Rockwood News

It turned out to be raccoons. 4:22 a.m. - A caller along the 12200 block of SE McLoughlin Boulevard told police a weird smell was coming from an upstairs apartment, and the fire department refused to respond.

21, the Assistance League is holding a fund-raising dance-off between local celebrities for its children's program.

Cost is $3.75. With every paid admission, one parent can skate free. Call 503-667-1647 for information.

Becca Stevens was once in an orchestra dedicated to Bjork - really. No word whether she'll don a swan costume tonight as part of the Becca Stevens Band at Rockwood Music Hall, 196 Allen St.

Thanks to nearly $2 million in federal housing dollars and declining construction costs, a long-awaited affordable housing project in Rockwood is set to break ground in February.

Linda Panza, who with her husband, Joe, has owned and operated Giuseppe's Italian restaurant in Rockwood for 23 years, is thrilled that county leaders are again considering the construction of a courthouse in Rockwood.

Practice English or Spanish and help other learners. Beginners welcome. Details: www.multcolib.org/ events/intercambio. html .

Gresham's Rockwood neighborhood inched closer to gaining a new East County courthouse Tuesday when Multnomah County commissioners reviewed a plan to build a scaled-down 37,000-square-foot facility there.

Families can shop for gently used back-to-school clothes or baby clothes. Children can enjoy yoga, storytimes, arts and crafts and a parade while their parents shop.

Hoping to add a splash of color to a blah-looking parking lot, Gresham's urban renewal agency is asking residents to help paint a sun-centered mural that will serve as the foundation for a new plaza.

Agenda includes interim uses for the Cultural Marketplace, an update on improvements to the Rockwood/188th Avenue MAX station, Stark Street banners in Rockwood and a possible increase of the grant award for exterior improvements to $40,000. For more information, call Cecille Turley at 503-618-2545. Damascus Committee for Citizen Involvement Work ...

Hopes to create an ethnic farmers market in Rockwood this summer appear to be on hold, but urban renewal commissioners are still interested in building soccer fields in what's now an expanse of gravel.

McMenamins Edgefield, 2126 S.W. Halsey St., Troutdale. All shows free for ages 21 and older unless noted.

Want to help East Multnomah County? Consider light rail on Stark Street. guest column By Duke Shepard of Portland, Oregon.

Now that Gresham's redevelopment commission has opted against anchoring a cultural marketplace in the city's urban renewal district with a YMCA, it's regrouping, possibly with a focus on public safety.

The Gresham Outlook welcomes calendar notices for weekly public events and support group meetings in East County.