Faced with unprecedented call volumes from people applying for unemployment benefits, the Washington State Employment Security Department today announced that its call centers will now be open on Saturday mornings beginning this week.
Applicants now may call on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon in addition to the normal 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekday schedule....

Freida Thompson's drawing of President Barack Obama as "Sir Barackster", her "hero". But, are Blacks expecting too much?
Credit: Freida Thompson

"Hello. My Name is Freida. I am a 52 years young Black female that had 3 strokes and [I am] doing fine right now. I am a full time stay at home artist…I have sent you a copy of my hero, Sir Barackster. I created him on Nov. 1st because I felt he would be the hero."
Those are the words of Freida Thompson of Manalapan, N.J., in a letter to the editor of the NNPA News Service.
"I really, really, really want him to take care of the health issue,"

The recent severe downturn in the stock market may further reduce stock ownership by African American and other minority investors, new research suggests.
Minorities, who had long trailed Whites in stock ownership, had begun to catch up between 1992 and 2001. But a new study found that those gains largely disappeared between 2001 and 2004, which included the major stock market downturn in 2002.
If minorities began bailing out of the stock market ...

Portland Community Media hosted one of its largest orientation meetings ever Jan. 28. About 70 people turned out to learn more about the television training and production center and to sign up for classes and volunteering opportunities. Extra chairs had to be brought in to seat the diverse crowd that ranged from 20-somethings to seniors. According to Pam Carsten, PCM's community relations specialist, the usual turnout is around 35. ...

Rep. Zack Hudgins (D – Tukwila) wants his fellow lawmakers in the state Legislature to get behind a package of bills that build on his past work that accelerates the groundwork for reaching every corner of the state with broadband Internet connections. 
"You want to talk about economic stimulus; Washington is the most trade-dependent state in the country," he said in a statement. "Without access to quick, reliable Internet service, students will miss opportunities to explore the world beyond their textbooks, and small businesses will continue to struggle to move their products anywhere but locally....

The Seattle Public Library, United Way of King County and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) are collaborating to offer free tax preparation service through April 15 at 11 locations of The Seattle Public Library.
Trained volunteers will answer questions and help prepare personal tax returns. The service is not available for business tax returns.
Tax assistance will be available as follows ...

Clint Ball, with Neighborcare Health, the sponsor of the West Seattle High School Teen Health Center gives Seattle School Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson a tour of the health center on Monday Feb. 2, after a celebration in the school library of 20 years of school-based healthcare centers. The Teen Health Center staff provides services to more than 5,000 uninsured and underinsured students every year, in 14 Seattle middle and high schools.

Changes could be coming to the Independent Police Review Division and Citizens Review Committee in 2009. The CRC recently appointed two new members and the IPR will be launching an ongoing community outreach campaign.
Citizen complaints to the city's Independent Police Review division decreased in the last quarter of 2008.
Mary-Beth Baptista, director of IPR, isn't celebrating or brooding about the news quite yet....

Undergoing a host of classes and projects in 2009, Sabin Community Development Corporation is showing no signs of slowing down since its founding in 1991.
Starting this year, Craig Fondren is overseeing a team that will take Sabin's multimedia classes to a new level....

President Barack Obama Wednesday signed federal legislation that gives Washington's Apple Health for Kids program a $15-million-per-year shot in the arm.
Governor Chris Gregoire, who was present for the signing, says the new funding available through the federal Children's Health Insurance Program gives Washington state more than enough federal support to restart Apple Health for Kids coverage for families earning between 250 and 300 percent of the Federal Poverty Level, which was suspended last December....