As a result of recent severe weather in the Central and North Central Texas areas, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has designated 17 Texas counties as eligible to receive disaster assistance. Coryell, Denton, Grayson, Lampasas and Tarrant Counties were declared FEMA emergency areas in June, and on July 10th, the following counties were added to that list: Archer, Bell, Burnet, Eastland, Hood, Parker, Starr, Victoria, Webb, Wichita and Williamson.Texas Legal Services Center (TLSC) offers free legal assistance to those who have been displaced or otherwise affected by the recent flooding. The Disaster Assistance Hotline provides expert help with the myriad legal issues that emerge after a disaster, including:* Insurance claims* FEMA benefits* Repair and renovation contracts* Family law * Homeownership & credit issues* Employment lawThe TLSC Disaster Assistance Hotline is available 24 hours a day, toll free:1-800-622-2520.

Community Events

San Bernardino Career Resource Center, 8120 Palm Lane, offers free services for job seekers and employers. Career counseling, workshops and mock interviews are available, as are employer services and benefits. More information: (909) 386-6219. Interested businesses can call (909) 386-6208.

CLASSES

Time for Change Foundation and Washington Mutual are starting a new series of free financial-literacy and credit-repair classes from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays beginning Aug. 8 at St. John's Episcopal Church, 1407 N. Arrowhead Ave., San Bernardino. The lessons cover banking and finance basics, credit-score repair, homeownership, saving and investing. Free food and child care will be offered to all who attend. More information: (909) 886-2994.

People's Choice Inc., 1505 W.

Parallel Justice project takes care of crime victims

Parallel Justice hinges on the notion that victims of crime deserve to be treated better by the justice system. The offender-based approach to the justice system often forgets victims, so a parallel path to address their needs was established, the group says.

The program helps care for victims of crime by providing physical, emotional and financial support. In Burlington, Parallel Justice assists victims of theft, property crime and assault, regardless of whether the offender is caught or whether the crime is even reported.

The two-year pilot program is administered jointly by the Burlington Police Department, the Community and Economic Development Office and the Vermont Center for Crime Victim Services. The project, which has nearly finished its first year, is one of three such programs administered across the country by the National Center for Victims of Crime.

Avoid numerous financial pitfalls

By Michael Bradwell, Business editor

mbradwell@observer-reporter.com

With all of the reports of Americans' dismal savings rate, their tendency toward overextended credit and excessive spending, it's easy to see how many ways they can be derailed when it comes to personal financial matters.

The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants recently generated a list of common financial pitfalls you can avoid. AICPA offers other helpful advice on personal finances through two Web sites, www.360financialliteracy.org and www.feedthepig.org.

"It's all about getting off on the right foot," said Robert Jazwinski, chair of the AICPA Personal Financial Specialist Credential Committee and majority shareholder and founder of Jazwinski Financial Services Inc.

Briefs

More dead sturgeon found in Wabash

State officers found three more dead sturgeon today during a search of the Wabash River in Tippecanoe County on Tuesday.

Officers with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources found them between the junction of the Wabash and Tippecanoe rivers and Indiana 18. Over the past couple of weeks, dozens of dead sturgeon have appeared on the river in a 48-mile stretch from Delphi to Attica.

Matt Tholen, a conservation officer with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, said Purdue University scientists are still trying to learn what is killing the fish and why the deaths are confined to a single species. They conducted a necropsy on several of them Monday, Tholen said.

The results from that procedure may take weeks to be returned, he said.

Police Search for Bank Robber

Rochester police searched for the man they say robbed a city bank.

They say this man held up the Bank of America on State Street just after 1 p.m. He fled with an undisclosed amount of money.

Police say he's a black man, 6 foot two, 260 pounds. He wore a red shirt, dark pants, a tan hat and has a goatee.

Anyone with information is asked to call 911.

ajl

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Quantum Corporation Reports Fiscal First Quarter Results

SAN JOSE, Calif., Aug. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Quantum Corp. , the leading global specialist in backup, recovery and archive, today announced that revenue for its fiscal first quarter (FQ1'08), ended June 30, 2007, was $246 million. This represented a 32 percent increase over the same quarter last year (FQ1'07), largely resulting from Quantum's acquisition of Advanced Digital Information Corp. (ADIC) in August 2006.

The company reported a GAAP net loss of $23 million for FQ1'08, or 11 cents per share, compared to a 2-cent loss in FQ1'07. The $23 million net loss in FQ1'08 and year-over-year earnings per share decline reflected a number of major expense items totaling $28 million, much of which was also driven by the ADIC acquisition: $13 million in amortization of intangibles, $12 million in restructuring and other transition expenses related to the acquisition, and $3 million in stock-based compensation charges.