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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 10, 2014)
Local News Jackson continued from page 1 “Challenging People to Shape a Better Future Now” B ERNIE F OSTER Founder/Publisher B OBBIE D ORE F OSTER Executive Editor J ERRY F OSTER Advertising Manager L ISA L OVING News Editor H ELEN S ILVIS Multimedia Editor P ATRICIA I RVIN D AVID K IDD Graphic Designer M ONICA J. F OSTER Seattle Office Coordinator J ULIE K EEFE S USAN F RIED Photographers In between media events, Jack- son was interviewed by GeekWire at the Seattle campus of North- eastern University where he both their workforce and boards of directors. Jackson has requested the gen- der and racial makeup of their workforce and Microsoft, Apple, Google, Facebook, Twitter, and Amazon have released this data. “There is no shortage of Blacks and Latinos who can serve on boards, who can serve in c-suites, who certainly can serve in employment,” Jackson said in his interview with GeekWire. “There’s nothing that you need that Black or brown people cannot provide, if equipped to do the position. Nothing.” The interview occurred across the street from the offices of Ama- zon.com. Jackson had extended an offer to visit the executives with a message of inclusion, but they chose not to meet with him. The next day, Jackson spoke at the Microsoft Shareholders meet- ing in Bellevue, representing both a Microsoft shareholder and on behalf of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. He referred to the diversity data of technology firms and said it wasn’t representative. “The leadership and workforce of the technology industry does not look like America or reflect the population and consumers that it relies upon for success,” Jack- son said, citing the paltry 0-3 per- cent employment of Blacks in the tech workforce. The numbers for African Americans in manage- ment were even worse with only 3 Black members out of 189 boards of director members. At the end of his tour, Jackson made an appeal to the sharehold- ers to look at the data he had col- lected, to commit to include diverse voices and sow the seeds of opportunity for those who have been left out of STEM. He spoke to the growth of the industry and untapped potential of new ideas. And lastly, he expressed a plea to work through difficult prob- lems in unity. “The tech industry has demon- strated that it can solve the most challenging complex problems in the world. Inclusion is a complex problem – if we put our collective minds to it, we can solve it, too. There’s nothing we can’t do, together.” new regulations, most child care providers serving families receiv- ing government subsidies, even ones that aren’t required to be licensed will be inspected. The old rules only required inspection of licensed providers. The rules could improve safety. For example, Oregon currently inspects only licensed child care facilities. The new regulations will require inspections of most providers who serve families receiving government subsidies for care, even providers that are not required to be licensed. Oregon, like other states includ- ing like Georgia and Oklahoma (who both provide universal pre- school,) use child are subsidies and tax credits to reduce the finan- cial strain of costs for parents. Despite some of the uncertainty around the new regulations, audi- tors found that state agencies can still better their preparation for its oncoming. Auditors recommend that ODE and DHS initiate admin- istrative or statutory charges required to allow inspections of unlicensed providers. ODE and DHS also should determine the costs of the new regulations and monitor whether the state is meeting the demand for fingerprinting services and inspections. Secretary Brown commended ODE and DHS for agreeing to the audit recommendations to comply with proposed federal regulations and potentially reduce their impact on providers, parents, and their children. cation, long-range planning for STEM diversity and the push to have large tech companies divulge their diversity demographics for He asked the students to stand up and repeat ‘I am somebody, I am somebody’ and urged the students to keep learning shared his thoughts about the importance of diversity and inclu- sion. “We did not realize how good baseball could be until everybody could play,” Jackson said. “We won’t realize how good tech can be until everybody can play.” Jackson added that inclusion means an expanded base and growth of the industry. Jackson’s visit focused on edu- Childcare continued from page 1 The Skanner Newspaper, established in October 1975, is a weekly publica- tion, published each Wednesday by IMM Publications Inc., 415 N. Killingsworth St., P.O. Box 5455, Portland, OR 97228. providers, the new federal rules will require more comprehensive background checks and finger- printing, increased on-site moni- toring and more information posted online at state websites for parents to reference. The higher workload resulting from new inspection require- ments—up to a 71 percent increase—may exceed the capaci- ty of state field offices across Ore- gon, according to Brown’s audit. Conversely the new rules could also improve safety. Under the Telephone (503) 285-5555. E-mail: info@theskanner.com http://www.theskanner.com OHP Fax: (503) 285-2900 continued from page 1 World Wide Web site: The Skanner is a member of the National Newspaper Pub lishers Associ- ation and West Coast Black Pub lishers Association. All photos submitted become the property of The Skanner. We are not re - spon sible for lost or damaged photos either solicited or unsolicited. © 2014 The Skanner. ALL RIGHTS RE SERVED. REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION PROHIBITED. To see The Skanner News on your smart phone go to theskannermobile.com or scan this QR code with your app. • • • • • • • • Local news Opinions Jobs, Bids Sports Entertainment Music reviews Bulletin board RSS feeds Page 2 The Portland and Seattle Skanner December 10, 2014 For the first time, some of the people up for renewal will be able to reapply through the federal insurance marketplace, HealthCare.gov. That change means Oregonians will learn right away if they still qualify for OHP; those that don’t will learn on the spot what their options are for private cover- age, including any financial assistance available. To qualify for the Oregon Health Plan people must meet certain income and residency requirements. For example, a family of four can earn up to $32,900 a year and may qualify for coverage. To maintain coverage, OHP members must update their informa- tion each year. To purchase private coverage that goes into effect Jan. 1, 2015 people must enroll by Mon.,Dec. 15, this year. OHP members needing assistance renewing or applying for coverage, should visit OregonHealth- Care.gov online where people can ask questions for you, and direct you to the proper federal or local forms online. For people who don’t have online access, or oth- erwise need help filling out an application, there is local assistance available in their community to help. To learn more about how Oregonians can find help, visit OregonHealthCare.gov. “This year there have been a lot of changes to how people apply and renew health care coverage, but here are the most important things to know: If you get a letter from us take action, and if you need help there is local assistance available,” Peterson adds. OHP members should always keep their address current to make sure they receive messages about their coverage. Members should call or email changes to OHP Customer Service at 1-800-699- 9075 or oregonhealthplan.changes@state.or.us. To learn more about the Oregon Health Plan or renewing OHP benefits, visit OregonHealthCare.gov.
