"SENSE OF DIRECTION"FARNELL NEWTON-MARCUS REYNOLDS QUINTETDiatic Records* * * *…

This year's Art Hop on Alberta will buzz with art events — from visual displays to performances — for a complete weekend.
The festival, themed "Art of Surprise/Surprise of Art," runs Saturday, May 20, and Sunday, May 21. Festivities kick off both days at 10 a.m. and run into the evening. The fair takes place along Northeast Alberta Street between Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and 31st Avenue, making it one of the longest street fairs in Oregon.

This year's festival, put on by Northeast Alberta's local business owners and artists, features four stages of music, international and city-sponsored art retrospectives, strolling performers, food vendors, gallery and street art sales and more.

Government leaders with "green" agendas hope to see King County become the first in the nation to join a national market for buying and selling credits to help curb global warming.

County Executive Ron Sims is pushing for the county to join the Chicago Climate Exchange, a market in which the commodity is the reduction of greenhouse gases. He also pushed for a county government commitment to reduce its production of gases that aggravate climate change.

"Global warming ... affects our economy, the way we live, the future and the future of our children," county Councilor Larry Phillips said at a meeting with Sims on Monday. "King County has the chance to lead the way to effective solutions." The proposal would make King the first county to join the exchange, also called CCX.

LACEY—After months of combing through insurance plans, comparing drug prices and breaking into tears as she sought advice, Beth Beck joined thousands of Americans who signed up for the government's new prescription drug program Monday.

Margaret Carter

Oregon State Sen. Margaret Carter is joining The Skanner as vice president of corporate affairs and will lend her clout, intellect, connections and energy to The Skanner's mission of Challenging People to Shape A Better Future Now.

Two Portland Development Commission employees have filed complaints against the commission, claiming race discrimination and retaliation.

Tyrone Henry, a contract/appliance manager, and Christina Cain, a senior executive assistant, have filed complaints with the state Bureau of Labor and Industries.

City Commissioner Dan Saltzman, center, talks with reporters Tuesday night after successfully running for re-election.

Although only 34 percent of Multnomah County voters cast their ballots in Tuesday's election, the election went on anyway. As a result, Democratic Gov. Ted Kulongoski will run against Republican Ron Saxton in the governor's race in November; county chair Diane Linn will give up her seat to newcomer Ted Wheeler; and city commissioners Erik Sten and Dan Saltzman will remain on the Portland City Council.

OLYMPIA— Washington's closely watched same-sex marriage case was argued before the state Supreme Court in March of 2005, and the long, long wait for a decision continues.

Some court-watchers are now speculating that this hot potato could stay under wraps until after the November election.
Gay marriage and gay rights were a front-burner issue in the Legislature this year, and the buzz over the Oscar-nominated "Brokeback Mountain" seemed to galvanize attention.

The 10th Annual Clark College Women's Conference is set for Saturday, May 20, from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Gaiser Hall at Clark College in Vancouver.

This year's event, "From Little Princess to Desperate Housewife:Confronting Images of Women," features a keynote address by comedian and activist Debbie Wooten.

Mercy Corps will celebrate 25 years of helping the world's most vulnerable populations with the opening of the photo exhibit, "Women Before the Lens: Transformation and Hope from Around the World," presented by Art on Alberta, on Saturday, May 20.