Hundreds of complaints and as many as five separate lawsuits have been filed against the Seattle School District over its plans to save money by shuttering facilities.
Meanwhile, the District this week announced its schedule of quarterly meetings to take public input on its "Excellence for All" education plan.
Officials said in a statement that the hearings will involve discussions about development of a new Student Assignment Plan. . . .

Author and talk show host Tavis Smiley will be in Seattle Thursday to talk about his new book, "Accountable: Making America As Good As Its Promise." The book is the final addition to the Covenant Trilogy, following up "The Covenant with Black America" and "The Covenant in Action."
In addition to hosting "The Tavis Smiley Show" on Public Radio International and "Tavis Smiley" on PBS, Smiley hosts and organizes the annual State of the Black Union 2009, and organized a four-year traveling Black history exhibition called "America I AM" currently in Philadelphia. He will be in Seattle on Thursday . . .

Washington consumers filed 25,197 written complaints with the Attorney General's Office in 2008 – the greatest number since 2002. Gripes about health care businesses and commercial banks moved into the top 10 and telecommunications maintained its stronghold as the industry to generate the most criticism. . .

What's happening for you in your city this week? Read here a day-by-day diary of community events to fill your spare time. For a full calendar please click on "Read the complete article" below . . . .

The Skanner Annual Black History Edition is out now. The theme is on using online resources to discover your history.
 Click here to read it.

• Housing Forum Set for Thursday
• Schools Transfer Deadline is Friday
• Legislative Town Hall Saturday
• Elder Care Advocates Needed
• Environmental Fair at Jefferson
• College Night March 19

• Life Enrichment Center Reopens
• Adoption Webinar
• Community Center Classes
• Say Hey! Tacoma and Seattle
• Whirligig! Returns
• 'Taking Root'
• Small Business Seminar
• Walter Mosley Reads from 'The Long Fall'

Hundreds of blood lead test kits have been stolen from the Josiah Hill Clinic, and staff there are scrambling to pull together the funds to replace them.
Erin McNally, the clinic's executive director, says she wondered why the order of lead test kits she recently placed was not received at the organization's offices.
The clinic, a grassroots community based organization which provides free services for families, planned to use the test kits at its monthly blood lead testing clinics. . . .

King Elementary and Clark Elementary School students took a trip to the National Education Association's Read Across America celebration at OMSI on March 4, where Gov. Ted Kulongoski read to the crowd. Each child went home with two Dr. Seuss books, and the school received a $1,000 donation for its library.

For over 30 years Jacquie worked in social services. She worked at Albina Ministrial Alliance, the Public Defenders Office, Bradley Angel House, as well as many other places, including her own office — Jacquie's Office of Skillful Help & Knowledge. She was an expert at any job or task she was a part of. If you couldn't do it, all you had to do is call on "The Big Kahuna" (The Boss), as her kids and other family members would call her. . .