Editor's Take: April 05, 2009
karen d, flickr
More Vitamins, Fewer Sick Days
Fallout from the recession has begun to emerge in strange ways: we're buying more vitamins in hopes of avoiding expensive doctor visits and taking less sick time for fear of losing our jobs. In Southeast Seattle, plans to build apartments and condos along the city's first light rail line have stalled out, despite plenty of commuters weary of traffic and gas prices.
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Recession Stalls Seattle's Light-Rail Building Boom
Seattle Times
04/06/2009
Less than a year ago, the blocks around three Sound Transit light-rail stations in Southeast Seattle were abuzz with real-estate dreams. Today most projects have been delayed or derailed by tight credit and economic woes. But developers still believe apartments or condos there would appeal to commuters tired of traffic, rising gas prices and expensive parking.
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As Economy Is Down, Vitamin Sales Are Up
New York Times
04/05/2009
Sales of vitamins and nutritional supplements have surged in recent months, rising as the stock market has fallen. People are clearly cutting back on many items, from bread and milk to designer jeans and flat-screen televisions, but they are stocking up on pills that they think can spare them expensive doctor visits.
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Work-life Benefits Fall Victim to Slow Economy
Los Angeles Times
04/04/2009
Employees are forgoing benefits that once allowed them to balance the demands of work and family life. More workers are giving up "flex time" and family leave, telecommuting and paid sick days, out of fear that they will appear less committed to their work and therefore more expendable in a recession.
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WA National Parks Aim to Reduce Greenhouse Gases
Seattle Times
04/05/2009
Thousands of cars carry visitors to Washington state's national parks, leaving behind tons of plastic bottles, granola-bar wrappers and banana peels. It's not what most people would consider the "green" image expected of the National Park Service. That could change with a new agency program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
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Urban Boundary: Where Will Portland's Growth Go?
Oregonian
04/05/2009
Regional and county leaders have until year's end to decide where the Portland metro area can expand for the next half century. In Washington County, behind every expansion pitch there are dollar signs, old wounds and the anticipation of horse-trading.
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Tribes, WA State Headed to Court over Salmon
Everett Herald
04/06/2009
Western Washington's American Indian tribes and state officials say they tried to settle the terms of a massive lawsuit over the past year and a half, but couldn't agree. They're planning to meet in court in October to decide how fast the state should fix or replace culverts that block salmon from spawning.
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BC's Carbon-Offset Plan Faces Criticism
CBC BC
04/05/2009
The BC provincial government is looking to spend up to $5 million on tree-planting projects, in part to offset greenhouse gas emissions from the 2010 Winter Olympics. But some green groups are critical of carbon credit schemes based on tree planting.
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Mystery Meat No More
Corvallis Gazette Times
04/05/2009
From a sticker on a package of T-bone steaks to a handwritten sign placed by a leg of lamb, consumers now have the right to know where much of their food originates. Since March 16, large retailers have been required to label the country of origin for beef, lamb, pork, chicken, goats and other perishable agricultural commodities.
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The Dirty Truth: Soap Smuggling in Spokane
Los Angeles Times
04/06/2009
Spokane County's limits on the sales of phosphates in dishwasher detergent has slowed the flood of pollutants that have sucked oxygen from the threatened Spokane River and smothered its fish. But shoppers are now flooding into Idaho to pick up secret stashes of the old, bad dish cleansers that can tackle greasy pots.
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Views: Tax Pollution, Not Sales in OR
Medford Mail-Tribune
04/05/2009
Taxation should be imposed on behavior that government wishes to discourage. So, the obvious question is: why impose a regressive sales tax on everyday consumer purchases? Why not tax polluters?
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