Emma Watson signs on for 'Your Voice in My Head'

• Emma Watson (Harry Potter, The Bling Ring) is set to star in an adaptation of Emma Forrest’s memoir, Your Voice in My Head, about her descent into mental illness as she struggles to pursue relationships and a writing career, and how one doctor saved her life. Francesca Gregorini, who directed Rooney Mara in the prep school coming-of-age drama Tanner Hall, will direct Watson in the project.Forrest is writing the script. In the press release announcing the news, producer and International Film Trust co-founder Michael Benaroya said, “We are incredibly excited to be working with Emma Forrest as she is one of the most sought after writers right now. Her story is intensely personal, with moments of humor just at the right time.” IFT president Ariel Veneziano added that Emma Watson “is perfect for this role.”

• Oscar winner Christopher Plummer (Beginners) will play John Travolta’s father and Tye Sheridan’s (Mud) grandfather in the generational crime saga The Forger for director Philip Martin (Wallander).

• Southland alum Ben McKenzie will portray an American athlete who attempts to conquer the Mt. Everest of swimming feats by traversing a wild river in Norway in The Swimmer. Richard L. Fox, who has worked as a first assistant director on films such as The Descendants and Donnie Darko, will direct the project. In the release announcing the news, McKenzie said: “It’s a modern story, but timeless as well. Bard’s [Engelsas] script really captivated me: a tortured man risking it all in a battle against nature. It’s themes evoke the spirit of Hemingway and London, and I couldn’t be more excited to shoot in one of the most beautiful countries in the world, Norway.”

• Gemma Arterton (Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters) and Tim Roth (Arbitrage) are set to co-star in the crime thriller The Keys to the Street, which Christopher Nolan adapted from Ruth Rendell’s novel, about a woman who decides to house-sit (Arterton) as a way to get away from her ex (Roth). [Variety]

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SD gov signs bill allowing teachers to be armed

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard signed a bill Friday allowing the state's school districts to arm teachers and other personnel with guns.

Supporters say the so-called sentinels could help prevent tragedies such as December's shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in which 20 students and six teachers died. The law will go into effect July 1.

The bill's main sponsor, Rep. Scott Craig, R-Rapid City, said he started working with federal law enforcement officials on the measure in early November, and the Connecticut tragedy weeks later "only affirmed the rightness of this bill." He said the measure does not force a district to arm its teachers or force teachers to carry a gun.

"There's no mandating of anything. It's provisional. It's a take-it-or-leave-it bill," he said.

Several representatives of school boards, school administrators and teachers opposed the bill during committee testimony last month. They said the measure could make schools more dangerous, lead to accidental shootings and put guns in the hands of people who are not adequately trained to shoot in emergency situations.

Rob Monson, executive director of School Administrators of South Dakota, said his group opposes the bill because it fails to address key issues, such as school building safety, mental health and fire and emergency response.

"We were really hoping that they would look at doing a more comprehensive study of school safety overall, and not sort of jump right into arming people in our schools and thinking that is the answer to it all," Monson said.

But Craig said a number of school board members and administrators voiced support for the bill.

"There are plenty of school districts that let us know that they've wanted this, and they've wanted this kind of provision for quite some time," he said.

South Dakota doesn't stand alone on this issue. For a dozen years, Utah has allowed teachers and others with concealed carry licenses to wear a gun in a public school. A couple of school districts in Texas have been given written authorization to allow guns in schools. And legislatures in other states, including Georgia, New Hampshire and Kansas, are working on measures similar to South Dakota's.

On Monday, the South Dakota House voted 40-19 to accept the Senate version of the bill, which added a requirement that a school district must decide in a public meeting whether to arm teachers and others. Another Senate amendment allowed school district residents to push a school board's decision to a public vote.

Craig said he couldn't say how a typical district would implement a sentinel policy, as those decisions will be made locally.

"They get to work out the details in the days ahead," he said. "They've just kind of been waiting and watching to see if this even would pass."

Monson said school districts are going to want to know how the bill's passage will affect them.

"Our biggest challenge right now will be answering all the questions that school boards and administrators are going to have about liability issues and all the other pieces that haven't been put in place yet," Monson said.

___

Follow Dirk Lammers on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ddlammers

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Gov. Quinn Signs Expanded Earned Income Tax Credit Bill (ContributorNetwork)

According to the Associated Press, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signed a new bill into law Tuesday that expands the state's earned-income tax credit. The tax credit aims to help working and poor families by increasing it from 5 percent of the federal credit to 7.5 percent next year and 10 percent the next year.

The credit would mean about $100 a year for each family. Here are some facts about the bill and the other efforts Illinois has taken to help working families.

* In 2010, more than 2.5 million people in Illinois benefited from the earned income tax credit and the new increase will mean an addition $105 million for working families in the state, according to the State of Illinois.

* A study conducted by the Brookings Institution in 2006 found that for every dollar families save through the credit turns into $1.58 of local economic activity.

* WBEZ reported the earned income tax credit will impact about 935,000 households in Illinois and a family of five earning less than $48,000 will now qualify under the new expanded credit.

* The credit was also part of a bigger tax break package that also included offering additional breaks to CME Group and Sears in attempt to keep both companies operating in the state.

* The Illinois House of Representatives approved the tax credit in mid-December after separating the break for families from the break for companies, according to ABC 7 Local.

* Despite the House approving it, many Republicans opposed the tax relief saying the $100 million cost to the state was too high in light of the current economic situation.

* The Illinois Department of Human Services added its partnership with the Center for Economic Progress' Tax Counseling Project helps provide working families with free tax preparation assistance.

* The services are free to families with incomes less than $50,000 and individuals with incomes less than $25,000 with nine locations in Chicago and 17 other locations throughout Illinois.

* Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the American Opportunity Tax Credit was recently renewed and allows Illinois families to receive a credit of up to $2,500 per student, according to Sen. Dick Durbin's Office.

* This college tuition credit specifically helps working and middle-class families by providing $1 back on their taxes for every $1 spent on tuition for the first $2,000 spent and then 25 percent of the next $2,000 up to $2,500.

Rachel Bogart provides an in-depth look at current environmental issues and local Chicago news stories. As a college student from the Chicago suburbs pursuing two science degrees, she applies her knowledge and passion to both topics to garner further public awareness.

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Gov. Quinn Signs Expanded Earned Income Tax Credit Bill (ContributorNetwork)

According to the Associated Press, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signed a new bill into law Tuesday that expands the state's earned-income tax credit. The tax credit aims to help working and poor families by increasing it from 5 percent of the federal credit to 7.5 percent next year and 10 percent the next year.

The credit would mean about $100 a year for each family. Here are some facts about the bill and the other efforts Illinois has taken to help working families.

* In 2010, more than 2.5 million people in Illinois benefited from the earned income tax credit and the new increase will mean an addition $105 million for working families in the state, according to the State of Illinois.

* A study conducted by the Brookings Institution in 2006 found that for every dollar families save through the credit turns into $1.58 of local economic activity.

* WBEZ reported the earned income tax credit will impact about 935,000 households in Illinois and a family of five earning less than $48,000 will now qualify under the new expanded credit.

* The credit was also part of a bigger tax break package that also included offering additional breaks to CME Group and Sears in attempt to keep both companies operating in the state.

* The Illinois House of Representatives approved the tax credit in mid-December after separating the break for families from the break for companies, according to ABC 7 Local.

* Despite the House approving it, many Republicans opposed the tax relief saying the $100 million cost to the state was too high in light of the current economic situation.

* The Illinois Department of Human Services added its partnership with the Center for Economic Progress' Tax Counseling Project helps provide working families with free tax preparation assistance.

* The services are free to families with incomes less than $50,000 and individuals with incomes less than $25,000 with nine locations in Chicago and 17 other locations throughout Illinois.

* Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the American Opportunity Tax Credit was recently renewed and allows Illinois families to receive a credit of up to $2,500 per student, according to Sen. Dick Durbin's Office.

* This college tuition credit specifically helps working and middle-class families by providing $1 back on their taxes for every $1 spent on tuition for the first $2,000 spent and then 25 percent of the next $2,000 up to $2,500.

Rachel Bogart provides an in-depth look at current environmental issues and local Chicago news stories. As a college student from the Chicago suburbs pursuing two science degrees, she applies her knowledge and passion to both topics to garner further public awareness.

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Military Families Find Signs of Progress in the Fight Against Financial Exploitation (The Motley Fool)

By Chris Birk, Special to The Motley Fool Chris Birk, Special To The Motley Fool – Mon May 30, 8:39 pm ET

Military members and their families sacrifice a great deal to keep America safe.

The strain of service can take a devastating toll on finances. Fiscal predators prey on this demographic, and military members are more likely to be financially overleveraged than their civilian counterparts.

A renewed commitment to protecting military families from financial exploitation has been a long time coming. The newest front in this battle has the potential to turn the tide and boost education and resources for service members nationwide.

Federal and military officials recently unveiled the Office of Servicemember Affairs, a new consumer protection agency focused solely on service members and their families. The OSA is part of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, an independent watchdog organization created last year by Congress.

The OSA is working with the Department of Defense to ensure that military members and their families receive consistent and clear financial education and to monitor complains and questions. It's also fostering communication among federal and state agencies to improve consumer protections for military families.

The agency is headed by Holly Petraeus, wife of Gen. David Petraeus, the current commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

"We understand that military life can have some extra challenges, such as deployment and frequent moves, and that those challenges can sometimes have powerful financial repercussions," Holly Petraeus wrote in a welcome letter to military families. "Our men and women in uniform should be able to do their jobs without having to worry about falling victim to unfair or deceptive financial practices."

Being financially overwhelmed can make service members and their spouses more vulnerable to unscrupulous companies seeking to take advantage of them.

A recent survey from the FINRA Investor Education Foundation featured some sobering findings:

Nearly one in three enlisted personnel or junior NCOs had used payday loans, auto-title loans, or other risky borrowing practices in the previous five years.About 15% of those surveyed had both a mortgage and a credit card balance of at least $10,000.More than half made only the minimum payment on credit cards, and almost a third of respondents reported a late payment in the past year.More than a third had difficulties covering monthly expenses and billsOnly half were saving for predictable life events such as retirement or a child's college education.

These issues are more than just financial problems. Fiscal concerns on the home front can negatively affect service members in the field and even jeopardize mission readiness.

Finances are consistently ranked as one of the top three stressors for service members, ahead of things such as deployments, family, and even war. Nearly three-quarters of Naval security clearance revocations and denials in 2007 were tied directly to fiscal management issues, according to the CFPB.

"Soldiers who are distracted by financial issues at home are not fully focused on fighting the enemy," Army Secretary John McHugh's wrote last spring.

Holly Petraeus and her colleagues continue to meet with military families, using their input to help shape OSA initiatives. Educating service members and teaching them how to make sound financial decisions is a cornerstone of the agency's mission.

It's also an ethos that professionals in the financial world and civilians across the country should take to heart -- not just on Memorial Day, but every day of the year. Military members and their families have dedicated their lives to serving our country.

We can serve them with openness, education, and a commitment to rooting out those who would dishonor their sacrifice for the sake of an easy dollar.

Guest contributor Chris Birk is director of content and communications for Veterans United Home Loans, the nation's leading dedicated VA lender. The Missouri-based company has worked with more than 500,000 military families since its 2003 inception and serviced more than $1 billion in VA loans in the last year alone.

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