Current Stories
Editor's Top Picks
Biologists rush to save fish after landslide
Seattle Times
11/20/2009
A gigantic landslide that buried a highway, uprooted homes and rerouted a river in Washington state's Cascade Range left hundreds of smaller victims: fish. Fisheries biologists from 10 government agencies and private groups are working shifts to try to save the salmon and trout.
Go to article.
'Under-insured' growing as fast as uninsured
KPLU
11/19/2009
The trend of people no longer being able to afford health insurance has been getting worse, Washington officials say. A new state study predicts the number of people here without insurance will hit 1 million by the end of 2011.
Go to article.
Wage confusion delays weatherization program
Olympian
11/19/2009
Washington's home-weatherization efforts have fallen at least two months behind goals set under the federal stimulus aid, the result of a mix-up over conflicting wage requirements under federal and state laws.
Go to article.
Questions arise over Obama's salmon plan
Oregonian
11/19/2009
On Monday comes the latest in the long-running court battle over the government's plan to run its hydroelectric dams without pushing Columbia Basin salmon closer to extinction.
Go to article.
Low-income housing reimagined
Real Change
11/19/2009
The Seattle Housing Authority unveiled a plan last week to remake Yesler Terrace's 561 units of public housing into a mixed-use area of office, housing, and retail with buildings up to 22 stories high.
Go to article.
Infuriated mom: Why can't I protect my body?
Seattle Post Globe
11/18/2009
Kim Radtke of Seattle was pregnant with her now nearly three-week-old son when tests detected in her blood 11 chemicals, including mercury.
Go to article.
Defending science: the disease of denialism
Seattle Times
11/18/2009
Fear is as infectious as any virus, and gives many Americans a warped view of the dangers posed by vaccines, genetically engineered crops and other beneficial technologies, New Yorker writer Michael Specter said in Seattle Tuesday.
Go to article.
Endangered frogs released at Fort Lewis
Seattle Times
11/18/2009
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife says about 500 endangered Oregon spotted frogs have been released this fall at a lake on the Fort Lewis Army base near Tacoma.
Go to article.
Physicians detail health hazards from coal
Oregonian
11/18/2009
A new report from the advocacy group Physicians for Social Responsibility concludes that pollutants from coal-fired power plants contribute to four of the five leading causes of mortality in the US: heart disease, cancer, stroke, and chronic lower respiratory diseases. Coal plants still provide about 40 percent of the electricity used in OR and nearly 20 percent in WA.
Go to article.
Study shows toxins present at birth
KUOW
11/17/2009
Pregnant women are often extra careful to avoid toxic products, like certain plastics and chemicals in household cleaners. But a new study of West Coast mothers shows those efforts only go so far. Babies are born already exposed to toxins linked to serious health problems.
Go to article.
520 plan would add second Montlake drawbridge
KPLU
11/17/2009
There's a potential milestone in the decades-long search for a replacement for the SR-520 bridge over Lake Washington, but a coalition of Seattle neighborhoods is vowing to torpedo it. A proposal approved Tuesday calls for widening the freeway and adding a second drawbridge in Montlake.
Go to article.
A Q&A with Al Gore
Seattle Times
11/17/2009
On a book tour in Seattle, former Vice President Al Gore weighs in on the Copenhagen climate summit, Obama's efforts so far, the prospects for US legislation, pseudo-science and garden-variety denial.
Go to article.
New light-rail plan avoids Bellevue downtown core
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
11/17/2009
Newly-elected Bellevue City Council member Kevin Wallace has released plans for a light-rail route that would utilize the BNSF rail corridor and keep trains out of the city's central business district.
Go to article.
Is 'cash for clunker appliances' coming to Seattle?
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
11/17/2009
If you were hoping to buy a new, energy-efficient dishwasher or fridge with a federal rebate by Christmas, you're out of luck.
Cash for clunker appliances - officially known as the US Department of Energy's state energy efficient appliance rebate program - won't be available in Washington until February of next year.
Go to article.
Premature-birth rate low in Washington
Seattle Times
11/17/2009
Premature-birth rates in the Pacific Northwest are among the lowest in the nation, but the March of Dimes says that earns Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska only C's on the organization's premature-birth report card.
Go to article.
Seattle's other mega-project: 520 bridge
KPLU
11/17/2009
A replacement for downtown Seattle's viaduct has been getting a lot of attention - but there's an equally challenging state highway project that crosses Lake Washington. The question is how to replace the aging Route-520 bridge. A committee is supposed to vote today on which option to recommend to the legislature.
Go to article.
Harmful algae could cost coastal communities
Oregonian
11/16/2009
Harmful algae can be deadly, and it can throw an economic punch as well.
A study released Monday shows that a yearlong closure of razor clamming because of toxic algae would cost Washington state $22 million in lost revenue from lodging, gear sales, restaurant receipts and other costs.
Go to article.
Experts question Hanford's waste treatment plant
KPLU
11/17/2009
The Obama Administration says it plans to appoint a blue ribbon panel soon to determine the fate of the nation's radioactive waste.
Go to article.
Big algal bloom lingering along coast
KPLU
11/17/2009
Marine scientists have been surprised by the persistence of an unusual red tide along the Washington and northern Oregon coast. This is the algae bloom which produced a slimy foam that killed thousands of seabirds earlier in the fall. Foam turned up on coastal beaches again on Monday, but the bird die-off has not resumed.
Go to article.
Reading the tree leaves
Toronto Globe and Mail
11/15/2009
Riding his bike to work at Western Washington University, geophysicist Bernie Housen used to wonder how unhealthy it was to be breathing in all those exhaust fumes. Thanks to the tree leaves along his route, he now has proof that his concerns were well founded, in a remarkable piece of research that could one day lead urban planners to consult the trees on where bike or walking paths should be located.
Go to article.
Jellyfish swarm northward in warming world
Seattle Times
11/16/2009
Scientists believe climate change and the warming of the ocean has allowed some of the almost 2,000 jellyfish species to expand their ranges, appear earlier in the year and increase overall numbers, upending fishing practices and terrorizing beachgoers around the globe.
Go to article.
Chefs serve salmon with a message
Anchorage Daily News
11/15/2009
Chefs at more than a dozen Seattle restaurants are serving salmon dishes with a message on the side - a warning that the creature's future could be threatened by a giant gold and copper mine proposed for Bristol Bay in southwest Alaska, home to the world's largest sockeye salmon runs.
Go to article.
Riding out the recession
Spokesman Review
11/15/2009
It wasn't long ago that the Spokane Transit Authority was riding high, but the worst economic recession in generations has brought a new reality. Cuts in service are likely over the next several years, though some urge the agency to look beyond the recession and get ready for conversion to a "green" economy.
Go to article.
WA's safety net fraying, say those on front lines
KPLU
11/15/2009
There have been recent signs the economy may be turning around. But the people who hold our social safety net together - and who help those hurt by the recession - say the painful times are here for awhile, and demand for their services is only increasing.
Go to article.
PUD works on a plan for people and fish
Everett Herald
11/16/2009
A few years from now, there could be more salmon spawning in the Sultan River, and more chances for kayakers and boaters to get out on the water. Improving a river for people as well as fish is the key component of the Snohomish County PUD’s application to renew its federal licensing for its hydropower system, utility officials say.
Go to article.
