Aid Financial Nursing Student

Currently, this year's high-school seniors have to pass both sections of the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) to earn a diploma. This bill would postpone that requirement to 2012.

"Anything I can do to lessen the WASL's impact on kids, I will do," said Pridemore, who graduated from Fort Vancouver High in 1979.

After Harvard, Yale boosts aid

Yale announced this week that it will change its undergraduate financial aid policy for all students this fall. The changes are meant to make college more affordable for middle and upper-income families and follow in the footsteps of a similar policy enacted by Harvard last December.

"We want all of our students to make the most of Yale — academically and beyond — without worrying about excessive work hours or debt," Yale president Richard Levin said in a press release. "Our new financial aid package makes this aspiration a reality."

At both Yale and Harvard, parents with annual incomes below $60,000 a year will not have to contribute toward their child's college education, and families with incomes from $60,000 to $120,000 will now pay between 1 and 10 percent of their incomes toward tuition.

LCC registration system produces more headaches for students, staff

Midway through the first week of classes at Lansing Community College, Reba Milow still was trying to register.

Panel: Build 'Early Action' projects on time

The staff came back Friday with other options: Delay other projects while carrying the Trolley forward, delay all of the early projects, or keep all of the projects on schedule and work to fill the gap later.The panel opted to keep every highway, rail and bus project on schedule.But in doing so, Santee Councilman Jack Dale reminded colleagues that they were committing themselves to "a mission to find additional dollars."And Del Mar Mayor Dave Druker, representing coastal North County on the panel, warned that if the mission fails, the agency will have to leave other projects behind in the second go-round of TransNet.Besides the Early Action Program, TransNet proposes to fund a slew of other projects. Those include popular North County projects such as car-pool lanes on Highway 78 between Oceanside and Escondido and widening of Interstate 5.The discussion was prompted by the need to adopt a TransNet financing plan as the agency prepares to sell $600 million in bonds this April to jump-start the 40-year campaign to make traveling around the county a little easier.The panel was persuaded to stay the course by John Meyer of Escondido, chairman of a regional watchdog group that oversees TransNet spending.

Davidson Calendar: Jan. 18-31, 2008

The Improv Nashville Show: Improv Nashville performs scenes, games and a one-act play based on audience suggestions. 8 p.m. Jan. 18 and 25, 12th South Arts Venue, 2907 12th Ave. S.; $10; tickets: 418-0905 or www.improvnashville.com.