QUES: The Washington Supreme Court is asking the Legislature to approve a $90 surcharge on a court filing fee to help provide legal help for the poor in civil cases, Chief Justice Gerry Alexander said Wednesday. "Some might say, why should we support this when we face tough financial times?" Alexander asked in his State of the Judiciary address to a joint session of the Legislature. "It seems to me in America, where we rejoice in the fact that we are a nation devoted to the rule of law, we should not ration access to justice." The recommendation comes from the court's Task Force on Civil Equal Justice Funding, created in 2001 to look for ways to cope with the sparse amount of money available for such cases. As the task force was studying the issue, $900,000 was cut from state support for civil equal justice services. That prompted the state's two main legal services providers - Columbia Legal Services and Northwest Justice Project - to cut their staffs, Alexander said. The change would increase the cost of filing a lawsuit in Superior Court to $200. The total fee would be split, with 54 percent going to counties and 46 percent going to the state for a newly created equal justice account. Alexander also requested money for five additional Superior Court judgeships and one additional District Court judgeships, arguing that increased caseloads require more judges. Two of the Superior Court judges and the District Court judge would be in Clark County, with one Superior Court judge added in the joint district that serves Benton and Franklin counties and one each in Kittitas and Kitsap counties.
Do you have any questions?
MY QUESTION: According to Alexander, what prompted Columbia Legal Services and Northwest Justice Project to cut their staffs?

QUES: Have you ever seen an egg? Some animals do not have live births. Instead, they lay eggs. The eggs contain the embryo. The embryo matures in the egg. With time, it will hatch. Some animals hatch and do not need care from their parents. They are ready to live on their own. Other animals will still need the care of their parents. Sea turtles break out of their shells. They immediately walk to the ocean. They do this with no help from an adult. Birds stay in the nest for many weeks. They are cared for by their parents. They leave the nest when they are strong enough to fly. Some animals give birth to live offspring. Animals like horses, cows, and whales give live birth. Their offspring are born looking like mini adults.
Do you have any questions?
MY QUESTION: Give an example of an animal that needs the care of its parents after birth.

QUES: Moscow (CNN) -- Divers have completed their search of a Russian cruise ship that sank last weekend with the loss of many lives, the Emergency Situations Ministry told CNN Friday. The official death toll has reached 114 -- including 66 women, 28 children and 20 men, the ministry said. The bodies of 15 people are still missing. There were 208 people on the "Bulgaria" at the time of the accident Sunday, of whom 79 were rescued. Divers have checked all the boat's compartments, the ministry said, and are now looking for more bodies around the boat as well downstream on the Volga River, where they could have been carried by the current. The area where search efforts continue has been enlarged to 200 kilometers (125 miles) from the scene, Russian Transport Minister Igor Levitin said at a briefing Friday. Preparations are under way for the cruise ship to be raised from the river bottom in the coming days. Two large boat cranes, one from Moscow and another one from Volgograd, which will be used for the lifting, are on the way to the accident site. "We have asked the Emergency Situations Ministry to keep 23 divers at the scene to continue the search for bodies even during the lifting operation," Levitin said. Specialist military divers were brought in mid-week to aid in the search efforts. Four people face criminal charges over the sinking of the ship, which Russian media have called the most devastating river accident in the country's history.
Do you have any questions?
MY QUESTION: What were the divers searching for?

QUES: After more than a year of effort, attorneys with Northwest Justice Project earlier this week told 25 families in a mobile home park here that they can keep their homes and no longer need to fear eviction. The East Wenatchee City Council has entered into an Interlocal Agreement with the Wenatchee Housing Authority authorizing the Authority to purchase and maintain the Mobile Park Plaza mobile home park. Located just north of the Wenatchee Valley Mall, the park had been threatened with closure for more than a year. "We cannot say enough about how relieved we are that this is over," said Manuel Luna, one of the residents of Mobile Park Plaza. "We were afraid that no solution would be found, and that our families would have no place to go. We are very grateful for the help of our attorneys. Without them, we would not have saved our homes. We are also thankful for the help of the Housing Authority, the City Council and Mayor Steve Lacy." Formerly owned by local businessman Dan Jennings, Mobile Park Plaza had been home to 45 low-income families, many of them Latino farm workers. In October 2000 Jennings gave the park residents notice of his intent to close the park effective November 30, 2001. While some park residents decided to move, others, including 25 families, organized an informal association to relocate or save their homes. Unable to afford private legal counsel, the families asked for help from legal services attorneys at the Northwest Justice Project and Columbia Legal Services. In the succeeding months, these attorneys worked with representatives of the Greater Wenatchee Housing Authority, the state Office of Community Development, Chelan County, the City of East Wenatchee, state legislators, Jennings and others to secure funding and find a solution. "There seemed to be a never-ending set of obstacles," said Patrick Pleas, an attorney with Northwest Justice Project. "Mr. Jennings had financial considerations, the City had growth and economic development considerations, and the State and Housing Authority had their own concerns. Thankfully, hard work and good will from all parties allowed us to find a solution that works for everyone." Northwest Justice Project and Columbia Legal Services are non-profit organizations that provide civil legal assistance to low-income individuals and families throughout Washington state. Members of the state's Access to Justice Network, these organizations work with thousands of volunteer attorneys to ensure that justice is available to those who face critical legal problems and can't afford private legal counsel.
Do you have any questions?
MY QUESTION:
Were the residents confident they could take on this fight on their own without legal and Political help?