With recent reports that half of American families are carrying more than $25,000 in debt and the nation's unemployment rate at a staggering 8.1 percent and expected to climb, debt reduction is the top of everyone's list. Financial advisor and CNBC's retirement expert Bill Losey is revealing his "6 Steps To Get Out of Debt." . . .

• Police to Hold Public Racial Profiling Meeting, April 2
• Parent Action Committee Meeting: Potty Training Special Needs Children, April 14

Unemployed? Hours recently cut back? Or maybe you are not affected by these hard economic times but want to help … you just don't know how. Becoming a YWCA Clark County volunteer is one way to help your community. . . .

In recognition of "National Tag Day" on April 4, and as part of an ongoing return-to-owner campaign, the Seattle Animal Shelter extends an offer to Seattle pet owners to provide dual protection for their pets. The offer runs from April 4 through 10 and includes . . . According to a study by the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy, about one million dogs and more than 500,000 cats are taken into animal shelters as strays each year. Sadly, only about 15 percent of those dogs and 2 percent of the cats are reunited with their owners.
"If your pet gets lost and doesn't have a license tag, identification tag or a microchip, the odds are you'll never see it again," says Jordan. "It is our sincere hope that the dual protection of a pet license and personalized pet identification tag, combined with free microchip registration, will increase the odds that you and your pet are reunited if your pet is ever lost or stolen." . . .

With a last-minute infusion of more than $150,000 in contributions and grants -- and a rapid reorganization of its finances -- the Leadership and Entrepreneurship Public Charter School failed to score an easy turnaround against a shutdown proposal at a packed Monday night meeting, but put members of the Public Schools Board on the record as supporting their eventual charter renewal. . . .

The Conficker worm, a nasty computer infection that has poisoned millions of PCs, will start ramping up its efforts Wednesday to use those machines for cybercrimes. It's unclear whether everyday PC users will even notice, but this is as good an excuse as any to make sure your computer is clean. There are some easy ways to figure out whether a computer has the Conficker worm, and free tools available for getting rid of it. . . .

Karol Brown brought Harriet Tubman back to life for a small but appreciative audience Saturday March 28 at the Lake City Branch of the Seattle Public Library.  Karol and her husband James who plays Harriet's caretaker Brother Ely will be performing at several other Libraries including the Central Library on April 2 from 2 to 3 p.m.; the Columbia City Library Saturday April 11 from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. and at High Point Branch Saturday, May 16 from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.  The program is free to the public.

Every American with an income of $56,000 or less is now able to use free online tax preparation services available on the IRS website before the April 15th tax deadline. The online program offers free step-by-step preparation and filing services for 70 percent of American taxpayers.
"The Free File Alliance walks taxpayers through the filing process to make it quick, easy and secure," said Tim Hugo, executive director of the Free File Alliance. "With the recession trimming budgets everywhere, this program helps Americans by offering essential tax preparation at no cost for all 98 million Americans making $56,000 or less."
Taxpayers who would like to take advantage of the Free File service can visit the IRS website, www . . .

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday threw out a cigarette maker's appeal of a $79.5 million award to a smoker's widow, ending a 10-year legal fight to keep her from collecting.
In a one-sentence order, the court left in place a ruling by the state of Oregon Supreme Court in favor of Mayola Williams. The state court has repeatedly upheld a verdict against Altria Group Inc.'s Philip Morris USA in a fraud trial in 1999.
The judgment has grown to more than $155 million with interest, and Williams stands to collect between $60 million and $65 million, before taxes and payments to her lawyers . . .

As AIG uses the bailout to hand out bonuses, a new report says people of color continue to bear the heaviest burden in the current economic recession. According to the Center for Social Inclusion, communities of color continue to be disproportionately deprived of infrastructure spending, job creation and other key government services. The report's authors call for the government to use some of the billions in federal stimulus money to focus on the needs of communities of color. . . .