www . tHeskANNer . COm
A Pril 20, 2011
s eAttle , w AsHiNgtON
V Olume XXXiii, N O . 25
25
CeNts
i nSide
Poetic Performance
page 2
A Human Deficit
page 4
Black Film Festival
C hallenging P eoPle to S haPe a B etter F uture n ow
page 6
April pools
mortgage
relief
scams
AG warns home-
owners about joining
for-profit lawsuits
PHoto BY SuSan fried
S
two little girls enjoy a free day in the pool during the 18th Annual April Pools Day, saturday April 16, at medgar evers
Pool. the free event focused on preparing families and children for the summer by teaching water safety tips like
how to properly fit a life jacket.
DeA Holds Drug take-Back Day
April 30 event will dispose of expired, unwanted medicines
D
on’t let your expired pre-
scriptions and unwanted
drugs fall into the wrong
hands or end up polluting our
water. Instead you can drop off
unwanted medicines— includ-
ing pain relievers and other con-
trolled substances, no questions
asked, on Saturday, April 30
from 10 am to 2 pm. Find out
which drugstores and other
organizations area accepting
drugs online at www.takebacky-
ourmeds.org
Every year Washington state
spends $31.7 million to hospi-
talize and treat children for
unintentional poisonings from
medicines. That includes mil-
lions to cover emergency room
costs for kids who accidentally
ingested medications and on
expenses for children who have
overdosed. Additionally, there
are environmental risks that
occur when people flush medi-
cines down drains or toilets, or
put them in the trash. Drugs
that not disposed of properly
create environmental contami-
nants that threaten water quality,
aquatic species, and the soil.
indeX
News .....................2,3,8
Calendar ....................2
Opinion .......................4
Bids/Classifieds............5
National Drug Take Back Day
highlights the critical need for
ongoing and sustainable safe
drug
disposal
programs.
Sponsored by the Federal Drug
Enforcement Administration
with local law enforcement
agencies, the one-day event pro-
vides communities with free,
anonymous medicine returns for
unused medications, including
dangerous controlled sub-
stances. Take-back programs
also help protect the environ-
ment, while they safeguard pub-
lic health.
In Washington state, poison-
ings are the leading cause of
accidental deaths, surpassing
car crashes and falls, according
to a 2010 study from the
Washington State Department
of Health. While single-day
events like the DEA’s National
Drug Take Back Day help
reduce these risks, the Take
Back Your Meds coalition is
pushing for a year-round solu-
tion –statewide medicine take-
back program financed by phar-
maceutical
manufacturers,
See drugS on page 3
EATTLE—If you’re faced with fore-
closure and thinking of paying to be
part of a class-action lawsuit, please
think again. According to the Washington
Attorney General’s Office, nobody should
have to pay to join a legitimate class-action
lawsuit.
The lawyers and marketers pushing these
suits charge upfront fees and frequently
promise results. In reality, litigation is time-
consuming and even a qualified attorney
can’t guarantee the outcome of a case.
Moreover, representatives of a legitimate
class-action suit would not ask for money to
join.
Homeowners should be especially skepti-
cal of offers from out-of-state firms. They
may not be familiar with state law or even
licensed to provide legal services in
Washington.
The Federal Trade Commission has
banned mortgage relief companies from col-
lecting fees until homeowners have received
an acceptable written offer from a lender or
servicer. Attorneys are not covered by the
rule, but they are required to place any fees
they collect in a client trust account and
abide by state laws and regulations covering
such accounts.
The attorney general’s office also warns
that it is seeing companies pushing forensic
mortgage loan audits and services with titles
like, “pre-litigation monetary claims pro-
gram.” So-called loan auditors, often
backed by attorneys, offer to review your
loan documents to determine whether your
lender complied with state and federal laws.
They claim they can use the audit report to
avoid foreclosure, accelerate the loan modi-
fication process or reduce your loan princi-
pal.
Beware! The Federal Trade Commission
warns that there is no evidence that foren-
sics loan audits will help a homeowner
obtain a loan modification or other foreclo-
sure relie. That’s true even if the audit is
conducted by a licensed, legitimate and
See Mortgage on page 3
New school Health Center to Open
International Community Health Services will operate new facility
SeattLe – The City of Seattle
announced today that International
Community Health Services has been
selected to be the lead agency in developing
and operating the City’s newest school-
based health center at the Secondary
Bilingual Orientation Center, a school for
6th to 12th grade immigrant and refugee
students.
Funding for the clinic was recommended
by Mayor Mike McGinn using money from
the City’s Families and Education Levy
approved by voters in 2004. In December
2010, the City Council voted unanimously
to allocate funds to operate the health center
through the duration of the current Levy.
Last month, the City Council unanimously
approved an ordinance to ask voters to
renew and enhance the Levy as recom-
mended by a 24-member citizen advisory
committee. A renewal of the Levy will pro-
vide ongoing support to the Secondary
Bilingual Orientation Center’s school-based
health center.
“We know that refugee students, immi-
grant students and English language learn-
ers are struggling to achieve academic
See Center on page 3