However, Razo pointed out that only $35 of that ticket price is tax-deductible based on IRS rules. That's the portion being donated to the college as a fundraiser.

College governing board members are also working with donors on IRS rules regarding the selection process for scholarship recipients. Razo said donors can participate on the scholarship committee team that chooses the recipients, but they cannot have the sole say on which students benefit from the donation.

That rule prevents a donor from contributing to the scholarship fund and then awarding the money to a family member or friend.

Scholarship teams consist of a minimum of three members, but often five or seven people participate in the decision process. Razo said each department at the college has a committee, and those committees welcome community participation.

Mid-Daily Items: Another weirdo in a robe

Much ado has been made about the media's fascination with celebrity news. And that is, worrisome. But really, there is good news too. Like the inreased amount of scrutiny other people now live under. Like judges. Because I don't recall ever reading entertaining stories about judges. But in recent months, either judges have gotten weirder or people are paying more attention to them. Mid-Daily Items: Another weirdo in a robe By John Finnerty Online news desk Much ado has been made about the media's fascination with celebrity news. And that is, worrisome. But really, there is good news too. Like the inreased amount of scrutiny other people now live under. Like judges. Because I don't recall ever reading entertaining stories about judges. But in recent months, either judges have gotten weirder or people are paying more attention to them.

Do toes know your story?

If the palms tell a story about our future, then the toes reveal something about where we've been. That's according to Chicagoan Gabrielle Loomis, a life coach who has added toe reading to her toolbox.

Restaurant Offers Tiny Oasis of Thai Cuisine in Norwalk

No problem, but the same restaurant will offer Vietnamese fare, just in case.

Stepping aside from the Chinese-Japanese-Thai-you-name-it-from-Asia concept, Shiva Natarajan, a veteran restaurateur in Fairfield County and Manhattan, has gone straight to the roots of the Thai culture's singular style of cooking, creating a tiny oasis of authentic Thai cuisine in Norwalk.

Looking for spare ribs? Tuna rolls? You won't find them at Thai Spice, 345 Main Ave. Instead, you'll get Thai food, the real deal, and the only nod you'll find to any other Asian culture stems from the natural fusion of flavors that are native to Thailand and the Thai people. Their own love of Malaysian and Indonesian cooking shines through in some dishes on the extensive menu, but the overall experience is clear.

Bruce Lipsky / Florida Times-Union

To keep track, the Sheriff's Office measures crime in a 1,000-foot circle around the park, part of which jumps Interstate 10 and includes McDuff Avenue.

The No. 1 goal, reducing violent crime, is on the right track. There were 22 incidents in 2007 - about half the number in 2004 before PAL came to the neighborhood. At the same time, though, property crime has been on the rise - up about a third since 2004, despite an initial drop in 2005.

The city committed resources, too, sweeping the area with code enforcement officers. So far, 100 homes have been condemned, and there's more than six times the number of active code cases today compared with 2004.

Quality of life

While the property crime numbers are troubling, Assistant Chief Bobby Deal, who runs PAL, said the priority has to be reducing violent crime.

SNP must keep its resolutions

Although somewhat front-loaded, that's an average of £98m/year from 2007 to 2012.The additional cash-generating efficiencies which John Swinney announced in his November budget should generate £400m over the next three years. That's an average of £133m/year – more than enough to cover the unplanned £98m/year expense without breaking any manifesto pledges in this term of parliament.Yet still the SNP cyber-activists cite the tram system to try and excuse all the broken pledges. They must think the Scottish public are complete idiots. .

NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST

The U.S. government will begin mailing $40 coupons Feb. 19 to help consumers pay for converters they'll need to keep older televisions working when TV switches to digital signals next year. Retailers including Best Buy Co., RadioShack Corp., Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Circuit City Stores Inc. are ready to apply the coupons toward the $40 to $70 cost of a converter box, Meredith Baker, an official with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, told Congress yesterday. Traditional analog TV sets that use an antenna will need the converter box to continue working after the Feb. 17, 2009, switch. More than 2.4 million households have requested more than 4.7 million coupons, with an average of 61,000 requests arriving daily, Baker said. To apply for a coupon, visit dtv2009.gov.