News

Meals on Bike Wheels Saves Gas
Earlier this week, we told you how meals-on-wheels programs are having trouble recruiting and retaining volunteer drivers due to high gas prices. Here’s a follow-up from reporter Tom Banse. He heard about another way to get food to shut-ins and the homebound hungry. More >

Signature Gathering Fueled By Handful of Donors
Today was the deadline to submit signatures to get measures on this fall’s ballot in Oregon. Five measures have already qualified, with a half-dozen more poised to make it. At least half of the money that went towards signature gathering efforts came from a single source: Nevada businessman Loren Parks. More >

WA Lawmakers Still Cool to Key Arena Upgrade
Will the Washington State legislature help fund a Seattle Key Arena upgrade next year? More >

Seattle Loses Supersonics
The Seattle Supersonics basketball team is moving to Oklahoma City. But the settlement reached Wednesday gives incentives for Seattle to host another N-B-A team down the road. More >

WA Right to Die Supporters Submit 320,000 Signatures
It looks like Washington State voters will get the chance to vote on an Oregon-style right-to-die initiative this fall. Former Governor Booth Gardner, who has Parkinson’s, is leading the campaign. He says he’s confident of a win in November. More >

Legal Glitch Ensnares Five Juvenile Lifers
Five juvenile murderers in Oregon say that because of a legal glitch, they received much harsher sentences than if they’d been older when they committed their crimes. So far the courts have not been moved, and the state isn’t backing down. Austin Jenkins has Part Two of our series on juvenile lifers. More >

Prayer and Cheers as Signatures Dropped for WA Right to Die Initiative
Washington State is one step closer to adopting an Oregon-style Death with Dignity law. Supporters of I-1000 today submitted well over the number of signatures they need to get the measure on this November’s ballot. As Olympia Correspondent Austin Jenkins reports, opponents prayed while supporters cheered. More >

Moving Chemical Weapons to Umatilla, OR Possible Option
The United States is falling behind on an international treaty deadline to destroy all of its chemical weapons by 2012. The state of Oregon might be asked to pick up the slack. Correspondent Anna King has the story. More >

WA Foster Care System Says it Needs More Money
Washington’s foster care system needs more money if it’s going to reduce social worker caseloads. That’s the response from the Department of Social and Health Services after a judge’s ruling Monday. Austin Jenkins reports. More >

Starbucks Closing 600 Stores Nationwide
Some Starbucks customers may soon have to drive a bit further to get their caffeine fix. The Seattle-based coffee giant announced Tuesday the closures will affect underperforming stores nationwide. Austin Jenkins has details. More >

Life in Prison for Juveniles: Is it Good Public Policy?
There are at least 60 juvenile murderers serving life sentences in Northwest prisons. Some will probably die in prison. Others have a chance at parole. But is it good public policy to prosecute juveniles as adults and sentence them to life? Austin Jenkins takes us behind bars in search of some answers. More >

Fourth Place Makes the Olympic Team
Fourth place is usually the cruelest spot to finish at the Olympic Trials. Only the top three get a ticket to Beijing in track and field. But fourth was good enough for one Eugene woman last night. More >

Olympics: Will Third Time be the Charm for Oregon Native?
Perhaps the third time will be the charm for an Oregon native with an unlucky record at the Olympics. Last night in Eugene, Tom Pappas became the first American man to make three Olympic teams in the decathlon. More >

Starbucks Closing 600 Stores Nationwide
Some Starbucks customers may soon have to drive a bit further to get their caffeine fix. The Seattle-based coffee giant announced today it will close 600 underperforming stores nationwide. Correspondent Austin Jenkins has details. More >

Range Fire Burns at Umatilla Chemical Depot
A team of regional firefighters brought a blaze on the Umatilla Chemical Depot under control Monday night. The range fire started in the afternoon in the southwest corner of the depot. The fire did not reach the igloos -- or underground bunkers -- where chemical weapons are stored. More >

When Fourth Place Secure an Olympic Berth
Fourth place is usually the cruelest spot to finish at the Olympic Trials. Only the top three get a ticket to Beijing in track and field. But on Monday night, fourth place was good enough for one Eugene woman to win a spot on the Olympic team. More >

Oregon Native Hopes for Change in Olympic Fortunes
The third time could be a charm for an Oregon native with an unlucky record at the Olympics. Monday night in Eugene, Tom Pappas became the first American man to make three Olympic teams in the decathlon. On the first two go-rounds, Pappas finished fifth in Sydney. At the Athens Games, an injury forced him to drop out. More >

Smoke from California Fires Drifts into Oregon
The Pacific Northwest fire season is still ramping up. But in California, more than a thousand wildfires are raging across the state. The smoke from some of those fires is making it hard for fire managers in southern Oregon to do their job. Correspondent Chris Lehman has more. More >

Makah Whalers Do Time for Whale Hunt
Two Makah Indian whale hunters are behind bars today. They were jailed Monday immediately after a judge sentenced them for leading an illegal whale hunt last September. Austin Jenkins has details. More >

NW’s Recent Temps Can Damage Potatoes
So, you think you’re wilting in the heat? Think of a potato. Northwest potatoes like heat, but when it gets into the hundreds the plants shut down. That’s bad news for French fry processors as our Richland Correspondent Anna King explains. More >

Alaska/Horizon Airline: Second Bag Fee Starts July 1
Starting tomorrow, Alaska and Horizon Airlines are joining the ranks of air carriers charging for a second checked bag. Officials say high fuel costs and a weaker economy are forcing changes in how the business operates. Ed Schoenfeld reports. More >

Fires Crews in Eastern WA and Eastern OR on Alert
In Eastern Washington and Eastern Oregon fire crews are on a Red Flag Alert. That’s because tonight there’s a dangerous cocktail of lightening storms, 100 degree heat and dry conditions. Richland Correspondent Anna King has the story. More >

Time for Another Constitutional Convention in Oregon?
Oregon’s Constitution addresses everything from freedom of speech to the proper method of purchasing stationery for state business. Some lawmakers say it’s time to give the document a massive overhaul. Salem Correspondent Chris Lehman reports on the makings of a modern-day Constitutional Convention: More >

New WA Law: Plug in that Handset and Drive
The Washington State Patrol says it will have NO grace period for drivers who violate the state’s new cell phone ban. The law goes into effect July 1st. It makes it illegal to drive while holding a cell phone to your ear. Austin Jenkins has details. More >

Northwest Athletes in the Spotlight at Olympic Trials
Day Three of the Olympic Trials in Eugene featured the first five events of the decathlon and the final in the men's pole vault. Northwest athletes are making their presence known, as Andrew Theen reports. More >

Ex-Cougar Starts Run For Gold in Eugene
He competed for his native Kenya at the past two Olympics. Monday night in Eugene, this same runner competes for a spot on the U-S Olympic squad bound for Beijing. Tom Banse explains the change in allegiances was nurtured in the Northwest. More >

Fewer Wheels With Meals
Local agencies that deliver meals and groceries to the homebound are losing volunteer drivers faster than they can replace them. High gas prices get the blame. It’s a hard problem to solve, as correspondent Tom Banse reports. More >

Biodiesel Keeps Pumping, But Growth Slows
Northwest drivers looking for an alternative to pricy gas have been disappointed to see alternatives like ethanol and biodiesel rise in price even faster. Alternative fuel retailers in Portland and Seattle are opening new stations despite the product expense and the separate food vs. fuel controversy. Correspondent Tom Banse reports. More >

U of I Presidennt Daley-Laursen Say University Strong and Growing
University of Idaho President- Delegate Steve Daley- Laursen says the momentum for the university has been strong and is growing. Glenn Mosley reports. More >

Measure 53 Recount Affirms Initial Results
Oregon’s first statewide recount in eight years has produced the same result as the original tally. The margin of victory for Measure 53 was so small it triggered an automatic recount. More >

Economic Slowdown Spells Caution at Oregon Capitol
The Oregon Legislature meets every other year. That makes it hard to deal with unexpected issues that arise between sessions. The only Legislative committee that gets to hand out money during the off-season is meeting today. Salem Correspondent Chris Lehman reports: More >