News
Hunger at home in suburbia
It’s lunchtime at Alder Elementary in the east Portland suburb of Gresham, and even though it’s summer, the school’s gym-turned-cafeteria is packed with children. There are about 80 grade school kids sitting at benches munching away at sandwiches and fruit as about 20 parents look on. This food is free, and that’s important says Lena…
Keeping watch over Vista Bridge
The Vista Bridge, that beautiful, arching structure in Goose Hollow, is in the news today less for its beauty and historic status than the scores of people who have used the scenic perch to end their lives. In the past six months alone, five people jumped to their deaths from its heights, the most recent…
Erinn Kelley-Siel: We can ‘change people’s lives’
When Erinn Kelley-Siel became interim director of Oregon’s Department of Human Services in February 2011 and permanent director two months later, she didn’t have a lot of time to get used to her new job. The recession caused caseloads for many of DHS’ programs — including food stamps, child welfare services, foster care and the…
Sharing a smile
It’s been months since Raymond Thornton has felt comfortable smiling. “With my teeth missing or infected all the time, I was always guarded with my smile,” says Thornton, who started vending newspapers for Street Roots in 2010. But now, after receiving a brand new set of top dentures, he can’t help but beam at every…
Divine calling
Sister Lillian Murphy may be a nun, but that doesn’t mean she spends her days dressed in a habit. True, after she became a Catholic nun in 1959 she donned the distinctive garment for a few years. These days, however, you’ll find her wearing slacks, a blouse and a sweater. She feels no sorrow that,…
Opinion
Saying ‘yes’ to Michigan, after saying ‘no’ for all these years
Back in the ’80s, when I was growing up in Saginaw, Mich., then home to something like eight factory sites for General Motors, the state motto — emblazoned on billboards, T-shirts and bumper stickers — was “Say Yes to Michigan.” I can still hear the jingle, its melody saccharine and infectious on the car radio.…
With victims searching for options, the state must respond
Summer is here and many of us have been treated to the familiar serenade that calls up so many childhood memories: the lilting melody of the ice cream truck. Imagine the disappointment on little kids’ faces if, after running up to the ice cream truck with dollar bills in hand to purchase a chocolaty treat,…
The Trail of Mole: From Oaxaca to Oregon
We first met Oaxacan chef and future owner of Mixteca Catering, Doña Paula Asuncion, when she came to our micro-enterprise development program in 2012 seeking guidance to start her own culinary business. We recall our first impressions — the warmth of her smile and the sparkle in her eyes, which upon each subsequent interaction, slowly…
