Mynisha's Circle update

Mynisha's Circle members will release a new phone number for a free hot line for at-risk youth today. Fred Acuna and Antione Smith launched the Escape Hatch 24-hour hot line Tuesday with the help of various governmental and business agencies. The toll-free number is expected to change today, when Smith's group merges with a county public agency.

Mynisha's Circle is a broad-based grass-roots community-outreach effort created after the Nov. 13 shooting death of 11-year-old Mynisha Crenshaw in San Bernardino. Members have broken into smaller groups to work on various projects. Creating programs for youth has been a focus.

Participants declared this the Summer of Youth 2006.

Mayor Pat Morris has also started a "Safe Summer for Youth" program that expanded recreational and employment opportunities for children and teenagers in the city.

A Mynisha's Circle fund has been established by the group's Community Foundation to collect contributions for community-based programs.

Meanwhile, a portion of proceeds from "Increase the Love," a hip-hop concert set for Aug. 12 at Arrowhead Credit Union Park, are expected to help the Escape Hatch hot line.

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.