In this busy time of year, take a few moments for yourself — and Street Roots — and savor a good read over a cup of hot chocolate. The new edition is on the streets this morning. Here is what’s headed your way:
Charlie Hales: The former city commissioner hopes his experience and ‘smarter solutions’ will win over voters next spring. The latest in our series of candidate interviews.
Thomas Olrich: The man I am: The third installment in a powerful series by Leah Nash chronicling the lives of people with Asperger’s Syndrome. Be sure to check out the photo essays posted here as well.
Making Portland’s complex food deserts grow green: A report on Portland’s food deserts and how the city and county are looking at ways to fill those gaps in our healthy food grid.
Vendor portraits: Don’t miss our collection of vendor portraits showing, in a word, what Street Roots means to them. It’s a moving package of faces and words that illustrate the power of your support for their work. It means more than you might have expected.
Plus, poetry, columns and lots of good stuff rolled into one newspaper, and all for only $1! So remember to pick up the new edition when you head out tomorrow and share a smile with your favorite vendor. Thank you!
For those who can't afford free speech 
My one word…
I remember how I felt about encountering my first Street Roots in Spring 2000, right after I moved to Portland.
“Power.” As in, “Knowledge is power.”
Congratulations all on a job well done.