In a bid to help expand minority access to public-contracting opportunities, Metro officials announced today they have hired Coast Office Products to provide office supplies for the agency. The minority-owned firm, based in northeast Portland, recently signed on with Office Depot and is one of only twelve minority-owned firms in the country selected for the corporation's Supplier Diversity Program ...

Mychal Bell, a teen convicted in the "Jena Six" beating case shot himself in the chest with a .22 caliber firearm and was taken to a hospital in Monroe, La., on Dec. 29, according to the police.
Monroe Police Sgt. Cassandra Wooten told the Associated Press that the wound was not life-threatening.
The reported shooting took place days after Bell's arrest Dec. 24 for shoplifting, resisting arrest and simple assault.
Wooten said she believed Bell was "upset over the [shoplifting] incident…and didn't want to be in the news again," she told AP.
Bell was one of a group of Black teenagers who once faced attempted murder charges in the 2006 beating of a White classmate at Jena High School ...

Racial disparities in foster care for Oregon children will get a new review, as Gov. Ted Kulongoski this week signed an executive order mobilizing state agencies and child advocacy groups on the issue.
The move mirrors an effort in Washington State, where Gov. Chris Gregoire signed a similar order in 2007 that has rejuvenated longstanding efforts to improve the foster care system there ...

Oregon's new Attorney General John Kroger will be the keynote speaker at The Skanner's upcoming 23rd annual Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast. Last week, Kroger sat down to talk with us about his plans for the state's highest law enforcement office.
Kroger, who is a former Assistant United States Attorney, helped to convict major players in the Enron case; is skeptical of some of the strategies used in the "war on drugs," where he helped to convict major traffickers who were easily replaced ...

Promise King, executive director of the Oregon League of Minority Voters, visited family in his home country of Nigeria in November and December. He was there to talk with legislators and his cousin, who is a governor.
Due to the snowy and icy conditions in Portland, Promise King was unable to catch his original flight back. The airline gave him the choice: be diverted to Dubai to wait out the weather or wait it out in Zimbabwe. King decided to revisit a country he hasn't visited in nearly 20 years....

Newly-minted Mayor Sam Adams hosted a giant party and open house Monday night in City Hall to celebrate his inauguration as the first openly-gay mayor in the city's history. Acrobats, jugglers, and the MarchFourth Marching Band entertained thousands of guests, while free beer, wine and snacks flowed. Adams, left, is congratulated by his former senior policy director, Jesse Beason, right, now the executive director of the Portland Land Trust. Adams' new executive assistant, Cevero Gonzalez, center, looks on.

Seattle was hard hit by the housing crisis last year, and the trouble isn't over, according to a company that monitors foreclosure data. King, Pierce and Snohomish counties saw foreclosure activity increase 62 percent, 62 percent and 71 percent, respectively. The data was gathered by Default Research, the provider of Seattle's pre-foreclosure data ...

As the nation waits for the inauguration of Barack Obama as the first Black president, the Seattle Black Fire Fighter's Association is celebrating the year the color barrier was broken at the Seattle Fire Department.
On Jan. 17, the SPFFA will honor the 40^th anniversary of the local Black Firefighters Association chapter and the 50^th anniversary of Claude Harris' first day on the job.
"He showed great strength and fortitude to put up with the attitude of those times," said Reginald Ball, Northwest region director for the International Association of Black Professional Fire Fighters. "The type of resolve he showed to weather the storm was a great example of personal strength ...

Should antiquities be viewed as the property of the states where they are found or as global heritage? Given the history of national and imperialist conflicts, are countries right to demand the return of artifacts, many of which are being displayed for everyone to see at local museums? ...

What's happening for you in Seattle this week? Read here a day-by-day diary of free community events to fill your spare time. For a full calendar please click on "Read the complete article" below.…