SEPTEMBER 21, 2022
Portland and Seattle Volume XLV No. 28
News ...............................3,8,10 A & E .....................................6-7
Opinion ...................................2 Student Loan Forgiveness .. 8
Calendars ........................... 4-5 Bids/Classifieds ....................11
CHALLENGING PEOPLE TO SHAPE A BETTER FUTURE NOW
CENTER OPENS FOR
BLACK INNOVATORS
Proposed law would
require permits
to purchase, limit
magazine rounds.
By Saundra Sorenson
Of The Skanner News
A
n interfaith coalition has
launched a ballot measure to
curb gun violence through two
practical safeguards.
In November, Oregonians will have
the opportunity to vote on Measure
114, which will require law enforce-
ment-issued permits to purchase any
firearm and which will restrict the
purchase and sales of magazines that
hold more than 10 rounds.
In order to obtain a permit to pur-
chase, applicants would be required to
pass a background check and to attend
and pass both a firearm safety training
class and a live-fire training session.
Violating the law would be a misde-
meanor, upgraded to a felony if the
violator has any prior criminal convic-
tions.
Currently, the group argued, weak
Oregon gun laws allow purchasers to
See GUNS on page 3
Oregon Historical
Society Features
Mowtown
page 7
PHOTO BY SUSAN FRIED
Activist and mother Teal experienced gun violence
at work, witnessing the shooting and injury of a
coworker.
Faith
Community,
Activists
Introduce
‘Evidence-
Based’ Gun
Control
Measure
25
CENTS
A group of people pose in front of the William Grose Center for Innovation at Africatown after the official ribbon cutting on September 16 in Seattle. The
new center, located in the former Fire Station 6 building on 23rd and Yesler is named after Seattle Pioneer and founder of the Central District, William
Grose. It will be an economic incubator and a place to develop the next generation of Black innovators and leaders in technology.
Oregon’s Tuition-Free Preschool
Program Hits Major Delays
The Associated Press
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)
— Thousands of Oregon
families who expected
their children to start tu-
ition-free
state-provid-
ed preschool this month
remain in limbo because
of staffing shortages that
caused delays getting con-
tracts to nearly 250 in-
volved preschools.
The Early Learning Divi-
sion, which has overseen
the Preschool Promise pro-
gram since its 2016 incep-
tion, took over contracting
duties from the Oregon De-
partment of Education this
year and has struggled to
get contracts inked. It has
yet to send paperwork to
most of the 248 preschools
in the program that serves
families living at or below
200% of the federal poverty
line, The Oregonian/Ore-
gonLive reported Tuesday.
Many facilities new to the
program or those expand-
ing services are hesitant
to accept children enrolled
in Preschool Promise until
they have a signed contract
and payment for the care
is assured, the newspaper
reported.
The agency now says
the preschools chosen to
serve an estimated 6,381
children must open no
later than Oct. 30. It could
not say when all contracts
would be signed. The total
number of children marks
an expected increase of
more than 2,000 slots from
last year.
“It’s super hard on fami-
lies,” said Molly Day, direc-
tor of Early Learning Mult-
nomah, one of 16 regional
hubs that helps coordinate
Preschool Promise enroll-
ment. “If you’re count-
ing on your child to be in
school while you’re work-
ing, that’s very disruptive.”
Northeast Portland par-
ent Melissa Laurie applied
in March for her 3-year-old
daughter, Frankie, to take
part in Preschool Prom-
ise. Laurie gave up slots at
other private preschools,
which the state’s Employ-
ment-Related Day Care pro-
gram would have helped
See PRESCHOOL on page 3
Environmental Justice Leader Vernice Miller-Travis on
Fighting Racism and Climate Change
Vernice Miller-Travis shares her thoughts on the
current presidential administration’s handling of
the climate crisis.
By Saundra Sorenson
Of The Skanner News
V
ernice Miller-Travis wants
everyone to show up for en-
vironmental justice – both
at the polls (or mailboxes, if
you’re voting in Oregon) and at their
local planning or zoning commission
meetings.
“We’ve just got to expand the num-
ber of Democrats that are in the Unit-
ed States Senate, so that we won’t
have to get backed into a corner like
this again,” she told The Skanner in a
nod to U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-W.
Va.) obstruction of climate action
bills.
Vernice Miller-Travis
And the often-ignored local plan-
ning meetings? “That’s where a lot
of critical decision-making is being
made about zoning, about where new
facilities are going to go, transpor-
See MILLER-TRAVIS on page 3