A public forum, "Make Room for Art: Cultural Overlay Districts for Seattle," will be held at 5 p.m. today in Seattle.

The focus will be to discuss whether to establish Capitol Hill as the city's first cultural overlay district, a land-use designation that allows cities to promote and preserve the arts in certain neighborhoods.

Several Seattle City Council members will be in attendance, as well as representatives from area arts programs and local real-estate developers.

The forum will be held on the first floor of City Hall in the Bertha Knight Landes Room, 600 Fourth Ave.

For more information, call 206-684-8159 or go to www.seattle.gov/council.

Civic calendar

Seattle's Television Variety Show: "Big Night Out"

Today: Be in the audience for the filming of this program, which showcases local talent. Doors open at 7 p.m.; the one-hour show starts at 8 p.m. Columbia City Theater, 4916 Rainier Ave. S. Tickets: Suggested donation of $10, which goes to First Place arts program for homeless kids. 206-723-0088 or www.seattlechannel.org/bignightout

Spring Break Kids Carnival

Today: The Magnuson Community Center and the YMCA are providing games, prizes, inflatable toys, pony rides, entertainment, bingo and face painting for area children. Tickets are 25 cents each, and some activities require more than one ticket. 12:30-3 p.m. at Magnuson Park's Hangar, 6344 N.E. 74th St. 206-684-7026.

Here & Now is compiled by Seattle Times lead news assistant Jordan Dawson. To submit an item, e-mail herenow@seattletimes.com or call 206-464-2226.

April 2, 1980: House of Representatives co-speaker John Bagnariol and Senate Majority Leader Gordon L. Walgren were named in a federal racketeering complaint that charged them with conspiring with undercover FBI agents, who posed as organized-crime figures, to allow gambling in Washington in return for a share of the profits.

Both of the men were among the most powerful politicians in the state and were planning to seek higher office in fall of 1980. But instead they were convicted and sentenced to prison for what became known as the Gamscam scandal.

Source: Historylink.org