The 2008 Seattle Race Conference meets Oct. 11 to discuss the issue of reparations and how they help to address racial inequalities and heal diverse communities. "We hope to implement some counter-balance to the inequality. It is a natural follow-on to how past discrimination effects the present."...

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.….

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..…

Jewell Parker Rhodes will read from her novel, "Yellow Moon" from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 8 at The Seattle Public Library, Douglass-Truth Branch, 2300 E. Yesler Way. "Yellow Moon" is a sequel to the book, "Voodoo Season," about a wazimamoto, an African vampire, who is stalking Marie Leveau, a doctor and voodoo practitioner in New Orleans....

Parent Initiative Fund-Raiser....  Online Voter Information....  Youth Benefit....

Students from the Media Arts Training Institute at Open Meadows School are starting their own newspaper this fall – so they took a tour of The Skanner's offices to learn a little more about how it's done. Accompanied by their advisors and teachers, the kids discussed the Oct. 31 kick-off of their new publication, and asked many, many questions.

ACORN members rally for safety at the corner of North Midway and Fessenden Streets as cars zoom past on Friday, Sept. 26 during rush hour. All summer, ACORN members say, they've sent letters to the Portland Traffic Engineer, Robert Burchfield, and Commissioner Sam Adams, inviting them out to the streetcorner to see the need for a crosswalk – so far no officials have taken them up on the offer. The group argues that school children are forced to cross the dangerous street many drivers drive well over the posted 25-mile per hour speed limit. Left to right, Cassandra Patterson, Aimee Olin, Dan Bell, and Robert Simmons escorted pedestrians across the street while holding up signs calling for street safety.

Shantel Monk is a 17-year-old foster child, the eldest of four children born to a teen mom with drug and alcohol problems.  Joe Halloran is a cancer patient, only alive because of a stem cell transplant, who will  need medical care for the rest of his life -- Victims? Not so you'd notice....

If you're the type of biker who doesn't like to ride with lights, think again. This fall, the Portland Police will begin stopping and citing cyclists who are riding at night without proper lights -- they'll also be giving out free lights....

During periods of economic decline entrepreneurs are most likely to bear the brunt economically. Do not bury your head in the ground waiting for things to get better. Look how your business can leverage this time to actually increase your opportunities to outsmart larger competitors who, during a downturn, carry on with business as usual or are unable to adapt quickly. Proactive small business entrepreneurs can actually thrive....