WASHINGTON -- Frequent tours for U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan have stressed the all-volunteer force and made it worth considering a return to a military draft, President Bush's new war adviser said Friday.
"I think it makes sense to certainly consider it," Army Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute said in an interview with National Public Radio's "All Things Considered."
"And I can tell you, this has always been an option on the table. But ultimately, this is a policy matter between meeting the demands for the nation's security by one means or another,"...

Longtime Meals on Wheels delivery volunteer Travis Sangle looks over the day's meal deliveries as his assistant Brent Shird, a volunteer for nearly 10 years, looks on. The MLK Jr. Loaves & Fishes Center is currently in need of volunteers for their Meals on Wheels program.

Efforts to expand health insurance for children could greatly affect their grandparents.
House Democrats want to eliminate Medicare participants' share of the costs when they get cancer screenings such as mammographies and colonoscopies — an approach designed to promote disease prevention.
They also would lower seniors' share of the cost from 50 percent to 20 percent when they see a psychiatrist for treatment of depression and other mental illnesses — the same cost-sharing that would occur for a physical illness.
And, many of the poorest seniors would newly qualify for extra help in paying for their medicine or monthly premiums, thanks to changes that let them maintain more assets.
But the legislation, likely to be considered in the House next week, has parts that will upset millions of seniors.
Around the country, about 8.2 million elderly and disabled Americans are enrolled in private health plans through Medicare...

After months of site preparation, contractors and planners for the Humboldt Gardens public housing project say construction is coming along on schedule. A ceremonial "wall-raising" was held on July 27 to mark the start of building construction at the site.
Calvin Jackson, owner of CJ Jackson Construction, said the partnership between his company and Walsh Construction has provided the opportunity to grow his business leaps and bounds....

Publisher's Note: Four months after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans, Dr. Jonathan Jui, Multnomah County's director of emergency medical services, delivered a keynote address at The Skanner Foundation's annual Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast.
No one seemed to understand the extent of the catastrophe until it occurred, Jui told the crowd.
"What the community hears and what it knows are two different things," said Jui, who worked with the National Disaster Medical System team at the New Orleans airport after the disaster.

2nd. FOR THE CITY. Go downtown and enjoy local musical talent at the Noon Tunes Concert. Noon-1 p.m. Pioneer Courthouse Square, 715 S.W. Morrison St.
3rd. GARAGE SALE. The Haitian Project invites you to a garage sale to support children in Port Au Prince, Haiti. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. The Madeline Parish Hall, 3123 N.E. 24th Ave.
4th. STREET FESTIVAL. The Fremont Fest will be held for the community. 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m. 40th-50th Ave. blocks on Northeast Fremont Street.

Amaija Grinnell 3, takes a cool, refreshing swim in Lake Washington on a hot July day.

Last week, the King County Council unanimously adopted a five-year Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Plan for 2008-2012. The plan demonstrates the county's continued high performance and commitment to equal employment opportunity, and adds new tools to measure diversity in the county workforce.
"In the past two decades, King County government has made significant strides in providing equal opportunities for historically disadvantaged populations," said King County Councilmember Larry Phillips, prime sponsor of the plan. "Our Affirmative Action Plan has been a major tool for improving workforce diversity and ensuring that women and minorities have access to promotions, high-wage jobs and the full spectrum of employment paths. This update improves on the previous plan by requiring implementation plans and annual progress reports to ensure even greater accountability."
The new plan adds requirements to the Affirmative Action Plan that enhance that county's ability to measure diversity in the county's executive departments. For the first time, the plan includes data on salary ranges by race and gender. When compared to data from the U.S. Census Bureau on income by race and gender, the plan shows that the county workforce is more diverse at the higher salary ranges.
"King County continues to play an exemplary role in the hiring of minorities and women, and we are very proud of our accomplishments in this area," said Council Chair Larry Gossett, who also chairs the council's General Government and Labor Relations Committee. "The requirements we added to the plan allow us to ....

SEATTLE — Felons who serve their full prison terms still must pay their court-ordered legal fines before voting again, a divided state Supreme Court ruled Thursday.
In a case watched closely by national voting rights advocates, three ex-convicts claimed Washington's felon-voting restrictions unconstitutionally denied voting rights based on a person's wealth.
But in a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court said the law did not illegally discriminate against poor felons who have trouble paying their legal bills....

After a disappointing 9-7 season last year, the Seattle Seahawks opened their 32nd annual training camp Sunday with a few new faces they hope will help get them back to the Super Bowl. The three-time NFC West Champions hope to capture a fourth title this year.
The players now practice twice a day, this time at team headquarters in Kirkland; the Seahawks have abandoned their training camp in Cheney in Eastern Washington where they held their previous camps....