The August issue of the Mid-county Memo is posted online. A re-cap of its content follows …

This month’s issue has a front page feature story about the Native American Youth and Family Center housed in an old elementary school on Columbia Blvd. in east Portland.

Lee Perlman pens a piece about the results of the recently revived Barn Bash, a western style party that was annually held at Rossi Farms in Parkrose for ten years before it ended in 2007, is the subject of the second story on this month’s front page.

A news release from the Portland Housing Bureau seeking members for a new advisory committee follows. Attention Richard W. Ellmyer, here’s your chance.

Interested in weighing in on investments of public resources in housing? Want to serve as a sounding board on significant housing policy issues? Want to be in a position to officially advise City Council and City staff on matters relating to housing issues?

The Portland Housing Bureau invites you to apply for membership on its new Portland Housing Advisory Committee. The Portland Housing Advisory Committee is a new volunteer public advisory body that will advise the Director of the Portland Housing Bureau, the Housing commissioner, and the Portland City Council on a range of housing policy and program issues.

A recap of feature articles from the September issue of the Mid-county Memo follows.

The three stories on the front page are: TriMet opens light rail service in Southeast Portland to Clackamas Town Center with the opening of the Green Line Saturday, September 12.

Marking the completion of the Russellville community — begun over a decade ago by the Rembold family — Russellville Park II opens with fanfare and politicos speechifying.

Mid-County’s Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization uses federal stimulus dollars to keep hundreds of teenagers working and learning.

Citizen volunteers needed for police review committee

The Independent Police Review Division receives and screens complaints about Portland Police Bureau officers. The IPR may investigate, mediate, dismiss, or refer complaints to the Portland Police Bureau.

The IPR overseeing investigations, analyzing complaint patterns, and conducting policy reviews. is seeking volunteers for the Citizen Review Committee to monitor and advise the IPR, hear appeals and receive public concerns.

Candidates must be Portland, Oregon residents or business owners with a lack of real or perceived conflicts of interest for or against law enforcement. Seeking five volunteers for two year terms.

For nearly 30 years Neighborhood Watch has been a cornerstone of Portland’s crime prevention efforts. neighborhood Watches are groups of neighbors working together to improve public safety, building community on their block, in their neighborhood.

Neighborhood Watch participants get to know their neighbors, learn crime prevention techniques, and together, plan projects, such as: eradicate drug houses, have a neighborhood garage sale, help maintain yards of neighbors unable to.

The City of Portland’s Crime Prevention Program administers Neighborhood Watch for Portland. Every few years, staff conducts a survey, updating their information.  Thie survey will be conducted this summer, from mid-June to late July.

This is a wee bit out of our usual coverage area, but, as we admire and respect the work the Loaves & Fishes does, we wanted to publish this in the hopes of garnering the needed volunteers.

Loaves & Fishes Centers, the Meals-On-Wheels People, are seeking volunteer drivers to ensure home bound seniors in Southeast Portland receive nutritious meals and a bit of companionship.

“These volunteers are so invaluable because they not only help us feed our frail elderly, but they make sure these seniors see a friendly face at least once a week. Sometimes the Meals-On-Wheels driver is the only person these home bound seniors see all day,” said Belmont Loaves & Fishes Center Manager Donna Trilli.

A special celebration marks the official opening of Portland’s  first skate plaza at Ed Benedict Park Saturday, May 30. Following the celebration the inaugural ALL-City Skate Series Invitational begins.

Enjoy skateboarding tricks, a Disc Jockey, music, food, drinks, prizes and giveaways — all in honor of Portland Parks & Recreation skateboarding youth!

This competition is open to all youth enrolled in any PP&R skateboarding program or class. The competition has two separate age brackets: 12-and-under (K-8) and 18-and-under (grades 9-12). The opening celebration, featuring City Commissioners Nick Fish and Dan Saltzman, starts at 1 p.m.; the Adidas/Tribute Demo starts at 1:30 p.m. The PP&R Skate Jam kicks off at 2:30 p.m., participants need to check-in by 2 p.m.

A summary of feature stories from the May 2009 edition of the Mid-county Memo:

The Gateway Green Project gets going with a grant for planning and an anonymous donation.

To meet Mayor Sam Adams’ first round of budget cuts, Portland Police Chief Rosie Sizer  cuts the number of police precincts from five to three.  The Northeast Precinct will now stretch from Linnton to Gresham.

Western States Chiropractic College, the 105-year-old institution in Mid-county seeks to become a university.

Up next, Perlman’s Potpourri: news items from across the Gateway and Parkrose neighborhoods of mid-Multnomah County from veteran Beat Reporter Lee Perlman.