Northwest News

It was a good night for local Summer Olympics hopefuls Thursday in Eugene. A very good night, in fact. A half dozen athletes with ties to the Northwest earned spots in the London Games. Correspondent Tom Banse reports from the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Team Trials.

The capacity crowd at Eugene’s historic Hayward Field saved its biggest roar for last… for the dramatic finish in the men’s 5000 meters.

Eugene has a long history as the adopted home of Olympic track and field hopefuls. But it’s very rare for a serious contender to actually be born and raised in the city. On Sunday a true local girl will be competing at Hayward, and she has a legitimate shot at making the team in perhaps the most unusual of the track events. KLCC’s Jes Burns reports.

“Happy and relieved.” Those are the words Washington Governor Chris Gregoire uses to describe the Supreme Court’s decision on health care. The Democrat Thursday told a personal story about a health scare in her own family.

Oregon health officials say Thursday’s U.S. Supreme Court decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act “clears the runway” for big changes to the state’s health care system.

People around the Northwest have been giving all kinds of reactions to the decision by the U.S. Supreme Court decision to uphold President Obama’s Affordable Care Act. State officials in Washington and Oregon were elated. Reactions were more muted in Idaho. We have three stories now from reporters in three state capitols.

Both of Washington’s gubernatorial candidates claimed victory today [Thursday] after the Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Healthcare Act.

Republican candidate Rob McKenna was one of 26 Attorney Generals arguing that it was unconstitutional to force uninsured people to buy insurance. This morning [Thursday] the Supreme Court ruled that the individual mandate is in fact constitutional. Democrats called it a defeat for McKenna. They said the decision could hurt his run for governor against Democratic Congressman Jay Inslee. But McKenna disagreed. KUOW's Leslie McClurg reports.

Small business owners are also trying to gauge what the health care ruling means for them. Their views are sharply divided.