SALEM — Starting with the senior class of 2014, it will get tougher to graduate from high school in Oregon, under a plan passed last week by members of the state Board of Education.
That means that this year's fifth graders will need to take four years of English, three years of math at the algebra I and higher level and three years of science to get a high school diploma.
They'll also need to show that they've mastered a set of what school board members are calling "essential skills," including the ability to read and interpret a variety of texts and apply mathematics in a variety of settings.

In an effort to break down the communication barriers between parents and teens, the Multnomah County STARS Program is teaming up with Portland State University to produce an educational DVD about teen sexuality.
The STARS Program, or "Students Today aren't Ready for Sex," uses an abstinence-based approach toward sexual education. Program Manager Kathy Norman said STARS partners with local schools to provide education; local schools determine whether to include contraceptive or reproductive health curriculums.
Norman will co-host several community forums with the PSU students to help determine the direction and content for the yet-to-be produced DVD. The DVD will aim to provide parents with tools to help them communicate with their teen and pre-teen sons and daughters about dating, sexual involvement and decision-making.

CHICAGO — It took 41 years for a Black head coach to make it all the way to the Super Bowl.
Lovie Smith did it Sunday on a snowy afternoon in Chicago. Four hours later, his good pal and mentor Tony Dungy joined him. Not one, but two Black coaches meeting in the nation's biggest sporting spectacle.

Nineteen students received $1,000 scholarships from sponsors of The Skanner's 21st annual Martin Luther King, Jr. breakfast on Jan. 15.  Over 1,100 people attended the event, which was keynoted by Luke Visconti, publisher, DiversityInc magazine.

Doris Burns, left, and Mattie Woodson participate in a Fitness for Life class at Garfield Community Center.  The class is one of many opportunities offered to people 50 and older by the Seattle Parks and Recreation Lifetime Recreation Program.

Cardiovascular disease, including stroke, is the leading cause of death for African American men and women, claiming the lives of 100,000 people annually.
But the American Heart Association and the Washington State Department of Health want to reduce that statistic. They are partnering with local barbershops and beauty salons across Puget Sound to help educate African Americans about the causes of cardiovascular disease.
Beauticians and barbers will be trained to check their clients' blood pressure, at no cost to their clients, and their shops will be equipped with the necessary machines.
A launch event and training session will be held for Pierce County businesses at 10 a.m. Monday, Jan. 29 at A&M Beauty Supply & Salon, 6209 Mt. Tacoma Drive S.W. in Lakewood.
King County businesses will be trained at 9:30 a.m. Monday, Feb. 5 at Safeco's Jackson Street Center, 306 23rd Ave. S.

TACOMA — Gov. Chris Gregoire is looking for ways to link with private contractors to design and build expensive new road and bridge projects, probably using tolls to help pay for them.
Projects could include widening Interstate 90 over Snoqualmie Pass, a new Columbia River bridge at Vancouver and a replacement span across Lake Washington.

OLYMPIA — Leaders in the state House on Monday quickly moved a measure to restrict demonstrations at funeral services, especially those for military personnel.
The bill — one of the first measures passed this session by the House — sailed through 89-5, with four representatives excused.
Rep. Dan Roach, R-Bonney Lake, sponsored the bill and said the measure would protect more than just military families.
"Everyone has the right to mourn a loved one without a person in their face protesting," Roach said on the floor.
The measure — if approved by the Senate — would require protesters to remain 500 feet or more from funeral processions, the gravesite and the funeral home or building where a funeral service is taking place.

Those attending the Media Access Workshop last Saturday talk to journalists about how to interest the media in their stories. Several journalists participated in a panel discussion, including, from left, Chris B. Bennett, co-publisher/editor, of The Seattle Medium; Lornet Turnbull reporter, The Seattle Times; and Phyllis Fletcher, reporter, KUOW Radio. The Seattle Association of Black Journalists sponsored the workshop.

OLYMPIA — The First Amendment rights of high school and college journalists are up for debate in Washington state, as lawmakers consider whether young scribes should have the same free-press rights as their professional colleagues.
Rep. Dave Upthegrove, D-Des Moines, has introduced a bill that would ensure student journalists aren't censored and would not allow public schools or universities to discipline or fire a student media adviser for refusing to censor students.
"I don't think you lose your freedom of speech rights just because you're young," Upthegrove said. "The right of free press is more important than the fear of inappropriate content."