01-19-2025  4:12 pm   •   PDX and SEA Weather

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NORTHWEST NEWS

St. Andrew Parish to Honor Winners of 2025 Martin Luther King Jr. Service Awards  

St. Andrew Catholic Church is awarding its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Awards to people whose service embodies the values of Dr. King, who used nonviolence, civil disobedience and Christian teaching to advance the cause of civil rights in America

POIC and Community Partners Raise Nearly $3 Million to Make Downtown Safer

POIC opened a downtown safety and resource center last fall.

Seattle Griot Project Secures Permanent Home While Putting Exhibits In Virtual Reality

The former Sanctuary at Admiral in central Seattle will house the Washington State Black Legacy Institute.

Janelle Bynum Becomes First Black Member Of Congress For Oregon

The former state representative for Clackamas County takes oath in D.C. and joins historic Congressional Black Caucus.

NEWS BRIEFS

Biden Lauds STEM Award Winners

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MLK Day Events 2025

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Gov. Kotek Delivers 2025 State of the State Address

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North Portland Library to Reopen in February

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Joint Center Mourns the Passing of President Jimmy Carter

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On eve of CFP title game, some college players ask, What would it look like to be employees?

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Oregon man who kidnapped a Seattle woman and kept her in a makeshift cell gets life sentence

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — An Oregon man has been sentenced to life in federal prison after being convicted of kidnapping and sexually assaulting two women in separate instances, including locking one in a cinder block cell. Negasi Zuberi, 31, was sentenced Friday in federal court in...

Auburn hosts Missouri in conference showdown

Missouri Tigers (11-9, 0-5 SEC) at Auburn Tigers (9-9, 0-5 SEC) Auburn, Alabama; Sunday, 3 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: SEC foes Auburn and Missouri will play on Sunday. The Auburn Tigers have gone 5-4 at home. Auburn is fourth in the SEC in team defense, allowing...

No. 13 Oklahoma visits No. 2 South Carolina following Verhulst's 38-point game

Oklahoma Sooners (15-3, 3-2 SEC) at South Carolina Gamecocks (17-1, 5-0 SEC) Columbia, South Carolina; Sunday, 3 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: No. 13 Oklahoma plays No. 2 South Carolina after Payton Verhulst scored 38 points in Oklahoma's 80-63 victory against the Missouri...

OPINION

As Dr. King Once Asked, Where Do We Go From Here?

“Let us be dissatisfied until America will no longer have high blood pressure of creeds and an anemia of deeds. Let us be dissatisfied until the tragic walls that separate the outer city of wealth and comfort from the inner city of poverty and despair shall...

A Day Without Child Care

On May 16, we will be closing our childcare centers for a day — signaling a crisis that could soon sweep across North Carolina, dismantling the very backbone of our economy ...

I Upended My Life to Take Care of Mama.

It was one of the best decisions I ever made. ...

Among the Powerful Voices We Lost in 2024, Louis Gossett, Jr.’s Echoes Loudly

December is the customary month of remembrance. A time of year we take stock; a moment on the calendar when we pause to reflect on the giants we have lost. ...

AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE NEWS

Trump pledges a series of Day 1 executive actions to end 'four long years of American decline'

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump used a raucous rally Sunday on the eve of his inauguration to promise swift Day 1 action remaking the federal government, shifting federal priorities at breakneck speed and ensuring that “the curtain closes on four long years of American...

Biden urges Americans to 'keep the faith' as he spends final full day as president in South Carolina

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Joe Biden spent his final full day as president Sunday in South Carolina, urging Americans to “keep the faith in a better day to come” and reflecting on the influence of both the civil rights movement and the state itself in his political trajectory. ...

Appeals court overturns ex-49er Dana Stubblefield's rape conviction

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A California appeals court has overturned the rape conviction of former San Francisco 49er Dana Stubblefield after determining prosecutors made racially discriminatory statements during the Black man's trial. The retired football player was sentenced to 15 years...

ENTERTAINMENT

Former WWE CEO Vince McMahon reaches deal with SEC over undisclosed settlement agreements

The Securities and Exchange Commission says that it has settled charges against former WWE CEO Vince McMahon over his failure to disclose to the sports entertainment company's board and others that he signed two settlement agreements worth .5 million with two women in order for them not to...

Life of da party: Snoop Dogg to host NFL Honors, which celebrates highs of the 2024 season

NEW YORK (AP) — Grab a gin and juice, Snoop Dogg is hosting the next episode of NFL Honors. He’s sure to be the life of da party. Snoop Dogg will take center stage at the Saenger Theater in New Orleans for the primetime awards show that recognizes the NFL’s best...

Book Review: Robert Crais spins the tale of a hardboiled private eye who uncovers a conspiracy

Traci Beller was 13 when her father — co-owner of a heating and air conditioning company — went out on some service calls and never returned home. The police, who found no trace of him, concluded that he had simply abandoned his family. The family then turned to Jessica Byers, a...

U.S. & WORLD NEWS

Missouri lawmakers are going after voter-approved abortion rights. Voters will likely reelect them

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Voters in Missouri last election approved a constitutional amendment that promised to...

Taliban deputy tells leader there is no excuse for education bans on Afghan women and girls

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Trump-allied group's warnings may signal legal blueprint to attack 'sanctuary' jurisdictions

The ominous letters went to hundreds of state and local officials across the U.S. two days before Christmas. It...

How the deal to pause the Israel-Hamas war could unfold

The Gaza ceasefire and hostage release agreemen t is expected to take effect as soon as Sunday. But the most...

Journalists in Haiti demand justice as they bury a second colleague killed by gangs

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — The young boy wore a suit and bow tie to his stepfather’s funeral on Saturday,...

Warm weather threatens Epiphany ice water plunges for Russia's Orthodox Christians

MOSCOW (AP) — Thousands of Russians celebrating the Orthodox Christian feast day of Epiphany, where worshippers...

Eddie Pells AP National Writer

NEW YORK (AP) -- Feeling wronged again at the U.S. Open, Serena Williams couldn't let it go.

 "That's totally not cool," she shouted at the umpire. Then, a few minutes later, she told her, "You're a hater, and you're just unattractive inside."

Problem was, the real trouble for Williams was standing on the other side of the court.

Sam Stosur pushed the 13-time Grand Slam champion all over Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday and took what she wanted, along with what the umpire gave her, winning the U.S. Open in a result that was as surprising for who won as how lopsided it was.

The ninth-seeded Australian won her first Grand Slam title with a 6-2, 6-3 dismantling of No. 28 Williams, the three-time U.S. Open champion who hadn't lost a set en route to the final.

She lost two quick ones to Stosur. And, for the second time in three years, Williams did not leave Flushing Meadows quietly.

This time, the drama began when Williams, down a set and facing break point in the first game of the second, flushed a forehand deep to Stosur's backhand side and screamed out `C'mon!' - figuring she had hit a shot that Stosur wouldn't reach. But Stosur stretched out and got a racket on the ball and the umpire, Eva Asderaki, called Williams for a hindrance, awarding the point, and thus the game, to Stosur.

What followed was nowhere near as menacing as 2009, when Williams berated and brandished her racket at a referee who called a foot fault in her semifinal against Kim Clijsters.

But memorable nonetheless.

Williams went over to talk to Asderaki, saying, "I'm not giving her that game," then, "I promise you, that's not cool. That's totally not cool."

The fans, sitting on their hands as they watched an unexpected first-set flattening of the American, got riled up and so did Williams, breaking Stosur's serve on the next game, then holding her own serve for a 2-1 lead.

But on the next changeover, Williams took things up again with Asderaki and she made it personal.

"You're out of control," she said. "You're a hater, and you're just unattractive inside."

Then, a few moments later: "You're out of control." And, "Really, don't even look at me."

And as quickly as she had gained the momentum and the support of the crowd, they were gone, leaving Williams to explain and deflect - and wait to hear if there will be further consequences.

Asderaki issued a code violation warning for verbal abuse and the U.S. Tennis Association said officials would decide Monday whether Williams would be fined.

"I don't even remember what I said," Williams said. "It was just so intense out there. It's the final for me, and I was just ... I guess I'll see it on YouTube."

What she'll also see, if she watches long enough, is a rare example of a player who doesn't feel beaten before she even walks onto the court against Williams.

That's Stosur, a one-time doubles specialist, who has revamped her game over the past several years and moved her way into the top 10 in singles.

She became the first Australian woman to win a major championship since Evonne Goolagong Cawley at Wimbledon in 1980. Stosur received a text from the former player that read: "Twinkletoes, you finally have got what you deserved."

It's been building for a while, now. Stosur was the French Open runner-up last year, though maybe the most notable stat on her ledger coming into the final was her 2-4 record against Williams - not bad, all things considered.

"I knew I had to go out there and play well and actually do it," Stosur said. "But I think having those victories in the past, for sure, made me feel a little bit more comfortable."

Almost from the get-go on a cloudy day in Ashe Stadium, where Queen Latifah led an emotional rendition of the national anthem to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, Stosur looked like the more comfortable player.

Williams sprayed groundstrokes long and wide, raising her hands in frustration, and also had trouble harnessing her powerful first serve, getting only 29 of 56 of them in.

Stosur, meanwhile, moved Williams from side to side and forced her into mistakes. The Aussie had 20 winners and 12 unforced errors - a virtually unbeatable combination - while Williams hit 19 winners against 25 unforced errors.

While Williams was dealing with the emotion of the call and the rift with the umpire, she was also wondering if Stosur, who joins Li Na and Petra Kvitova as first-time Grand Slam winners this year, would come down to earth.

"I thought, OK, at some point you could level out, because I know sometimes it happens," Williams said. "But I've played a couple Grand Slam finals where I never leveled out, so I definitely thought about it."

As was the case with Clijsters two years ago, Stosur was a confused bystander when Williams got into it with the referee.

But as was the case with Clijsters, Stosur didn't need any help. Even Williams agreed with that.

"I hit a winner but I guess it didn't count," she said when asked about the call in her on-court interview. "It wouldn't have mattered in the end. Sam played really well."

Williams, who made this run after missing the better part of a year with injuries stemming from the night last summer when she stepped on broken glass in a restaurant, has had her shining moments at the U.S. Open. She won in 1999, 2002 and 2008.

But she has an equal penchant for memorable losses.

In 2004, a poor call during her quarterfinal loss to Jennifer Capriati was cited as a main reason for the introduction of replay technology in tennis. Then the Clijsters match. Now this.

"It's just always something," said Williams' mother, Oracene Price. "And it seems to happen to us."

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