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Court proceedings delayed several weeks for man charged in UnitedHealthcare CEO’s killing Luigi Mangione is escorted into Manhattan Criminal court for his arraignment on state murder and terror charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) (AP)  The man accused of gunning down  UnitedHealthcare’s CEO  outside a New York City hotel is unlikely to appear in Manhattan federal court again before mid-February after prosecutors and lawyers on Monday requested more time to prepare the case for trial. The lawyers agreed in a letter to the court that the deadline to bring an indictment against  Luigi Mangione  can be extended from Jan. 18 to Feb. 17. Mangione, 26, is now charged in a criminal complaint, a document that is lodged against individuals prior to the return of an indictment. Prosecutors said they consulted with the defense and agreed that extending the deadline was necessary “to permit both parties adequate preparation for pretrial proceedings and the trial itself.” Lawyers for Mangione and federal prosecutors declined to comment. The case is unusual because at least one charge carries the  possibility of the death penalty , but whether to pursue that penalty must be made by the Justice Department in Washington, where top officials will be changed as President-elect Donald Trump takes office later this month. Authorities say Mangione fatally shot  Brian Thompson  on Dec. 4 as he was walking to an investor conference in midtown Manhattan. The killing shocked  the business community  and galvanized some  health insurance critics . Mangione posted frequently online about his struggles with back pain, though he was  never a UnitedHealthcare client . Federal charges against Mangione include murder and firearms counts. He made an initial appearance on the charges late last month. He won’t be required to enter a plea until an indictment is returned. Mangione has  pleaded not guilty  in a New York state court to multiple counts of murder, including murder as an act of terrorism. Prosecutors have said the two cases will  proceed on parallel tracks , with the state charges expected to go to trial first. His next appearance in state court is scheduled for Feb. 21. The maximum sentence for the state charges is life in prison without parole. Mangione was arrested Dec. 9 in a Pennsylvania McDonald’s following a five-day search. He’s being held in a Brooklyn federal jail alongside several other high-profile defendants, including Sean “Diddy” Combs and cryptocurrency fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried.

New Orleans Mourns Victims of Truck Attack Courtney Polk, cousin of LaTasha Polk, who was killed in the New Year’s Day attack, reacts at a memorial on Bourbon Street and Canal Street in New Orleans. (AP photo/Matthew Hinton) (AP) — New Orleans mourned, wept and danced at a vigil along the famous thoroughfare where a man rammed a pickup truck into a crowd, killing and injuring revelers who were there to celebrate the new year. A makeshift memorial of crosses and pictures of the 14 deceased victims included candles, flowers and teddy bears. Victims’ relatives held each other, some crying. But as a brass band began playing, the sorrow transformed into a celebration of life as the crowd snapped fingers, swayed and followed the music down Bourbon Street. The coroner’s office listed the cause of death for all 14 victims as “blunt force injuries.” About 30 other people suffered injuries. University Medical Center New Orleans spokesperson Carolina Giepert said 13 people remained hospitalized, with eight people in intensive care. The attack early Wednesday was carried out by  Shamsud-Din Jabbar , a former U.S. Army soldier. Police fatally shot Jabbar, 42, during a firefight at the scene of the deadly crash on Bourbon Street, famous worldwide for its festive vibes in New Orleans’ historic French Quarter. Jabbar proclaimed his support for  the Islamic State militant group  in online videos posted hours before he struck. It was the deadliest IS-inspired assault on U.S. soil in years, laying bare what federal officials have warned is a resurgent international terrorism threat. Jabbar had suspected bomb-making materials at his Houston home, which contained a workbench in the garage and hazardous materials believed to have been used to make explosive devices, officials familiar with a search conducted there said. Authorities found crude bombs in the neighborhood of the attack in an apparent attempt to cause more carnage. Two improvised explosive devices left in coolers several blocks apart were rendered safe at the scene. Other devices were determined to be nonfunctional. Jabbar purchased a cooler in Vidor, Texas, hours before the attack and gun oil from a store in Sulphur, Louisiana, investigators said. Investigators searching Jabbar’s rental truck found a transmitter intended to trigger the two bombs, the FBI said in a statement Friday, adding that there were bomb-making materials at the New Orleans home he rented. Jabbar tried to burn down the house by setting a small fire in a hallway with accelerants but the flames burned out before firefighters arrived. Jabbar exited the crashed truck wearing a ballistic vest and helmet and fired at police, wounding at least two officers before he was fatally shot by police. New Orleans police declined to say Friday how many shots were fired by Jabbar and the officers or whether any bystanders may have been hit, citing the active investigation. Police have used multiple vehicles and barricades to block traffic at Bourbon and Canal streets since the attack. Other law enforcement agencies helped city officers provide extra security, said Reese Harper, a New Orleans police spokesperson. The first parade of the Carnival season leading up to Mardi Gras was scheduled to take place Monday. New Orleans also will host the Super Bowl on Feb. 9. “This enhanced safety effort will continue daily, not just during large events,” Harper said in a statement. When New Year’s Eve arrived,  the bollards were gone . They will be replaced ahead of the Super Bowl, officials said.

Four United Way Chapters Receive over $57,000 from OnPoint Photo courtesy of OnPoint Community Credit Union “OnPoint is committed to supporting organizations that help create lasting change in our communities,” said Rob Stuart, OnPoint’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “We are proud to continue our partnership with United Way to support programs that address the critical needs of people across Oregon and Southwest Washington.” The campaign invited OnPoint’s more than 1,200 employees to make voluntary individual contributions to United Way through fundraisers such as prize drawings, vacation raffles and a pet photo contest. OnPoint’s donation will help fund health and education programs that provide kids and families with equitable opportunities to build a good quality of life. “OnPoint’s support is critical in helping us address the most pressing needs in our communities,” said Kelly O’Lague, President and CEO, United Way of the Columbia-Willamette. “This donation allows us to continue providing essential services that improve the lives of individuals and families facing challenges in the region.” The United Way donation follows another impactful year for OnPoint’s annual giving program, donating more than $3.5 million to 327 nonprofits in Oregon and Southwest Washington in 2024.

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Wendell Valanté Coxeff, 46, of Portland, OR, passed away peacefully on December 10, 2024. Valanté was a steadfast pillar of his community and devoted to his family. Known for his compassionate heart, he was a loving father, husband, son, grandson, brother, and a friend to all who knew him. His career was a testament to his commitment to serving others, with over a decade dedicated to Multnomah County’s Aging, Disability & Veterans Services. Prior to that, he supported individuals in crisis at Cascadia Behavioral Health and Project Respond and mentored youth at the House of Umoja. Valanté’s roots run deep in Portland, as an alum of Portland State University, Jefferson High School, Beaumont Middle School, and Sabin Elementary. He carried the spirit of his hometown proudly, touching lives with his kindness, wisdom, and unwavering dedication to uplifting others. His legacy of love and service will forever remain in the hearts of those who were blessed to know him. A public viewing will take place Thursday 12/26/24, from 4-6pm at Terry’s Family Funeral Home (2337 N Williams Ave., Portland). Valanté’s Celebration of life, will be held on Friday 12/27/24,11am, at the Alberta House (5131 NE 23rd Ave., Portland). Please send photos and memories to email  InMemoryofValanteCoxeff@gmail.com . We would like to thank the Porland Observer for providing the space to share this news with the community.

Mentors for Youth in the Community The "Grandparent" volunteers work alongside teachers in classrooms and other settings to give extra help and encouragement to students When you were a kid, and things were rough either in school or at home or both, was there an elder in your family or in the community who helped you, somebody who treated you as special and appreciated you for who you were, someone who you felt comfortable being around, who you looked forward to being with, a person you could trust, who liked you, who listened to you, who was patient, kind, understanding….? That’s the role of a grandparent--in this case, a Foster Grandparent Volunteer in the AmeriCorps Seniors Foster Grandparent Program.  Foster Grandparents work in schools, after school programs, Head Start programs, preschool programs mentoring youth in these settings. The program was started in 1965 by President Lyndon B Johnson as part of his “War on Poverty” initiatives, and is funded by AmeriCorps.  Multnomah County, Aging, Disability & Veterans Services, the Area Agency on Aging, is the local sponsor for this tri-county program, with school sites across Multnomah county and in development with Washington, and Clackamas sites. The Foster Grandparent Program allows people 55 and older living on a limited income to volunteer without cost to themselves, and offers a small stipend for hours volunteered, plus meals and transportation.  Efforts are made to place folks in the community not too far from their homes. The volunteers work alongside teachers in classrooms and other settings to give one-on-one instruction to students who would otherwise be lost in the shuffle, students with barriers to learning such as language barriers, low self-esteem, different learning styles, fear of failure, physical impairments, attention difficulties. Volunteers give extra help and encouragement, and spend time getting to know the kids. The goal is to help children achieve small successes to build confidence and curiosity. The people in the program are pretty special. All of them enjoy being with children, and are enriched by new generations. For many Foster Grandparents, volunteering is an antidote to isolation and depression.  Volunteering keeps the brain active, which may help lower the risk of dementia and other health problems.  Folks report a great deal of satisfaction, a new sense of engagement with life, more energy, relearning how to play, and, above all, how to laugh more. Both children and grandparents appreciate one another. Beryl McNair, a local volunteer, related a happy experience, “One time I’d been gone a while from the program, and when I came back to the classroom, all the kids surrounded me and welcomed me back, not just the ones I’d been working with.  I tell you, I could have melted, that’s how warm it was!”  The Foster Grandparent Program is a win for the community, for youth and for the Volunteers!  The program is a currently recruiting new volunteers in the area. Call (503) 545-6441 or visit   https://multco.us/info/foster-grandparent-program   to learn more about volunteering or hosting a FGP volunteer at your school or program.

Over Coming Challenges through advocacy and supported reentry Christopher Lambert who is 41yrs old is the Rose City J.A.M Program Services Director, who recently returned to his community after spending over two decades in the Oregon’s prison system. Christopher has overcome numerous hardships and adversity.  Instead of allowing these challenges to define him he has become determined to bring about positive change within this community. He has dedicated himself to being a mentor and advocate for those who lack access to the necessary resources and support systems for success. His unwavering commitment is evident in his tireless pursuit of positive outcomes with the focus on at-risk youth and formerly incarcerated individuals. His lived experiences have shaped his understanding of the challenges faced by marginalized individuals, and he is determined to provide them with the necessary support and guidance to thrive. Christopher stories exemplify the resilience and strength found in those who rise above their circumstances to make a positive impact in their community. The inspiration for Rose City J.A.M is an alliance built and staffed by criminal legal system impacted people advocating for the well-being of people affected or at-risk of being affected by carceral systems. Their work centers around youth mentorship, advocacy, and supported reentry.  With Christopher serving 20yrs in prison and being released to that same environment, he personally had to overcome a lot to be in such a positive place in life. He lived experience which makes him an expert to walk with those impacted by the justice system to overcome similar challenges. Rose City J.A.M night sports speaks clearly that bringing the community together and providing an environment for everyone to give back to the community is essential. With night sports Rose City J.A.M wanted to bring that “Midnight Basketball Vibe” back and it did. The feedback has been amazing and they are thankful for all those that attended to make the first of many Night Sports a community success. Those who would like to contribute to advancing the vision at Rose City J.A.M can come to upcoming Night Sports to volunteer and build with community or donate to www.OregonJusticeNetwork.org . For more information Christopher Lambert can by email at Rosecitychristopher@gmail.

An example of leadership, motivation, and empowerment Dr. Adrien Bennings joined Portland Community College in the summer of 2022 as the college’s eighth president, making her PCC’s first permanent female president in its history. Dr. Bennings has taught courses in human resources development, academic development and retention, and small business development. She has held progressively higher-level positions in higher education for more than 15 years. Before coming to Portland, she served as the president of Kellogg Community College, one of 28 community colleges in Michigan whose service region spans three counties. She was also the president of the Kellogg Community College Foundation, helping to lead the foundation’s strategic planning and fundraising activities, and advocating for equity, diversity, and inclusion. Prior to joining KCC, Dr. Bennings was the vice president of administration and finance and chief financial officer at Clovis Community College in New Mexico. Prior to this, she served as regional director of small business development at Texas Tech University where she advanced economic development initiatives spanning a 16-county area. Additionally, she serves as a certified peer reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission. Dr. Bennings’ educational background includes a Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education Administration from Texas Tech University; a Master of Science in Business Administration with a Human Resources concentration from Wayland Baptist University; and a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Development from Texas A&M University. This past Sunday Dr. Bennings attend the Annual Women’s Day Celebration at Allen Temple CME Church, 4236 NE 8th Avenue. This year's program theme was "Kingdom Women Walking in Power". During the program Dr. Bennings shared an inspirational word which included some of her own personal experiences.

When he was just a child, Theotis Cason didn’t know that a broken gumball machine would lead to his life’s calling.   Cason said when he was just a 9-year-old, he and his brother went to the neighborhood store where his family got their breakfast sausage, just as the gumball machine broke and gumballs went everywhere.   The store owner offered to pay the boys to clean up the mess, which led to a job offers to them both. His brother wasn’t interested for very long and quit, but Cason started as a bottle boy and sweeping up.   But what interested the young Cason most was the store’s butcher shop.   “Eugene Mitchell, the head meat cutter, let me watch,” Cason said, and his career path was set.   Eventually, he got a job at Safeway cutting meat and in high school decided that’s what he wanted to do as a career.   “We made the best sausage in own, we’d butcher the hogs and deliver (the meat) to Safeway and Albertsons,” he said. “I worked every day before and after school.”   After that, the Urban League started an apprenticeship program, helping him learn his craft at Safeway, with his eventually taking over the meat market in his 20s.   In the following years, Cason got married and raised a family while working for various employers before opening his own shop, Cason’s Fine Meats, in the Kenton neighborhood for several years before opening his current location at Alberta Street and Martin Luther King Blvd.   Business has had its up and downs, Cason said, and many of his old customers have moved to lower rent districts because gentrification has raised rents in Northeast Portland.   But Cason prides himself in the products he offers, including more than 20 cuts of beef, from porterhouse steaks to rib eyes, T-bones and even ox tails; more than a dozen cuts of pork, including spare and baby back ribs, sausage, loin chops, pork steak and chitterlings; chicken selections from whole fryers to chicken apple sausage; and marinated items that include New York T-bone and top sirloin steaks, pork country style ribs and spare ribs, and a dozen offerings of smoked meat items; as well as meat packs with a variety of offerings.   But after 35 years of meat-cutting experience, quality is Theotis Cason’s main criterion for his products. His beef comes from a ranch in Colorado, pork from Carlton Farms and chicken from Draper Valley, all raised without added hormones, chemicals or additives.   Cason grew up in a big family in the Albina neighborhood, is a “proud graduate of Benson High.” His father, who was from Arkansas and his mother from Mississippi both experienced racism growing up but taught their children not to hate, but to learn tolerance.   “There’s good white folks and there’s bad white folks,” he said he learned, but more than anything at this point in his life, Cason, 68, wants to mentor young people, and has trained many young people his trade.   “My plan is to keep on going and teach the grandkids to cook, the get back to gardening and grow their own food,” he said. “I want them to be active and healthy.”   But Cason is a realist and understands that racism still abounds in this country and we still have a long way to go for everyone to love their neighbors.   In 2021, the year following the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, by a white police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Cason told KGW8 News that it’s time for the country to come together, just as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. hoped for.   “That's what King was all about and we want this nation to be healed. We don't want this nation to be divided, any longer,” Cason said. “I grew up as a little boy running up and down the streets and watching it grow and watching it change. Some change was for the better. Some change, not so good.”   But Cason said he hopes that good change will come.   “Let's keep driving, let's go forward,” Cason said. “But let's pick the ones up that’s down. Let's give them a chance.”

Event signals construction completion on first building on campus On November 19, leading developer and design-builder  Mortenson  officially presented  Clark College  with the keys to the Advanced Manufacturing Center, the first building on the college’s Ridgefield campus, located at 7000 East Pioneer Street. During the ceremony, nearly 100 attendees including the college mascot, Oswald the Penguin, looked on as Carolyn Sizemore, market director of Mortenson, and design-build partner, Kyle Womack, principal of Hennebery Eddy Architects, presented the symbolic key to Dr. Karin Edwards and Sabra Sand, the Clark College president and vice president of operations, respectively. The ceremony marked construction completion of the Advanced Manufacturing Center at Clark College. “This milestone marks an incredible step forward for Clark College and the Ridgefield community,” said Dr. Edwards. “The Advanced Manufacturing Center will provide invaluable opportunities for students to develop critical skills in a growing field, allowing us to support the region’s workforce and expand educational access in north Clark County.” Clark College will begin moving into the Advanced Manufacturing Center over the next few months and readying the space for classes to begin in 2025. General education classes will be held there in Spring 2025; five general education classrooms and one computer lab will accommodate a future capacity to serve up to 1,200 students per term. By Fall 2025, the complex will become the hub for the college’s advanced manufacturing program which is currently in development. When completed, the program will provide initial enrollment of 32 students in two cohorts of 16, with plans to eventually serve 48 students across three cohorts. Located on a 10-acre property due east of the Ridgefield Junction, the 49,000 square foot Advanced Manufacturing Center features a vast open manufacturing floor, collaboration zones, satellite instructional facilities, classrooms, laboratories, offices and more. The 35,000 square feet dedicated to manufacturing training includes three industry-specific classrooms, four labs, five manufacturing cells and a vast open manufacturing floor. The remaining 14,000 square feet houses the five general education classrooms, along with faculty and student amenities. Manufacturing and classroom spaces in the Advanced Manufacturing Center are designed for multiple delivery modes including lecture, collaborative, project-based learning, and hybrid models implementing online content and classroom application. The facility’s acoustic design ensures that unamplified voice communication will carry above ambient machine noise. The flexible design of the structure is envisioned to accommodate future growth and will serve students, Ridgefield and other north Clark County communities. “As we celebrate completion of the Advanced Manufacturing Center, we are committed to delivering an education environment that fosters innovation, collaboration and workforce readiness,” added Dr. Edwards. “This world-class facility will be a hub of learning and industry-driven training for years to come.” The LEED Silver certified Advanced Manufacturing Center meets state energy performance standards, reduces greenhouse gas emissions and improves operational efficiencies. The progressive design-build construction delivery method used on the building was spearheaded by Mortenson in collaboration with Henneberry Eddy Architects; this delivery method proved instrumental to the successful implementation of the use of prefabrication in this project and the resulting efficiencies. Sizemore emphasized the project's unique attributes.  “The Advanced Manufacturing Center is a stunning testament to what can be achieved when stakeholders come together with a shared vision,” said Sizemore. “Clark College envisioned a sustainable, future-ready facility adaptable for growth in the Ridgefield community. We are proud to deliver this anchor building on the Ridgefield campus and we are confident that it will exceed the aspirations of Clark College and the Ridgefield community.”

A Training opportunity to transition into a better career After immigrating to Oregon from Ukraine just prior to Russia’s invasion, Kishinets searched for a training opportunity to transition into a better career. She found what she needed in Portland Community College’s new CNC Operator Readiness Essentials (CORE)  Program and is a member of the first graduating class – the cause of her happiness. The CORE training program, based at the Sylvania Campus, provides a blend of essential skills and technical skills for success in manufacturing. The curriculum covered key manufacturing skills, such as general tool knowledge, precision measuring techniques, shop safety and cleanliness, and basic blueprint reading. Additionally, students received guidance in developing resumes, preparing for interviews and sharpening soft skills such as time management.   “It was well-organized and structured,” said Kishinets, who had been working as a social worker for the Ukrainian Foundation. “We covered a lot in such a short period of time. At some points it seems to be overwhelming and time consuming but we did it. We worked hard. By the end of the course, I’m much more confident.” ORE was launched as part of the 10-month-old Community to Careers (C2C), a project of the Future Ready Oregon (FRO) Workforce Ready Grant funded by the Higher Education Coordinating Commission. C2C aims to support the education and training of historically underserved Oregonians and promote the accessibility of family-wage careers with a focus on manufacturing, healthcare and technology. In 2022, a first round of Future Ready Oregon funding allowed staff to reach out to community-based organizations about supporting the training needs of workers and industry partners in manufacturing. In 2023, a second round of Future Ready Oregon funding allowed PCC staff from the Opportunity Centers  to collaborate with the Machine Manufacturing Technology  Program and local employers on the CORE training development. In this two-week intensive training, students gain technical and essential skills for careers as Computer Numerical Controlled (CNC) machine operators. The course employed a range of learning methods, integrating a self-paced online platform from Haas with in-class lectures, independent work utilizing packets and hands-on activities. Each student completed practical projects on a lathe and a mill, crafting a metal spinning top and a bottle opener. Each student got a 30-minute interview with a group of employers, which included A-dec, AGC, Align Precision, Coorstek and Davis Tool.  The first cohort consisted of nine students chosen from a list of 37 screened candidates from around the Portland metro area. “Our goal is to connect folks to family-wage careers,” said Patti Hawkins, program dean of PCC Electronics, Mechatronics, Advanced Manufacturing. “And our industry partners are amazingly important in this process. At PCC, our goal is to provide industry-informed training and having that partnership piece is so essential.” Executive Director of the Columbia Economic Team Paul Vogel said, “We are very pleased to be part of this effort, which is not only tangible but valuable to employers. I see the value of CORE being generated by PCC, accessing available funding to leverage its industry knowledge, education capacity and collaborative ethic to better serve its communities.” After the group interview, Kishinets has accepted a new job at Align Precision. She said she will connect with her community so more can take advantage of the CORE training. “So many incredibly smart Ukrainians here feel helpless because they don’t know the starting point for this career or how to enter it,” she said. “This course is perfect to just get started. It is a gentle push for people who need it.”Learn more about PCC’s Opportunity Centers by visiting https://www.pcc.edu/opportunity-center/