About 30 percent of incoming Washington high school juniors who didn't pass one or more sections of the Washington Assessment of Student Learning test last spring have signed up for August retakes.
That number is neither encouraging or discouraging, said Joe Willhoft, assistant superintendent for assessment and research at the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
"This is the first time we did it. It's a little bit hard to have anticipated what we might have expected," Willhoft said.
All of those who failed one or more sections of the test were eligible to sign up for the retake exams, scheduled for Aug. 7 through 10.
A total of 9,986 students registered by last Sunday's deadline for the math retake; 2,974 signed up for the reading test, and 3,344 for the writing retake, according to Kim Schmanke, a spokesperson for the state education office. A small number of these students are incoming juniors who did not take the WASL last spring, but as members of the class of 2008 they are obligated to pass the WASL or an approved alternative in order to graduate from high school. Students have as many as five chances to pass the test.

The 10th Annual Central Area Community Festival and Parade will be July 22 and 23 at the Garfield Community Center and Playfield, 2323 E. Cherry St.
This free event for all ages features art and cultural exhibits, games, kids' inflatables, merchandise, music, entertainment, food, arts and crafts, children's activities and more. The festival runs from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and noon to 10 p.m. Sunday. 
The Central Area Community Festival is meant to strengthen community pride, integrity and spirituality by promoting cultural diversity through the Central Area community.

Two free workshops for the inner artist are planned at In Other Words Bookstore through August.A…

Deus X Machina will present a new adaptation of William Shakespeare's "The Tempest" in collaboration with the residents of NewHolly in south Seattle.
With a cast of community members as well as professional actors, "The Tempest at NewHolly" will be presented outdoors at 7 p.m. July 20 through 22 at 7 p.m. on the NewHolly campus, 7050 32nd Ave. S. Admission is free.
Shakespeare's play about the big storm is also the story of a father, Prospero, who creates an island home for his daughter, Miranda. Driven from his home by political forces, including the treachery of his own brother, Prospero strives to make a better world for his daughter to grow up in.
"The Tempest at NewHolly" is based on stories of immigration and family from the residents of NewHolly.

Hundreds of Seattle residents take advantage of the warm weather over the weekend to traverse the Lake Washington shore. Throughout the summer, Lake Washington Boulevard is closed to motorized vehicles so people on bikes, roller blades and skateboards can take advantage of the scenic route along the lake.

Save The Date!!2006 Breakfast InformationFor tickets e-mail mlkbreakfast@theskanner.com or…

PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS TO HOLD JUNIOR BLAZERDANCERS AUDITIONS
Prospective dancers (ages 9-13) will try-out for Junior BlazerDancers Team

WASHINGTON--When Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., travels to Africa next month for a five-nation, 15-day tour, he will have one credential no other U.S. senator can claim: He is the son of an African.

Twice before, that connection has led Obama to visit Africa and learn more about his late father, a Kenyan goat herder who became a Harvard-educated economist for his own nation's government.

This trip is guaranteed to be different now that Obama has become a political celebrity in the United States and a hero in parts of Africa.

"As the only African American in the U.S. Senate, there is obviously some symbolic power to my visit," Obama said in an interview with The Associated Press.

The Tuskegee Airmen had something to prove: Black Americans wanted and could handle the most challenging military jobs. For their achievements, they will receive the Congressional Gold Medal in a White House ceremony later this year.
Luke Weathers, 86, was motivated by more than patriotism when he joined the Army Air Corps. "They were getting ready to draft me," he said. "I didn't want to be cannon fodder." The Memphis native, who had completed coursework for a degree in science and biology, used what influence he could to receive a spot as a cadet. He became one of 450 pilots sent overseas and one of almost 1,000 who graduated.

PHILADELPHIA, Miss.—The attorney for a one-time Ku Klux Klan leader who's serving jail time for his role in the 1964 killings of three civil rights workers says that if Edgar Ray Killen is granted bond, declining health likely will keep him at home until he dies.
The lawyers for Killen, 81, will ask Circuit Judge Marcus Gordon in Philadelphia on Friday to grant their client bond while he appeals his June 21, 2005 conviction on three counts of manslaughter. Killen was convicted of orchestrating the Neshoba County killings of James Chaney, Michael Schwerner and Andrew Goodman. The conviction came 41 years to the day after the three workers were slain.