Monday, August 31, 2015

Energy News Digest for August 31, 2015

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS

Weather Forecast for August 31, 2015

Small Craft Advisory of Puget Sound & Hood Canal

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To subscribe, email jmyer@masonpud3.org

THE NEWS DIGEST TWITTER FEED

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HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Over 63,000 in Western Washington State Still Without Power Monday (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)

The Strongest Summer Storm in Pacific Northwest History – Saturday was a historic day during a historic summer (Cliff Mass Weather Blog)

Pacific Power Wants to Change Oregon Renewable Energy Rules – The Industry Isn’t Happy About It (Portland Business Journal, OR)

With Catch Rate Highest on Record, Buoy 10 Chinook Fishing Closed to Preserve Upstream Columbia River Sport Fishery (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

Columbia River BiOp Litigants Respond to Judge’s Questions, Now Await Ruling on Summary Judgement Motions (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
  • Over 63,000 in Western Washington State Still Without Power Monday
  • Avista Reports Thousands without Power
  • Snohomish County Power Outages Continue After ‘Devastating’ Weekend Storm
  • To Replace Mason PUD 3 Banner Hanging – City Approves Locations for Reader Board Signs
  • Fitch Affirms Benton PUD Bonds at ‘A+’ – Outlook Stable
  • Bonneville Power Administration: Miller Named VP of Engineering & Technical Services
  • Canada: Courts Deny First Nations’ Peace River Dam Site Stop-Work Order
  • Colorado Regulators Double List of Interveners in Boulder Municipalization Proceeding
  • Fitch: Hazy Outlook for U-S Nuclear Power
  • With Catch Rate Highest on Record, Buoy 10 Chinook Fishing Closed to Preserve Upstream Columbia River Sport Fishery
  • Columbia River BiOp Litigants Respond to Judge’s Questions, Now Await Ruling on Summary Judgement Motions
  • Lack of Oxygen Killing Marine Life in Hood Canal Waters
  • If Seattle Loses Salmon, We Also Could Lose City’s Soul
  • Baby Sea Lions Are Dying – Here’s Why
  • Federal Court Blocks EPA Waters of the U-S Rule
  • Pacific Power Wants to Change Oregon Renewable Energy Rules – The Industry Isn’t Happy About It
  • Oregon, Brown Take Steps to Secure $47 Million for Offshore Wind
  • Governor Brown Seeks to Broaden California’s Clean-Energy Reach in the West
  • As Regulators Act, Nevada Net Metering Debate Takes Center Stage at Las Vegas Conference
  • SolarCity Wants to Help Utilities Plan Better for Distributed Resources
  • New Light Bulbs Offer Alternative to LEDs & CFLs
  • California Takes New Approach on Water Regulation for Pot Farms
  • Washington State Governor on Tour of Fire Lines Calls For ‘Attack’ on Carbon Pollution
  • Obama to Urge Aggressive Climate Action in Visit to Arctic Alaska
  • Bogus European Carbon Offsets Increased Emissions
  • Grant PUD Fiber Optic Network Turning a Profit
  • New York: Union Says Verizon Is Needlessly Passing Up Broadband Money
  • CenturyLink Takes $3 Billion in Government Subsidies
  • Now You Can Post Portrait & Landscape Shots to Instagram
  • This Virginia Teen Will Spend Eleven Years in Prison for Helping ISIS through Social Media
  • Public or Private Phone Information: State Supreme Court Rules Against Lindquist in Phone Records Case
  • The Strongest Summer Storm in Pacific Northwest History
  • Mason County: Latest Sunnyside Fire Update
  • Hundreds Gather in Wenatchee to Honor Fallen Firefighters
  • McCleary Mayor Stops Short of City Government Shutdown
  • Simpson Lumber Mill Equipment Auction Dates Set
WORD OF THE DAY

Frenetic • \frih-NET-ick\ • Adjective - Frenzied, frantic.

The small terrier ran at a frenetic pace, up and down the stairs, showing its joy at the return of its master…after a one minute absence.

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Over 63,000 in Western Washington State Still Without Power Monday (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)

Avista Reports Thousands without Power (KREM-TV, Spokane, WA)

Snohomish County Power Outages Continue After ‘Devastating’ Weekend Storm (Everett Herald, WA)

To Replace Mason PUD 3 Banner Hanging – City Approves Locations for Reader Board Signs (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

Fitch Affirms Benton PUD Bonds at ‘A+’ – Outlook Stable (Yahoo! Finance)

Bonneville Power Administration: Miller Named VP of Engineering & Technical Services (Bonneville Power Administration)

Canada: Courts Deny First Nations’ Peace River Dam Site Stop-Work Order (Globe & Mail, Canada)

Colorado Regulators Double List of Interveners in Boulder Municipalization Proceeding (Utility Dive)

Fitch: Hazy Outlook for U-S Nuclear Power (Electric Co-op Today)

FISH & WILDLIFE

With Catch Rate Highest on Record, Buoy 10 Chinook Fishing Closed to Preserve Upstream Columbia River Sport Fishery (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

Columbia River BiOp Litigants Respond to Judge’s Questions, Now Await Ruling on Summary Judgement Motions (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

Lack of Oxygen Killing Marine Life in Hood Canal Waters (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)

If Seattle Loses Salmon, We Also Could Lose City’s Soul (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)

Baby Sea Lions Are Dying – Here’s Why (Mother Jones)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Federal Court Blocks EPA Waters of the U-S Rule (Washington Examiner)

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Pacific Power Wants to Change Oregon Renewable Energy Rules – The Industry Isn’t Happy About It (Portland Business Journal, OR)

Oregon, Brown Take Steps to Secure $47 Million for Offshore Wind (Portland Business Journal, OR)

Governor Brown Seeks to Broaden California’s Clean-Energy Reach in the West (Los Angeles Times, CA)

As Regulators Act, Nevada Net Metering Debate Takes Center Stage at Las Vegas Conference (Utility Dive)

SolarCity Wants to Help Utilities Plan Better for Distributed Resources (Utility Dive)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

New Light Bulbs Offer Alternative to LEDs & CFLs (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

KILOWATTS FOR CANNABIS

California Takes New Approach on Water Regulation for Pot Farms (Sacramento Bee, CA)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Washington State Governor on Tour of Fire Lines Calls For ‘Attack’ on Carbon Pollution (Northwest Public Radio)

Obama to Urge Aggressive Climate Action in Visit to Arctic Alaska (NY Times)

Bogus European Carbon Offsets Increased Emissions (Politico)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Grant PUD Fiber Optic Network Turning a Profit (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

New York: Union Says Verizon Is Needlessly Passing Up Broadband Money (Capitol Confidential, Albany, NY)

CenturyLink Takes $3 Billion in Government Subsidies (Broadband Reports)

MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA

Now You Can Post Portrait & Landscape Shots to Instagram (AdWeek)

This Virginia Teen Will Spend Eleven Years in Prison for Helping ISIS through Social Media (Washington Post)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Public or Private Phone Information: State Supreme Court Rules Against Lindquist in Phone Records Case (Olympian, WA – Paywall Advisory)

GENERAL NEWS

The Strongest Summer Storm in Pacific Northwest History – Saturday was a historic day during a historic summer (Cliff Mass Weather Blog)

Mason County: Latest Sunnyside Fire Update (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Hundreds Gather in Wenatchee to Honor Fallen Firefighters (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)

McCleary Mayor Stops Short of City Government Shutdown (Aberdeen Daily World, WA)

Simpson Lumber Mill Equipment Auction Dates Set (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

DIVERSIONS

Every County in America, Ranked By Scenery & Climate (Washington Post)

$20 Found in San Francisco Leads to $1 Million Lottery Win

Golf Club Owner Agrees to Pay $100,000 over Manure Incident

Teacher Who Was Late 111 Times Says He Was Eating Breakfast

SONG OF THE DAY

Johnny Cash – I've Been Everywhere

LINKS & PAYWALL ADVISORY

All the links in today’s news digest lead to current stories. Please note that some media organizations update their websites regularly, which may result in broken links in the future.

Note that as some newspapers migrate to a “paywall” system of access, some articles may not be available without forking over some cold hard credit card cash. However, some sites will allow a certain number of story accesses per month before holding out their hand. Sorry if this is an inconvenience.

Monday, August 17, 2015

Bonneville Power Administration selects Thompson as new power marketing vice president

Portland, Ore. – Administrator Elliot Mainzer has selected Garry Thompson as the Bonneville Power Administration’s vice president of Northwest Requirements Marketing. Thompson is scheduled to begin his new position this fall.

“I am thrilled to have Garry join the Power Services leadership team, where he brings with him years of diverse managerial and leadership experience in power products and services, energy efficiency and strong customer service,” said Senior Vice President of Power Services Mark Gendron. “I have known and worked with Garry for over 20 years and know that BPA and the region will be well served with him in this important role of service to our customers.”
As vice president of Northwest Requirements Marketing, Thompson will be responsible for marketing power, primarily from 31 federal dams, to more than 140 Bonneville utility customers in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, western Montana and parts of Nevada, Wyoming, Utah and Northern California.
“I am excited to work in my new role as vice president of Northwest Requirements Marketing,” Thompson said. “The position will allow me to continue excellent delivery of the value our carbon-free assets provide to our customers. I look forward to leading a dedicated group of individuals working on diverse issues and helping them navigate the changing electricity industry.”
Previously, Thompson was BPA’s power customer service manager overseeing account executives serving BPA’s power customers. These customers represent approximately $2.5 billion dollars in annual energy sales.
Thompson also has served as a senior account executive in BPA’s Spokane office, and over the course of several years worked as a power account executive for over 30 customers. After earning a bachelor’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Eastern Washington University, he worked for the City of Coeur d’Alene, City of Lewiston, Spokane County and Kootenai Electric Co-op. He joined BPA in 1986.

Thursday, August 13, 2015

Energy News Digest for August 13, 2015

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS

Weather Forecast for August 13, 2015

SUBSCRIBE TO THE ENERGY NEWS DIGEST

To subscribe, email jmyer@masonpud3.org

THE NEWS DIGEST TWITTER FEED

Follow the news digest on Twitter for breaking news & notices:

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Energy Northwest: Richland Nuclear Plant Increases Electricity Output Capacity (Tri-City Herald, WA)

Priest Rapids Dam Turbine Upgrade Cost Goes Up by $22.69 Million (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

Getting Baked – The Joint You’re Smoking Is Contributing to Climate Change. That Needs to Stop (Portland Mercury, OR)

Ellensburg Will Expand Community Solar Park (Ellensburg Daily Record, WA)

Columbia Riverkeeper Sues Company over Alleged River Pollution (Associated Press)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
  • Energy Northwest: Richland Nuclear Plant Increases Electricity Output Capacity
  • Priest Rapids Dam Turbine Upgrade Cost Goes Up by $22.69 Million
  • Audit Claims Bonneville Power Administration Wasted Millions on Useless Hiring Software
  • Cowlitz PUD Rate Hike Likely
  • Enrollment Changes Could Save Some Seattleites Hundreds on Utilities
  • Washington State to Limit Kalama River Chinook Passage
  • Feds Approved Killing Birds to Save Fish, Despite Warning It Wouldn't Work
  • The Elwha: When Dams Come Down, Salmon & Sand Can Prosper
  • Columbia Riverkeeper Sues Company over Alleged River Pollution
  • Forecasters ‘Unanimously’ Expect Strong El Niño, Giving Hope to Parched California
  • L.A. Fighting Drought with Millions of Black Plastic Balls
  • Ellensburg Will Expand Community Solar Park
  • Nevada: As Solar Cap Nears Limit, PUC Denies Solar Industry’s Petition
  • Judge Rules for Eagles over Wind Power
  • United Kingdom: Renewable Energy Means Homes Will Have Lower Voltage Electricity Supplies
  • California Sets Low-Flow Standards on New Shower Heads
  • Getting Baked – The Joint You're Smoking Is Contributing to Climate Change. That Needs to Stop
  • Eastern Washington Town Hires Special Counsel to Prosecute Pot Shop Owners
  • Editorial: Can California Turn the West Green?
  • Grant PUD to Conduct Wireless Network Survey
  • Are Fingerprints the New Passwords? Security Experts Sure Hope Not
  • Now You Can Ramble On & On in Twitter Direct Messages
  • Bic Apologizes for Women's Day Ad That Mostly Just Made Women Furious
  • Four Speechwriting Tips from Coca-Cola’s Executive Speechwriters
  • Washington State Health Officials Say 134 Cases of Salmonella Linked to Pork
  • Is the Weather Driving Businesses to Port Angeles?
  • Buffett's Buyout of PacifiCorp Led to Big Changes; Will There Be Parallels at Precision?
  • Jimmy Carter Confronts Old Foe: Cancer
WORD OF THE DAY

Fifth column • \FIFTH-KAH-lum\ • noun – a group of secret sympathizers or supporters of an enemy that engage in espionage or sabotage within defense lines or national borders

The erratic personality of the new employee at the Hershey chocolate plant began to worry his supervisors. “If I didn’t know better,” the boss mused, “I’d think those late night phone calls and secret text messages were a part of a ‘fifth column’ tactic by the Mars Company to steal our new formula for chocolate.”

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Energy Northwest: Richland Nuclear Plant Increases Electricity Output Capacity (Tri-City Herald, WA)

Priest Rapids Dam Turbine Upgrade Cost Goes Up by $22.69 Million (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

Audit Claims Bonneville Power Administration Wasted Millions on Useless Hiring Software (Oregonian, Portland)

Cowlitz PUD Rate Hike Likely (Longview Daily News, WA)

Enrollment Changes Could Save Some Seattleites Hundreds on Utilities (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Washington State to Limit Kalama River Chinook Passage (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

Feds Approved Killing Birds to Save Fish, Despite Warning It Wouldn't Work (Oregonian, Portland)

The Elwha: When Dams Come Down, Salmon & Sand Can Prosper (NY Times)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Columbia Riverkeeper Sues Company over Alleged River Pollution (Associated Press)

Forecasters ‘Unanimously’ Expect Strong El Niño, Giving Hope to Parched California (Sacramento Bee, CA)

L.A. Fighting Drought with Millions of Black Plastic Balls (USA Today)

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Ellensburg Will Expand Community Solar Park (Ellensburg Daily Record, WA)

Nevada: As Solar Cap Nears Limit, PUC Denies Solar Industry’s Petition (Las Vegas Sun, NV)

Judge Rules for Eagles over Wind Power (Courthouse News Service)


CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

California Sets Low-Flow Standards on New Shower Heads (Sacramento Bee, CA)

KILOWATTS FOR CANNABIS

Getting Baked – The Joint You're Smoking Is Contributing to Climate Change. That Needs to Stop (Portland Mercury, OR)

Eastern Washington Town Hires Special Counsel to Prosecute Pot Shop Owners (Northwest Public Radio)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Editorial: Can California Turn the West Green? (Sacramento Bee, CA)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Grant PUD to Conduct Wireless Network Survey (Star of the Grand Coulee, WA)

Are Fingerprints the New Passwords? Security Experts Sure Hope Not (Washington Post)

MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA

Now You Can Ramble On & On in Twitter Direct Messages (Washington Post)

Bic Apologizes for Women's Day Ad That Mostly Just Made Women Furious (AdWeek)

Four Speechwriting Tips from Coca-Cola’s Executive Speechwriters (USA Today)

GENERAL NEWS

Washington State Health Officials Say 134 Cases of Salmonella Linked to Pork (Associated Press)

Is the Weather Driving Businesses to Port Angeles? (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)

Buffett's Buyout of PacifiCorp Led to Big Changes; Will There Be Parallels at Precision? (Oregonian, Portland)

Jimmy Carter Confronts Old Foe: Cancer (Tri-City Herald, WA)

DIVERSIONS

Sister Gives Birth to Baby for Twin Who Survived Cancer

DNA Said to Solve a Mystery of Warren Harding’s Love Life – Yes He Did

Some Common Scientific Terms That Nearly Everyone Gets Wrong

This Sketch of Tom Brady in Court Looks Hilariously Nothing Like Him

SONG OF THE DAY

Mussorgsky - Pictures at an Exhibition

LINKS & PAYWALL ADVISORY

All the links in today’s news digest lead to current stories. Please note that some media organizations update their web sites regularly, which may result in broken links in the future.

Note that as some newspapers migrate to a “paywall” system of access, some articles may not be available without forking over some cold hard credit card cash. However, some sites will allow a certain number of story accesses per month before holding out their hand. Sorry if this is an inconvenience.

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Energy News Digest for August 12, 2015

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS

Weather Forecast for August 12, 2015

SUBSCRIBE TO THE ENERGY NEWS DIGEST

To subscribe, email jmyer@masonpud3.org

THE NEWS DIGEST TWITTER FEED

Follow the news digest on Twitter for breaking news & notices:

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

News Release: Snohomish PUD Moves to Appoint Craig Collar as CEO/General Manager (Snohomish PUD, Everett, WA)

Big Quilcene River Salmon Season Called Off as Low Flows Continue amid Drought (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

Shortage Ahead? Seattle-Area Consumers Asked to Cut Water Use by 10% (Seattle Times, WA - Paywall Advisory)

Washington, Alaska Far Outpace Oregon in New Wind Power Projects (Portland Business Journal, OR)

Mason County Sheriff’s Deputy Killed in Highway 101 Motorcycle Crash (KOMO-TV, Seattle, WA)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
  • News Release: Snohomish PUD Moves to Appoint Craig Collar as CEO/General Manager
  • Industry Group Outlines Radical New Vision for California’s Power Economy
  • At the Fair: Jefferson PUD Shares Showerheads, Good News about Rates
  • Japan Takes Step toward Reviving Nuclear Industry as It Restarts Reactor
  • Rural Wisconsin Community Laments Nuclear Power Plant’s Closure
  • Big Quilcene River Salmon Season Called Off as Low Flows Continue amid Drought
  • Low Water Closes Newaukum River to Fishing
  • Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe Gets State Money for Struggling Dungeness Salmon
  • Fish Bounty Program Helps Protect Salmon
  • Pacific Northwest States Clarify That Use of Drones by Hunters is a No-No
  • Shortage Ahead? Seattle-Area Consumers Asked to Cut Water Use by 10%
  • El Nino Plus ‘The Blob’ May Help Western Drought
  • Ninth Circuit Validates Greens Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest Mining Lawsuit
  • Washington, Alaska Far Outpace Oregon in New Wind Power Projects
  • Top 10 Things You Didn’t Know about Distributed Wind Power
  • Washington State’s Mason County PUD 3 Launches Community Solar Effort
  • Green Tax Credits Mostly Help the Rich
  • Oregon: St. Helens to Convert Streetlights to LED
  • Several More Oregon Areas Just Say No to Pot Sales, Cultivation
  • Why Oregon’s Congressional Delegation Wants Banks to Work with Weed Shops
  • Hackers Accused of Making Millions Using Stolen News Releases
  • Mideast Hackers Target U-S Gas Pumps
  • How Facebook’s Autoplay Videos Are Ushering in a New Era of Silent Storytelling
  • The Covert World of People Trying to Edit Wikipedia – for Pay
  • This Could Seriously Be the Greatest Political Campaign Ad of All Time
  • Washington State Governor Inslee Dismisses Talk of Trouble in His First Term
  • Effort to Move Washington State’s Presidential Primary to March Fails
  • Are Harsh, Intolerant, Self-Indulgent Radicals Trying to Hijack Seattle?
  • Mason County Sheriff’s Deputy Killed in Highway 101 Motorcycle Crash
  • Washington State’s Apple Crop May Be its Third Largest Ever
  • Portland Parking: ‘Smart Parking Meter’ Man Wasn’t So Smart
WORD OF THE DAY

Nocebo • \noh-SEE-boh\ • noun – A harmless substance that when taken by a patient is associated with harmful effects due to negative expectations or the psychological condition of the patient

Eyore’s trembling hoof reached for the unlabeled pill. He had expected the drug trial to include the REAL remedy and a placebo. Either of which he thought would make him feel, or at least THINK he felt better. What he didn’t expect was the likelihood of a third option: a nacebo, which would actually make him think he felt worse. “Woe is me,” whined the downcast donkey.

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

News Release: Snohomish PUD Moves to Appoint Craig Collar as CEO/General Manager (Snohomish PUD, Everett, WA)

Industry Group Outlines Radical New Vision for California’s Power Economy (Utility Dive)

At the Fair: Jefferson PUD Shares Showerheads, Good News about Rates (Port Townsend Leader, WA)

Japan Takes Step toward Reviving Nuclear Industry as It Restarts Reactor (NY Times)

Rural Wisconsin Community Laments Nuclear Power Plant’s Closure (NY Times)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Big Quilcene River Salmon Season Called Off as Low Flows Continue amid Drought (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

Low Water Closes Newaukum River to Fishing (Longview Daily News, WA)

Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe Gets State Money for Struggling Dungeness Salmon (KONP Radio, Port Angeles, WA)

Fish Bounty Program Helps Protect Salmon – Catching pikeminnows can net a pocket full of proceeds (Bend Bulletin, OR)

Pacific Northwest States Clarify That Use of Drones by Hunters is a No-No (Northwest Public Radio)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Shortage Ahead? Seattle-Area Consumers Asked to Cut Water Use by 10% (Seattle Times, WA - Paywall Advisory)

El Nino Plus ‘The Blob’ May Help Western Drought (USA Today)

Ninth Circuit Validates Greens Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest Mining Lawsuit (Courthouse News Service)

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Washington, Alaska Far Outpace Oregon in New Wind Power Projects (Portland Business Journal, OR)

Top 10 Things You Didn’t Know about Distributed Wind Power (Breaking Energy)

Washington State’s Mason County PUD 3 Launches Community Solar Effort (American Public Power Association)

Green Tax Credits Mostly Help the Rich (Washington Examiner – another reason community solar is so cool, it makes solar accessible!)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Oregon: St. Helens to Convert Streetlights to LED (St Helens Chronicle, OR)

KILOWATTS FOR CANNABIS

Several More Oregon Areas Just Say No to Pot Sales, Cultivation (Portland Business Journal, OR)

Why Oregon’s Congressional Delegation Wants Banks to Work with Weed Shops (Portland Business Journal, OR)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Hackers Accused of Making Millions Using Stolen News Releases (SF Chronicle)

Mideast Hackers Target U-S Gas Pumps (Washington Examiner)

MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA

How Facebook’s Autoplay Videos Are Ushering in a New Era of Silent Storytelling (AdWeek)

The Covert World of People Trying to Edit Wikipedia – for Pay (The Atlantic Magazine)

This Could Seriously Be the Greatest Political Campaign Ad of All Time (i09)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Washington State Governor Inslee Dismisses Talk of Trouble in His First Term (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA)

Effort to Move Washington State’s Presidential Primary to March Fails (Associated Press)

Are Harsh, Intolerant, Self-Indulgent Radicals Trying to Hijack Seattle? We Have a Progressive City to Defend (Seattle Post Intelligencer, WA)

GENERAL NEWS

Mason County Sheriff’s Deputy Killed in Highway 101 Motorcycle Crash (KOMO-TV, Seattle, WA)

Washington State’s Apple Crop May Be its Third Largest Ever (KOMO-TV, Seattle, WA)

Portland Parking: ‘Smart Parking Meter’ Man Wasn’t So Smart (Courthouse News Service)

DIVERSIONS

Neighbors Sue to Stop Seattle’s Bird-Feeding Family

Pennsylvania Beauty Queen Jailed after Faking Cancer, Raising Thousands

Perseid Meteor Shower: A Viewing Guide to Tonight’s Sky Show

You Can Now Explore Mars with NASA’s Free Online Tools

SONG OF THE DAY

Boy Meets Girl – Waiting for a Star to Fall

LINKS & PAYWALL ADVISORY

All the links in today’s news digest lead to current stories. Please note that some media organizations update their web sites regularly, which may result in broken links in the future.

Note that as some newspapers migrate to a “paywall” system of access, some articles may not be available without forking over some cold hard credit card cash. However, some sites will allow a certain number of story accesses per month before holding out their hand. Sorry if this is an inconvenience.