Read recent news coverage of Metro and related topics in local and national media. Link to online stories from newspapers, radio, television and blogs.

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Metro Chief Operating Officer Michael Jordan shared his ideas on the development of a Community Investment Strategy with the Portland Policy Council of the Oregon Opportunity Network. The Network is a statewide association of non-profit affordable housing and community development organizations that provide housing and economic opportunity for working families, people with disabilities, seniors and others struggling to meet their needs. The Portland Policy Council is made up of 14 representatives from community development corporations and other non-profit organizations serving the greater Portland area. The discussion at the Sept. 1 meeting focused on how to make affordable housing a stronger component of the Community Investment Strategy. Martha McLennan, executive director of Northwest Housing Alternatives, urged Metro to call for stronger measures to provide more affordable housing throughout the region. "It is incumbent upon Metro to use the bully pulpit to ring alarm bells about cost-burdened households," she said.

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A regional committee that controls transportation spending in the Portland area today approved spending additional money to fill a budget hole for the Milwaukie light rail project. After an hour of heated discussion, the panel also agreed to borrow $12 million to speed public transit planning in two more corridors. With the unanimous vote by the Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation, the region will borrow against an expected $2 million to $3 million a year in Regional Flexible Funds to generate $27.4 million for the Milwaukie project, $6 million for planning mass transit between Portland and Lake Oswego and $6 million for planning along the Oregon 99W/Barbur Boulevard corridor. That adds to $72.5 million already allocated to the Milwaukie project from the flexible funds program, and helps make it possible for construction to start next summer.

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Starting Tuesday Sep. 7, Metro will welcome four new interns from North Portland’s De La Salle North Catholic High School. Olivia Martin, Nyalual Beng, Keisha Johnson and Vishal Nguyen will each work about five days a month at the Metro Regional Center as part of the school's Corporate Internship Program, which places students of diverse backgrounds at cooperating agencies and businesses. The students will join the Metro Council office team for the next ten months to provide support to Metro Councilors and office staff.

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