en-us Copyright Sightline Daily - all rights reserved newsfeeds@sightline.org newsfeeds@sightline.org Most recent Washington headlines from Sightline Daily, the Northwest news that matters http://daily.sightline.org Plone http://daily.sightline.org/logo.gif 427 69 Sound Transit now appears to have enough votes on its governing board to send a light-rail plan to the ballot this fall. The 15-year, $17.6 billion package promises 34 miles of light rail reaching Overlake, Lynnwood and north Federal Way; more Sounder commuter trains from Pierce County to Seattle; and some buses. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008058631_soundtransit18m.html Economy Sprawl & Transportation Washington 07/18/2008 Seattle Times One way to fix Spokane's notorious potholes is to patch them with asphalt. Another is to rip up streets and lay new pavement. How much of the problem could be resolved by simply getting some motorists to leave their cars at home and use the bus, a bicycle or their own feet? Plenty, according to a coalition of business, environmental, health and local government groups known as the SmartRoutes 2010 Spokane Initiative. http://www.spokesmanreview.com/opinion/story.asp?ID=253287 Economy Sprawl & Transportation Washington 07/18/2008 Spokane Spokesman-Review A road kill near Tum Tum, Washington, is being cited as the first physical proof have evidence that gray wolves have returned to the state. It's the first confirmed case of a gray wolf in the state since the 1930s. http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/511321.html Environment Wildlife Washington 07/18/2008 Olympia Olympian The budget for connecting Sound Transit's light rail system to the University of Washington may be going up because of risks involved in drilling tunnels here and nationwide. Federal officials, asked to contribute to what may become a $1.9 billion budget, want Sound Transit to add $150 million in "contingency" money to its budget for the 3.15-mile University Link, with the Federal Transit Administration contributing $63 million of that amount and Sound Transit the rest. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/transportation/371299_sound18.html Sprawl & Transportation Washington 07/18/2008 Seattle Post-Intelligencer Some Seattle startups want to build the next great video game or social networking application. HaloSource is striving for something much bigger: providing clean drinking water to millions of people in Asia, Europe and Latin America. http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/venture/archives/143673.asp Environment Food & Farms Green Business Human Health Pollution & Toxics United States Washington 07/18/2008 Seattle Post-Intelligencer In an action intended to avert unchecked growth, the Metro Council on Thursday reluctantly endorsed a new $4.2 billion Interstate 5 bridge over the Columbia River by cutting it down from 12 planned lanes to just six. http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1216353308226620.xml&coll=7 Economy Sprawl & Transportation Oregon Washington 07/18/2008 Portland Oregonian Portland soars in new rankings from Walk Score, an online tool designed to help house and apartment hunters find walkable neighborhoods. Among the nation's 40 biggest population centers, Portland finishes No. 10 for walkability, behind San Francisco (No. 1) and Seattle (No. 6). http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/121624891881090.xml&coll=7 Economy Energy Sprawl & Transportation Oregon US Northwest Washington 07/18/2008 Portland Oregonian Local government and nonprofit groups last year added about 500 new apartments where homeless people can permanently live, according to a report expected to be released next week by the Committee to End Homelessness in King County. Two-and-a-half years into a 10-year plan to build 9,500 low-income housing units, the committee said it has reached 30 percent of its goal. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008058621_homeless18m.html Population Solutions Washington 07/18/2008 Seattle Times Marcela Alcantar was one of almost 80 speakers at the recent Portland city council meeting on the Columbia River Crossing project. She stressed the importance of including minorities and women in the construction process if a new bridge is built. The entire city council seemed receptive to her plea, and that made Alcantar hopeful. http://news.opb.org/article/2622-more-commuters-will-be-affected-columbia-crossing-project/ Economy Population Sprawl & Transportation Oregon Washington 07/18/2008 Oregon Public Broadcasting