Editor's Take: August 04, 2008
Credit: Ben McLeod, Flickr
Taking Work Home
Transportation and economy go hand in hand these days.
That's why more people are telecommuting,
buying electric
cars, and riding their bikes.
In Portland, teens are getting free
bus passes, and the Seattle P-I
urges for a revamped
transit system. Economically, more people are growing
food nationwide, low-wage
earners struggle to move up, and health
care systems get sorted out.
Editor's Top Picks
Your editor today is Christina Claassen | View All Today's News
Cutting the Commute
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
08/04/2008
The Telework Coalition estimates that more than 26 million Americans now telecommute at least some days, which equals about 18 percent of people employed nationwide.
Microsoft and other companies are allowing employees to take advantage of "flexible work" options, such as teleworking by phone and online from home, or taking compressed workweeks.
Go to article.
Free Transit Passes for Portland Teens
Oregonian
08/04/2008
When classes resume this fall, students from two Portland high schools can cross monthly transit passes off their back-to-school shopping lists.
The pilot program will give all students at Franklin and Jefferson high schools free passes in September.
Go to article.
Tight Economy Grows Fruits and Veggies
Washington Post
08/03/2008
From Atlanta to Minneapolis to Seattle, people are reacting to the stagnant economy and the high cost of produce by planting their own fruits and vegetables, say garden store owners, bulk seed sellers and industry analysts.
Go to article.
Hovering Above Poverty, Grasping for Middle Class
Washington Post
08/03/2008
Low-wage workers in the United States are gripped by increasing financial insecurity as they inch along an economic tightrope made riskier by pervasive job losses and rising prices. Many struggle to pay for life's basics -- housing, food and health care -- and most report having virtually no financial cushion should they stumble.
Go to article.
Views: If Not Mass Transit Now, When?
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
08/02/2008
Major investments in public transportation are the smart, obvious move at a time when high gas prices are pushing a record number of Americans out of their cars and packing them into mass transit. Unfortunately, doing so is neither smart nor obvious to the federal government.
Go to article.
The 'Zenn' of Green Cars
San Francisco Chronicle
08/04/2008
There's a new foray into the electric-car field -- "neighborhood electric vehicle," or as it's sometimes more accurately called, the "low-speed vehicle." More of these cars are showing up in the Bay Area, particularly in such green-car-friendly climes as Berkeley.
Go to article.
Health Service Shorted Alaska Natives
Anchorage Daily News
08/04/2008
About $6 million worth of equipment, including tractor-trailers, has vanished somewhere between the Indian Health Service and the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, the result of "gross mismanagement" of the federal agency charged with providing health services to Natives.
Go to article.
Solutions to BC's Looming Health Care Juggernaut
Vancouver Sun
08/02/2008
A more 'robust' primary care system is key to meeting the needs of a rapidly aging B.C. population, says the health minister. But some wonder just how realistic his plans are.
Go to article.
Views: Make Room for Two-Wheeled Travelers
Missoulian
08/04/2008
High gas prices appear to be one of the main forces pushing more people to pedal, but many commuters are also opting for bicycles in order to get more exercise, or because they want to be easier on the environment. Whatever the reasons, we all reap the benefits of less traffic congestion and cleaner air.
Go to article.
Prospectors Sift Through America's Garbage
Independent
08/03/2008
Trash smells sweet to investors as soaring commodities prices result in a boom for the US waste recycling industry.
Go to article.
