What's happening for you in Portland 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.…

A motorist drives through high water at the Rainier Manor trail park in Sumner, Wash., Wednesday morning. Sumner officials recommended park residents and nearly 400 others to seek higher ground. In King County, as well as Clark County, emergency officials warned motorists not to drive through flooded roads. Interstate 5 remained closed through Chehalis, the three main highways across the Cascade Range were closed and the National Weather Service issued flood warnings for a number of major rivers in western Washington. For information on emergency preparedness procedures, check out The Skanner's Prepare, Survive a Disaster webpage (AP Photo / Ingrid Barrentine)

Fewer people died in 2007 from traffic crashes and homicides, according to the annual King County Medical Examiner report, released last week.  The report includes statistics on causes of death, and county officials' plans on how to reduce the risk of such deaths in the future. It covers suspicious, sudden, unexpected, or violent deaths in King County for the previous year, as well as trends in homicides, traffic fatalities and drug overdose deaths ...

More public meetings are scheduled for input on Seattle Schools Superintendent Maria L. Goodloe-Johnson's school closure proposal, which includes shuttering the respected African American Academy, and moving Van Asselt Elementary into thebuilding instead. Primary-grade African American Academy students would be absorbed into Van Asselt, with middle-schoolers from the Academy reassigned elsewhere ....

The Seattle Public Library will be hosting "Comixtravaganza," a series of events celebrating comics, manga, graphic novels and artists. Events will take place at several library branches in January, with the finale taking place at the Central Library. The events are free and open to the public ...

Do you want to understand men better? "Making Sense of Men" is for women who want a stronger relationship, whether they're in one right now or not. Women of all ages, who are married or in a relationship or who want a relationship ...

Heavy police presence greeted Bay Area Rapid Transit commuters Thursday, a day after more than 100 people were arrested in violent protests over the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man by a transit police officer. At least three cars were set on fire, store windows were smashed and a police cruiser was vandalized in what started as a peaceful demonstration  ...

http://www.addictinggames.com/skirunner.html  Ski…

Cool Nutz looks at his life like a miracle. He's still alive, still recording, and he's been able to make a living doing it. For these reasons and more, King Cool Nutz has called his latest release "The Miracle" – a varied and diverse hip hop album ... "I wanted a variety of things to show where my music is going, to show where my mind is and where my music is going ...

• YWCA Volunteers Needed
• Home Restoration Workshop
• College Finance Help