In Brief - March 6th, 2008

March is an important month in Black history and the telling of the African American story in the Pacific Northwest. This Sunday the ribbon will be cut at the Grand Opening of the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle's Northwest African American Museum. This project has been many years in the making, and will serve as a monument to the Northwest's rich history and the diversities of African American experiences that have taken place here throughout the years. I encourage all of us who embrace education and diversity to visit this museum.

In the Pacific Northwest

• The fire set on March 2nd on the Northwest Nazarene University campus was set by arsonists, according to local officials.
• The woman on trial for setting the 2001 eco-terror fire at the University of Washington, Briana Waters, is poised to hear a verdict today. The Earth Liberation Front, the group who is suspected of being responsible for the "Street of Dreams" fires this week, claimed responsibility for the 2001 blaze. If convicted, Waters faces up to 35 years in prison.
• The Portland Mayoral race has gotten more interesting as Sho Dozono has not only received the endorsment of current mayor Tom Potter, but he has also become the first ever mayoral candidate that is eligible to receive public financing for his campaign.

Across the Nation

• In response to the FCC's recent change to media ownership rules, a group of senators introduced a "resolution of disapproval" yesterday that would stop the FCC from putting the new rules into effect.
• The National Data Exchange, a database that unifies data on criminal investigation at local, state, and federal levels, is being phased in this month. It seems to be the offspring of the Patriot Act, and its goal is to streamline investigations and to spot terrorist plots.
• The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has concluded that childhood vaccines contributed to symptoms of Autism in a 9-year-old Georgia girl. This finding is in line with allegations made by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. concerning a link between chemicals in childhood vaccines and rises in Autism rates.

Around the World

• There is significant tension building between Columbia, Ecuador, and Venezuela. Both Ecuador and Venezuela have moved troops to their respective Colombian borders in response to the Saturday raid Colombian forces conducted in Ecuador that resulted in the death of a rebel leader and 16 others. The U.S. is urging "diplomacy" in the matter.
• A tentative deal has been struck in Kenya. The "power-sharing agreement," which would make the opposition party leader Raila Odinga Prime Minister, is being supported by Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki .
• The whaling industry is back in the news. Last time it was for the 2 activists that had been kidnapped being turned over to Australian officials. This time, it's because the International Whaling Commission is set to hold a meeting to find "common ground" between pro- and anti-whaling countries and organizations.
• The Pakistan People's Party, the party of recently assassinated leader Benazir Bhutto, is meeting to select Pakistan's next Prime Minister, weeks after their victory in Pakistan's elections in February.