NEW ORLEANS (NNPA) - The Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney's office in New Orleans has announced a federal probe into the fatal shootings which occurred on a city bridge just six days after Hurricane Katrina.
"In the best spirit of law enforcement coordination, and at the request of the victim's families, the New Orleans District Attorney has referred the matter to the United States Department of Justice for review," U.S. Attorney Jim Letten said in a statement early this month.
Letten said his office, the Justice Department and the FBI would take "as much time and resources as necessary to determine whether there are any prosecutable violations of federal criminal laws in this matter."
"In order to insure the integrity of the process, no additional comments regarding this matter will be made until the review is complete," he added ....

This election season voters will have the power to shape Oregon for years to come .... Ballots will be mailed out Sat, Oct. 18, and must be returned by Tues, Nov. 4. The following are The Skanner's official endorsements....

Photo by Susan Fried: Rose Sanders joined hundreds of enthusiastic parents and grandparents Sunday Oct. 11.

City Council Candidates Amanda Fritz and Charles Lewis both spoke with The Skanner on camera about the issues they hope to address if they're elected to public office – education, being smart on crime, affordable housing and others. You can view these interviews, as well as videos of county commission candidates....

In this city, it's almost hard not to get registered to vote. Around almost every corner are volunteers with registration cards. But registering isn't enough, says Craig Robinson. You have to vote.
"I'd like to think Oregon is on lockdown," he said during a speech at PCC Cascade on Tuesday. "But the game's not over until the last buzzer goes off."
Robinson, who is head basketball coach at Oregon State University, and is Michelle Obama's brother, was speaking to encourage people to make sure everyone they know is registered ....

State attorneys around the nation this week announced a landmark settlement brokered by Washington and other states requiring sub-prime lender Countrywide Financial Corp. to provide loan modifications for up to 395,000 borrowers nationwide....

Effective immediately, Washington State University applicants from the state of Washington seeking acceptance to the Vancouver, Tri-Cities and Pullman campuses who rank in the top ten percent of their class or who have earned at least a 3.5 GPA at the time of their application will be granted assured admission....

Hapos Debalkew, 15, a player on the Lake City Scorpions, kicks the ball down field in a league game against the Mount Baker Tigers on Saturday, Oct. 4 at Upper Genesee Park. Proposition 2, which is on the November ballot, would include a new field at Genesee Park. Photo by Susan Fried

On Oct. 1, the requirements to receive state food benefits were changed to make the Basic Food program available to more people than before. In light of the recent economic crisis, both state and community organizations such as the Association for Community Action Now are working to alert people to these changes and enroll them in this expanded program ...

Stephanie E. Smallwood, associate professor of history at the University of Washington, Seattle, has been selected as the winner of the 2008 Frederick Douglass Book Prize, awarded for the best book written in English on slavery or abolition....

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….