Page 4 The Skanner Portland & Seattle March 13, 2019
News
Events & Announcements
Community
Calendar 2019
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Portland Metro
FRIDAY, MARCH 15
PORTLANDERS STAND WITH REFUGEES & IMMIGRANTS: Portland
Parks & Recreation will be celebrating the third annual Port-
landers Stand with Refugees & Immigrants event. Enjoy live
performances, music, dancing, and more. On-site food vendors
and food carts will sell food throughout the event. Free, 6 p.m. –
8 p.m. Southwest Community Center, 6820 SW 45th Ave.
SATURDAY, MARCH 16
ESTATE PLANNING 101: Join Oregon Historical Society board
member and professional estate planner John Boylston as he
shares expert tips for creating an estate plan. Tea, coffee, and
treats will be provided. Free (RSVP online), 2 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.,
Oregon Historical Society, Hatfield Room, 1200 SW Park Ave.
SUNDAY, MARCH 17
MARCH MADNESS LUCKY BRACKET PARTY AT REVOLUTION HALL:
It’s March which means it’s time for the NCAA basketball tour-
nament. Join the folks at Revolution Hall for the March Madness
kickoff party and fill out your bracket. Enter to win a $100 gift
card. Free, 4 p.m., Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark St.
SUNDAY, MARCH 17
SIREN THEATER ST. PATRICK’S DAY BINGO: Get your bingo daub-
ers ready! The Siren Theater is hosting a bingo event this St.
Patrick’s Day loaded with comedy, mimosas, and more. 11 a.m.
(doors open at 10:30 a.m.). Purchase 3 bingo cards for $5. Siren
Theater, 315 NW Davis St.
TUESDAY, MARCH 19
WHY ARE US TROOPS STILL IN IRAQ?: The Peace and Justice
Works Iraq Affinity Group is teaming up with the weekly Stand
for Peace and Justice event for a special visibility action marking
16 years since the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003. 4:00 until 5:30 p.m.
and features the “Tower of Peace,” a 12-foot-tall display which
has been seen many times around town since 2012. Gather at
the east end of the Burnside Bridge, MLK Blvd. and Burnside St.
MONDAY, MARCH 25
Storytime for Grownups: This month, in honor of St. Patrick’s
Day, Storytime for Grownups will feature a series of Ray Brad-
bury stories inspired by the author’s time in Ireland. These sto-
ries will be read by David Loftus, the founder of Story Time for
Grownups. Free, 8 p.m. – 9 p.m. Rose City Book Pub, 1329 NE
Fremont St.
Seattle Metro
SATURDAY, MARCH 16
MEYDENBAUER BAY PARK GRAND OPENING CELEBRATION: Come
celebrate the newly expanded and improved Meydenbauer Bay
Park during the official grand opening celebration. The event
will feature food, live music, activities for all ages, and, of
course, the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Free, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., Mey-
denbauer Bay Park, 9899 Lake Washington Blvd NE, Bellevue.
SATURDAY/SUNDAY, MARCH 16 – 17
SEATTLE CENTER ARMORY IRISH FESTIVAL: In honor of St. Pat-
rick’s Day, the Seattle Center Armory will be hosting a two-day
event showcasing Irish Heritage in the Pacific Northwest. The
festival will feature traditional Irish food and drinks. Other en-
tertainment activities include Irish art, historical exhibits, gene-
alogy workshops, and there’s also a drawing for a free vacation
to Ireland. Noon – 6 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Sunday,
Seattle Center, 305 Harrison St.
SATURDAY, MARCH 23
1959: THE GREATEST YEAR IN FILM HISTORY: The latest Scare-
crow Academy presentation will feature an afternoon showing
of the classic Japanese film, “Fires on the Plain.” Free (RSVP on-
line at https://bit.ly/2XQ9jpv), 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. Scarecrow Video,
5030 Roosevelt Way NE.
PHOTO BY SUSAN FRIED
THURSDAY, MARCH 14
THE NO PLAY COMMUNITY NIGHT: The No Play by John Henry
Redwood conveys the racially divided world of Halifax, North
Carolina in 1949 during the apex of the Jim Crow era. The title
is derived from many “No” signs that dotted the southern land-
scape during that despotic era in American. Community night
price $14, 7:30 p.m. – 9 p.m., Interstate Firehouse Cultural Cen-
ter, 5340 North Interstate Ave.
Youth Basketball
Seattle Parks and Recreation Youth Basketball teams High Point (blue) took on an undefeated Rainier, in the 10 year old’s Yellow
Division March 9 at the Rainier Beach Community Center. Rainier dominated the game against a spirited High Point team, winning the
game 26 to 7. Rainier finished the regular season 5 and 0 while High Point had a record of 2 wins and 3 losses.
Portland & Seattle
News Briefs
Wheeler Announces Departure of
Senior Policy Advisor
Mayor Ted Wheeler’s office announced in a Fri-
day-afternoon press release that Berk Nelson, Wheel-
er’s senior policy advisor on public safety and livabil-
ity, is leaving office to work in the private sector and
that his last day will be March 15.
Nelson, who had worked in the mayor’s office since
January 2017, had previously worked as an attorney
in immigration law and general litigation. The re-
lease credits him with relocating R2DToom exam-
ining alternatives for first responders to non-emer-
gency calls and working with the county to address
mental health.
AG Rosenblum Announces
Large Settlement with Pfizer for
Misleading Drug Pricing Coupons
Attorney General Rosenblum today announced a
$975,000 settlement with the pharmaceutical com-
pany, Pfizer, for distributing misleading marketing
materials and coupons to Oregon consumers. The
coupons distributed by Pfizer were designed to help
consumers afford copays or deductibles associated
with brand-name drugs.
A large portion of the settlement, $620,000, will go
to support two local organizations, Project Access
Now and Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center,
which both help uninsured and underinsured Orego-
nians afford health care. The remaining amount will
help the Department of Justice fund future investi-
gations and reimburse consumers who used the mis-
leading coupons.
After a four-month investigation, the Oregon De-
partment of Justice (DOJ) found that Pfizer distribut-
ed misleading marketing materials and coupons that
stated that consumers would “pay no more than” a
certain amount, such as $15, $20, $25, at the pharma-
cy for four of Pfizer’s drugs: Flector Patch, Estring,
and Quillivant/Quillichew. But, in reality, many con-
sumers had to pay significantly more. Oregon DOJ’s
investigation identified 371 Oregon customers who
paid over $40,000 in total over the amount promised
by the coupon the first time a prescription was filled.
From the settlement, $620,000 will fund two differ-
ent grants for two Oregon nonprofits.
Portland Parks Foundation Hosts
Series of March Events
Tickets for the series are available at https://www.
eventbrite.com/e/green-dreams-seeding-portlands-
next-parks-movement-tickets-56062751198.
March 11
“State of the Union” featuring Portland Parks &
Recreation’s new director Adena Long, Metro Coun-
cil President Lynn Peterson, and Metro Parks and
Nature Director Jonathan Blasher. This event takes
place from 6:30 to 8 p.m. and tickets are available at
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/green-dreams-state-
of-the-union-tickets-56074309770;
March 18
“Albina Vision + I-5 Rose Quarter: A $500-million
Parks Opportunity,” featuring Albina Vision leaders
Rukaiyah Adams and Michael Alexander, Vanport
Mosaic and others, takes place from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
and tickets are available at https://www.eventbrite.
com/e/green-dreams-albina-vision-i-5rose-quarter-
a-match-tickets-56080506304;
March 25
“City of Gardens: What is the Portland We Want to
Grow?” featuring community leaders and creative
thinkers discussing the future of parks in Portland,
takes place from 6:30 to 8 p.m. and tickets are avail-
able at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/green-dreams-
city-of-gardens-what-is-the-portland-we-want-to-
grow-tickets-56080870393.
Washington Senate Passes Bill to
Reduce Plastics
On Tuesday, with a 31-14-4 vote, the Senate passed
the Reusable Bag Bill, ESSB 5323, prohibiting sin-
gle-use plastic basics at all stores to help reduce plas-
tic pollution in Washington. Plastics are particularly
harmful to marine environments and ingesting these
materials can be fatal for marine animals. Plastics
have been found in hundreds of marine species in-
cluding 86% of all sea turtle species, 43% of all marine
mammal species, and 44% of all seabird species.
The Reusable Bag Bill builds on 28 existing bag ordi-
nances in Washington. On Monday, the Senate passed
a bill, ESSB 5077, with a 27-21-1 vote requiring that
straws be only offered on request.
King County Immigrant and
Refugee-Focused Commission
Appointed
Thirteen high-profile community leaders have been
appointed to serve on a new commission focused on
immigrants and refugees. Passed unanimously by the
King County Council, the panelists are now tasked
with developing recommendations for the county
to better help address the needs of these oft under-
served communities.
The appointment of the commission members is
the culmination of a collaborative effort between
the County Council and the County Executive to help
King County’s growing immigrant and refugee pop-
ulation. In 2015, the council approved the creation
of the Immigrant and Refugee Task Force to develop
recommendations on what steps the county needed
to take to ensure that these new residents have the
opportunity to successfully integrate.
One of the recommendations of the task force was
the creation of a commission focused on the issues
facing immigrant and refugee communities.