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Making Lasting, Positive Changes

A team of AmeriCorps volunteers in the Sabin Neighborhood of inner northeast Portland pose for a photo where they have been working to make improvements to affordable housing properties and create green spaces for residents to enjoy that also promote energy and water conversation. The work is sponsored by the Sabin Community Development, a nonprofit formed to increase affordable housing and bring social equity to Portland neighborhoods.

Church Hosts Jazz Concert

Augustana Lutheran Church, 2710 N.E. 14th Ave., will host its second annual Jazz Community Benefit Concert for Sisters of the Road Café on Sunday, June 23 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Adams High Reunion at 50 Years

John Adams High School opened in 1969 in northeast Portland as an “experimental” school that was the brainchild of a team of Harvard PhD students. The school closed in 1981 due to low enrollment.

Columbia Gorge Express

Bus service to popular Columbia Gorge locations begins its fourth summer season.

Rockwood Juneteenth Celebration

Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating when slavery was abolished throughout the entire United States.

Legend of Georgia McBride

Colin Kane and Frederick Williams star in “The Legend of Georgia McBride,” Triangle Productions’ Oregon premiere about an Elvis impersonator who is pushed to change his act when he is replaced on stage by two drag queens and becomes convinced that in order to get his job back that he too needs to embrace his inner ‘female’ side.

Native Author for Everybody Reads

Next January, Multnomah County Library will launch Everybody Reads 2020, the library’s 18th annual community reading project, with Tommy Orange and his debut novel, There There.

Mentoring on Rap

Mic Crenshaw expands reach with new support

“To me, it’s a life changing blessing. It’s one of the biggest opportunities I’ve ever encountered,” veteran Portland emcee Mic Crenshaw said of a new $100,000 Oregon Humanities grant when we caught up with him at Portland Underground Recording Studio in southwest Portland, fresh off of recording segments for two collaborative songs with his longtime producer Prince Strickland.

Promoted to Fire Chief

Sara Boone rises from the ranks

The first female African American firefighter in Portland history has been promoted to become Fire Chief for Portland Fire and Rescue, another glass ceiling shattered.

Madison High Remodel Begins

District lines up summer construction projects

This summer marks the beginning of a number of Portland Public School modernization and construction projects, including the renovations to northeast Portland’s Madison High School and the construction Kellogg Middle School in southeast Portland, thanks to a large bond approved by voters in 2017.

Renovation Falls Short

Renovation of the Portland Building is over budget by $19 million, has not complied with equity goals, and the work needs greater public transparency, an audit released last week by the City Auditor found. Mayor Ted Wheeler disagreed with many of the findings, but pledged that the yet-to-be spent $1 million set aside for equity grants, “though delayed, will be realized.”

Diversity Lags in Solar Industry

Solar companies in Oregon and Washington understand the importance of workforce diversity, but they often do not know where to start or lack resources needed to diversify their employees, according to a new study by The Solar Foundation, a nonprofit whose mission is to accelerate adoption of the world’s most abundant energy source.

Workers in Construction

Construction workers put the finishing touches on the Alberta 13 Apartments, the culmination of an 18 month build and representing a boom in construction across the city, mostly related to housing and mixed use retail.

Another Great Year!

Congratulations to the Portland Observer softball team! The 11-12 year-old girls just competed another great season in the majors division of the Beaumont Little League of northeast Portland.

Prison Census Counts Enhance White Power

The fight against unjust prison gerrymandering

Today, significant numbers of prisons – where brown and black inmates from urban areas are incarcerated – are located in rural, predominantly white census tracts. And for years, these brown and black bodies have been used to inflate the census figures in order to enhance the political power of those rural white areas.

Celebrating Juneteenth

Community shines at Clara Peoples Freedom Trail Parade

Highest Academic Honor

Senior makes history as Valedictorian

Madison High School Senior Taj Ali is an incredible human. The graduate has been named Valedictorian of his class of 2019 becoming one of the few male African-Americans to achieve the highest academic honor in this history of Portland Public Schools and in the annals of Oregon high schools.