Lai'lani Blanchard, 2, makes a snowman out of a sock at Winterfest Dec. 2 at the NewHolly Gathering Hall. Winterfest features multicultural make- and take-gifts.

When Seattle's police and fire department employees wanted to find homes closer to their work, they turned to HomeStreet Bank. In response, the bank, which recently won a national award, launched the Hometown Home Loan Program.
Since that launching in 1994, the program, which provides discounted home loans, has expanded to partner with more than 40 employers in three states and has helped more than 6,000 people save over $7 million in closing costs and fees.
Seattle's Office of Housing adopted the program, and it later expanded to include all employees working for the city of Seattle, Seattle School District and Seattle Community College.
"The program helps to accomplish several of the city's goals, including increasing the rate of homeownership in the city limits, said Diane Wasson, vice president and manager of the bank's Affinity Lending Center.

TACOMA, Wash. — Wal-Mart again has been listed as having more workers on Medicaid and Washington's Basic Health Plan than any other private employer in the state.
According to a state compilation of enrollments in June, Wal-Mart had 3,194 employees in the two taxpayer-subsidized health care programs out of 16,000 employees in the state...

Award-winning journalist and author Maria Hinojosa will speak at an evening event to celebrate Human Rights Day on Dec. 7. The event runs from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Town Hall, 1111 Eighth Ave. The theme of the event is "Human Rights: Crossing All Borders." Hinojosa is host of "Latino USA" on National Public Radio and senior correspondent for the PBS newsmagazine program NOW.

The forum focused on how criminal justice policies have a disproportionate impact on communities of color, particularly the African American community.

 These are tough economic times, especially for African-Americans, for whom the unemployment rate is more than 10%. Alarmingly, rather than belt-tightening, the response has been to spend more. In many poor neighborhoods, one is likely to notice satellite dishes and expensive new cars. According to Target Market, a company that tracks black consumer spending, blacks spends a significant amount of their income on depreciable products. In 2002, the year the economy nose-dived; we spent $22.9 billion ($22,900,000,000.00) on clothes, $3.2 billion ($3,000,000,000.00) on electronics and $11.6 billion ($11,000,000,000.00) on furniture to put into homes that, in many cases, were rented.

The Skanner newspaper was recognized  for increasing awareness and encouraging blood and bone marrow donations among African Americans by the American Association of Blood Banks, in a collaborative effort with  American Red Cross Pacific Northwest Regional Blood Services.  The award was presented at AABB's annual meeting gala at the Loews hotel, Miami Beach, Fla., Oct. 24.

Shop windows along Northeast Alberta Street, like this one at "Frock," are filled with holiday cheer during the merchants' Tannenbaum Madness celebration. Running through Dec. 31, the exhibition features whimsical and artistic "fir-free" holiday trees.

Portland residents will finally have a say about the war in Iraq when the Portland City Council conducts a public hearing on a resolution calling for the United States to make a "rapid and orderly" withdrawal of its troops.
The public hearing will begin at 2 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 30, in Portland City Hall.
Proposed by City Commissioner Randy Leonard, the resolution "urges the United States government to immediately commence an orderly and rapid withdrawal of United States military personnel from Iraq, dismantle U.S. military bases in Iraq, relinquish control of Iraq's economy and provide the necessary financial compensation and resources for Iraqis to rebuild Iraq."

With a foreign-born population numbering in the tens of thousands, Portland has become home for immigrants and refugees; in some neighborhoods, one in three residents hail from another country. On Dec. 6, the City Council will hear a report from Portland State University Capstone students on immigrant demographics and the issues affecting those communities.