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During a meeting at Garfield High School Thursday, it was announced the playoff restriction placed on the Bulldogs football team for the 2011 season has been lifted.

The school asked the KingCo Conference to review self-imposed penalties levied against the program, stemming from the use of ineligible players during a win over Sammamish Sept. 10, 2010.

The conference agreed to lift the playoff ban. The decision was then approved by the Sea-King District board.

The other sanctions placed on the program remain in place. Those included the resignation of the head coach Anthony Allen and assistant coach Anthony Kelley. Athletic director Jim Valiere is on paid administrative leave, Greg Brashear is the interim athletic director and the football program forfeited the Sammamish game.

The athletic department also remains on probation until Sept. 1, 2012.

There is still an ongoing investigation, which could provide more answers than have been given to this point. From the start, there has been more confusion than answers. The other interesting news to come out of last week’s meeting was the announcement that the school is expected to name a football coach this week.

The Palm Beach County School District is considering moving about 200 students from Roosevelt Full Service Center, a high school in West Palm Beach for at-risk teens, to the old Inlet Grove Community High School site in Riviera Beach.

The proposed move, which would take effect for the new school year, is meant to give students better career opportunities, but it has angered many.

Roosevelt, built in the 1950s and once a high school attended by many black area residents, is one of the district’s oldest schools and needs significant repairs and improvements.

District officials say the old Inlet Grove site – present Inlet Grove students moved in August to the former Suncoast High – and current North Technical Education Center is better equipped to offer career programs in automotive, culinary arts, construction and cosmetology.

For instance, the Inlet Grove site has six automotive bays and a culinary arts facility that are not in use, Roosevelt Principal Jeff Pollard said.

“I could move into that site and implement those programs in August because the facilities already exist,” Pollard said.

Roosevelt has a 644-student capacity, while the old Inlet Grove site can accommodate 710 students. The move, if approved, would start for the 2011-2012 school year.

But some community residents are concerned the district may ultimately tear down Roosevelt, a school steeped in rich African-American history. A few years ago, the district promised to rebuild the culinary program and renovate the kitchen. There were also discussions about setting up medical programs and starting a school clinic. But when the economy tanked, those plans never materialized.

“Nothing has been done for Roosevelt since 1970,” said Annie Nelson, a West Palm Beach resident and 30-year educator who graduated from the school in 1960. “Sooner or later the district will not have any use for it as an educational center.”

School Board Vice Chairwoman Debra Robinson said she understands the community’s concerns.

“It’s fear and lack of trust,” Robinson said. “The community has not had its needs met by the district.”

The district, however, insists it has no plans to tear down Roosevelt.

“I haven’t heard anything about that,” said Interim Superintendent Bill Malone. “I don’t have any reason to think that’s in the cards at all.”

Two weeks ago, Robinson set up an invite-only meeting for community residents, Roosevelt administrators and district officials to meet with Malone to discuss the issue. The meeting lasted about 90 minutes, Robinson said.

“I wanted (Malone) to hear the total picture,” Robinson said.

If Roosevelt’s students are transferred to the old Inlet Grove site, the district has proposed moving about 240 students from Joseph Littles-Nguzo Saba Charter School in Riviera Beach to Roosevelt.

“We don’t like to have vacant buildings,” said Joe Sanches, chief of facilities management. “They get vandalized and you still have to maintain it.”

Sanches said the district is preparing a lease for Joseph Littles, which the board will need to approve.

Malone said a decision is expected in the next few weeks.

Sanches said launching four career programs (automotive, cosmetology, culinary and construction) at one time would cost $966,000. But with the district mired in a budget crunch, Sanches said the programs would have to be rolled out over time.

The least expensive program to start would be cosmetology at about $146,000, he said. The most expensive would be automotive at $284,000.

Pollard said the move would be a good one for his students.

“This would be a wonderful opportunity to provide some career programs for our kids,” Pollard said. “I’m a committed educator. You give me a barn, and I’ll teach the kids.”

Almost half of institutions are set to impose maximum fees of £9,000 when the existing cap is abolished in 2012, it is claimed.

Researchers estimate that just 11 universities will charge £7,500 or less – the average amount the Government estimated students would pay.

Coalition insiders insist the headline figures are misleading because they fail to take account of bursaries and fee-waivers for poorer students.

But the report suggests that when subsides are added the average student will still be expected to pay £8,250 – two-and-a-half times the current level.

The study, carried out by the magazine Research Fortnight, warns of serious consequences if fees are set “significantly higher than the Government intended” as the taxpayer is landed with huge bill to cover the increased cost of providing student loans.

The disclosure came as it emerged that Leeds Metropolitan University intends to charge £8,500 a year for degrees.

The former polytechnic – which is currently ranked 85th out of 115 institutions in one league table – is one of the first new universities to formally set its fees for September 2012.

London Metropolitan has declared plans to charge average fees of around £6,000, while Bishop Grosseteste University College, Lincoln, has said the fees for the majority of its courses will be set at £7,500.

But the latest study suggests that universities setting low fees will be in the minority.

It said the average would be set at £8,600, while 45 will pitch for £9,000 fees – the maximum allowed under the Government’s higher education reforms. A further 17 are likely to charge £8,500, it was claimed.

On Monday, Reading University became the latest to announce plans to charge full fees.

Oxford, Imperial College, Durham, Exeter, Essex, Surrey, Manchester, Warwick, Aston, Birmingham, Lancaster, Cambridge and University College London have also published proposals to impose £9,000 fees.

All institutions seeking to charge more than £6,000 must win approval from the Government’s Office for Fair Access after outlining support packages for poor students.

Sally Hunt, general secretary of the University and College Union, said: “What we are seeing at the moment feels like the beginning of a trend as universities struggle to deal with the impact of the heavy cuts and how to price up their degrees to compensate.

“Our own research shows that all English universities institutions will have to charge more than £6,000 just to break even following devastating funding cuts with many worried about their reputation if don’t charge close to the maximum.”

Under the Government’s reforms, almost all direct state funding for degrees has been axed. To plug the funding gap, institutions can charge up to £9,000, instead of current maximum fees of £3,290.

Undergraduates can take out Government-backed loans to cover the increased cost and only start repaying when earnings top £21,000.

Financial modelling carried out by the Coalition was based on universities charging £7,500. If fees are significantly higher, more money will be needed to cover the increased student loans bill, potentially putting the nation into deeper debt or leading to further university funding cuts.

Case Western Reserve University’s Eldred Theater continues its 2010-11 drama series with Our Town, the Pulitzer Prize-winning 1938 play by Thornton Wilder. The undergraduate-driven show will run April 8-17.

Our Town tells the story of the inhabitants of Grover’s Corners. It’s a heart-warming tale of an idealized Americana that explores the increasingly elusive meaning of community.

The 24-member undergraduate ensemble is directed by Catherine Albers, professor and director of undergraduate studies for the theater department at CWRU. Lecturer Ben Needham led the scenic and lighting design, Jasen Smith, also a lecturer, designed the costumes, and sound designer Matt Eckstein, an undergraduate student, rounds out the design team. The ensemble comprises Tyler Babcock, Nik Bauer, Stephen Berg, Beau Buccilli, Tom Burke, Aaron Byers, Andrew C. Deike, Eliana Fabiyi, Brian Hayt, Andy Heckman, Mika Little, Andrew Lund, Tana Marquez, Matt Mauer, Kelly McCready, Grace Mitri, Zac Olivos, Kelly Opalko, Kamron Palmer, Kelsey Petersen, Nick Pilla, Rita Sirianni, Erin Wendell and Hillary Wheelock.

“Our Town is a landmark and evocative play and holds a unique place in our country’s rich theatrical heritage, but I am drawn to the play because of the beauty of the language and the timelessness of the relationships. Young or old, male or female, we see our lives in this movement of the people of Grover’s Corners,” Albers said.

Performances will be April 8, 9, 14, 15 and 16 at 8 p.m., with Sunday matinees on April 10 and 17 at 2:30 p.m. Eldred Theater is located on the CWRU Quad behind Millis Science Center.

General admission is $10, with discounted prices of $7 for adults over 60 and CWRU personnel, and $5 for students. For ticket reservations or information, call the box office for the department of theater and dance at 216.368.6262.

For more information, contact Keli Schimelpfenig, manager of performing arts marketing and events at 216.368.1160.

TurboTax still without Oregon update, affecting refunds for state teachers, college tuition payers Share close Google Buzz Digg Stumble Upon Fark Email Print Updated at 3:30 p.m. Thursday to reflect date of expected update; TaxACT’s update.

Portland State University junior Maggie Brown is buying books on spring break, so an Oregon tax refund could come in handy right now.
But she’s still waiting for her software provider — Intuit Corp.’s TurboTax — to update its programs to account for changes Oregon legislators made March 8. 
“I’ve used TurboTax the last four, five years,” said Brown, who’s majoring in child and family studies. “It makes me think I’m probably not going to use them next year after this.”
Hundreds of other Oregonians are probably in the same boat.

In December, Congress and President Obama extended a variety of tax breaks covering college tuition as well as out-of-pocket educator costs. But Oregon legislators didn’t make the same changes in state tax law until March 8, leading to a disconnect and potentially higher state tax bill for early filers.

This evening, an Intuit spokeswoman said updates reflecting Oregon’s changes would take effect Saturday morning.

“TurboTax Online will be automatically updated and taxpayers using the CD version of TurboTax should make sure they download any updates before completing their return,” Ashley Kirkendall said via email.

The deductions mostly impact anyone paying up to $4,000 for college tuition and books, as well as elementary and secondary schoolteachers deducting up to $250 in out-of-pocket expenses. It also would allow parents to keep their children on their health plans until they reach age 26 without being taxed on the benefit.
Before lawmakers acted, Oregon taxpayers filing returns were supposed to add the deductions back to their income on their state returns. At least 15,500 individuals did so, Oregon Revenue Department officials said today. Those taxpayers now must file amended returns to lower their state tax bill, department officials say.
Brown expects the change to turn her $160 state tax bill into a $200 refund. Educators might only save $20 by amending their return or waiting to file, given that most taxpayers pay an effective rate of 8 percent.
Tax-prep software providers led Oregon taxpayers to add those deductions back on any returns filed before the Legislature fixed Oregon law, state officials say. 
H&R Block At Home updated its software March 17, spokeswoman Kate O’Neill Rauber said.

UPDATE: 2nd Story Software Inc.’s TaxACT made its changes March 15, spokeswoman Leigh Aragon said Thursday.

But TurboTax, the nation’s leading software provider, hadn’t updated its software. In fact, its website still encourages customers to “file by March 25 (Friday) for a lower price” on federal returns, though it’s unclear whether that discount applied to state returns.

State officials referred software questions to providers. “We don’t control when they make those changes,” department spokeswoman Rosemary Hardin said. “We hope it’s sooner rather than later.” Customers say the company’s customer support center had given conflicting information as to when an update might take place.

Posters on a TurboTax “Live Community” chat room expressed frustration with the delay. “We’re all still waiting for that update,” a user identified as OrCollegeMom, wrote on Tuesday. “The idea of a manual override is appealing. I’m getting pretty frustrated with Turbo Tax and may not use them for our state return next year. What’s taking so long?”
Brown’s low income meant she qualified to file a federal return for free. But she said she paid Intuit $30 to file her state return electronically 30 “and they still don’t have an update.” 
For more on the issue and tips on how to deal with the changes, read It’s Only Money’s column in this Sunday’s Oregonian.
– ; Twitter: @onlymoney

Phishing is the fraudulent process of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. There has been a recent series of Phishing emails to Case Western Reserve University users urging recipients to click on a weblink in order to keep their accounts open. These links take users to official-looking but fraudulent imitations of the CWRU Single Sign-On page, hosted on non-CWRU-owned web servers.

Before clicking any weblink, hover (but don’t click) the mouse pointer over the link to reveal the real Web address. Depending on your browser, it may appear as a pop-up near your mouse pointer or at the lower-left corner of your browser window. If you have already clicked the link, check the address bar to verify that the page you are on matches the text of the link you clicked.

CWRU Information Technology Services (ITS) does send notifications to users when passwords need to be changed to comply with the 365-day password age policy. Those notification emails intentionally contain no links; we request that users contact the ITS Help Desk for direction to the authoritative account management pages. You should never enter your CWRU account credentials into a page outside the case.edu domain.