Amaija Grinnell 3, takes a cool, refreshing swim in Lake Washington on a hot July day.

Last week, the King County Council unanimously adopted a five-year Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Plan for 2008-2012. The plan demonstrates the county's continued high performance and commitment to equal employment opportunity, and adds new tools to measure diversity in the county workforce.
"In the past two decades, King County government has made significant strides in providing equal opportunities for historically disadvantaged populations," said King County Councilmember Larry Phillips, prime sponsor of the plan. "Our Affirmative Action Plan has been a major tool for improving workforce diversity and ensuring that women and minorities have access to promotions, high-wage jobs and the full spectrum of employment paths. This update improves on the previous plan by requiring implementation plans and annual progress reports to ensure even greater accountability."
The new plan adds requirements to the Affirmative Action Plan that enhance that county's ability to measure diversity in the county's executive departments. For the first time, the plan includes data on salary ranges by race and gender. When compared to data from the U.S. Census Bureau on income by race and gender, the plan shows that the county workforce is more diverse at the higher salary ranges.
"King County continues to play an exemplary role in the hiring of minorities and women, and we are very proud of our accomplishments in this area," said Council Chair Larry Gossett, who also chairs the council's General Government and Labor Relations Committee. "The requirements we added to the plan allow us to ....

SEATTLE — Felons who serve their full prison terms still must pay their court-ordered legal fines before voting again, a divided state Supreme Court ruled Thursday.
In a case watched closely by national voting rights advocates, three ex-convicts claimed Washington's felon-voting restrictions unconstitutionally denied voting rights based on a person's wealth.
But in a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court said the law did not illegally discriminate against poor felons who have trouble paying their legal bills....

After a disappointing 9-7 season last year, the Seattle Seahawks opened their 32nd annual training camp Sunday with a few new faces they hope will help get them back to the Super Bowl. The three-time NFC West Champions hope to capture a fourth title this year.
The players now practice twice a day, this time at team headquarters in Kirkland; the Seahawks have abandoned their training camp in Cheney in Eastern Washington where they held their previous camps....

After becoming the first graduating class of the North Portland Media Training Center almost two months ago, students will be able to showcase their work to the community.
Trainees participated in nine weeks of classes, learning journalism principles and storytelling techniques using digital video and audio recording equipment. Using what they learned, the class divided into two groups to produce two films, "Cleaning up the Boulevard" and "101 and Still Counting."
"… Boulevard" is about a street cleaning project on Martin Luther King Jr., and "101 …" is about a 101-year-old Portland man who recounts his life in the city of Roses.
The productions will air throughout the month of August on the Portland Access Channels.
The following 15 dates are scheduled for the project.......

1. Sisters of the Road begins 'Dining with Dignity'
2. Washington program to recycle old block foam

RICHMOND, Va. -- For years, Toinetta Jones played the dating game by her mom's strict rule.
"Mom always told me, 'Don't you ever bring a white man home,'" recalled Jones, echoing an edict issued by many Southern, Black mothers.
But at 37, the Alexandria divorcee has shifted to dating "anyone who asks me out," regardless of race.
"I don't sit around dreaming about the perfect Black man I'm going to marry," Jones said.
Black women around the country also are reconsidering deep-seated reservations....

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Police are testing guns and other evidence recovered from raids that resulted in the arrest of seven members of an Oakland Black Muslim splinter group who police suspect were involved in the killing of a journalist and two others.
Oakland Police Lt. Ersie Joyner said one of the guns found during the raids is thought to be the weapon that was used to slay Chauncey Bailey, a journalist who was killed by a masked gunman Thursday whilst....

WASHINGTON -- The House handed President Bush a victory Saturday, voting to expand the government's abilities to eavesdrop without warrants on foreign suspects whose communications pass through the United States.
The 227-183 vote, which followed the Senate's approval Friday, sends the bill to Bush for his signature.
Late Saturday, Bush said, "The Director of National Intelligence, Mike McConnell, has assured me that this bill gives him what he needs to continue to protect the country, and therefore I will sign this legislation as soon as it gets to my desk."
The administration said the measure is needed to speed the National Security Agency's ability to intercept phone calls, e-mails and other communications involving foreign nationals "reasonably believed to be outside the United States." Civil liberties groups and many Democrats said it goes too far, possibly enabling the government to wiretap U.S. residents communicating with overseas parties without adequate oversight from courts or Congress....

Brown v. Board of Education. To most of us, this case signifies a turning point in our country's history – a subtle swing away from oppression, the chance for a better future. But for Eva Rutland, the author of more than 20 novels and winner of the 2000 Golden Pen Award for Lifetime Achievement, the landmark Supreme Court decision was a little more obscure....