A direct investment is being made in the future economic health of North and Northeast Portland thanks to a $150,000 check Gov. Ted Kulongoski presented Monday to the Skills Center at Portland Community College's Cascade Campus.

As headlines in France capture the unrest among immigrants from Northern and sub-Saharan Africa and President George Bush proposes changes in United States immigration law, immigrants in Portland are speaking out.

With cold weather already hitting the Willamette Valley, low-income residents will have $15 million in grants to weatherize their homes and pay heating bills.

It's a subject that never goes away: the continuing disparities between Whites and people of color in physical, mental health and access to appropriate health care.

LOS ANGELES—Jamie Foxx stepped into the spotlight at his latest movie premiere with more than the usual publicity drill in mind.
Don't let it happen, the actor urged — don't let the state of California execute Stanley "Tookie" Williams, the convicted murderer and Crips gang co-founder who's been recast behind bars in the role of peacemaker.

Written in a folksy, down-to-earth style, Mike Lynch's "Oregon StarWatch" (Voyageur, $24.95) is a user-friendly guide to the night sky for beginner and intermediate stargazers ages 12 and up.
It begins with chapters explaining the stars, nebulae, star clusters and galaxies — and what readers can expect to see from their own backyards with a modicum of equipment.

LONDON—With drums beating time to a favorite African hymn, Uganda-born John Sentamu was enthroned Wednesday as the first Black archbishop in the Church of England.
The drums resounded as Sentamu traveled by boat along the River Ouse from his official residence to the ceremony celebrating his becoming the 97th archbishop of York, the church's second-highest cleric after the archbishop of Canterbury.

PARIS—Organizations representing France's Black community have formed a national federation in hopes of boosting the profile of Black people amid growing public debate over discrimination.
The creation of the Representative Council of Black Organizations, or CRAN, follows weeks of rioting in poor suburbs. It means that Blacks from origins as diverse as the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa will be represented by a single body for the first time.

The hustle and bustle of city life paused for a moment Thursday to honor an act of courage and defiance that helped to make America a better place for everyone. Dec. 1 marked the 50th anniversary of the day that Rosa Parks refused to yield her seat on a Montgomery, Ala. bus to a White man.

U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer has added to the growing chorus of voices opposing the war in Iraq. A longtime critic of the war, the Oregon Democrat this week joined fellow Democratic Reps. John Murtha of Pennsylvania and Peter DeFazio of Oregon by releasing a detailed plan for withdrawal from Iraq.
Blumenauer's plan, however, goes further than laying out a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. military forces.