Tagged: Northwest

In the first election that so-called “super PACs” can collect unlimited money for presidential races, some big spenders from the Northwest are getting in on the action. 

LYNNWOOD, Wash. – If you use electric heat, your utility may be willing to pay you to upgrade to a more efficient system. They're targeting the roughly one million Northwest households that use electric baseboard heaters to stay cozy and warm. The hot new thing in home heating is called the “ductless heat pump.” Never heard of that before? Neither had we. So we sent correspondent Tom Banse to find out what a ductless heat pump is.

PORTLAND – There's a sleeping giant in the Pacific Northwest that could wake very soon and shake us all up. That giant is a major quake on par with the one that rattled Chile earlier this year. Some seismologists say it's overdue. More than 500 of the world's leading earthquake experts are in Portland this week for their annual conference. Correspondent Tom Banse dropped by to find out when the next “Big One” might shake the region.

The lack of snow pack this winter in the Northwest could spell problems for irrigators. That is especially true in areas that have had long term problems with water supply, like the Yakima basin.

The Yakima basin is an agricultural region that has dealt with water shortages for many years. The U.S. bureau of Reclamation serves several irrigation districts in the region, but while much of the water comes from the Yakima River, Reclamation spokeswoman Wendy Christiansen says a good portion is dependent on mountain snow pack.