Local/Regional News
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Idaho Republicans Campaigning To Beat Congressman Walt Minnick
Idaho Congressman Walt Minnick has made quite a name for himself
this year as a conservative “Blue Dog” Democrat. But he’s not
conservative enough for Republicans. Two GOP challengers are
already on the campaign trail and the party has made that seat a top
priority for 2010.
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Federal Government Looking To Buy An Unmanned Mystery Boat
A federal lab in Washington State is asking for
bids on an unmanned, silent boat that could gather data on the
ocean. The project is classified.
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Gregoire Says Entire Programs Could Be Cut
Washington Governor Chris Gregoire says the state's
projected budget shortfall is the worst in 80 years. The latest
estimate was released yesterday.
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Oregon Settles With College Fund Investment Firm
Some Oregonians who lost money in their child’s college savings fund will get a portion of it back. The state of Oregon today announced a $20 million settlement in a lawsuit against OppenheimerFunds.
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Idaho Game Commission Extends The State’s Wolf Season
Hunters in Idaho will be allowed to shoot
wolves in most parts of the state for an extra three months.
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Oregon Officials Optimistic About Tax Amnesty
Oregon’s first-ever tax amnesty program is on track to
meet or exceed its goal, according to the state’s Department of
Revenue.
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Washington State Tax Collections Drop Another $760 Million
In Olympia, the sea of red ink is reaching drowning
depth. Washington state’s chief economist today subtracted
another three-quarters of a billion dollars from the state checkbook.
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Oregon’s Economy Has Been Down So Long, Flat “Looks Like Up”
Oregon’s financial outlook is holding steady. That’s
according to state economists, who released their latest revenue
projections to lawmakers today.
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Why the Bear Has a Short Tail: A Native American Story Told by John Bevis
Find out why the bear has a short tail. This Native American story and others are passed down to younger generations during this season of family gatherings.
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It's Story Time in Native American Households
It’s a time to nestle indoors and tell stories. Native stories help pass on culture and religion to younger generations but that’s become harder in the age of Wii and the I-Phone. Anna King reports.
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Potential Closure of U of I Ag Center May Hurt Idaho's Economy
The University of Idaho is proposing cuts to places that hit the core of its agricultural mission as a land-grant institution. Doug Nadvornick reports advocates believe some cuts are short sighted and will hurt Idaho’s economy.
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Al Gore Predicts No Treaty from Copenhagen
Former Vice-President Al Gore says nuclear power and clean coal may have role in the world's energy future, but a limited one.
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Sarah Palin Plans to Visit the Tri Cities on Her Book Tour
Former Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin plans to visit the Tri Cities on her book tour. Residents have mix reaction to the announcement. Anna King reports.
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Oregon AG Hires Two Attorneys To Head Up Environmental Crimes Unit
Making good on a campaign promise, Oregon Attorney General John Kroger announced the lawyers who will lead his newly-created “Environmental Crimes Unit.” KLCC’s Angela Kellner reports.
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OR and WA Lawmakers To Receive Revenue Forecasts
State lawmakers in Oregon and Washington tomorrow will get the latest look at their state’s financial picture.
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Kuongoski Takes a Closer Look at the Business Energy Tax Credit
Governor Ted Kulongoski is asking the leaders of two
state agencies to take another look at what's called the Business
Energy Tax Credit.
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Spokane Schools Move Away From Letter Grades
This week, school teachers in Spokane are meeting
with parents to talk about students’ fall grades. What’s different
this year, for grades four through six anyway, is that the traditional
letter grades are gone.
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Frogs Released from Prison
80 Oregon spotted frogs were released yesterday at Fort Lewis in Pierce County. It’s part of an effort to restore endangered frog populations in the Northwest. Some of the frogs were raised in prison. Sarah Waller reports.
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Apolo Ohno Stirs Olympic Anticipation
Olympic short-track speed skater Apolo Ohno was mobbed by autograph seekers during a rare visit to his home town of Seattle yesterday. Ohno told fans at SeaTac Airport that he’s in the best shape of his life as he prepares for the Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada. Tom Banse reports.
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Oregon Man Working with Troubled Kids Arrested for Sex Abuse
A Springfield man has been arrested after allegedly sexually abusing foster children. He met them while working at a Lane County residential treatment center for emotionally disturbed children. Correspondent Angela Kellner reports
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Washington Wine Number One On Wine Spectator’s Top 100 List
A Washington State winery has earned an honor that could translate into big sales for the Northwest wine industry. Out of 17,000 wines, it landed the number-one spot on Wine Spectator magazine’s top 100 list. Anna King reports.
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Salem Judge Allows Tax Measures Ballot Titles To Stand
Ballot language for two Oregon tax measures now has
the go ahead for a special election in January. A judge in Salem
today denied a request for a preliminary injunction sought
by opponents of the tax hikes.
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Governors Ask for Second Stimulus Package
A sizeable portion of the economic stimulus package
Congress passed earlier this year was used to plug holes in state
budgets. On Thursday, Washington state’s chief economist is
expected to forecast even more budget shortfalls ahead.
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Southeast Alaska Shellfish Farmers Poised For Growth
Northwest shellfish producers may soon face increased competition
from Alaska. Tribal and nonprofit oyster farmers in that state's
panhandle say they're on the verge of a significant expansion.
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Washington’s Unemployment Numbers Slightly Lower Than That Of Nation
Washington’s unemployment rate saw a slight uptick in October to
9.3 percent. That’s according to David Wallace at the state
Employment Security Department.
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Our Northwest: Want Out of Debt? Ask Yourself What You Really Want
You’ve probably heard your friends say it, or have said it yourself. I’m going to pay off this credit card debt. But another year goes by and the bills keep coming. In Our Northwest, Sueann Ramella talks with a man who paid off a substantial amount of debt by asking himself a simple question.
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Big Algal Bloom Lingering Along Coast, But Less Deadly For Now
Marine scientists have been surprised by the persistence of an unusual red tide along the Washington and northern Oregon coast. This is the algae bloom which produced a slimy foam that killed thousands of seabirds earlier in the fall. Tom Banse reports.
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OR Governor Kulongoski Returns from Iraq and Afghanistan
Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski is home after a whirlwind trip to Iraq and Afghanistan. Soldiers asked the governor about jobs at home.
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WA Governor Contemplating Cutting Entire Programs
There may be signs of an economic turnaround on the horizon,
but it’s not going to come soon enough to spare Washington state
government from further cuts.
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New Federal Report Shows More People Went Hungry in 2008
The federal Agriculture Department reports more Americans are going hungry because of the recession. Today, the agency released its annual “food security” survey. Correspondent Doug Nadvornick reports the state of Washington is following the national trend.
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Oregon’s Bridges Vulnerable to Quake Damage
Many of Oregon’s major transportation corridors would
be impassable if a major earthquake hit. That’s the upshot of a
study released today by the Oregon Department of Transportation.
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Tractor Rams Through Umatilla Chemical Depot Fence
Security at the Umatilla Chemical Depot is high.
That’s because a driver rammed a 14-foot-wide farm tractor
through the depot’s perimeter fence and then fled last night.
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Tsunami Warning Siren Hodgepodge in Oregon To Be Standardized
Oregon is pushing its coastal counties to standardize the sound of
tsunami warning sirens. Washington state has already done so.
Correspondent Tom Banse reports.
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Idaho Legislators: Next Year Could Be ‘Awful’ For Schools
Idaho state lawmakers are carrying a grim message to local school board members. They say schools may have to make more budget cuts next year.
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University of Idaho and Boise State to Continue Joint Research
Tomorrow the University Idaho Vandals and the Boise State Broncos
slug it out on the Blue Turf of Bronco Stadium. But today both
university presidents pledged to continue and expand their joint
research capabilities. Boise State Radio’s Don Wimberly has more.
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Climate Change: Record Highs Outpace Lows, Particularly in West
Here’s some interesting new evidence of climate
change in the West. A study finds that over the past decade, new
records for daily high temperatures are being set far more often
than new record lows. Correspondent Tom Banse reports.
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Senator Murray Says Federal Stimulus Money Will Help Hanford In The Long Run
Washington Senator Patty Murray said today the
impact of federal stimulus money at the Hanford Nuclear
Reservation will last beyond this influx of spending.
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Federal Education "Race to the Top" Guidelines Released
Top federal education officials rolled out final guidelines today for
determining which states will qualify for more than four billion
dollars in federal school improvement money.
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WA Supreme Court Upholds School Salary Formula
The Washington State Supreme Court today
unanimously upheld the state’s funding formula for school salaries.
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Washington Health Program To Fold In Mental Health Care
The state of Washington is now offering
mental health care for patients in its General
Assistance-Unemployable or G.A.U. program.
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President Approves Money for Walla Walla Vets’ Hospital
The Veterans’ Administration has the green light to move ahead with plans to build a new clinic at the VA Hospital in Walla Walla. President Obama signed a bill into law Wednesday to do just that. The facility serves about seventy thousand veterans in eastern Washington, Oregon and north Idaho. Doug Nadvornick reports.
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Northwest Ski Season Off to an Early Start
Ski season is getting off to an early start here in the Northwest.
Today, Crystal Mountain, and Mount Hood Meadows opened with
limited operations. The Northwest is supposedly in for a warmer
and drier “El Nino” winter.
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President Approves Money for Walla Walla Vets’ Hospital
The Veterans’ Administration has the green light to move ahead
with plans to build a new clinic at the V.A. Hospital in Walla Walla,
Washington. President Obama signed a bill into law today to do just
that.
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Brown Pelican Removed From Federal Endangered List
The federal government today removed brown pelicans from the
endangered species list. Nowadays, the migratory seabird is a
common sight along the Oregon and Washington coasts between
June and October.
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Veterans Day Marked By Northwest Troops in Iraq
Veterans Day was observed at cemeteries and war
memorials around the Northwest today. It was also a special day for
4,000 soldiers from Fort Lewis who are deployed in Iraq.
Correspondent Tom Banse reports their theme was “Make a veteran
on Veterans Day.”
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Pew Report: Oregon Faces Fiscal Peril
Oregon isn’t much better off than California when it
comes to its financial outlook. That grim assessment comes in a
study released today by the Pew Center on the States.
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Washington Wraps Up Wolf Management Plan Hearings
Washington state officials are digesting
hundreds of comments after 12 public meetings on their draft plan
for managing wolves. The last hearing is tonight in Wenatchee.
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Vice President Lauds Fallen Fort Lewis Soldiers
On the same day President Obama led a
memorial service at Fort Hood in Texas, Washington’s Fort Lewis
honored seven fallen soldiers of its own. They were killed in
Afghanistan two weeks ago. Vice President Joe Biden delivered a
eulogy at the service.
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Oregon Veteran To Receive High French Honor
As the nation pauses to remember its veterans
tomorrow, one Northwest man is getting ready to be honored by
the French government for what it calls his exceptional conduct
during World War Two.
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Governor Kulongoski Visits Iraq
Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski will spend Veteran’s
Day in Iraq. The surprise visit is his third trip to the war-torn
country.
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Northwest Economy May Struggle A While Longer
The Northwest job market will stay sluggish
for the next year. That prediction comes from at least one
economist.
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