Northwest News

Portland City Council has unanimously approved fluoridating the city's water system. April Baer of Oregon Public Broadcasting reports, a challenge to the plan has already been set in motion. 

About a dozen signs dotted the room, with opposition slogans like "Public water, public vote." Several hecklers were thrown out.

Council members including Amanda Fritz said they felt some concerns raised by opponents were valid. 

The smell of smoke hangs in the air across much of central Washington Wednesday. At least four significant wildfires are burning around Wenatchee, making the skies hazy. Vicky Cibcki works at the Anjou Bakery near the town of Cashmere.

Wednesday the Portland City Council is expected to pass an ordinance to add fluoride to the municipal water system. Anti-fluoridation groups have been outspoken in their opposition to the move but Mayor Sam Adams and two commissioners have already voiced their support, ensuring a majority on the five-member panel.

Kimberly Kaminski is Director of "Clean Water Portland." Her group opposes adding fluoride to city water supplies.

Water pollution doesn't just come from industrial pipes. It can also come from your prescription drugs or antibacterial soap. As part of our series on the 40th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, Cassandra Profita reports on the everyday pollutants that are emerging in waterways across the Northwest.You can find more about prescription drugs entering Northwest waters on our website nwpr.org and (hear how unregulated toxins may be affecting fish in the Northwest.

A wind tower manufacturer says it’s closing plants in Washington and Nebraska. Manufacturing company Katana Summit is looking for a buyer for its operations in the two states. If that doesn’t happen by November 1, the plants will shut down.