EDUCATION&CAREERS
July 22, 2020
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INSIDE L O C A L N E W S
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M ETRO
Photo by i ntisar a bioto / courtesy P ortland P lanning and s ustainability
The Billy Webb Elks Lodge’s designation on the National Register of Historic places celebrates not
only the history of one of Portland’s most important Black fraternal institutions, but also a building
that previously served as a “Colored” YWCA, African American USO center, and Portland branch
headquarters of the NAACP.
Black Historic Sites Approved
Recognizing Portland’s African American experience
Arts &
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ENTERTAINMENT
O PINION
C LASSIFIED /B IDS
The first listing — African
American Resources in Port-
land from 1851 to 1973 — is
a 191-page document that ele-
vates the eligibility of historic
sites associated with Portland’s
Black history for listing in the
National Register. The second
listing — the Billy Webb Elks
Lodge — specifically recognizes
the importance of the 1926 Wil-
liams Avenue YWCA building
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pages 14
Under fire for massive delays, the Oregon Employment Department has launched a new informational
website to help workers navigate unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
New Website to Help Job Claims
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The National Park Service
has recognized the historic sig-
nificance of Portland’s African
American experience through a
pair of new listings on the Na-
tional Register of Historic Plac-
es.
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Employment
Department
under fire for
massive delays
The Oregon Employment De-
partment has launched a new
informational website aimed at
improving customer service for
the record number of Oregonians
applying for and receiving unem-
ployment benefits.
The new site, unemployment.
oregon.gov is designed to help
Oregonians more easily find infor-
mation on the new programs cre-
ated by the CARES Act; whether
they might qualify for unemploy-
ment benefits; how to apply; and
what’s different during the pan-
demic.
“We’ve heard the many Orego-
nians who’ve said we need to do
a better job communicating about
their benefits and the unemploy-
ment claims process,” said David
Gerstenfeld, acting director of the
Oregon Employment Department
. “Our goal with this new website
is to provide clear information so
people can file their claims, avoid
unnecessary delays, and get their
questions answered without hav-
ing to call us,” he said. “We know
that ultimately Oregonians need
their claims processed, but we also
want to ease some of the commu-
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