Qualified

If you are a teacher in debt, there's good news and bad news. There are literally dozens of programs that could potentially help wipe out your student loans. But most of them have narrow requirements that may lock you out. Just ask Troy Dale, a high school counselor from Ellis, Kan. He and his wife have $23,000 in student loans that they've been paying down for nearly a decade. At their current rate, they'll still be paying off their student debts when their oldest child enrolls in college.

Despite havinig the home-field advantage, Mexico could not manage more than a 0-0 tie with Costa Rica on Tuesday night in a World Cup qualifying game at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. It was the fifth tie in six games in the qualifying tournament for Mexico, which is tied with Costa Rica for second place in the standings with eight points each. The United States, which beat Panama, 2-0, leads the North and Central American and Caribbean group with 10 points. Spectators threw objects at Costa Rica captain Carlos Ruiz late in the second half.

The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage hit another new low this week, dropping to 3.53% from 3.56% last week, according to Freddie Mac's survey of what lenders are offering to well-qualified borrowers. With the Federal Reserve aggressively pushing rates down and few signs of inflation on the horizon, it was 12th time in 13 weeks that a new record was set, Freddie Mac economist Frank Nothaft said in the report Thursday morning. Freddie Mac said the 15-year fixed loan, which has been a popular part of the recent boom in refinancings, averaged 2.83%, down from 2.86% and also a new record.

SEATTLE  - Juergen Klinsmann went 23 months and 28 matches as coach of the U.S. national soccer team before starting the same lineup in consecutive games. The experiment didn't last long. Klinsmann, who lost midfielders Jermaine Jones and Graham Zusi in last week's win in Jamaica, will go back to the drawing board to find a starting 11 for Tuesday's World Cup qualifier against unbeaten Panama at CenturyLink Field (TV: Unimas, ESPN, 7 p.m.). Jones is out with a concussion, while Zusi is suspended a match after picking up two yellow cards.

Long Beach State's Jaime Barragan, Le'Gretta Hinds and Lewis Young ran times at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Track and Field Championships Saturday good enough to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championship Meet, March 8-9 in Indianapolis. Barragan won the 55-meter dash in 6.28. A three-time All-American, Hinds qualified in the 55 hurdles (7.92). Young, a freshman, qualified in the 400 (47.43).

The question is not: Is Dan Quayle qualified to be President? The question should be: Who selected Dan Quayle for the position? CHARLES F. LAPPLE Vista

"Recruiters Who Fill Low-Skill Jobs Go Begging" (Nov. 2) reported on corporations struggling to recruit employees. The solution to this problem could be California's untapped labor pool of individuals with disabilities. Currently, only 52% of individuals with disabilities are employed. A job paying from $8.75 to $11 per hour is much better than no job at all. The continuing high unemployment rate of persons with disabilities and the business community's need for qualified employees provide an ideal opportunity for employers.

A reader's letter (Dec. 18) challenges the Bar Assn. and news organizations to take seriously the responsibility to inform voters in detail of the records and leanings of the judges we are asked to vote for. The Los Angeles County Bar Assn., through its Judicial Elections Evaluation Committee, conducts a thorough examination and evaluation of the background, training, experience and competence of all candidates running in every contested judicial election in Los Angeles County and reports as to whether the candidate is "well qualified," "qualified" or "not qualified."

Re "How the Money Rolls In to Dole, Gramm Camps," Jan. 1: This article shows why one of the most needed government reforms, campaign reform, will never happen. Those that gain the benefits from this are the very ones that have to pass the legislation. A fixed amount should be given to each qualified candidate by the government and it should be limited to that. Of course I know this will never happen; too bad. JACK WINNICK Anaheim

I'm disappointed that The Times published Roger Gibb's letter (June 18) attacking Irvine City Councilman Larry Agran. Gibb's letter was the classic half-truth and you fell for it. Yes, Larry Agran, former mayor of Irvine, was a candidate in the 1992 presidential primaries. I was a full-time volunteer in his campaign headquarters. And I know for a fact he qualified for the ballot in 35 states. He reached millions with his message of new national priorities. He received tens of thousands of votes, especially in urban areas.

Brad Evans has always been something of an afterthought with the U.S. national team. He started once in 2009, played in a friendly a year later and was a late substitute in two inconsequential games in 2012. His bio doesn't even appear in U.S. Soccer's 288-page media guide. But anonymity won't be a problem from now on. Because Friday, in the waning moments of stoppage time, Evans went from forgotten man to hero by delivering a soft 10-yard shot from the edge of the box to beat Jamaica, 2-1, in a World Cup qualifier.

The last time the U.S. played a soccer match in Jamaica, it wilted in the heat and lost a 2-1 decision on a ragged field. That was nine months ago. So in an effort to keep that from happening again, U.S. Coach Juergen Klinsmann brought his team to Kingston three days ahead of Friday's World Cup qualifier to get it acclimated to the conditions. A bigger issue, however, is determining which team Klinsmann brought with him. Is it the one that conceded three second-half goals in a one-sided loss to Belgium in an international friendly 10 days ago?

If Friday's preliminaries were merely dress rehearsals, expect sprinters Khalfani Muhammad of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame and Ariana Washington of Long Beach Poly to deliver Oscar-worthy performances in today's CIF state track and field championships at Buchanan High School in Clovis. Both Washington and Muhammad are trying to repeat as champions in the 100 and 200 meters and each qualified first in both events on Friday. After running a personal-best 10.22 at last week's Masters Meet, Muhammad clocked 10.40 to easily win his heat and established himself as the clear favorite Saturday.

Federal regulators have eased the definition of a qualified mortgage - a presumably safe and affordable home loan - to enable small banks and credit unions to help more marginal borrowers. The changes, announced this week, help fine-tune Consumer Financial Protection Bureau regulations proposed in January to crack down on loose lending. Community lenders generally welcomed the revisions, although one credit union leader said it would still overly restrict lending. At the heart of the new rules was spelling out what constitutes a qualified mortgage - one that shields lenders from lawsuits by borrowers claiming they were stuck with unaffordable loans.

A lawsuit alleging that City Atty.-elect Mike Feuer manipulated ethics laws to financially benefit his campaign has been thrown out of court. The action had been filed by a supporter of Feuer's rival, Carmen Trutanich. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Richard Rico found meritless the claims by plaintiff Laura Lake that Feuer intentionally delayed paying campaign consultant John Shallman in order to qualify for taxpayer-provided matching funds. The suit, filed in the midst of the campaign, named both Feuer and Shallman as defendants.

Even as federal regulators recently cracked down on loose mortgage lending, they hoped that credit unions and community banks would serve as a haven for marginal borrowers. Such neighborhood institutions know their customers, the theory goes, so they could better judge the risk in lending outside new rules for a so-called qualified mortgage. But smaller lenders are pushing back, saying they'll just scale back their mortgage business instead. They fear that lending at the margins will make them targets for bank regulators and plaintiffs' attorneys in cases of default.

As lifeguards begin their busy summer season, the bronzed guardians of California's beaches find themselves at the unlikely center of the battle over costly public pensions. The six-figure salaries of some full-time municipal lifeguards have fueled talk radio segments and blog comments in recent weeks, with some commentators expressing surprise at the pay for those who patrol the beaches. For local government, the larger concern is over the pensions that lifeguards receive when they retire.

Honda issued a rare apology on Friday to frustrated customers who were having difficulty finding the electric version of it popular Fit hatchback. Honda has seen a rush of interest in the low-volume Fit EV since dropping the lease price in late May, to $259 from $389. The deal requires no money down, has no mileage limit, and includes a free in-home charger and collision insurance. One Santa Monica dealership said it had three of the cars sitting on the lot for months. Just after Honda's announcement, all three were snatched up by customers in a single morning and a waiting list formed.