Editor's Take: October 03, 2008
Credit: Ed Yourdon, Flickr.
Voter Issues: Read All About It
Thank goodness it's Friday. Newspapers won't let you off the
hook though. As elections draw near, voters are faced with plenty of
community-affecting decisions. From transit propositions, to same-sex
marriage, city park management and traffic
congestion initiatives. Not to forget the presidential
election. The best Cascadians can do is learn about the issues so that
voting day won't be so intimidating.
Editor's Top Picks
Your editor today is Christina Claassen | View All Today's News
Washington Counties to Vote on Transit Proposition
KUOW
10/03/2008
Voters in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties will get a chance next month to pass a new transit initiative. It's called Proposition One. If approved, Prop One would increase light rail, bus and commuter service over the next 15 years.
Go to article.
Puget Sound a Crowded Stop On the Pacific Flyway
Seattle Times
10/03/2008
The great fall migration of birds along the Pacific Flyway from northern breeding grounds to southern overwintering areas is under way.
Port Susan Bay and neighboring Skagit Bay are home to the highest concentrations of shorebirds in Puget Sound.
Go to article.
Eating Local at Univ. of Portland Tests Comfort Zones
Oregonian
10/03/2008
Bon Appetit Management Co., which runs the UP kitchens, staged the "Eat Local Challenge" on Tuesday at more than 400 eateries they operate at colleges and companies nationwide. The point: To tout benefits of eating local -- fresher food, stronger local farms and less energy spent to transport food to our plates.
Go to article.
VP Debate: Courting Middle-Class Voters
Washington Post
10/03/2008
Republican Sarah Palin and Democrat Joseph R. Biden Jr. each sought to claim the mantle of "kitchen table" candidate in the first and only debate between the major-party vice presidential candidates last night, both arguing that their running mates better understand the concerns of middle-class Americans worried about the nation's faltering economy.
Go to article.
Views: Same-Sex Fairness Needed in Washington
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
10/03/2008
Washington still treats gay couples unfairly. There's been legal progress giving same-sex partners considerably more rights, but it is a cobbled-together system that falls short as a substitute for society's full recognition and protection.
Go to article.
Charged Debate Over California's Renewable Energy
Los Angeles Times
10/03/2008
Proposition 7 on the November ballot aims to hurry the day when more of California's electricity comes from windmills, solar panels and other oil-free sources, requiring the state's utilities to get half their power from renewable energy by 2025.
But it would actually hinder renewable electricity production, according to an unusual coalition of opponents that includes environmental groups, solar and wind companies that may appear to stand to profit from the measure, and the state's three biggest private utilities.
Go to article.
Kitsap Project Will Help Salmon Through a Tough Spot
Kitsap Sun
10/02/2008
A Kitsap County road crew is hurriedly installing a temporary rock structure at the mouth of Chico Creek to help salmon make their way into the stream.
Go to article.
Marion County Has Oregon's Highest Recycling Rates
Salem Statesman Journal
10/03/2008
For the second year in a row, Marion County topped the state for its recycling efforts in 2007, according to a report released this week by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.
Marion County's recovery rate of 56.5 percent was the highest in Oregon.
Go to article.
The Pros and Cons of Washington Traffic Initiative
Vancouver Columbian
10/02/2008
Tim Eyman, co-sponsor of the Reduce Traffic Congestion Initiative I-985, and former Vancouver, Washington state representative Bill Fromhold, tell their sides on the initiative.
Go to article.
Views: Turning a Farm and Farmer Green
Yes!
10/02/2008
Regardless of political affiliation, farmers remain the closest Americans to the earth. Though I write about these issues every day, I can't really understand the impacts of today's environmental problems like farmers do -- decreasing open space, sprawl, shifting weather patterns, droughts, floods, invasive species.
Go to article.
