Search Results

Expanding Financial Education for Survivors of Domestic Abuse OnPoint Community Credit Union announced a $100,000 award to FinAbility, a Portland nonprofit providing financial education to survivors of domestic abuse. FinAbility received the donation from OnPoint as part of the second annual OnPoint Award for Financial Education Innovation. OnPoint began the annual award program in 2023 to recognize organizations in Oregon and Southwest Washington that have substantial and long-term impacts on building financial wellness in our communities. “Imagine trying to leave an abusive relationship with less than $250 to your name,” says Stacy Sawin, Founder and Executive Director of FinAbility. “For hundreds of thousands of Oregonians, this is a devastating reality. Financial insecurity is a primary reason why survivors of domestic violence remain in or return to abusive relationships. This award will enable us to accelerate survivors’ journey to self-sufficiency and autonomy, enabling them to build a life free from violence.” Twenty-five percent of women and 14% of men  will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime, according to the Allstate Foundation. Financial freedom is key to helping them break free. This funding will help FinAbility hire a Program Officer to expand the nonprofit’s free, one-on-one financial mentoring program to continue helping survivors live free from domestic abuse.  Expanding access to financial education for survivors of domestic violence OnPoint has supported FinAbility since its inception, when Hollywood branch manager Hannah Lewis connected with Sawin in 2021 and became an advisor. Since then, OnPoint has been a presenting sponsor for FinAbility’s Speak Out event, helped produce training videos for financial mentors, and provided more than $20,000 in donations. These efforts have helped FinAbility expand its one-on-one financial mentorship program for survivors, increase its discoverability online and hire a full-time chief executive officer.  “FinAbility’s innovative, trauma-informed approach is helping survivors transform their lives and build a secure future,” said Vincent Pollard, Financial Wellness Manager, OnPoint Community Credit Union. “We couldn’t be happier to support their mission and help expand these vital resources in our community.”  FinAbility provides trauma-informed financial support and one-on-one financial mentoring for survivors of domestic abuse. Its staff has expertise in tech and finance and builds digital tools that make financial education and resources accessible to survivors. To learn more about FinAbility and financial abuse, visit  www.finabilityus.org . Please note these examples may be triggering and upsetting to read.

The Repatriation and Return of Tribal Ancestors The nine federally recognized Tribes in Oregon and Oregon State University have worked together to build a university facility to facilitate the repatriation and return of tribal Ancestors and cultural items currently under the university’s stewardship. Tribal leaders and university officials marked the transfer of Ancestors in Oregon State’s stewardship to the facility earlier this month. The facility will serve as a space to carry out consultations, repatriations and ceremonies to advance the university’s obligations under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), which safeguards and facilitates the return of Native American and Native Hawaiian ancestral remains and certain cultural items. The act requires federally funded institutions in possession of such items to inventory the holdings, consult with lineal descendants and/or federally recognized Native American Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations for identification and confirmation of affiliation to ancestral remains and cultural items for the purposes of repatriation, where possible, to descendant communities today. The facility at Oregon State is believed to be the first time an academic institution in the United States has built a dedicated facility in collaboration with Tribes to advance NAGPRA responsibilities and facilitate the repatriation of Ancestors and cultural items to their home communities. “One of the ways in which institutions are building living relationships and creating repatriation policies that fit the needs of descendant communities is by putting Tribal nations and communities at the forefront of policy development,” said Briece Edwards of the Tribal Historic Preservation Office of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. “Oregon State University provides a recent example of creating repatriation and NAGPRA policies through a truly consultative and respectful process.” Doug Barrett, chief of The Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians, said this work should be applauded. “This is a really big deal and it needs to be a model that is followed across the nation,” Barrett said. Scott Vignos, Oregon State University’s vice president and chief diversity officer, said the university’s actions align with its institutional values and land grant mission. “Like many types of legislation, there is a floor that is compliance,” he said. “And then we need to consider ‘how can we go beyond compliance’ and into a place that seeks to connect our past, present and future by building relationships, acknowledging harm and pursuing reconciliation. That’s what we are trying to do here.” Chance White Eyes, Oregon State’s director of tribal relations, shared similar sentiments. “We can do the bare minimum, and we can get by, but that doesn’t honor people,” White Eyes said. “They have dealt with trauma and I would argue continue to be disrespected and dishonored. That’s what this is about – being honorable and respectful.” The facility represents a shift in how NAGPRA is viewed and conducted – by putting tribal voices and needs at the forefront, said Dawn Marie Alapisco, Oregon State’s NAGPRA director. “We go through this legal repatriation process as required by NAGPRA legislation, but we can do so in a way that is much more congruent with the values and cultural ideals of the Tribes we are in partnership with,” Alapisco said. “It is about honoring the humanity of Ancestors and their significance within Tribal communities today.” The work to repatriate ancestral remains and cultural items will take years. Where appropriate, the facility is also intended to be available for NAGPRA aligned activities by other institutions and agencies in Oregon. “Repatriation through NAGPRA is purposely deliberate because Tribes need to be given an opportunity to think, to reflect, to build capacity through a really difficult process,” Vignos said. “It’s less about how quickly we can get this done and more about how respectfully can we get this done.”

Deciding Who is Eligible - and When It’s one of the most under-publicized policies of some of the  biggest U.S. retailers : sometimes they give customers full refunds and let them keep  unwanted items  too. Returnless refunds are a tool that more retailers are using to  keep online shoppers happy  and to reduce shipping fees, processing time and other ballooning costs from returned products. Companies such as  Amazon , Walmart and Target have decided some items are  not worth the cost  or hassle of getting back. Think a $20 T-shirt that might cost $30 in shipping and handling to recover. There are also single-use items, such as a package of plastic straws, that might be difficult to resell or medicines that could be unsafe to market again. Analysts say the companies offering returnless refunds do it somewhat sporadically, typically reserving the option for low-cost objects or ones with limited resale value. But some online shoppers said they’ve also been allowed to keep more pricey products. Dalya Harel, 48, received a return-free refund recently after ordering a desk from Amazon that cost roughly $300. When the desk arrived, she noticed it was missing some key pieces and would be impossible to put together, Harel said. She couldn’t request a replacement and have it within a reasonable time for the office of her New York lice detection removal service because the item was out of stock. Harel, who routinely buys towels and other products from Amazon for her business, said her team reached out to the company’s customer service line. She was pleasantly surprised to hear she would get a refund without having to send back the desk. “That’s one less headache to deal with,” Harel said. “It was really nice for us to not have to make an extra trip up to the post office.” She used the desk pieces to create makeshift shelves in her office in Brooklyn. While the retail practice of letting customers keep merchandise and get their money back is not exactly a trade secret, the way it works is shrouded in mystery. Companies are not keen to publicize the circumstances in which they issue returnless refunds  due to concerns  over the potential for  return fraud . Even if brands don’t provide details about such policies on their websites, returnless refunds are expanding in at least some retail corners. Amazon, which industry experts say has engaged in the practice for years, announced in August that it would extend the option to the third-party sellers who drive most of the sales on the e-commerce giant’s platform. Under the program, sellers who use the company’s fulfillment services in the U.S. could choose to offer customers a traditional refund for purchases under $75 along with no obligation to return what they ordered. In January, Walmart gave a similar option to merchants who sell products on its growing online marketplace, leaving it up to sellers to set price limits and determine if or how they want to participate. China-founded  e-commerce companies Shein and Temu  say they also offer returnless refunds on a small number of orders, as does Target, the online shopping site Overstock and pet products e-tailer Chewy, which some customer said had encouraged them to donate unwanted items to local animal shelters. Wayfair, another online retailer cited by some customers as offering returnless refunds, did not reply to a request for comment on its policies. Amazon did not immediately respond to questions about how the program works. But publicly, it has pitched returnless refunds more directly to international sellers and those who offer cheaper goods. Items sold in an upcoming section of Amazon’s website, which will allow U.S. shoppers to buy low-cost goods shipped directly from China, will also be eligible for returnless refunds, according to documents seen by The Associated Press. Overall, retailers and brands tend to be careful about how often they let customers keep items for free. Many of them are deploying algorithms to determine who should be given the option and who should not. To make the decision, the algorithms assess multiple factors, including the extent to which a shopper should be trusted based on prior purchasing –  and returning  – patterns, shipping costs and the demand for the product in the customer’s hands, according to Sender Shamiss, CEO of goTRG, a reverse logistics company that works with retailers like Walmart. Last year, U.S. consumers returned $743 billion worth of merchandise, or 14.5% of the products they purchased - up from 10.6% in 2020, according to the National Retail Federation.  In 2019 , returned merchandise was valued at $309 billion, according to loss prevention company Appriss Retail. Last year, roughly 14% of returns were fraudulent, costing retailers $101 billion in losses, according to a joint report from the National Retail federation and Appriss Retail. The problem spans from low-level forms of fraud - such as shoppers returning already worn clothing - to more complicated schemes by fraudsters who return shoplifted merchandise or items purchased on stolen credit cards. To  deter excessive returns , some retailers, including H&M, Zara and J. Crew, started charging customers return fees in the past year. Others have shortened their return windows. Some shopping sites, such as the Canadian retailer Ssense, have threatened to kick frequent returners off their platforms if they suspect abuse of their policies. However, retailers don’t all view frequent returners in the same way. Such customers could be seen as “good returners” if they purchase – and keep – many more items than they send back, Ali said. “Oftentimes, your most profitable customers tend to be high returners,” she said.

Dozens Report Feeling 6.0 Magnitude Earthquake (AP) — Dozens of people reported feeling an  earthquake  with a preliminary magnitude of 6.0 that struck off the southern coast of Oregon on Wednesday afternoon, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. No tsunami was expected. More than 75 people reported feeling light shaking from the temblor, which had an epicenter about 170 miles (270 kilometers) from the small city of Bandon, Oregon. It had a preliminary depth of 6.2 miles (10 kilometers). No damage was reported. Washington state emergency management officials posted on social media that while it can be scary to see a 6.0 magnitude quake happening near the Cascadia Subduction Zone, the one Wednesday was in the Blanco Fracture Zone, where quakes are quite common. The Cascadia Subduction Zone is a 600-mile-long (965-kilometer) fault just off the coast that runs from Northern California to British Columbia. Tectonic stresses have been accumulating in the zone for more than 300 years, and seismologists say it could rupture at any time, causing a megaquake and tsunami.

People Prone to Seasonal Depression Can Feel it in Their Bodies As winter approaches and daylight hours grow shorter, people prone to seasonal depression can feel it in their bodies and brains. “It’s a feeling of panic, fear, anxiety and dread all in one,” said Germaine Pataki, 63, of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. She’s among the millions of people estimated to have seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. Her coping strategies include yoga, walking and an antidepressant medication. She’s also part of a Facebook group for people with SAD. “I try to focus on helping others through it,” Pataki said. “This gives me purpose.” People with SAD typically have episodes of depression that begin in the fall and ease in the spring or summer. Changing the clocks back to standard time, which happens this weekend, can be a trigger for SAD. A milder form, subsyndromal SAD, is recognized by medical experts, and there’s also a summer variety of seasonal depression, though less is known about it. In 1984, a team led by Dr. Norman Rosenthal, then a researcher at the National Institutes of Health, first described SAD and coined the term. “I believe that because it is easy to remember, the acronym has stuck,” he said. Scientists are learning how specialized cells in our eyes turn the blue wavelength part of the light spectrum into neural signals affecting mood and alertness. Sunlight is loaded with the blue light, so when the cells absorb it, our brains’ alertness centers are activated and we feel more wakeful and possibly even happier. Researcher Kathryn Roecklein at the University of Pittsburgh tested people with and without SAD to see how their eyes reacted to blue light. As a group, people with SAD were less sensitive to blue light than others, especially during winter months. That suggests a cause for wintertime depression. “In the winter, when the light levels drop, that combined with a lower sensitivity, might be too low for healthy functioning, leading to depression,” Roecklein said. Miriam Cherry, 50, of Larchmont, New York, said she spent the summer planning how she would deal with her winter depression. “It’s like clockwork,” Cherry said. “The sunlight is low. The day ends at 4:45, and suddenly my mood is horrible.” Many people with SAD respond to light therapy, said Dr. Paul Desan of Yale University’s Winter Depression Research Clinic. “The first thing to try is light,” Desan said. “When we get patients on exposure to bright light for a half an hour or so every morning, the majority of patients get dramatically better. We don’t even need medications.” The therapy involves devices that emit light about 20 times brighter than regular indoor light. Research supports using a light that’s about 10,000 lux, a measure of brightness. You need to use it for 30 minutes every morning, according to the research. Desan said this can help not only people with SAD but also those with less-severe winter blahs. Special lights run from $70 to $400. Some products marketed for SAD are too dim to do much good, Desan said. Yale has tested products and offers a list of recommendations, and the nonprofit Center for Environmental Therapeutics has a consumer guide to selecting a light. If your doctor diagnosed you with SAD, check with your insurance company to see if the cost of a light might be covered, Desan suggested. Antidepressant medications are a first-line treatment for SAD, along with light therapy. Doctors also recommend keeping a regular sleep schedule and walking outside, even on cloudy days. Light therapy’s benefits can fade when people stop using it. One type of talk therapy — cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT — has been shown in studies to have more durable effects, University of Vermont researcher Kelly Rohan said. CBT involves working with a therapist to identify and modify unhelpful thoughts. “A very common thought that people have is ‘I hate winter,’” Rohan said. “Reframe that into something as simple is ‘I prefer summer to winter,’” she suggested. “It’s a factual statement, but it has a neutral effect on mood.” Working with a therapist can help people take small steps toward having fun again, Rohan said. Try planning undemanding but enjoyable activities to break out of hibernation mode, which “could be as simple as meeting a friend for coffee,” Rohan said. People with SAD have half the year to create coping strategies, and some have found hacks that work for them — though there may be scant scientific support. Elizabeth Wescott, 69, of Folsom, California, believes contrast showers help her. It’s a water therapy borrowed from sports medicine that involves alternating hot and cold water while taking a shower. She also uses a light box and takes an antidepressant. “I’m always looking for new tools,” Wescott said. Cherry in New York is devoting a corner of her garden to the earliest blooming flowers: snowdrops, winter aconite and hellebores. These bloom as early as February. “That’s going to be a sign to me that this isn’t going to last forever,” Cherry said. “It will get better, and spring is on its way.”

Click Here to Read More

Let’s Make a Plan to VOTE!  The United States Postal Service has begun delivering ballots. Those ballots will go to a record number of registered voters in Multnomah County: 575,381 people, as of 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 15. That's a little more than 3,000 people over the previous record set in October 2020.    Voters in Multnomah County can sign up for our Track Your Ballot service at multnomah.ballottrax.net  to know when your ballot is on its way to you. If you do not receive your ballot by Thursday, Oct. 24,   take action  and contact the county elections office at 503.988.VOTE  (8683). State and County Voters’ pamphlets are available Oregon’s Nov. 5 General Election includes federal, state and local candidate contests, as well as both statewide and local ballot measures. You can find out more information about the candidates and measures that will be on your ballot in both the Oregon State Online Voters’ Guide  ( PDF )  and the Multnomah County Voters’ Pamphlet  (PDF). State and County voters’ pamphlets were mailed to every household in Multnomah County on Oct. 9-11. Due to the large size of both the State and County voters’ pamphlets, they were delivered separately instead of together. In past elections, the County’s voters’ pamphlet was included as part of the State voters’ pamphlet.  Voting Center Express in Gresham is now open Multnomah County Elections has opened its second service location, the Voting Center Express  in Gresham, starting Thursday, Oct. 10, through Election Day, Nov. 5.   The Voting Center Express is inside the Multnomah County East Building at 600 N.E. 8th St. in downtown Gresham. Voters can get assistance registering to vote or replacing a lost ballot, get help voting, ask questions, or vote in-person. Staff at that location also speak multiple languages. Let’s Make a Plan to VOTE!  Multnomah County Elections reminds all voters: Let’s   Make a Plan to VOTE!  This action-focused checklist  walks through the five steps necessary to ensure your vote is counted:   Register to VOTE. (THE OREGON VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINE FOR NEW VOTERS HAS PASSED) The Oregon Voter Registration Deadline for new voters has passed. For all other voters, if you have not already done so, we ask that you check that your voter registration information is accurate and up-to-date. If you have moved, update your mailing address NOW to ensure you receive a ballot. Ballots are not forwardable mail. You can update your voter registration information at www.oregonvotes.gov/myvote .  Get your ballot. VOTE your ballot. Return your ballot. Have a VOICE and make a difference! Sign up for Track Your Ballot Our popular Track Your Ballot service is available in multiple languages! You can choose to receive ballot alerts and updates in English, Spanish, Russian, Somali, Vietnamese, Chinese or Ukrainian .   Sign up today for Track Your Ballot and get a virtual “I Voted” sticker. Text, email or voice alerts will tell you when Multnomah County Elections has mailed your ballot and when we have received your ballot. Alerts also indicate whether the ballot has been accepted for counting or whether it requires further action by the voter.   Inside the “Accepted Ballot” message, voters will get access to a special Oregon “I Voted” sticker ready to share on social media. Multnomah County voters can sign up by visiting multnomah.ballottrax.net . Reminder: As ranked-choice voting arrives, this year’s ballot will look different for City of Portland voters The Nov. 5 General Election marks the first time voters in the City of Portland will use ranked-choice voting to select candidates in contests for Portland Mayor, Portland City Council and Portland Auditor. And that means ballots for those voters will look different this fall.   Ranked-choice voting allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference instead of choosing only one candidate. This method allows someone’s vote to count toward another candidate if their favorite candidate is eliminated. Portland voters will be able to rank up to six candidates.    Multnomah County Elections has released both a video  and resources website  explaining the basics of ranked-choice voting. To learn more about ranked-choice voting in upcoming City of Portland elections, visit www.portland.gov/vote . Two choices to return your ballot  You have two choices for returning your ballot. First, you can vote early and return your ballot by mail. No stamp needed! Ballots must be postmarked by 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 5 — and arrive within seven days of Election Day — to be counted.    You can also return your ballot to an Official Ballot Drop Site.  Return your ballot to any 24-hour Official Ballot Drop Site in the state or to any 24-hour Multnomah County Library Drop Site. All 30 Multnomah County Official Ballot Drop Sites are listed below and at multco.us/dropsites .  30 Multnomah County Official Ballot Drop Sites to serve you   Multnomah County has 30 Official Ballot Drop Sites available now until 8 p.m. on Election Day where you can return your ballot. Official Ballot Drop Sites include most Multnomah County Library locations. Ballots are picked up from library locations and Official Ballot Drop Boxes on a regular schedule. The list of Official Ballot Drop Sites is available online  and below.    (Please note: the Official Ballot Drop Sites at library locations have changed due to voter-approved library construction projects. Information and new locations are listed below.) North Portland Rose Quarter – Official Ballot Drop Box on the south side of the Rose Quarter by the fountain and Rip City sign. Walk up only ( see map ) James John Elementary School – NEW – 8315 N. Lombard St. – Located on the sidewalk outside James John Elementary School, at the northwest corner of N. Lombard Street and N. Charleston Avenue. Walk up only  ( see map ) Portland Community College – NEW – 705 N. Killingsworth St. – Official Ballot Drop Box at N. Killingsworth Street and N. Kerby Avenue. Walk up only  ( see map ) Kenton Library (Library Book Drop) – 8226 N. Denver Ave. ( see map ) Formerly Green Zebra Grocery – 3011 N. Lombard St. (Official Ballot Drop Box located in the rear parking lot off of N. Curtis Avenue). ( see map ) McCoy Park – Official Ballot Drop Box at the southeast corner of McCoy Park near N. Trenton Street and N. Newman Avenue. Walk up only  ( see map ) Northeast Portland Hansen Building – 12240 N.E. Glisan St. – Official Ballot Drop Box at N.E. Glisan Street and N.E. 122nd Avenue. Drive up ( see map ) Hollywood Library (Library Book Drop) – 4040 N.E. Tillamook St. ( see map ) Matt Dishman Community Center – NEW – 77 N.E. Knott St. Walk up only  ( see map ) McDonald’s Restaurant – 2010 N.E. César E. Chávez Blvd. – Official Ballot Drop Box on the west side of N.E. 40th Avenue, between N.E. Tillamook and N.E. Hancock Streets, and near the Hollywood Library ( see map ) Gregory Heights Library (Library Book Drop) – 7921 N.E. Sandy Blvd. ( see map ) Parkrose Neighborhood – 4390 N.E. 102nd Ave. – Official Ballot Drop Box in the east parking lot, across the street from the Mt. Hood Community College Maywood Park Center at N.E. 102nd Avenue and N.E. Prescott Street ( see map ) Northwest Portland Northwest Library (Library Book Drop) – 2300 N.W. Thurman St. ( see map ) Southeast Portland Multnomah County Elections – 1040 S.E. Morrison St. ( see map ) S.E. 11th Avenue – Official Ballot Drop Box on the east side of S.E. 11th Avenue between S.E. Morrison and Belmont Streets. S.E. Belmont Street – Official Ballot Drop Box on the north side of S.E. Belmont Street between S.E. 10th and 11th Avenues. 1040 S.E. Morrison St. – Walk/bike up Official Ballot Drop Box is a slot on the side of the building, at S.E. 11th Avenue and S.E. Morrison Street. Holgate Library – NEW – 7905 S.E. Holgate Blvd. – Official Ballot Drop Box is to the left of the contactless library holds pickup on the northside of the building, near the parking lot. Walk/bike up . ( see map ) Hawthorne Holds Pickup (Library Book Drop) – NEW – 3557 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd. ( see map ) Portland Mercado – NEW – 7238 S.E. Foster Road – Official Ballot Drop Box in the plaza of the Portland Mercado at S.E. Foster Road and S.E. 72nd Avenue. Walk up only ( see map ) Sellwood-Moreland Library (Library Book Drop) – 7860 S.E. 13th Ave. ( see map ) Woodstock Library (Library Book Drop) – 6008 S.E. 49th Ave. ( see map ) Regal Cinemas Movie Theater / M & M Car Wash – Official Ballot Drop Box in Regal Cinemas parking lot, behind M & M Car Wash, at S.E. Division Street and S.E. 165th Avenue. ( see map ) Rockwood Library (Library Book Drop) – 17917 S.E. Stark St. ( see map ) Southwest Portland A-Boy Supply (Official Ballot Drop Box) – 7365 S.W. Barbur Blvd. ( see map ) Capitol Hill Library (Library Book Drop) – 10723 S.W. Capitol Hwy. ( see map ) Hillsdale Library (Library Book Drop) – 1525 S.W. Sunset Blvd. ( see map ) Central Library (Library Book Drop) – 801 S.W. 10th Ave. – Ballots can also be deposited in the drive-up Book Drop on S.W. 11th Avenue between S.W. Yamhill and Taylor Streets. ( see map ) Pioneer Courthouse Square – 700 block of S.W. Broadway – Official Ballot Drop Box next to Starbucks and across from Nordstrom. Walk up only  ( see map ) Fairview Fairview-Columbia Library (Library Book Drop) – 1520 N.E. Village St. ( see map )  Gresham Gresham Library (Official Ballot Drop Box) – 385 N.W. Miller Ave. ( see map ) Voting Center Express –   Multnomah County East Building, 600 N.E. 8th St. – Official Ballot Drop Box inside the Voting Center Express, on the first floor of the Multnomah County East Building (available only during voting center hours; you will need to park and then walk inside to deposit your ballot) ( see map ) Troutdale  Troutdale Library –  Closed for construction; see additional information below  – 2451 S.W. Cherry Park Road – Please note: The nearest official ballot drop box is in the west side of the same parking lot as Troutdale Library, close to US Bank and N.E. 238th Drive. Walk up only  ( see map )  Countdown to November 5 Election Day Ballots begin to be mailed to voters: Oct. 16, 2024 All voters should have received their ballot: Oct. 24, 2024 Election Day — ballots must be dropped off by 8 p.m. or postmarked by Election Day: Nov. 5, 2024 Final official election results are certified: Dec. 2, 2024   Main office: Multnomah County Duniway-Lovejoy Elections Building 1040 S.E. Morrison St., Portland, OR 97214   Gresham location: Open Oct. 10 - Nov. 5, 2024  Voting Center Express at the Multnomah County East Building 600 N.E. 8th St., Gresham, OR 97030   Phone: 503-988-VOTE (8683) Email: elections@multco.us Website: www.multnomahvotes.gov

Offering a $25,000 Down Payment Assistance Grant to One Lucky Fair Goer! African American Homeownership Fair to Focus on Obtaining, Maintaining, Retaining, and Sustaining Homeownership, while continuing to close the minority homeownership gap!! With the homeownership rate for African Americans in Portland still lagging below the national average. AAAH recognizes the high interest rates and the lack of affordable homes a huge barrier for most African Americans. On the flip side, more prospective buyers are trying to bridge the gap with additional down payment assistance and first-time homebuyer programs. This year’s homeownership fair is scheduled for Sat., October 26 from 10am to 3:00pm at the Double Tree by Hilton, 1000 NE Multnomah in Portland. Parking is free. The event is FREE and OPEN to the public. Pre-registration is NOT required; however, the first 25 registrants will be entered to win a $100 gift card. AAAH has recruited 25 homeowners who purchased within the last 25 years of hosting the fair. The 25 Homeowners will be recognized during the fair’s celebratory program beginning at 12 noon. Guest speakers include Commissioner Carmen Rubio and Bernie Foster, Skanner Publisher & founding member of AAAH. Invited and not confirmed: Governor Tina Kotek. Music will be provided by DJ Tha Jewler, and Alonzo Chadwick, Sr. Back by popular demand is the “Homes for Sale” Bus Tour, designed to encourage and inspire homebuyer activities within a collective and fun atmosphere. A chartered bus will take 35 first time buyers to 7-10 homes for sale within the Portland Metro Area. Information on first-time homebuyer programs and the current market will be provided by AAAH, Kor Realty, and Fairway Independent Mortgage tour guides. The tour is FREE to attend for the first 35 registered. Organizers with the AAAH hope those who take the first step by attending the FREE fair will continue to make progress towards buying a home long after the fair. To aid in this effort for those who wish to Obtain, Maintain, Retain, and Sustain homeownership AAAH provides wrap around services such as Deferred Maintenance/Home Repair/Water Leak Programs, Estate Planning, and our newest program to address the adverse effects of climate change, Power to the People PDX (P2P). P2P is funded by the Portland Clean Energy Fund (PCEF) and NW Gas. Qualified homeowners may receive electrical upgrades, furnaces, water heaters, insulation, and other upgrades to bring their home up to efficient standards. These programs are FREE to qualified applicants. There will also be youth activities and great door prizes such as wine tastings, a $25,000 down payment grant and much more. AAAH is a non-profit, HUD Approved Housing Counseling Agency that provides pre & post purchase counseling, 8-hour HUD certified homebuyer education, mortgage default/loss mitigation counseling, and limited financial assistance for first-time homebuyers and current homeowners. AAAH’s services are FREE and open to the public. AAAH is an equal housing opportunity agency.

Kids can show off their costumes, fill their treat bags and learn about wildlife in a fun and safe setting over two weekends, during the Oregon Zoo’s annual Howloween celebration, Oct. 19¬–20 and 26–27. Live entertainment will be taking place both weekends. Visitors can also enter a costume contest, pose with spooky animal X-ray photo ops, and try to guess the weight of an extra-large pumpkin. Activities are free with zoo admission, and all candy is made by companies that have committed to using deforestation-free palm oil. As part of Metro, the Oregon Zoo helps make greater Portland a great place to call home. Committed to conservation, the zoo acts globally on behalf of species from pikas to polar bears. Over the past 30 years, it has prevented extinctions, expanded populations, advanced conservation science and formed powerful communities to protect wildlife in the Northwest and around the world. Support from the Oregon Zoo Foundation enhances and expands the zoo’s efforts in conservation, education and animal welfare. Members, donors and corporate and foundation partners help the zoo make a difference across the region and around the world

Fun Seasonal Activities Begin Rocky Butte Farmers Market (RBFM), Portland’s dog & kid friendly neighborhood market with a block party vibe, is hosting a Fall Pop-Up Market from 10AM-3PM on Saturday, October 26 at Glenhaven Park, 2899 NE 82nd Ave., Portland, OR 97220. Get the best of fresh local fall produce for your favorite soup recipes, get holiday shopping done early with local artisans, and enjoy a hot cup of coffee while you decorate a pumpkin with your friends and neighbors. Aside from the market’s usual incredible vendors and community, this special event will be jam-packed with fun fall activities for everyone, dogs included! The Fall Celebration Pop-Up Market will feature fun seasonal activities, including: CIDER PRESS! Bring your own container to take home fresh pressed apple cider! We'll have apples available from our local farm vendors and you'll get to experience the joy of smashing them yourself! Suggested donation of $5 to participate, but not required! DOGGY COSTUME CONTEST! Start working on your scariest and cutest costumes for your furry friends! We'll have a Halloween photo booth set up for your pets (all pets are welcome, not just dogs!) with our star photographer Keri Freidman of PDX House Story ready to catch every adorable ghost and princess. After the market, we'll let the people vote (via Instagram) and the winner will receive a market prize!   KIDS PATCH! Morris Street Learning Garden will be back at our Kids Booth with a “spooooky activity” and $5 tokens for participating kids ages 2-13 to spend at the market! LIVE MUSIC!  Specific artist/band is TBD but the event will host local live music from a Portland-based artist or group! Rocky Butte Farmers Market is seeking volunteers to help support the Fall Celebration event. From set-up to cider pressing, extra hands are needed for the day to run smoothly. Fill out the volunteer sign-up form HERE  to join in on the fun. Vendor applications  for the Fall Celebration market are open until October 20th! Apply HERE . Rocky Butte Farmers Market proudly accepts Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), matching up to $20 per market day with Double Up Food Bucks through a partnership with the Farmers Market Fund.  Additional Seasonal Pop-Up Markets will be held NOVEMBER 23RD & DECEMBER 14TH inside The People’s Courts located at 2700 NE 82nd Ave., Portland, OR 97220. Specific information for these market dates will be announced soon. Learn more about Rocky Butte Farmers Market, and vendors at www.rockybuttemarket.com , and follow market happenings via Instagram and Facebook at @rockybuttefm.

ORABSE and OMSI Partnership For An Epic Science Night OMSI, in partnership with Oregon Alliance of Black School Educators (ORABSE), hosted their third annual Black Community Science Night on Friday, October 18th. This family-friendly event welcomed visitors of all ages for a night filled with all things STEAM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics!   This year's Black Community Science Night was heavily coordinated by OMSI's new Project Manager, Jasmine Cottrell; and ORABSE's newly installed President, Nichole Watson. Together, OMSI and ORABSE hosted an incredible evening filled with culturally specific activities that everyone could enjoy! From Laser Beyoncé and Motown - to storytelling, science demonstrations, museum exploration and much more!   There were vendors from Mudbone Farm, Black Futures Farm, Multnomah County Public Library and AfroVillage PDX. There were local Black authors like Nate Carter of Party Nazari and Valentine Barker. Local musicians and DJs like Alonzo Chadwick Sr. of Zoulful Music and DJ Eddie on the turntables. Food carts, chemical oceanography, science playground and even a little Line Dancing to set the vibes! We experienced the biggest Black Community Science Night yet with more than 1,000 people in attendance.

Epic World Series Begins Friday (AP) The World Series is always the goal for the big-spending Los Angeles Dodgers. It’s been elusive recently, with first-round flops two years running. Now, with  Shohei Ohtani  leading the way for the first time, they are going for another championship. So a raucous clubhouse celebration was in order after the  Dodgers beat the New York Mets  to clinch their record 25th National League pennant. “We hope we can do it again,” infielder Max Muncy said. “We need to get four more wins.” Next up are the New York Yankees in the World Series, starting with Game 1 on Friday at Dodger Stadium. The best-of-seven series pits two of  baseball’s most glamourous teams , with a storied World Series rivalry. “I know the fans love this and the players love this, too,” Los Angeles outfielder Teoscar Hernández said. “It’s not going to be easy but we have the team, we have the help, and we’re going to go for that World Series trophy.” The Yankees have beaten the Dodgers in eight of their 11 World Series clashes. The first seven were played in New York — with the Yankees in the Bronx and Dem Bums in Brooklyn. The Dodgers moved to Los Angeles before the 1958 season. “I think the whole world was looking forward or hoping for this potential matchup,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. He isn’t kidding. The Dodgers have another country backing them —  Japan has been tuning into the team’s playoff games  in record numbers, eager to see Ohtani and pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The Dodgers landed Ohtani with a record  $700 million, 10-year deal  in free agency, and they gave Yamamoto a  $325 million, 12-year contract . Ohtani’s performance  in 2024 included becoming the first player in major league history with 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season. At the same time, the Dodgers overcame a litany of injuries that decimated their starting pitching. They led the major leagues with 36 injured list placements and 2,342 days lost, 445 more days than any other team. Helped by a couple key contributors that arrived at the July trade deadline, they still finished with baseball’s best record at 98-64 to earn home-field advantage throughout the postseason. “This is a team that stayed together. Everybody contributed,” Hernández said. “Shohei was a big part of all the wins we got, but the pitching, the bullpen was the big thing and thanks to them we’re here, going to the World Series.” The Dodgers were in a perilous position in their NL Division Series, trailing the rival San Diego Padres. They rallied to win the last two games and take the best-of-five series 3-2. “They proved to themselves how tough they are,” Roberts said. The Dodgers are down to three healthy starters and have used three bullpen games so far this postseason. That strategy worked twice, including Sunday’s clincher over the Mets. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. They acquired Tyler Glasnow, but he went down with an elbow injury in mid-August. Two weeks later, Clayton Kershaw, already coming off elbow surgery, was finished because of a bone spur in his big toe. Dustin May never pitched this season and Tony Gonsolin was rehabbing after Tommy John surgery. Walker Buehler struggled at times in his first season back from a second Tommy John procedure. All-Star first baseman  Freddie Freeman  and shortstop Miguel Rojas have missed some time this postseason because of injuries, forcing multiple lineup changes. Still, the Dodgers have stayed alive. “I’m going to enjoy it no matter how little I helped,” said Kershaw, the team’s longest-tenured current player. The Dodgers bolstered their roster in July by trading for starter Jack Flaherty, reliever Michael Kopech and versatile utilityman Tommy Edman, whose 11 RBIs against the Mets earned him NLCS MVP honors. Thrown into the cleanup spot in Game 6, Edman responded with four RBIs. “I just think that I’ve got to bet on players that I feel are capable, put them in the best position to have success and be willing to live with whatever consequence,” Roberts said. “This postseason, I’ve had a lot of clarity, and the players have made me look really good.”