Several states, including Kansas and New Jersey, are debating so-called "wrongful birth" laws that would prevent parents from suing a doctor who fails to warn them about fetal problems.

Abortion rights activists say the laws give doctors the right to withhold information so women don't have abortions.

In Suffern, N.Y., Sharon and Steven Hoffman's son, Jake, was born with Tay-Sachs, a genetic disease that mainly affects Jewish families and is usually fatal by age 4 or 5.

"There's no treatment. There's no cure. There's nothing," Sharon says.

Washington state Ecology is rolling out a new draft permit for the Hanford Nuclear Reservation near Richland, Washington. The document is 16,476 pages long. Public meetings are scheduled across the Northwest including one in Seattle Tuesday night and another in Portland Wednesday. This new permit will determine how Hanford waste is treated, stored and disposed of for the next 10 years. Dieter Bohrmann is an Ecology spokesman. He says this document reflects that Hanford is unique both in its size and scope.

Dieter Bohrmann: “I think if there were any way we could have simplified it, and cut 10,000 pages out of it – yeah. You know, but even with that, it was still going to be a large document regardless.”

Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber hopes a newly revived public safety commission will lead to big changes in the state's criminal justice system. The Democrat issued an executive order Monday that brings back to life a blue ribbon panel created by his predecessor, Ted Kulongoski.

Oregon's prison population is expected to grow by another 2,000 by the end of the decade. Kitzhaber's public safety adviser, Steven Powers, says the governor thinks Oregon needs to take a close look at everything from mandatory sentences to drug rehabilitation programs.

The Federal Aviation Administration restricts flights to and from the D.C. area. But it has now authorization for eight non-stop flights from Western cities to Reagan National. Senator Ron Wyden says it'll be good for business.

This is the week candidates formally file for office in Washington. Republican State Senator Michael Baumgartner made it official Monday: he will challenge incumbent U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, a Democrat. But the race is starting out as a bit of a mismatch.

Beginning Monday Oregon drivers can purchase a wine country license plate. The additional cost will benefit tourism marketing.

There are specialty license plates for salmon, Crater Lake, culture and other causes. Now Oregon is the first in the nation to offer one touting the state's wine industry.

At Gonzaga University’s commencement, Archbishop Desmond Tutu mixed humor with a serious message to the graduating class.

On Monday the U.S. Senate is expected to vote on the Export-Import Bank bill, which passed overwhelmingly in the House last week. In a trip to Spokane on Friday, Senator Maria Cantwell said the bank helps fund international trade out of states like Washington. She says the bank’s authorization expires at the end of the month.