en-us Copyright Sightline Daily - all rights reserved newsfeeds@sightline.org newsfeeds@sightline.org Most recent headlines from Sightline Daily, the Northwest news that matters http://daily.sightline.org Plone http://daily.sightline.org/logo.gif 427 69 The University of Washington has released plans to create a new College of the Environment, which would start with 97 faculty members, 1,135 students and a budget of more than $60 million, according to a UW report released this week. The new college would merge six existing academic disciplines that focus on oceans, the atmosphere and forests. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004415558_uwenvironment15m.html Environment Washington 05/15/2008 Seattle Times The average price for regular unleaded gasoline in Alaska rose above $4 a gallon Wednesday, making it the first state in the nation to pass that mark. http://www.adn.com/front/story/406870.html Economy Energy Sprawl & Transportation Alaska 05/15/2008 Anchorage Daily News Northwest lawmakers were split Wednesday as the House passed a $290 billion farm bill that offers more subsidies for farmers and food stamps for the poor and $170 million for the disaster-plagued Pacific Coast salmon fishing industry. Eleven of 16 House members from Oregon, Washington and Idaho voted in favor of the five-year bill, while five Northwest lawmakers voted against it. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FARM_BILL_NORTHWEST_OROL-?SITE=ORKLA&SECTION=STATE&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Environment Food & Farms Policy US Northwest 05/14/2008 AP Our mania for wild, fresh boutique fish comes at a high environmental cost. While the famed Copper River salmon are wild, fresh and organic, the miles they travel to get to Washington buyers may not be worth it. http://www.seattleweekly.com/2008-05-14/news/salmon-caught-in-the-carbon-net.php Environment Food & Farms Salmon Alaska Washington 05/14/2008 Seattle Weekly The reality of peak oil will see properties classified into two types in the near future, according to Simon Fraser University professor Anthony Perl. One will be properties from which owners can get to work, leisure activities, and services predominantly by car. The other offers alternatives to the automobile such as public transit, biking, and walking. http://www.straight.com/article-145582/oil-spike-reshapes-burbs Sprawl & Transportation British Columbia Canada 05/15/2008 Georgia Straight A Portland nonprofit agency that builds and sells new homes is showing how cheap, green homes can be done. HOST Development Inc. is finishing work on the first homes in its Helensview Homes development -- the first traditional single-family neighborhood project in town to receive LEED-ND (Neighborhood Development) certification. http://www.portlandtribune.com/sustainable/story.php?story_id=121078405352033000 Environment Green Business Sustainable Living Oregon 05/15/2008 Portland Tribune Courtenay city council, which frequently trumpets the city's green credentials, will send a letter to the province opposing the upcoming carbon tax. http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/capital_van_isl/story.html?id=5e22871e-371b-4a9f-a3ac-74ef1e5dbd0c Environment Green Taxes British Columbia Canada 05/15/2008 Victoria Times Colonist By drawing a legal line in the sand between cars and bikes, allowing them different rules in the same environment, Idaho's bike laws ultimately foster a mutual respect between drivers and cyclists. In Boise it's common to see road signs instructing drivers and cyclists to "share the road." It may be common sense advice for cyclists, but to motorists, it's a subtle reminder that bigger shouldn't mean better. http://www.sfbg.com/entry.php?entry_id=6346&catid=&volume_id=317&issue_id=378&volume_num=42&issue_num=33 Environment Sprawl & Transportation Sustainable Living Idaho 05/15/2008 San Francisco Bay Guardian This state is known for many things -- good wine, the imperial branding of the Nike swoosh, a political culture that produces contrarians of both parties -- but ethnic diversity is not one of them. This state has an African-American population of less than 2 percent. And yet on May 20, when voters here could finally end the Democratic presidential marathon by giving Senator Barack Obama an outright majority of pledged delegates, don't expect to hear much about how a black man has broadened the playing field for his party by winning a heavily white state. http://egan.blogs.nytimes.com/ Policy Population Oregon United States 05/15/2008 New York Times