Page 6
January 1, 2020
2019
Year in Review
A look back
at some of our
top stories
c ontinued froM P age 2
‘It Looked Like a River’
March 20 – A major supply water main break sent a geyser of
water gushing into the middle of Northeast Skidmore Street,
inundating several blocks and flooding nearly a dozen residential
basements. “It looked like the Deschutes River right here,” said
Kevin Hendrickson, a neighbor.
Crowned Champions
De La Salle’s
New Home
April 3 – St. Charles
Parish Priest Elwin
Schwab outlines plans
to allow De La Salle
North Catholic High
School to relocate
permanently from the
Kenton neighborhood to
the former St. Charles
Elementary building at
Northeast 42nd and
Emerson in the Cully Neighborhood. The move would take place in
2021 after the school’s current lease ends.
March 13 – The Benson High School girls basketball team and coach Eric Knox celebrate the
program’s first state championship after dethroning two-time defending champion Southridge,
66-42 in the state 6A tournament.
Shootings Bring Response
April 17 – Civil rights organizers Hector
Hinojosa and Lynn Marzette were on a
quest to improve police transparency and
ensure unbiased law enforcement after
an unusually high number of officer-
involved shootings involving people of
color in Vancouver and Clark County over
the past few months.
Apology for Noose
Opportunity to Serve
May 8 – Michelle DePass (left)
and Shanice Clarke, two well-
qualified candidates from the
African American community,
speak out on the issues as they
vie for a seat on the Portland
School Board. DePass went
on to win the May primary and
became the first black member
in a decade on the seven-
member governing panel.
Parkrose Coach
a True Hero
May 22 – Parkrose Football
Coach Keanon Lowe is hailed
as a hero for taking the gun
from an armed student at the
northeast Portland school,
preventing what could have
been a tragic school shooting.
The former college football
star at the University of
Oregon received nationwide
praise for his actions.
May 29 -- Natural Grocers
apologized after a miniature
noose was found hanging
from a car’s rear view mirror in
the parking lot of the store on
Northeast Martin Luther King
Jr. Boulevard. Neighbors traced
the image to an employee at the
store and posted it online.
Hail Queen Mya!
June 12 – Mya Brazile
of St. Mary’s Academy is
crowned 2019 Portland
Rose Festival Queen, an
amazing accomplishment
for the 18-year-old senior
and the fulfillment of a
childhood dream. Her
selection was announced
just ahead of the Rose
Festival’s Grand Floral
Parade.
Highest
Academic
Honor
June 12 -- Madison
High School
graduate Taj Ali (left)
is congratulated by
long time educator
and mentor Michael
“Chappie” Grice for becoming Valedictorian of his Class
of 2019, the highest-scoring senior academically, and
one of the few male black students to achieve this
honor in the history of Portland Public Schools.