It was not just Parkrose celebrating a birthday last month. The Gateway Center for Domestic Violence Services marked a year of operations at East Burnside Street and 102nd Avenue.

In a report to the Multnomah County Commission last month, Executive Director Martha Strawn Morris reported that more than 2,000 adults and 750 children had paid 7,000 visits to the facility.

One of its main offerings is enabling domestic violence victims to obtain restraining orders against abusers, and last year visitors obtained 557 such orders, nearly a quarter of all obtained in the county. This represented 90 percent of those who sought such orders at the center, as compared to 85 percent at the downtown county courthouse.

Editor’s note: The 2012 City elections will be a watershed event in city leadership… with Mayor Adams and Commissioner Leonard declining to run for re-election; and with Commissioner Amanda Fritz facing a serious challenge, for the first time in decades, there could be three new faces on City council. Veteran beat reporter Lee Perlman is assigned to interview major candidates for theses offices.

Oregon State Rep. Mary Nolan, D-Portland, is running for Portland City Council Position Number 1 against incumbent Commissioner Amanda Fritz. Taking on a sitting council member is an uphill battle even if the incumbent is vulnerable, as Fritz is considered to be.

The Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization, celebrating 35 years of promoting the integration of refugees, immigrants and the community at large into a self-sufficient, healthy and inclusive, multi-ethnic society, has planned an anniversary party and fundraiser on Saturday, Oct. 15 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at The Nines, 525 S.W. Morrison St., in downtown Portland.

East Portland's Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization is the doorway to American assimilation for many immigrants and refugees.

The party theme – We All Share the Same Sky – is supported by world music, food, performances and celebration as well as an auction. Sophie Soong, of Fox News 12 is the Mistress of Ceremonies.

Posted online, a recap of the October 2011 edition of the Mid-county Memo  follows ….

At 15, Curtis Crawford joined the Knott Street Boxing Club; it changed his life forever. Crawford is a mixed martial arts fighter, youth boxing coach and a personal trainer at his gym, Curt’s Ultimate, in Gateway; he lives to fight.

Curtis Crawford, from left, with Curt's Ultimate Youth Boxing coaches Ray Monge and Joel Caldera. Crawford's gym, his mixed martial arts career and youth boxing program are featured on the Memo's front page this month.

East Portland Rep. Jefferson Smith throws his hat in the ring for Portland’s mayor.

If you travel Northeast Halsey Street in the vicinity of 119th Avenue, there is no doubt you have seen the colorful new storefront of U Can Do It Dog Wash.

Proprietor Sue Wade was convinced Mid-county was in need of a dog grooming facility that offers pet owners the option of shampooing their dogs themselves or turning the task over to her and her staff. Her intuition has paid off in the form of neighbors and potential customers dropping in to check the place out.

As you can see, U Can Do It Dog Wash professional groomer Taylor Case enjoys making dogs look adorable. COURTESY SUSAN WADE

Tonight, near 10 p.m., a home invasion robbery took place in the 2700 block of Northeast 102nd Avenue in east Portland’s Parkrose neighborhood.

Prior to arriving at the scene, officers learned there were three armed suspects wearing masks. A husband and wife and their adult son were the victims of the residential robbery.

The husband and wife suffered non-life threatening injuries in the course of the hold-up and were transported to a nearby hospital.  Police also report shots were fired inside the home by the suspects during the course of the robbery; it is believed one of the suspects was injured in the robbery.

The Portland Police Bureau’s investigation of last night’s shooting at the People’s Bar & Grill, 7901 N.E. Glisan St. discovered more than three dozen shots were fired with two men wounded, 30-year-old Lance Elliott Lewis and 22-year-old Tracy Lee Horsley II; both received non-life-threatening wounds during the shooting.

Neither gunshot victim is cooperating with Gang Enforcement investigators and it has not been determined if they were the targets of the shooting. At this point, there is no suspect information and no arrests have been made.

If anyone has information, they are urged to contact Lt. Robert.King, 503-823-0100, or Robert.King@portlandoregon.gov.

Chris Sullivan, an English Language Learner teacher at Sacramento Elementary School in the Parkrose School District, has created the Sacrament Market for all Sacramento families.

Every Friday afternoon from 3 to 4 p.m. the market is set up in a breeze way outside his second grade classroom. Sacramento families are encouraged to bring an empty grocery bag to the school, 11400 N.E. Sacramento St., and fill it with free fresh fruit, vegetables and whole grain bread.

While picking up her grandson Timmy after school, Kareny Phomauhanh, with granddaughter Lyla, picks up fresh vegetables from Sacramento Market for tonight’s dinner.

East Portland in Motion reads as if a list of most of the mobility aids that Portland east of 82nd needs and does not have; sidewalks, safe street crossings, bikeways, trails and usable roads. In short, it sounds like the sort of compilation contained in the East Portland Action Plan and many documents before it.

New sidewalks coming to parts of east Portland.

The 2012 City elections will be a watershed event in city leadership… with Mayor Adams and Commissioner Leonard declining to run for re-election, and Amanda Fritz facing a serious challenge, for the first time in decades, we could see three new faces on the City council.

The next mayor will, in all likelihood, oversee the Portland Police Bureau

To that end, over the next few months, Mid-county Memo veteran beat reporter Lee Perlman is conducting a series of interviews with mayoral and council contenders and he needs your help.
He has questions to ask them, do you? We want to ask Portland’s next mayor and commissioner your questions too….let us ask them for you.