Northwest News

Dr. Michael Gottfredson has been selected as the finalist for the new president of the University of Oregon.

Gottfredson has served as Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost at the University of California Irvine since 2000. He is an expert in criminology. Oregon University System Chancellor George Pernsteiner calls Gottfredson an academic leader of distinction.

"That's a great combination for Oregon," Pernsteiner says. "Somebody who is committed to higher education and has a track record of real success and is able to work collaboratively with the other elements of education in this state for the betterment of the state and its citizens."

Republican Rob McKenna and Democrat Jay Inslee sparred in an hour-long debate heard on Northwest Public Radio this afternoon, and again at 7 PM Tuesday. Listen to the debate.

Oregon Parks officials are still weighing their options for the giant piece of tsunami debris that washed up on the Oregon coast this week. The Japanese dock continues to draw onlookers to the beach near Newport.

Washington voters find it hard to determine if political campaign ads are accurate, according to a survey by the AARP of Washington. Paige Browning reports, the organization hosted an event in Spokane Thursday to share the results and educate their members.

This week has been a rollercoaster of media attention for Casey Martin. The Oregon men’s golf coach was a surprise qualifier for the U.S. Open at the Olympic Golf Course in San Francisco next week. KLCC’s Rachael McDonald reports from a press conference Friday at the University of Oregon.

For the first time, we're getting to listen to the eruption of an undersea volcano off the Northwest coast. Correspondent Tom Banse got a hold of unusual recordings made at a place called Axial Seamount. It's about 300 miles out to sea from Cannon Beach, Oregon.

It’s been a decade-long struggle for Washington’s pygmy rabbits. The palm-sized bunnies have been all but wiped out from the state. And efforts to breed them in captivity were failing. So, biologists are now attempting to breed the rabbits in their natural habitat. Reporting for EarthFix, Courtney Flatt explains, the pygmy rabbits are finally doing what rabbits are supposed to do.

One small-town movie theater is looking for a happy ending to what could have been a horror story earlier this year. The historic Palace Theatre in Silverton, Oregon closed its doors after an April fire. But repairs are underway at the Depression-era movie palace. Correspondent Chris Lehman reports.