Editor's Take: March 20, 2008
Honeysuckle are blooming earlier.
It's Spring - Already?
Noticed some changes in your yard? My rhododendron bush was blooming in February. If you think that seems odd, you're right. The major papers report that spring is arriving earlier - and it’s most obvious in the Pacific Northwest. See the Seattle P-I and the Oregonian for regional angles. ... Please welcome freelance editor Christina Claassen to Sightline Daily’s team.
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Spring's Sprung Earlier, Warmer in NW
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
03/20/2008
Salmon and butterflies. Lilacs and honeysuckle. Marmots and robins. All of them are showing up earlier in the American West.
Pollen is bursting. Critters are stirring. Buds are swelling. Biologists are worrying.
Blame global warming. Scientists have reported that signs of an earlier and warmer spring are most evident in the Northeast and the Pacific Northwest.
Go to article.
Idaho Lawmakers Want New, Higher Dams
Boise Idaho Statesman
03/20/2008
While Gov. Butch Otter and the Idaho Legislature talk about ways to build new dams and enlarge existing ones, the discussions are framed by two floods - one that some fear could happen at any minute, and another more than three decades ago that still hangs over the part of the state once devastated by its power.
Go to article.
Big Business Lobbies Against Climate Bill
Missoulian
03/20/2008
Energy companies and other business interests have launched a nationwide campaign to undermine climate change legislation pending in Congress, saying it could cost millions of jobs, drive gasoline prices sharply higher and suck thousands of dollars from household incomes.
Go to article.
Jobs Will Reduce Suicide Rates, Says Native Leader
Toronto Globe and Mail
03/20/2008
With swagger and a shoot-from-the-lip sense of humour, Chief Clarence Louie won over a crowd of corporate leaders yesterday with his simple prescription for the problems facing Canada's aboriginals - jobs.
Creating jobs and spurring economic development are the best ways to reduce the high suicide rate among aboriginal people, he said.
Go to article.
Seattle Area Becoming Much More International
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
03/20/2008
It can be seen on Rainier Avenue South in Seattle with the growing number of taco trucks and pho restaurants. And from the Mexican day laborers lined up looking for work in Belltown, the large numbers of Indians working at Microsoft, and all the televisions tuned in to the Spanish language channel at restaurants such as Coliman in Georgetown.
And it is reflected in U.S. Census numbers released Wednesday night -- the Seattle area is becoming a far more international area.
Go to article.
Big Changes to Washington State Ballot
Seattle Times
03/20/2008
A U.S. Supreme Court ruling Tuesday shoved Washington politics into a strange realm where two candidates from the same party could run against each other in the November election.
The decision also means minor political parties could largely vanish from the general-election ballot. And it may help more moderate candidates win office.
Go to article.
Chinook Fishing Likely Limited on Oregon's Rivers
Oregonian
03/20/2008
With much of the West Coast already facing a shutdown of salmon fishing, Oregon officials warn of likely tighter limits on river fishing for popular fall chinook salmon because of declining fish returns.
Go to article.
Health Care Cutbacks in California, Other States
Contra Costa Times
03/20/2008
Financially strapped states are looking to take away government health insurance and benefits from millions of Americans already struggling with a souring economy.
An Associated Press review of the budgets in all 50 states reveals that coverage would be eliminated for hundreds of thousands of poor children, disabled and the elderly.
Go to article.
Commentary: Alaska's Budget: Skewed Priorities
Anchorage Daily News
03/20/2008
The Legislature was adamant about putting $70 million worth of capital improvement projects into a spending bill that just passed both houses.
What about children's health care? Who is standing up to provide government health insurance for children of the working poor?
Go to article.
Commentary: Washington Legislature Gave Climate, Economy Hope
Vancouver Columbian
03/19/2008
Climate policy took center stage in the Washington Legislature this year. It was a classic battle pitting hope against fear of the unknown.
Go to article.
