Local/Regional News
|
 |
Meals on Bike Wheels Saves Gas
Earlier this week, we told you how meals-on-wheels programs are having trouble recruiting and retaining volunteer drivers due to high gas prices. Here’s a follow-up from reporter Tom Banse. He heard about another way to get food to shut-ins and the homebound hungry.
 Listen
Signature Gathering Fueled By Handful of Donors
Today was the deadline to submit signatures to get measures on this fall’s ballot in Oregon. Five measures have already qualified, with a half-dozen more poised to make it. At least half of the money that went towards signature gathering efforts came from a single source: Nevada businessman Loren Parks.
Listen
WA Lawmakers Still Cool to Key Arena Upgrade
Will the Washington State legislature help fund a Seattle Key Arena upgrade next year?
Listen
Seattle Loses Supersonics
The Seattle Supersonics basketball team is moving to Oklahoma City. But the settlement reached Wednesday gives incentives for Seattle to host another N-B-A team down the road.
Listen
WA Right to Die Supporters Submit 320,000 Signatures
It looks like Washington State voters will get the chance to vote on an Oregon-style right-to-die initiative this fall. Former Governor Booth Gardner, who has Parkinson’s, is leading the campaign. He says he’s confident of a win in November.
Listen
Legal Glitch Ensnares Five Juvenile Lifers
Five juvenile murderers in Oregon say that because of a legal glitch, they received much harsher sentences than if they’d been older when they committed their crimes. So far the courts have not been moved, and the state isn’t backing down. Austin Jenkins has Part Two of our series on juvenile lifers.
Listen
Prayer and Cheers as Signatures Dropped for WA Right to Die Initiative
Washington State is one step closer to adopting an Oregon-style Death with Dignity law. Supporters of I-1000 today submitted well over the number of signatures they need to get the measure on this November’s ballot. As Olympia Correspondent Austin Jenkins reports, opponents prayed while supporters cheered.
Listen
Moving Chemical Weapons to Umatilla, OR Possible Option
The United States is falling behind on an international treaty deadline to destroy all of its chemical weapons by 2012. The state of Oregon might be asked to pick up the slack. Correspondent Anna King has the story.
Listen
WA Foster Care System Says it Needs More Money
Washington’s foster care system needs more money if it’s going to reduce social worker caseloads. That’s the response from the Department of Social and Health Services after a judge’s ruling Monday. Austin Jenkins reports.
Listen
Starbucks Closing 600 Stores Nationwide
Some Starbucks customers may soon have to drive a bit further to get their caffeine fix. The Seattle-based coffee giant announced Tuesday the closures will affect underperforming stores nationwide. Austin Jenkins has details.
Listen
Life in Prison for Juveniles: Is it Good Public Policy?
There are at least 60 juvenile murderers serving life sentences in Northwest prisons. Some will probably die in prison. Others have a chance at parole. But is it good public policy to prosecute juveniles as adults and sentence them to life? Austin Jenkins takes us behind bars in search of some answers.
Listen
Fourth Place Makes the Olympic Team
Fourth place is usually the cruelest spot to finish at the Olympic Trials. Only the top three get a ticket to Beijing in track and field. But fourth was good enough for one Eugene woman last night.
Listen
Olympics: Will Third Time be the Charm for Oregon Native?
Perhaps the third time will be the charm for an Oregon native with an unlucky record at the Olympics. Last night in Eugene, Tom Pappas became the first American man to make three Olympic teams in the decathlon.
Listen
Starbucks Closing 600 Stores Nationwide
Some Starbucks customers may soon have to drive a bit further to get their caffeine fix. The Seattle-based coffee giant announced today it will close 600 underperforming stores nationwide. Correspondent Austin Jenkins has details.
Listen
Range Fire Burns at Umatilla Chemical Depot
A team of regional firefighters brought a blaze on the Umatilla Chemical Depot under control Monday night. The range fire started in the afternoon in the southwest corner of the depot. The fire did not reach the igloos -- or underground bunkers -- where chemical weapons are stored.
Listen
When Fourth Place Secure an Olympic Berth
Fourth place is usually the cruelest spot to finish at the Olympic Trials. Only the top three get a ticket to Beijing in track and field. But on Monday night, fourth place was good enough for one Eugene woman to win a spot on the Olympic team.
Listen
Oregon Native Hopes for Change in Olympic Fortunes
The third time could be a charm for an Oregon native with an unlucky record at the Olympics. Monday night in Eugene, Tom Pappas became the first American man to make three Olympic teams in the decathlon. On the first two go-rounds, Pappas finished fifth in Sydney. At the Athens Games, an injury forced him to drop out.
Listen
Smoke from California Fires Drifts into Oregon
The Pacific Northwest fire season is still ramping up. But in California, more than a thousand wildfires are raging across the state. The smoke from some of those fires is making it hard for fire managers in southern Oregon to do their job. Correspondent Chris Lehman has more.
Listen
Makah Whalers Do Time for Whale Hunt
Two Makah Indian whale hunters are behind bars today. They were jailed Monday immediately after a judge sentenced them for leading an illegal whale hunt last September. Austin Jenkins has details.
Listen
NW’s Recent Temps Can Damage Potatoes
So, you think you’re wilting in the heat? Think of a potato. Northwest potatoes like heat, but when it gets into the hundreds the plants shut down. That’s bad news for French fry processors as our Richland Correspondent Anna King explains.
Listen
Alaska/Horizon Airline: Second Bag Fee Starts July 1
Starting tomorrow, Alaska and Horizon Airlines are joining the ranks of air carriers charging for a second checked bag. Officials say high fuel costs and a weaker economy are forcing changes in how the business operates. Ed Schoenfeld reports.
Listen
Fires Crews in Eastern WA and Eastern OR on Alert
In Eastern Washington and Eastern Oregon fire crews are on a Red Flag Alert. That’s because tonight there’s a dangerous cocktail of lightening storms, 100 degree heat and dry conditions. Richland Correspondent Anna King has the story.
Listen
Time for Another Constitutional Convention in Oregon?
Oregon’s Constitution addresses everything from freedom of speech to the proper method of purchasing stationery for state business. Some lawmakers say it’s time to give the document a massive overhaul. Salem Correspondent Chris Lehman reports on the makings of a modern-day Constitutional Convention:
Listen
New WA Law: Plug in that Handset and Drive
The Washington State Patrol says it will have NO grace period for drivers who violate the state’s new cell phone ban. The law goes into effect July 1st. It makes it illegal to drive while holding a cell phone to your ear. Austin Jenkins has details.
Listen
Northwest Athletes in the Spotlight at Olympic Trials
Day Three of the Olympic Trials in Eugene featured the first five events of the decathlon and the final in the men's pole vault. Northwest athletes are making their presence known, as Andrew Theen reports.
Listen
Ex-Cougar Starts Run For Gold in Eugene
He competed for his native Kenya at the past two Olympics. Monday night in Eugene, this same runner competes for a spot on the U-S Olympic squad bound for Beijing. Tom Banse explains the change in allegiances was nurtured in the Northwest.
Listen
Fewer Wheels With Meals
Local agencies that deliver meals and groceries to the homebound are losing volunteer drivers faster than they can replace them. High gas prices get the blame. It’s a hard problem to solve, as correspondent Tom Banse reports.
Listen
Biodiesel Keeps Pumping, But Growth Slows
Northwest drivers looking for an alternative to pricy gas have been disappointed to see alternatives like ethanol and biodiesel rise in price even faster. Alternative fuel retailers in Portland and Seattle are opening new stations despite the product expense and the separate food vs. fuel controversy. Correspondent Tom Banse reports.
Listen
U of I Presidennt Daley-Laursen Say University Strong and Growing
University of Idaho President- Delegate Steve Daley- Laursen says the momentum for the university has been strong and is growing. Glenn Mosley reports.
Listen
Measure 53 Recount Affirms Initial Results
Oregon’s first statewide recount in eight years has produced the same result as the original tally. The margin of victory for Measure 53 was so small it triggered an automatic recount.
Listen
Economic Slowdown Spells Caution at Oregon Capitol
The Oregon Legislature meets every other year. That makes it hard to deal with unexpected issues that arise between sessions. The only Legislative committee that gets to hand out money during the off-season is meeting today. Salem Correspondent Chris Lehman reports:
Listen
Photographer Explores NW Serial Killer Dump Sites
A Northwest art photographer has spent the last two years of his life capturing images of the places where serial killers dumped their victims. He traveled California, Washington and Oregon to visit nearly 300 sites. You’ll recognize the names of killers like Ted Bundy or Robert Lee Yates. The victims won’t be as familiar, nor the places they were found. Richland Correspondent Anna King has this artist profile.
Listen
WA Fish and Wildlife Investigates Reports of Wolf Pack
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is intensively investigating photographs and reports of wolves in North Central, Washington. But so far the agency says there’s NO proof yet that a pack of wolves has taken up residence in the state. Correspondent Austin Jenkins reports.
Listen
Water Groups Questions Potato Numbers
In Central Washington State, the Odessa Aquifer is running dry. The state’s Potato Commission warns of an economic disaster if farmers don’t get replacement water from the Columbia River. But now an environmental group says the Potato Commission’s predictions of an economic doomsday are exaggerated. Olympia Correspondent Austin Jenkins reports.
Listen
NW Firefighters Head to California
More than 25-hundred firefighters from the Northwest have been sent to Northern California to join the fight against the escalating wildfires there. Correspondent Tom Banse reports.
Listen
Emergency Money Given to Food Banks for Gas
Washington Governor Chris Gregoire says food banks are running out of gas money. So today she opened up a state emergency fund to give food banks 200-thousand dollars for gas.
Listen
Oregon Lawmakers Cautiously Hand Out Money
Caution is the buzzword in Salem this week as a panel of lawmakers is meeting to decide which state agencies are worthy of a financial pick-me-up. The Legislature’s Emergency Board is set to finish its work tomorrow. Salem Correspondent Chris Lehman reports:
Listen
Gregoire: Do Not Use Soprano Theme Song in Ad
WASHINGTON GOVERNOR CHRIS GREGOIRE SAYS STATE DEMOCRATS SHOULD NOT USE MUSIC FROM ‘THE SOPRANOS’ IN ADS ABOUT HER REPUBLICAN CHALLENGER, DINO ROSSI.
Listen
Emergency Subcommittee Approves Funds for Salmon Fishermen
An Oregon legislative subcommittee voted today to provide coastal fishermen with half a million dollars in aid from the state’s Emergency Fund. The salmon fishing season was closed earlier this year because of a forecasted decline in stocks of Sacramento River Chinook Salmon.
Listen
NW Coastal Fisherman Review Valdez Decision
Costal fishermen are reviewing the Supreme Court's decision on damages for the Exxon Valdez disaster. April Baer reports that today's decision dashed hopes of thousands of Northwest fishermen who lost work because of the spill. April Baer reports...
Listen
WA Study: Racial Bias in Child Welfare System?
Is there racial bias in Washington State’s child welfare system? A new study that will be released today suggests the answer might be yes. Olympia Correspondent Austin Jenkins explains.
Listen
Will There Be Enough Labor for NW Fruit Harvest?
Northwest farmers are unsure if there will be enough labor to harvest the region’s fruit this summer and fall. The sinking economy, high gas prices and low cherry yields are all playing a part. Richland Correspondent Anna King reports.
Listen
OR Reviews Response to Winter Storms
Last winter’s devastating storms may be a distant memory for most in the Northwest. But officials want to be ready for the next time a natural disaster strikes. A panel in charge of evaluating Oregon’s response to the storms issued a report Tuesday. Salem Correspondent Chris Lehman reports:
Listen
WA State Officials: No Packs of Wolves Here Yet
Early this week reports of a wolf pack making a home in Washington State hit the headlines. We sent Richland Correspondent Anna King to sniff out the real story about wolves in the Evergreen State.
Listen
WA Gov. Gregoire: Countrywide Targeted Minorities
The Countrywide Home Loan company has another enemy,
Chris Gregoire, Governor of Washington State
Listen
B-17 Fly Above Spokane to Delight of Vets
Some members of the public and a few aging World War Two veterans got a special treat at Spokane International Airport – a visit by a trio of old war birds. Spokane Public Radio’s Steve Jackson talks with one of those vets inside a vintage B-17 Flying Fortress in the skies over Spokane.
Listen
U of I President White Reflects
Tim White’s tenure as president of the University of Idaho is rapidly drawing to a close. A goodbye celebration is planned for today and a tree will be planted in his honor on campus next Monday. Glenn Mosley reports.
Listen
Fading La Niña Clears Way for Summer Warm Up
Summer – at long last -- officially begins this afternoon. Correspondent Tom Banse looked into the 90-day forecast and tells us what we can expect from the season.
Listen
Cleanup Continues at Hanford
Over the weekend the Federal Government used explosives to demolish parts of the N Reactor at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. The reactor is one of nine that once produced plutonium for the Manhattan Project. The demolition is part of ongoing cleanup at Hanford. Richland Correspondent Anna King reports
Listen
One-Third of OR Counties in Crisis Mode due to End of Timber Payments
One-third of all Oregon counties are in crisis mode due to a loss of Federal timber payments. That’s one of the findings of a new report from a task force set up by Governor Ted Kulongoski. Salem Correspondent Chris Lehman has more:
Listen
|
|