to address our toughest problems instead of leaving them for another day, or year, or generation. . . .

The National Association for the Advancement Of Colored People of Alaska-Oregon-Washington State is holding its annual Spring Conference from Friday, March 20 to Sunday, March 22, at the Columbia Basin Community College in Pasco, Wa. The theme for the convention is "One Hundred Years of Faith, Hope and Courage" and is hosted by the tri-cities community. 
Oscar Eason, Jr., president of the regional NAACP said "it was 100 years ago in 1909, that a multiracial group of progressive thinkers formed and established an organization with the objective of insuring the . . .

Attorney General Rob McKenna announced last Thursday that the state of Washington received $11 million in tobacco settlement funds previously withheld by tobacco companies. R.J. Reynolds, Lorillard, Kingmaker and other tobacco companies agreed to transfer the money pending the resolution of an ongoing payment dispute with the states.
"Today our state's health programs have received a multi-million dollar booster shot in the arm," McKenna said. "Just when it's needed the most, this money helps close the budget gap and bolsters vital anti-tobacco programs for kids." AG McKenna is co-chair of the National Association of Attorneys General Tobacco Committee, where he, along with Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, leads ongoing negotiations between the tobacco companies and the states.
The Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) requires tobacco manufacturers to make annual payments to the states, in part to compensate for billions of dollars in health care costs associated with treating tobacco-related diseases under state Medicaid programs. . . .