·         Free Dental Appointments for Kids
·         New Resume Resource at Public Library
·         State's unemployed workers may qualify for extended benefits
·         Salary Commission Meets in Vancouver on Feb. 17
·         Big Brothers/Sisters Has New Website
·         GenerationBIG Community Information Sessions

·         Scholarship Luncheon Celebrates Education

At the beginning of February, the Vancouver and Evergreen school districts experienced an increase in the number of respiratory infections among students.
After reporting a high of nearly 30 percent absenteeism in some schools, Dr. Alan Melnick, of Clark County Public Health, said the illnesses are now ebbing to normal.
"It was typical respiratory illness," Melnick said. . . .

E.D.Mondainé & Belief host a pre-release CD performance fundraiser Sunday, Feb. 22 at 5 p.m., at 8131 N Denver Ave. Achaia Records hosts the event, with food catered by Cafe De La Soul. Some of Portland's finest musicians will perform new material from their upcoming album entitled Look at Me Now. A single from this recording, "Goodness & Mercy," was nominated for a 2008 Hollywood Music Award. There will be performances by Blue Reign, the 25th Hour, and a few special surprise guests. . . .

The documentary film Darius Goes West shows at the Hollywood Theater Saturday at 1 p.m., at 4122 NE Sandy Blvd. The film is the story of 15 year old Darius Weems of Athens, Ga., who is stricken with Duchenne muscular dystrophy – a disorder destined to keep him in a wheelchair for life. When they find out Darius has never been outside Athens, a group of his friends decide they'll all embark on a road trip to Los Angeles to try to get Darius on MTV's reality television show Pimp My Ride. . . .

WASHINGTON (AP) - Researchers have concluded U.S. crime laboratories need an overhaul because they lack strict and consistent scientific standards.
The authors of the report say the lack of consistent standards raises the possibility that the quality of forensic evidence presented in court can vary unpredictably ...

Taxpayers often wonder where their money goes, is it really having an effect on education today?
On Tuesday, Feb. 24 from 7:45 a.m. to noon, Heritage High School in Vancouver opens the school doors to community patrons for their annual Community Connections Day ...

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- College sports took a step backward last year in their efforts to promote diversity in hiring practices, according to a report released Thursday.
The NCAA's grades declined in 2008 in the study by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida. College athletics received the lowest grade of any of the sports researched ...

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) -- Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe told reporters Thursday he doesn't see why the arrest of a longtime rival has made news around the world and strained relations with his new governing partners.
Mugabe's first public comments about Roy Bennett's case show the gulf between his ZANU-PF party and the Movement for Democratic Change, longtime opponents now trying to work together to rescue Zimbabwe from economic collapse.
"The issue of Roy Bennett is making headlines worldwide. I wonder why?" Mugabe said Thursday ...

Rosanna White and her mother Joy Ruplinger, in Washington D.C. to attend the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

A friend joked to me, prior to the inauguration, that I was on the "Obama Trail." I have traveled to Hawaii, Chicago, New York and Washington DC in the last month.   I went to college in Kansas and on Jan. 11 will depart for Indonesia on the final leg of my travels (for rest and rejuvenation).  It's a simple coincidence.  However, upon considering my travels in that light, I gained a new perspective. . . . 

HGTV's reality TV series, "My First Place," is back for a sixth season and coming to Portland, and surrounding areas to film first-time homebuyers as they journey through the trials and tribulations of looking for, bidding on, and buying their first place.
Each half-hour episode features people making their dream of homeownership a reality.
Producers of the show are looking for future homebuyers who are . . .