Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has assigned an A+ rating to West Hills Community College District’s School Facilities Improvement District No. 1 and 2 bonds based on past financial performance and continued demand for educational services.

Ken Stoppenbrink, vice chancellor of Business Services for WHCCD, said that series B of the bonds are scheduled to be sold on May 23, 2012. The series includes sales of about $7.9 and $8.6 million. West Hills has the option of increasing the rating to AA by purchasing insurance on the issue, which it is likely, due to current market conditions.

“The district will review quotes for insurance to obtain a higher rating and will purchase if it will save taxpayers additional dollars,” he said, “but those numbers change daily and a decision won’t be made until the day of the sale.”

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As part of the Joining Forces initiative to support our nation’s service members and their families, several U.S. government agencies will announce an annual pass to active duty service members and their dependents, granting free access to more than 2,000 national parks, wildlife refuges, national forests, and other public lands around the nation in the coming years.

“First Lady Michelle Obama and I started the Joining Forces initiative last year as a way to honor, recognize and support our veterans and military families,” said Dr. Jill Biden.

Today, Saturday, May 12, 2012, the National Association of Letter Carriers will pick up canned and dried foods for Stamp Out Hunger across America. Now in its 20th year, the Stamp Out Hunger effort is the nation’s largest single-day food drive.

In recent years, a record-setting total of 77 million pounds of food was donated, bringing the grand total of donations to more than one billion pounds collected over the history of the drive.

To help Stamp Out Hunger, simply leave a sturdy bag containing non-perishable food items next to your mailbox before regular mail delivery today, Saturday, May 12th. The nation’s 230,000 letter carriers will then collect the donations as they deliver the mail and take them to food banks and other hunger relief organizations in more than 10,000 local communities.