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 at the times and locations listed below:

President Barack Obama on Tuesday embraced a new approach to education that would reward good teachers, remove limits on charter schools and lengthen both the school day and the school year. These proposals, which constitute the heart of Obama's vision of 21st century education reform, were sure to generate loud criticism, particularly from teacher union. Educators oppose charter schools because they . . . .

The Supreme Court limited the reach of the Voting Rights Act on Monday, a decision that could make it harder for some minority candidates to win election when voting districts are redrawn.  In a 5-4 decision, the justices ruled that a portion of the law aimed at helping minorities elect their preferred candidates only applies . . .

The state House of Representatives has passed a 'bill of rights' for students and families in public schools.
Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos (D-Seattle), who sponsored the measure, says that while these rights may seem obvious at first glance, it is important for them to be specifically laid out and communicated to students and their parents or guardians as they navigate the public school system. "It's been often said that parents are their children's first and best educators . . .

It's hard to imagine how Hollywood in 2009 could possibly continue to crank out such satisfying, comic book hero adventures one after another as it did in 2008, a year when we were treated to a quartet of outstanding offerings, including Iron Man, The Amazing Hulk, Wanted and The Dark Knight. Unfortunately, that impressive string comes to an abrupt end with the release of the Watchmen, an underwhelming splatter flick bound to be as well remembered for its casual display of  . . .

Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown visited The Skanner offices last week to talk about improving the auditing system, the citizens initiative system and how to reach traditionally disenfranchised communities of voters. . . .

James Faison, owner of Faison Construction, is one of five small minority and women-owned firms that are learning the details of hospital construction with large firms. The mentorship program is being coordinated by Kaiser Permanente for work on their new and old facilities.

Building hospitals can be tricky business. It's a specialized profession and if you're the owner of a construction company that doesn't have a hospital work history, you can virtually forget about getting those kinds of contracts. Kaiser Permanente is hoping to change all that.

Alyce Dixon, Gladys Schuster Carter, and Mary Crawford Ragland, all members of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, were honored by the U.S. Army's Freedom Team Salute program at a ceremony at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery. Dixon is the oldest surviving member of the Battalion at 101 years old. . . .

You might not know it, but Oregon has a long history with the film industry. Thousands of films have been produced in the state and state officials say they'd like to see that number increase.
With "Coraline" already in theatres, a new untitled Harrison Ford film in the making and the TNT-produced "Leverage" series soon to be in production, the Portland area continues to grow in its reputation as a film town – and an area where jobs in the film industry can be sustained. . . .

The formation of a Major League Soccer franchise in Portland took another step forward this week.
The Major League Soccer Task Force approved a set of recommendations that would see the city refurbish PGE Park as a soccer-only stadium and constructing a new minor league baseball stadium elsewhere in the city.
In order to bring MLS soccer to the city, PGE Park would need a $38 million upgrade and the Beavers would need a new, smaller stadium that is better suited for its attendance levels. The Task Force recommends either destroying Memorial Coliseum to build a new stadium in its footprint or expanding the Walker Stadium baseball facility located in the Lents neighborhood . . .