Editor's Take: August 13, 2008
Credit: Len Blumin - flickr
Preventative Medicine
Today, opportunities lost and opportunities seized to take
care of ourselves, our economy, and our environment before it’s too late for
full recovery. Americans are cutting
back on doctor visits. Chipping away at spotted
owl territory; will the birds be lost
for good? Poverty
in the US is on the rise, stepping backward from progress made in the
1990s. Finally, positive lessons from gas prices: we
can take charge of our energy economy.
Editor's Top Picks
Your editor today is Rob Priewe | View All Today's News
As Spotted Owl's Numbers Fall, Some Fear It's Doomed
Seattle Times
08/13/2008
The northern spotted owl , an endangered icon that spurred a rescue effort so sweeping it brought old-growth logging to a virtual standstill in the Northwest, is now closer than ever to extinction. Fourteen years after old-growth logging was banned on most federal lands to protect the owls, their numbers are falling year after year.
Go to article.
Feds Trim Spotted Owl Lands by 23 Percent
Oregonian
08/13/2008
Federal wildlife officials Tuesday reduced by 23 percent the Northwest forest lands designated as critical habitat for the northern spotted owl, making good on their settlement of a lawsuit with the timber industry. The move cut the amount of designated critical habitat for the owl from 6.9 million acres to 5.3 million acres.
Go to article.
22 Percent of Americans Cut Visits to Doctor
San Francisco Chronicle
08/13/2008
Nearly a quarter of Americans have reduced the number of times they see their doctor because they want to save money in these tough economic times, according to a survey released Tuesday by the country's state insurance regulators.
Go to article.
Salmon: 3 Pesticides Singled Out as Threat
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
08/13/2008
From Los Angeles to the Canadian border, three pesticides synthesized in the 1950s and '60s are increasing the chance of extinction for more than two dozen imperiled salmon stocks, says a draft study by federal fisheries experts. "Overwhelming evidence" suggests the pesticides are interfering with the ability of salmon to swim, find food, reproduce and escape bigger fish trying to eat them.
Go to article.
States, Cities Ready to Move on Housing Aid
Christian Science Monitor
08/12/2008
States, counties, and cities with high home-foreclosure rates, now poised to reap a windfall in federal aid to help them cope with the crisis, are busy laying plans for what, exactly, they will do with the money. So far, their blueprints are as varied as the places themselves. Some plan to use the money for demolition, some for rehabbing abandoned properties. Some even envision using the one-time bonanza to try to prevent future foreclosures.
Go to article.
Oregon Sawmills Adapt to Forest Thinning Future
Oregon Public Broadcasting
08/13/2008
The forests in the southeastern part of Oregon look a little different than those west of the Cascades. Looking at a hillside in the distance, almost as many trees appear red as do green. The red and orange needles show just how unhealthy the forest really is.
Go to article.
Roadless Rule Tossed Out Again
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
08/13/2008
A federal judge in Wyoming has overturned a Clinton-era ban on road construction in nearly 60 million acres of national forest, extending a long-running dispute over U.S. Forest Service rules for large sections of undeveloped land.
Go to article.
Poor See Gains of 1990s Reversed
Christian Science Monitor
08/12/2008
One less visible aspect of the economic boom of the 1990s was a decline in the number of low-income working people who lived in very poor neighborhoods. But that trend has reversed during the first five years of this decade, according to a new analysis by the Brookings Institution. It found that the number of poor people who live in areas of concentrated poverty increased by 41 percent since 1999.
Go to article.
Seattle Council Says Toll 520, I-90 in 2010
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
08/13/2008
The City Council unveiled its recommendation Tuesday for a toll strategy to help pay for a new Evergreen Point Bridge: Toll both state Route 520 and Interstate 90 - beginning in 2010. The two-bridge, sooner-than-later proposal is new, adding to four other scenarios being considered by a state-appointed Route 520 Tolling Implementation Committee.
Go to article.
Views: Energy's Silver Lining
Los Angeles Times
08/13/2008
The price of oil has cut into household budgets and curtailed summer vacation plans. With families forced to choose between a shopping trip or the commute that brings in a salary, consumer spending has declined. There's more than enough pain to go around, and yet there is no denying it: High energy prices also have an unforeseen bright side, forcing the nation to reduce its carbon emissions.
Go to article.
