Page 4 The Skanner Portland & Seattle May 21, 2025
Events
News & Announcements
will begin at approximately 9:55am, Alder Elementa-
ry “Grad Walk” will begin at approximately 10:15am,
Hartley Elementary “Grad Walk” will begin at ap-
proximately 10:25am, Sweetbriar Elementary “Grad
Walk” will begin at approximately 10:55am, Glenfair
Elementary “Grad Walk” will begin at approximately
11:15am, Fairview Elementary “Grad Walk” will begin
at approximately 10:55am, Woodland Elementary
“Grad Walk” will begin at approximately 10:25am,
Wilkes Elementary “Grad Walk” will begin at ap-
proximately 10:45am.
This year, the Reynolds Learning Academy gradu-
ating seniors will celebrate their graduation on Tues-
day, June 10th at 7pm at the Mt. Hood Community
College Theater and the Reynolds High School grad-
uating seniors will celebrate their graduation at the
Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland on Thurs-
day, June 12th at 7pm.
PAM CUT // Center for An Untold
Tomorrow Announces 2025
Sustainability Labs Fellows
Children Explore World of Wetlands
The Clackamas Community College Environmental Learning Center is launching its popular Nature Spy Explorer Kits with a brand-new
theme for summer. The Water Wizard Kit brings the world of wetlands to life with materials in both English and Spanish, and allows
children to experience the many wonders of water while learning and playing – from the comfort of home and neighborhood. The cost
is $50 and includes shipping. To purchase kits, visit https://bit.ly/nature-spy-kits-summer-2025. For more information, contact jessie.
mulcahy@clackamas.edu.
Portland & Seattle
News Briefs
Voters Approve Mt. Hood Community
College Bond Measure 26-258
Mt. Hood Community College is celebrating a major
milestone after voters approved Measure 26-258, the
college’s $136 million bond measure, in the May 2025
election. This historic win marks the first successful
bond measure for MHCC in 50 years and will fund vi-
tal updates to aging facilities, safety improvements,
and modernized learning environments across its
campuses.
“We are profoundly grateful to our community for
this vote of confidence,” said MHCC President Dr. Lisa
Skari. “With the passage of Measure 26-258, we can
now take bold steps to modernize our facilities and
create learning environments that match the excel-
lence of our students and faculty—so that everyone
has an opportunity to get a great education.”
Funds from the bond will be used to repair and re-
place outdated HVAC, electrical, and plumbing sys-
tems; enhance safety and accessibility across campus;
and ensure MHCC can continue to meet the region’s
workforce, academic, and community needs.
“This victory belongs to every student, volunteer,
and community member who believed in our vision
for Mt. Hood Community College,” said Skari. “To-
gether, we’ve made a once-in-a-generation invest-
ment in the future of this corner of Oregon.”
The college will begin the bond implementation
process in the coming months, including appointing
a Bond Oversight Committee to ensure transparency
and accountability. Community members can follow
project updates and learn more at www.MHCCBond.
com.
House Republicans Vote to Gut
Anti-Hunger Programs, Reversing
Generations of Progress
In a devastating blow to working families, children,
and seniors, U.S. House Republicans narrowly passed
a bill that would rip away essential food and health-
care support from millions of Americans. The bill
passed on party lines by a single vote, and the mea-
sure is now subject to debate and amendments in the
Senate.
“This bill isn’t a budget fix,” said David Wieland, Pol-
icy Advocate at Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon.
“It is dismantling effective basic needs programs that
have long been cornerstones of our country.”
If passed, this legislation will have drastic harm-
ful effects on Oregon families and will drive hunger
and economic instability. The legislation includes
deep cuts to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Pro-
gram (SNAP) and Medicaid, programs that millions
of Americans rely on every day, while extending tax
cuts that primarily benefit the wealthiest Americans.
The impact on Oregonians would be profound. It
would cut SNAP benefits by 21%, reducing average
SNAP benefits to just $4.80 per day, and impose harsh
time limits on food assistance for thousands more
Oregonians, including seniors and parents, and com-
pletely exclude Oregonians who are refugees and im-
migrants.
Oregon’s Representative Cliff Bentz cast vote for
the bill, even while his district has the most people
per capita depending on SNAP and Medicaid in all of
Oregon.
All other Oregon Congressional delegates voted to
defend basic needs through a “nay” vote on the bill.
Oregon is already in a hunger crisis and emergen-
cy food suppliers across the state are seeing historic
levels of demand. Over 770,000 Oregonians rely on
SNAP to meet their nutritional needs, and over half
of those are families with children.
“This heinous proposal upends decades of invest-
ment in ending hunger, promises to make America
sicker and hungrier, and cruelly targets children
in particular,” Wieland adds. “We know that when
children lose access to SNAP, long-lasting health and
behavioral impacts follow. Learning suffers and evic-
tions increase.”
Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon urges Orego-
nians to contact their Senators and demand they vote
no on any legislation that takes away food, healthcare,
or critical supports from struggling families.
Reynolds School District’s
Graduating Seniors Conduct “Grad
Walk” at Feeder Schools
Reynolds High School and Reynolds Learning
Academy graduating seniors will don their caps and
gowns for a special “Grad Walk” at their feeder mid-
dle schools and feeder elementary schools. In collab-
oration with high school, middle school and elemen-
tary school administrations, as well as the Reynolds
School District, graduating seniors will walk through
the hallways of their feeder middle schools and ele-
mentary schools to receive congratulations from for-
mer teachers and RSD’s future graduating students
on Friday, May 30.
Graduating seniors will conduct their “Grad Walk”
at Reynolds Middle School and Walt Morey Middle
School at approximately 9:25am on Friday; with their
grad walk at H.B. Lee at approximately 9:15am on Fri-
day. Their “Grad Walk” parade route will take them
through the main hallways and through the 8th grade
areas of the middle schools. The graduating seniors
will then conduct their “Grad Walk” at their elemen-
tary feeder schools.
Salish Ponds Elementary “Grad Walk” will begin at
approximately 9:25am, Margaret Scott Elementary
“Grad Walk” will begin at approximately 10:05am,
Davis Elementary “Grad Walk” will begin at approx-
imately 9:55am, Troutdale Elementary “Grad Walk”
PAM CUT // Center for an Untold Tomorrow, the
Portland Art Museum’s film and new media arm, is
pleased to announce the 2025 Sustainability Labs.
Now in its fourth year, PAM CUT’s Sustainability
Labs program uniquely prioritizes holistic career ad-
vancement and sustainability. It is part of PAM CUT’s
Artist Services, a range of services designed to help
support the sustained creative, financial, and per-
sonal growth of creative storytellers working across
multiple media arts platforms.
Serving five mid-career storytellers working in a
variety of mediums, the Sustainability Labs were cre-
ated to help artists in search of guidance to harness
and expand their creative and business talents across
multiple platforms. Rather than focusing on a singu-
lar project, PAM CUT’s Sustainability Labs act as a
spark not only for select artists but also for our larg-
er media arts community and the ecosystem at large.
The program focuses on embracing artists’ multi-
plicities and de-siloing modes of storytelling to pro-
vide greater opportunity and access. Focus areas will
include individual, bespoke support for each artist
on business plans, project and personal financial
planning, creative brand expansion, and growth op-
portunities, as well as small group sessions on men-
tal health, balance, and personal sustainability.
The Labs will culminate by pitching to a wide vari-
ety of industry professionals at Wieden + Kennedy
as well as attending PAM CUT’s Cinema Unbound
Awards at the Portland Art Museum the evening of
May 30.
Community groups to protest
“Fascist Family Values” rally at Cal
Anderson Park on Capitol Hill
On Saturday, May 24, at 2pm, community organi-
zations and activists will hold a picket at Cal Ander-
son Park on Capitol Hill to counter “Mayday USA.”
The protest and picket, under the theme of “Keep
Your Bibles Off Our Bodies” is aimed to counter the
well-funded anti-trans, anti-queer event that is led
by far-right Christian activists. The Mayday USA ral-
ly in Seattle is provocatively being held in the heart
of the Queer community. It is part of a 5-city nation-
al tour. Reactionary preacher and former Spokane
Valley state representative Matt Shea, of the “On Fire
Ministries,” is one of the prominent supporters.
Organizers of the counter-protest plan to send a
loud message that bigotry and scapegoating is not
welcome in Seattle. With a lively picket line, signs
and banners they are calling on the community to
unite to:
• Stop the War on Trans & Queer Folk
• Empower Youth to Speak, Define & Defend Them-
selves
• Defend Bodily Autonomy & Abortion Rights
• Stand Against the Racist Christian Identity Move-
ment
• Defeat Trump, Musk, & Project 2025
“We are encouraging everyone to come out and
show their solidarity,” said Freedom Socialist Party
leader Doreen McGrath, whose organization is en-
dorsing the picket. “Attacks of this kind need to be
met with protest every time.” Other endorsers in-
clude Organized Workers for Labor Solidarity, Puget
Sound Mobilization for Reproductive Justice, and
Radical Women.
For more information, call 206-722-2453, text 206-
496-9655 or email SeattleFSP@socialism.com