Northeast Portland Tool Library is like a traditional library, but with tools instead of books.  It’s great for people who don’t want to buy or rent tools they are only going to use once in a while.

They lend out home-repair and gardening tools to Northeast Portland residents and community groups.  It’s located in the basement of Redeemer Lutheran Church at NE 20th Avenue and Killingsworth (entrance is on Killingsworth).

NEPTL membership is free.  Open for borrowing on Saturdays 9am–2pm and Wednesdays 5:30pm-7:30pm. Click here to for more information.

After nine years of operating an online storefront and taking their show on the road for trunk shows all over the country, Jill Golden and Samantha Becker, the women behind Tinctoria Designs, have opened their first showroom in Portland inside the Alberta Studios complex in the Alberta Arts District. At the new shop, Golden says shoppers can expect the same locally designed and locally manufactured fashion lines to which they’ve grown accustomed. The women’s tops, pants, skirts and dresses are all made with sustainable materials, like hemp, and, once they’ve been manufactured, are hand-dyed (dyes include indigo and madder root) in their nearby studio.

Tinctoria, 1627 NE Alberta St., 503.810.9232

Keep Alive The Dream: 27th Anniversary Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Highland Christian Center, 7600 NE Glisan, 11am to 6pm, donation $5.00 or five non-perishable food items.

Renewal of appreciation for the life and work of one of the world’s most renowned citizens. Simulcast on TV and radio: live on PCM Channel 11, tape-delay on Channel 28, live on KBOO Radio 90.7 FM, and streamed on the web. Features local and regional civic and social speakers, artists’ displays, gospel and jazz performers, vendors’ bazaar, food court, and exhibits. Download the flier here.

The Fix-It Fairs are FREE events designed to save you money and connect you to resources. There are two coming to North Portland soon:

January 21st, Rosa Parks Elementary School, and
February 25th, Jefferson High School, from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Workshops and exhibits:

Also:

Check out their official web site and Facebook page.

Effective January 1st, Oregon updated its cell phone law. You must use a hands-free accessory if you use a mobile telecommunications device while driving, or risk citation. For details, look here.

If you weren’t able to attend the meeting but keep informed about what transpired, you can read the minutes here.

Whether you are a first-time home buyer, a homeowner struggling to avoid foreclosure, a senior facing home repair bills, or simply a renter who wants someday to buy, there are programs available to assist you.

For help with first-time home buying, contact PCRI.

These organizations all have programs to help prevent foreclosure:

• Hacienda CDC
• Clearpoint Financial Solutions
• African American Alliance for Homeownership

Every 13 seconds, U.S. Poison Centers receive a call about someone being exposed to a poison. Over 50% of these emergencies involve a child under five years of age. Would you know what to do? Learn about common household poisons, prevention, and first aid in case of accidental contact here.

A brownfield is a site where contamination – or the possibility of contamination – is preventing use or redevelopment. This event, “Restore our Community, Rebuild our Wealth,” will focus on local brownfields and economic community development.

Saturday, November 12th, 11AM to 1PM, at Constructing Hope, 408 NE Church Street (at the northeast corner of MLK).

For more information, contact Steven Gilliam at Steven@oregonaction.org or 971-634-0004.

Here’s a resource for useful & fun information about our neighborhood.

For instance, did you know that the oldest settled area in the Albina area is the Woodlawn Historic District? Initially settled in the 1860s as a rural farming village not called Woodlawn, it was the only independent town that existed outside the city of Albina.

You can even submit your own pictures!

This and lots more at http://www.portlandneighborhood.com/woodlawn.html.