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Wednesday, August 20, 2008, 7:44 PM

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On Point

On Point with Tom Ashbrook is produced at WBUR Boston and brought to Northwest Public Radio's NPR news service weekdays from 6 until 8 p.m. Each hour explores a topic in an in-depth fashion, and includes experts as well as interested callers from around the country.

Northwest Regional News

Alaska Airline to Retire Last MD-80 Jets Next Week
If you’ve flown on Alaska Airlines in recent years, chances are you’ve ridden on an MD-80 jet. Late next week, the Seattle-based airline is retiring the last of that aging model from its fleet. Correspondent Tom Banse has the reason why. More >

U of I and AREVA: Improve Radioactive Waste Recycling
Improved radioactive waste recycling is the goal of a shared technology agreement signed by The University of Idaho with AREVA, Inc, a leading U.S. nuclear vendor. Glenn Mosley reports. More >

The Walla Walla Valley is Changing from Wheat to Wine
Wheat farmers have been harvesting grain in the Walla Walla Valley for more than a century. But lately vineyards and ritzy housing developments are taking over those productive, golden fields. Some say Walla Walla Valley is in danger of losing what attracts tourists and new residents -- its rural charm. Correspondent Anna King visited a few of those plush vineyards and dusty wheat farms in Washington and Oregon to bring us this story. More >

Washington’s First West Nile case of 2008 Reported
One week after Oregon reported its first human cases of West Nile virus in 2008, Washington State has its first case. The infection of a King County woman was uncovered in an unusual way. Tom Banse reports. More >

Top Two Primary Changes Political Landscape
Washington State’s political landscape changed overnight. For the first time, candidates from the same political party will face off in the general election. That’s because of the state’s new top-two primary – where the top vote getters advance to the November ballot regardless of party affiliation. Austin Jenkins has this analysis. More >

Primary Day in WA State
It’s primary day in Washington State. But few voters are going to the polls. The vast majority will cast their ballots by mail. This is the first time in Washington two candidates from the same party may advance to the general election. Olympia Correspondent Austin Jenkins explains. More >

Oregon Governor Renews Affirmative Action Push
Oregon government agencies will face increased scrutiny over whether they’re reaching state affirmative action goals. That was the message Governor Ted Kulongoski had today for leaders of those agencies. Salem Correspondent Chris Lehman has more: More >

Hanford’s F Reactor Gets a Check-up
The Hanford site in southeast Washington is home to nine closed reactors that once made plutonium for atomic bombs. The ghostly buildings along the Columbia River are isolated and get few visitors. One of the oldest of the reactors just got a checkup to make sure nothing has gotten in or out. Anna King reports on whether anything was found amiss. More >

Voter Drive Attempts to Sign up Pets, Dead People
It’s the time of year when political campaigns and special-interest groups are trying to sign people up to vote. But some attempts to register voters have missed the mark. Chris Lehman explains. More >

Obama's Oregon Strategy: Voter Registration
Barack Obama’s campaign is trying to register 100-thousand new Democrats in Oregon, and to train hundreds of volunteer campaign workers. More >

Democratic Lawyer: Lawsuit over Top Two Primary Possible
The format of Washington State’s new top-two primary system may trigger another round of lawsuits. That’s according to a top Democratic Party attorney. Tomorrow is primary day in Washington. Olympia Correspondent Austin Jenkins reports. More >

Northwest Olympians in Action
At least a dozen Northwest Olympians have a chance to win medals during the second week of the Beijing Olympics. Correspondent Doug Nadvornick has this rundown. More >

Fixing the Forest After a Wildfire
The largest wildfire in the Northwest has been fully contained. But fire crews aren’t done with their work. Now they’re rehabbing the 22-thousand acres that have burned on the Colville Indian Reservation in northeastern Washington. Correspondent Doug Nadvornick reports. More >

WSU's CUB Renovation Complete
Following a big renovation project, the Compton Student Union Building is back open for business at Washington State University in Pullman. Glenn Mosley has more. More >

Rossi Tamps Down Expectations on Eve of Primary
Tuesday’s Washington State primary won’t decide the Governor’s race. Even so the stakes are high for the top Republican and Democratic candidates. Whichever candidate wins the most votes will gain some important bragging rights. While the loser may have some explaining to do. Olympia Correspondent Austin Jenkins reports. More >

Airlines Cutting Service to Northwest Communities
Higher fuel costs mean it’s getting harder to find a seat on a flight out of town in many Northwest communities. Another round of airline cuts is set to take effect this fall in places like Spokane, Boise and Klamath Falls. Chris Lehman took a ride on one of the flights that’s being grounded to see how travelers are reacting to the changes. More >

Seattle Area Risks Joining Federal ‘Bad Air’ List
Seattle may join Boise as the second Northwest metro area in violation of federal clean air standards. The standards got tougher earlier this year. The greater Seattle area is under a smog watch for the second time this month. More >

Big Fire Weekend?
Forecasters are calling for extremely high temperatures around the Northwest this weekend. They’ve issued heat advisories on both sides of the Cascades. They also warn of the potential for thunderstorms, especially in mountainous areas. That could mean more wildfires. Correspondent Doug Nadvornick reports. More >

Firefighting Crash Victims Remembered; Investigation Continues
Around four thousand people attended a memorial service near Medford today for the victims of a terrible firefighting accident. Seven forest firefighters and a pilot from Southern Oregon died in a helicopter crash earlier this month. A Forest Service worker based in Redding, CA died as well. Correspondent Tom Banse has more on the service and the on-going investigation. More >

Supporters of WA Assisted Suicide Decry Catholic Money
Sponsors of Washington State’s assisted suicide ballot measure are criticizing the Catholic Church. They say church contributions to defeat I-1000 should instead go to victims of sex abuse within the church. More >

Lawmakers Get an Earful from Small-Town Officials over Ethics Law
How do you hold politicians accountable? One way is to prevent or expose conflicts of interest. To do that, the Oregon legislature passed a sweeping ethics package last year. But now lawmakers say they’ll revisit the issue in their next session. This after a slew of resignations by officials in small Oregon communities. Some of those officials gave lawmakers a piece of their mind at a hearing in Pendleton yesterday. Correspondent Chris Lehman was there and filed this report: More >

Robbing Peter to Pay Smokey
Knock on wood, it’s been a rather sedate wildfire season in the Northwest. But California’s forests are burning up. The Forest Service is transferring 42 million dollars from the Northwest to help with the firefighting down south. Correspondent Doug Nadvornick reports. More >

Assisted Suicide Issue Heats up in WA
The Catholic Church has begun pouring money into the campaign to defeat Washington’s Death with Dignity ballot initiative. This is the Oregon-style measure that would allow doctors to prescribe lethal doses of drugs to terminally ill patients. Olympia Correspondent Austin Jenkins reports. More >

More News

Gregoire, Rossi are again in the race to be Washington governor
Washington state's new primary system, in which the two candidates who get the most votes advance to the primary regardless of party affiliation, resulted in few surprises on Tuesday, with incumbent Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire and her Republican challenger in 2004, Dino Rossi, advancing to the November election.
Spokane Spokesman-Review

Washington state declines appeal on Hanford waste initiative
An initiative passed by the state of Washington in 2004 intended to keep more nuclear waste from being shipped to the Hanford nuclear reservation until the waste onsite was cleaned up never took effect because of legal challenges, and now that a deadline to appeal a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision that found the initiative unconstitutional has passed, it never will.
Tri-City Herald

ESA changes won't put species in danger
The proposed changes to the federal Endangered Species Act would allow projects that would not affect or pose no significant threat to endangered species to go forward without consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services. A letter from Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne.
New York Times

Nevada senator calls for federal funding of renewable energy projects
At the National Clean Energy Summit at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, Sen. Harry Reid, Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens, industry and research officials all said that the nation's efforts to tap into renewable energy needs the full support and funding of the federal government.
Las Vegas Review-Journal

Crews get a handle on Idaho wildfires
Firefighters expect to have the 32,000-acre North Minidoka fire in south-central Idaho fully contained today, and full containment is also expected on the 674-acre Pagari Bridge fire and the 120-acre Paymaster fire, while the 4,700-acre South Barker fire was being allowed to burn in the Sawtooth National Forest, although crews are actively working to keep it out of the Boise National Forest.
Twin Falls Times-News

Idaho city approves plan to replace hotel with condos
The Boise City Council approved the demolition of the 20-year-old Shilo Inn along the Main/Fairview corridor to clear the way for a five-story, 48-unit riverside condominium complex, overturning the Idaho city's planning board's rejection of the project because of its 72-foot height.
Idaho Statesman

Idaho DEQ releases new data on nitrate levels in groundwater
The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality released new data on nitrate levels in groundwater, and while levels in the Cassia and Minidoka county areas haven't changed much from the 2002 levels, their standing in the state rankings dropped from third highest to eighth, and from ninth to 13th, respectively.
Twin Falls Times-News

Orbusmax
This site includes regional opinion blogs of every stripe, from conservative to liberal to undefinable.

Pacific Northwest Portal Blog
The Regional Blogs Directory contains links to progressive blogs within the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska.

The Daily Kos: State of the Nation
This daily weblog includes political analysis on US current events from a liberal perspective.

Michelle Malkin
Forbes magazine and The Week magazine have both rated Malkin’s conservative blog one of the best political blogs. It currently ranks among the top 10 most popular political blogs.

The Daily Dish
Andrew Sullivan dishes up interviews, conservative commentary, and essays under The Atlantic Monthly banner.

The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is a political group weblog founded by Arianna Huffington and Kenneth Lerer. Widely viewed as a response to the conservative bloggers, it was launched on May 9, 2005 as a news and commentary outlet.

NPR News Blog
Not just about what you see on the evening news or hear on NPR's radio programs, Tom Regan’s blog aims to bring you news, with a bit of analysis, that is interesting, informative, important ... and maybe a bit unexpected.

Our Northwest
During the next month, we're exploring ways for you to "think green" and conserve! "Our Northwest" features experts from WSU in the areas of water conservation and organic agriculture as well as helpful articles and links from across the region.

Our Organic Northwest

Our Northwest Water

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