United Way offers free tax-prep help

Eastside

United Way is offering free tax-preparation help in several languages at 13 sites across King County, beginning this week.

The main Eastside location is Hopelink, 14812 Main St., in Bellevue. Help is available on Tuesdays from 5 to 9 p.m., including in Spanish; Thursdays from 1 to 5 p.m., including in Russian; and Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., including in Chinese.

Volunteers will help prepare basic individual returns, but not those involving businesses or real-estate transactions. For more information about the help and locations, go to http://www.uwkc.org/ourcommunity/endinghomelessness/eitc/default.asp

Mercer Island

Man suffers burns in house fire

A fire ripped through a two-story Mercer Island home Tuesday afternoon, leaving one man with minor burns.

The fire started about 3 p.m. in the 7700 block of Southeast 58th Street, near Groveland Park and Lake Washington. The home was unoccupied and had been stripped for a remodel, said Darrel Gordon, a Mercer Island fire battalion chief.

The contractor working inside the home suffered minor burns when he tried to extinguish the fire.

Firefighters took about a half-hour to get the blaze under control. The cause is under investigation.

Kirkland

Performance center hosts design contest

Kirkland Performance Center is hosting a contest to redesign the theater's logo and brand identity.

Entries may be submitted electronically, or contestants may mail hard copies. There is no entry fee. For contest rules, e-mail Vic Valdez, marketing director, at vic@kpcenter.org.

The deadline for submitting entries is 5 p.m., March 1. Entries must be postmarked by then. Only the winner will be notified, via e-mail or telephone, by March 15. The winner's concept will be posted on KPC's Web site March 30 and used in brochures, programs and marketing materials.

Seattle Times Eastside bureau