Editor's Take: May 17, 2009
litlnemo, Flickr.
Light Rail Nearly Ready to Roll
Seattle's eagerly awaited light rail system will be ready for passengers next month -- so who's ready to ride? Boise-area residents have a vision for their future. And this should be a big week for climate policy. While the bill up for debate in Congress removes much of the financial help for low- and middle-income residents, some say less-than-perfect legislation is better than none.
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Seattle's light rail nearly ready, riders wanted
Seattle Times
05/17/2009
Voters first said yes to light rail 13 years ago, and now, $2.6 billion later, the success of this megaproject -- which starts running in June -- depends on the individual choices of thousands of ordinary travelers.
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Stimulus creates jobs for disadvantaged youths
San Francisco Chronicle
05/17/2009
As part of the stimulus bill passed in February, Congress included $1.2 billion for youth employment, primarily a summer jobs program for disadvantaged 14- to 24-year-olds.
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Democrats' climate bill shortchanges Obama tax credit
Oregonian
05/17/2009
The House Democrats' bill to limit gases blamed for global warming would generate a fraction of the money President Barack Obama wanted to get from it to pay for a middle-class tax credit to help cover higher energy prices.
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How about erasing the Canada-US border?
Vancouver Sun
05/17/2009
A new book is challenging Canadians to consider the benefits of a radical scenario: Erasing the Canada-US border. That's right. The two nations would retain their distinct sovereignty but there would be no more passports or work visas.
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Synthetic turf fields kicking up health concerns
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
05/17/2009
Health experts, activists, and parents from Seattle to Chicago to Stamford, Mass. are worried that children playing on synthetic turf fields may be exposed to chemicals if they inhale or swallow the rubber granules, known as crumb rubber.
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Beavers building prime salmon habitat in Skagit Delta
Seattle Times
05/18/2009
Beavers in Washington's Skagit River Delta are, well, busily creating nearly ideal rearing habitat for Puget Sound chinook, a threatened species.
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Boise-area residents propose community vision
Boise Idaho Statesman
05/17/2009
Boise-area residents have high hopes for "Vision for the Valley," a community project to preserve and improve the region's quality of life. The plan addresses the economy, transportation, culture, environment and neighborhoods, and other topics.
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Obama calls for 'open minds' in abortion debate
NPR
05/17/2009
President Obama tackled the divisive issue of abortion this past weekend, urging people on all sides of the debate to seek common ground.
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Startup sells solar panels online
San Francisco Chronicle
05/17/2009
A Berkeley startup is using software to cut the costs of ordering, procuring, and installing solar panels, a process that can be unwieldy and expensive, with the hope of getting the panels onto homes everywhere.
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Views: Climate bill from Congress better than none
New York Times
05/17/2009
The cap-and-trade legislation now on the table isn't the bill we'd ideally want from Congress for addressing climate change, but it's the bill we can get -- and it's vastly better than no bill at all, says Paul Krugman.
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