Hard times just got harder for legal immigrants who receive food stamps from the State. Their benefits were cut in half Sunday. The move is part of many cut-backs to balance the State’s budget. Lesley McClurg reports.

A former police officer in Lakewood, Washington will spend 2 years, 9 months in federal prison, and pay immediate restitution. That was the sentence handed down in federal court today after he pleaded guilty to embezzlement. Amy Radil of KUOW reports.

In federal court in Tacoma, former Lakewood police officer Skeeter Timothy Manos faced the anger of the people he stole from.

Manos has admitted to embezzling over $150,000 from his police officer’s union and the families of fallen officers.

Environmental regulators have detected high levels of fecal coliform in one of the Northwest's most important areas for growing food. Reporting for EarthFix, Courtney Flatt has more.

Washington’s Lands Commissioner is expected to declare the state’s first ever forest health hazard warning Monday. The formal declaration comes amid growing concern about the potential for a catastrophic fire – not unlike what we’ve seen in recent days in Colorado. Olympia Correspondent Austin Jenkins reports.

We learned a new word on Saturday, thanks to Korva's post about the devastating storm that has left millions without power from Ohio east through the mid-Atlantic states:

Derecho.

Two more runners and two javelin throwers from the Northwest claimed spots in the London Olympics on the final scheduled day of competition at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials.

Runners, jumpers and throwers from the Northwest performed well in these Olympic Trials. In fact, more than 20 percent of the athletes on the U.S. Olympic track and field team have ties to our region. Correspondent Tom Banse looked for reasons behind the disproportionately high local representation.

"Mexico's old guard sailed back into power after a 12-year hiatus Sunday," The Associated Press writes, "as the official preliminary vote count handed a victory to Enrique Pena Nieto, whose party was long accused of ruling the country through corruption and patronage."

As we said earlier, millions of people in mid-Atlantic states and Ohio are starting a third day without power because of damage from Friday's "land hurricane."

But in Colorado Springs, "it's nice to finally have some good news," Steve Cox, chief of economic vitality and innovation for the city, tells the local Gazette.

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

For about 2.7 million people across mid-Atlantic and west to Ohio it's Day 3 without power.

Friday's "land hurricane" — technically known as a derecho — may be long gone, but it is certainly not forgotten. Crews, many brought in from states well outside the affected region, continue to work on restoring power. But utilities are warning it could be next weekend before everyone is back on the grid.