Hundreds of blood lead test kits have been stolen from the Josiah Hill Clinic, and staff there are scrambling to pull together the funds to replace them.
Erin McNally, the clinic's executive director, says she wondered why the order of lead test kits she recently placed was not received at the organization's offices.
The clinic, a grassroots community based organization which provides free services for families, planned to use the test kits at its monthly blood lead testing clinics. . . .

King Elementary and Clark Elementary School students took a trip to the National Education Association's Read Across America celebration at OMSI on March 4, where Gov. Ted Kulongoski read to the crowd. Each child went home with two Dr. Seuss books, and the school received a $1,000 donation for its library.

For over 30 years Jacquie worked in social services. She worked at Albina Ministrial Alliance, the Public Defenders Office, Bradley Angel House, as well as many other places, including her own office — Jacquie's Office of Skillful Help & Knowledge. She was an expert at any job or task she was a part of. If you couldn't do it, all you had to do is call on "The Big Kahuna" (The Boss), as her kids and other family members would call her. . .

Isabel was a beautiful person and a young woman who cared for her brothers and sisters. She loved her family dearly.
She brought into this world three lovely children who were the highlight of her life. Her role as a mother was unconditional. Even though there might have been complicated challenges at times she was a very strong woman who overcame challenges when it came to her family . . .

After years of successful ministry, in 1971 the family moved to the charming, beachfront city of Santa Barbara. They soon founded a ministry, and devoted their lives to serving people who were homeless or drug-dependent. Over nearly three decades, that ministry, called "Wings of Love," touched hundreds and hundreds of lives by sharing a hot meal, a warm embrace, and a message of hope. In 2006, Clemmie moved from Santa Barbara to Portland to be closer to his family. . . .

The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services' Insurance Division seeks public comment on a proposed health insurance rate increase of 19 percent that would affect more than 79,000 Regence Blue Cross/BlueShield individual plan policy holders. Regence proposed the increase this week ... Mail your comments on the rate request to ...

Catholic Sisters unveiled their bus advertisement campaign this week to raise awareness about the reality of human trafficking—modern day slavery—in the Pacific Northwest. 
"The majority of the victims of human trafficking are women and children," says Sister Judith Desmarais, SP, one of the coordinators of the campaign. . . .

Medgar Evers (1925-1963) served with distinction as an official of the NAACP in Mississippi until his assassination in 1963. Fannie Lou Hamer (1917-1977) was a Mississippi sharecropper who fought for Black voting rights and spoke for many when she said, "I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired."

March 23-27, the Police Activities League of Portland will be hosting weeklong Safe Haven Spring Break activities at all its centers in the metro area for youth ages 8-17 in Portland/Gresham, Beaverton or Molalla. 
Activities will include basketball tournaments, sports clinics, art projects, field trips and a closing picnics.  Several sponsors are supporting the camps including the Trail Blazers, Portland . . .

The Delaware State University Concert Choir performs Sunday, March 15 at 6 p.m. at Augustana Lutheran Church, 2710 NE 14th Ave. Founded as an historically Black college in 1891. The show is free, for more information call 503-288-6174.