Fundraiser to replace books destroyed in Hurricane Katrina

BREVARD - “Books for the Bayou,” a dinner and aid event to raise book money for Oak Park Elementary School in Ocean Springs, Miss., will take place at 6 p.m. tonight at Brevard College’s Porter Center for Performing Arts.

The event is the brainchild of Brevard High School senior Wendi Witek, 17, who hopes the event will raise enough money to replace Oak Park Elementary School’s accelerated reader books that were destroyed as a result of Hurricane Katrina.

Those who cannot attend the dinner tonight can still make a donation to “Books for the Bayou” at any area First Citizen Bank through Nov. 22.

Witek will present a check containing the proceeds raised from tonight’s dinner and donations to Oak Park Elementary after Thanksgiving.

Contact Nancy Witek at 553-4340 for additional information.

What are people saying about mortgages today:

Rates on 30-year mortgages edged down last week to a seven-month low. Mortgage-giant Freddie Mac reported Thursday that 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages fell to 6.3 percent, down slightly from 6.31 percent two weeks ago. It put rates at the lowest level since they were at 6.24 percent the first week of March.

Bank of Hawaii, Central Pacific Bank, Territorial Savings Bank and Wells Fargo Home Mortgages all cut their 30-year mortgage rates to 5.75 percent this week.

Most people think of a mortgage as a means to an end. After all, you buy a house, not a home loan. But a mortgage is much more than the path to homeownership. It is a financial instrument that must be managed, just like any other financial investment.