A report released this week by the Oregon Tobacco Prevention and Education Program says the statewide smoking rate is plunging. The 2009 Tobacco Facts and Laws report says in the past year, the number of packs of cigarettes consumed per capita dropped from 54.9 to 49.8, or by 5.1 packs. That is the lowest number since the TPEP program began in 1996, when annual consumption of cigarettes was 92 packs per capita. . . .

Chef Theo Martin of Island Soul serves Gary Melonson. Next in line is Forest Woodley. Seattle celebrity chefs prepared free lunch samples for attendees at Northwest Kidney Centers' Kidney Health Fest for African American Families held May 2 at the African American Academy in Seattle. Nearly 700 people attended the event for health screenings, education, food and entertainment.

The Southwest Washington Workforce Development Council, its partners, and local area employers will create more than 700 summer jobs for low-income 14-24 year olds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).
The goal of the program is to provide youth who have limited work experience an opportunity to develop general workplace skills, learn job specific skills, and earn a paycheck. . . .

The economic downturn is contributing to a decline in overall family health in the African American community, with parents prioritizing their children's health over their own. 
While half of African Americans consider it equally important for parents to take care of their own health and the health of their children, significantly more African American parents say the economic downturn has affected their own health and wellness compared to that of their children (60 percent vs. 46 percent). . . .

Elder John Hart Sr. celebrates his 105th birthday on May 23 from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Maranatha Church, NE 12th and Skidmore. His daughter, Pastor Mary Overstreet-Smith of the Powerhouse Temple Church C.O.G.I.C. invites the public to this grand celebration of Elder Hart's birth in Sandy Hook, Miss., in 1904. For more information call 503-282-6880. The Skanner wishes many happy returns of the day to Elder Hart!

Rosalie Camera, joined many enthusiastic participants in a dance workshop taught by Alseny Yansane, a performer with Ballets Africains of Guinea at the 4th Annual Spirit of West Africa Festival Saturday May 9th at the Seattle Center.  The event brought together a group of talented African musicians to demonstrate and teach the music and dance of West Africa.  

Since 1907, the Portland Rose Festival's Starlight Parade has lit up the downtown and celebrated the "Spirit of the West."
On May 30, from 8:30 to 11 p.m., about 250,000 spectators will gather to watch dozens of floats, bands and other attractions meander through the downtown blocks. . . .

In response to one of the steepest economic downturns in twenty years, Rep. Eric Pettigrew (D-Seattle) will launch a series of interactive community meetings to help struggling families and individuals access specialists within health care and additional topics of concern in the 37 District.
"Where can I go when I'm no longer on the Basic Health Plan? How can I afford to care for my elderly mother? What do I do if my child needs to see a doctor, but it's not an emergency? . . .

• Healthcare Meetings
• BeatWalk on June 5
• Seattle is College Bound
• Free Drop-In Civil Rights Sessions
• Nominees for Spirit of Youth Award Sought

Harold Moss, the first African American mayor of Tacoma, received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree at University of Puget Sound Sunday, May 17, during the school's commencement ceremony for graduates. Moss served on the Tacoma City Council, the Pierce County Council, and helped found the local branch of the NAACP.