Some nine years after she first started college at age 17, Liz Vice can finally see light at the end of the tunnel. For Vice, who will be earning a degree in film from the Art Institute of Portland, the accomplishment not only makes her the first in the family to graduate college, it's also the beginning of a dream sparked by a debilitating kidney disease. Vice was one of the lucky ones. She received a kidney transplant in 2006. And a month later, she started school at the Art Institute, intent on following through with her dream of becoming a feature film director. "After the kidney transplant, I figured I'd go after something I've always wanted to do," . . .

Participants in the Kidney Health Fest will learn how to improve their lives to avoid kidney disease. This includes:

• Treating high blood pressure and diabetes, two of the leading causes of kidney failure.
• Quitting smoking.
• Eating a low-salt, low-fat diet. Obesity can lead to kidney disease.
• Exercising at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week.

Portland YouthBuilders  (PYB) will host a multi-state gathering of YouthBuild programs for a three-day Green Affordable Home Construction workshop from April 8-10, at PYB's school, located at 4816 S.E. 92nd Ave. The group will host colleagues from throughout the YouthBuild network to visit its current green residential construction projects and to share best practices with the common goal of training young people for jobs that will make a difference. . . .

Step It Up, Inc., a Portland-based nonprofit focused on youth workforce development, believes it's good for business to support local high school students in obtaining summer work experience.
The program is actively seeking new Portland business partners who are willing to help with the $3,000 per intern cost.
"These students are Portland's workforce of the future," says Linda McNeill, Step It Up, Inc.'s executive director and one of its founders. "They urgently need the support of local businesses to help them develop the skills necessary to meet the needs of the business sector." . . .

President Barack Obama on Thursday promised a more efficient record system to ease delays in health care for wounded veterans, as the government copes with more than 33,000 military personnel injured in two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. An electronic record would follow a service member in the military and then later in the Veterans Affairs Department's medical system.

The Seattle Office for Civil Rights created the new online Intake Questionnaire to make it easier for people to take action when they feel they have been victims of illegal discrimination. . . .

• 17 Again
• Crank: High Voltage

  • State of Play
  • American Violet
  • Every Little Step 
  • Is Anybody There?
  • Lemon Tree
  • Oblivion
  • Perestroika
  • Sleep Dealer

The political career of U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. could be jeopardized by a congressional ethics inquiry into his finagling for the Senate seat vacated by President Obama, a well-known black political analyst said. "The stakes for him are dire," said Ronald Walters, a University of Maryland professor well-known for his analysis of black politics and politicians. . . .

President Barack Obama and his family are looking for a new church, but his decision represents more than merely settling on a pew. The Obamas planned to attend Easter services Sunday, marking the president's first visit to a Washington church since taking office in January. Aides have been secretive about which church the first family will attend, citing security and the desire not to disrupt services for other worshippers. They also caution that the church Obama visits might not signal that the president has decided on a permanent place of worship. Obama's choice of a permanent pastor is sure to draw scrutiny, given his history with a pastor in Chicago whose bombastic sermons almost destroyed Obama's presidential bid. . . .

If the uninsured were a political lobbying group, they'd have more members than AARP. The National Mall couldn't hold them if they decided to march on Washington. But going without health insurance is still seen as a personal issue, a misfortune for many and a choice for some. People who lose coverage often struggle alone instead of turning their frustration into political action. Illegal immigrants rallied in Washington during past immigration debates, but the uninsured linger in the background as Congress struggles with a health care overhaul that seems to have the best odds in years of passing. That isolation could have profound repercussions.
Lawmakers already face tough choices to come up with the hundreds of billions it would cost to guarantee coverage for all. The lack of a vocal constituency won't help. Congress might decide to cover the uninsured slowly, in stages.
The uninsured "do not provide political benefit for the aid you give them,'' . . .