JANUARY 24, 2018
25
CENTS
Portland and Seattle Volume XL No. 17
News .............................. 3,8-10 A & E .....................................6-7
Opinion ...................................2 One Year of Trump ...........9
Calendars ........................... 4-5 Bids/Classifieds ....................11
CHALLENGING PEOPLE TO SHAPE A BETTER FUTURE NOW
PHOTO COURTESY OF PPB
MISSING AND MURDERED
INDIGENOUS WOMEN HONORED
PPB Sergeant patch
Bill Examines
Cops’ Mental
Health
Introduced in the
legislature next month,
the measure aims to
address mental well-
being of officers
A
PHILLIP MORRIS VIA AP
See BILL on page 3
The device heats tobacco sticks but stops short
of burning them, an approach that Philip Morris
says reduces exposure to tar and other toxic
byproducts of burning cigarettes.
Anti-Smoking
Plan
Plan puts the FDA at
the center of debate on
‘reduced-risk’ products
like e-cigarettes page 9
Oregon Voters Approve
New Tax to Help Support
Medicaid
page 8
Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women Washington held a ceremony honoring the families of missing and murdered indigenous women before leading
the Women’s March in Seattle from Cal Anderson Park on Capitol Hill to the Seattle Center Jan. 20.
34 Percent of Local Households Struggling
Analysis looked at 700 Oregon households across every county in Oregon
By The Skanner News
new report pub-
lished by Worksys-
tems reveals that a
higher percentage
of Oregon households are
struggling to make ends
meet.
Commissioned
every
three years, the study
“Self-Sufficiency Standard
for Oregon Counties” de-
termines how much fam-
ilies throughout the state
A
must earn to meet basic
needs without the aid of
public or private subsi-
dies.
It does this by looking
at the costs of everyday
amenities, including food,
child and health care,
transportation and other
expenses, as well as the
cost of taxes.
The analysis looked at
700 Oregon households, in
various sizes and combina-
tions, across every county
in the state.
The study’s general take-
away is sign of widening
inequality across Oregon,
as both urban and rural
families alike struggle to
stay afloat.
In all Oregon counties,
the income needed to meet
basic needs increased be-
tween 2008 and 2017. For
a family with two adults,
one preschooler, and one
school-age child, the stan-
dard climbed on average
by 23 percent, across the
state, while the median
wage increased only 10
percent.
Moreover,
a
parent
working full time and
earning any of the 2017 Or-
egon minimum wages will
fall short of meeting the
standard for a family with
a child.
Developed by Diana
Pearce, director of the Cen-
See STUDY on page 3
Nathan Brannon Headlines Homecoming Show
Portland-born comic to take the stage Jan. 29
By Christen McCurdy
Of The Skanner News
athan Brannon is coming back
to Portland.
Brannon was born and raised
here, but moved away a year
ago, spending part of his time in Los
Angeles and on the road. He’ll be
at the Hollywood Theatre Jan. 29 to
headline Minority Retort, an ongo-
ing showcase for comedians of color
hosted and produced by local comics
Jason Lamb, Julia Ramos and Neeraj
Srinivasan.
Previously the showcase took place
in smaller clubs, like Curious Com-
edy on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
N
and the Siren Theater in Old Town.
Host Jason Lamb also has a regular
segment, also called “Minority Re-
tort,” on XRAY FM’s “X-RAY in the
Morning” show, featuring inter-
views with Portland’s creatives of
color.
The goal of the standup showcase,
according to event organizers, is to
provide comedians of color – includ-
ing local as well as national guests --
with a platform to speak their minds
and share their unique perspectives,
as well as reach the diverse come-
dy audience that exists within the
so¬called “Whitest city in America.”
Opening for Brannon Monday will
be Northwest comics Thomas Lundy,
PHOTO COURTESY OF NATHAN BRANNON
new bill to be introduced during
the legislative short session next
month is asking for all Oregon
police officers to take a closer
look inward — at their mental welfare.
As it’s drafted, the measure states
that a law enforcement officer must
meet with a mental health professional
— be it a psychologist or counselor — at
least once every two years.
“All I am suggesting is that we create
a wellness situation where an officer
gets a chance to talk,” said State Sen.
Lew Frederick, who initiated the bill.
His new legislation is largely an
amendment to an existing law that
PHOTO BY SUSAN FRIED
By Melanie Sevcenko
Of The Skanner News
Nathan Brannon
Mona Concepcion and Wilfred Pad-
ua. For more information about this
event, visit https://hollywoodthe-
atre.org/events/minority-retort-na-
than-brannon.
Brannon won the Seattle Interna-
tional Comedy Competition in 2014
See COMEDY on page 3