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Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
WA State: Kitsap to
Vote on Energy Measure, as Puget Sound Energy Pours Millions into Campaign
Against It (KUOW Radio, Seattle, WA)
Idled Washington Coal
Power Plant Generates a Natural Gas Fight (Washington State Standard)
First-Ever Census
Electric Vehicle Count Puts Washington State & King County Near the Top
(The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
Warmer & Wetter Winter. Here’s How El Niño Will Affect Your Region (National Public Radio)
https://www.npr.org/2026/10/28/nx-s1-6009547/el-nino-forecast-us-winter
Binance Users Withdraw
$3.6 Billion After Largest-Ever Crypto Hack (Yahoo! News)
News Highlights (See Stories Below)
1. WA State: Kitsap to Vote on Energy Measure, as Puget Sound
Energy Pours Millions into Campaign Against It
2. WA State: Kitsap County’s Prop 1 Pits Local Public Utility
Against Puget Sound Energy
3. WA State: One Public Electric Utility for Clallam County?
Officials Raise Possibility
4. Idled Washington Coal Power Plant Generates a Natural Gas
Fight
5. Oregon’s Natural Gas Rates to Climb Starting October 31
6. Multi-billion PacifiCorp wildfire lawsuit heads to Oregon
Supreme Court
7.
Idaho:
Community Mourns Electrocution Death of 23-Year-Old Local Man
8. Northwest Power & Conservation Council Power Committee
Discussion Focuses on Updated Timeline for Ninth Power Plan, Releasing Second
Draft
9. Pacific Northwest National Lab Leads New Energy Storage
Consortium
10. Cranberry Bogs Were Unprofitable, Then Solar Saved the Day
11. Eugene Adopts Home Energy Score Requirements for Houses Up
for Sale
12. Washington’s Ice Harbor Dam Tested Fish-Friendly Turbine
Fins, Raising Juvenile Salmon Survival from Roughly 90% to 98% While Improving
Efficiency
13. Alaska’s 300 Endangered Belugas Face an Underwater Data
Center Proposal with More Than 300 Tidal Turbines
14. United Nations Reports Warn of Large-Scale Damage to
Earth’s Ice from Climate Change
15. Central Arizona Project Joins Colorado River Lawsuit
16. Potential of Missouri River Pipelines to Western States
Opens New Front in Upstream-Downstream Fight
17. Good News for West Coast Water Resources
18. Comcast to Lay Off 159 Workers in Washington as Part of
Nationwide Restructuring
19. Throw it Back? California Gov. Newsom Urged to Reject $1.4
Billion in BEAD Money over Net Neutrality
20. Binance Users Withdraw $3.6 Billion After Largest-Ever
Crypto Hack
21. First-Ever Census Electric Vehicle Count Puts Washington
State & King County Near the Top
22. A New Wave of Electric Ferries Is Here in the U.S. Some
Even Fly
23. Crew from NASA’s Simulated Mars Mission Emerges After 378
Days in Isolation
24. Power Bills And Data Centers Cast Rare Spotlight on
Utilities in U.S. Midterms
25. Energy Permitting Backers Want Senate to Rack Up Vote Count
to Send Message to the House
26. Forecasters Are Predicting a Warmer & Wetter Winter.
Here’s How El Niño Will Affect Your Region
27. California County Abandons Repair Plans for Crumbling
Coastal Road Ahead of El Niño-Fueled Winter
28. Space Heaters Sold at Costco, Home Depot Recalled
Nationwide Over Fire Hazards
29. Daylight Saving Means Washington & British Columbia Are
Out-of-Sync for the First Time
Word of the Day
Preternatural /pret-ERR-natch-uh-rull/ Adjective – 1: existing outside of nature 2: exceeding what is natural or regular; extraordinary 3: inexplicable by ordinary means, especially: psychic.
The cat’s preternatural ability to hear the treat bag opening from three rooms away turned every midnight snack into a security breach.
1. WA
State: Kitsap to Vote on Energy Measure, as Puget Sound Energy Pours Millions into
Campaign Against It (KUOW Radio, Seattle, WA)
2. WA
State: Kitsap County’s Prop 1 Pits Local Public Utility Against Puget Sound
Energy (The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_e07abaf3-2d12-4cc2-8649-8f374400e6ad.html
3. WA
State: One Public Electric Utility for Clallam County? Officials Raise
Possibility (KONP Radio, Port Angeles, WA)
4. Idled
Washington Coal Power Plant Generates a Natural Gas Fight (Washington State
Standard)
5.
Oregon’s Natural Gas Rates to Climb Starting October
31 (Oregon Capital Chronicle)
https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/10/30/oregons-natural-gas-rates-to-climb-starting-oct-31/
6.
Multi-billion PacifiCorp wildfire lawsuit heads
to Oregon Supreme Court (Salem Statesman-Journal, OR – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/multi-billion-pacificorp-wildfire-lawsuit-120234789.html
7.
Idaho: Community Mourns Electrocution Death of 23-Year-Old
Local Man (Idaho State Journal)
8.
Northwest Power & Conservation Council Power
Committee Discussion Focuses on Updated Timeline for Ninth Power Plan,
Releasing Second Draft (EIN News)
Renewable
Energy & Self Storage
9. Pacific
Northwest National Lab Leads New Energy Storage Consortium (Daily Energy
Insider)
10. Cranberry
Bogs Were Unprofitable, Then Solar Saved the Day (Clean Technica)
https://cleantechnica.com/2026/11/01/cranberry-bogs-were-unprofitable-then-solar-saved-the-day/
Conservation
& Efficiency
11. Eugene
Adopts Home Energy Score Requirements for Houses Up for Sale (Oregon Public
Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2026/10/30/home-energy-score-eugene/
Fish
& Wildlife
12. Washington’s
Ice Harbor Dam Tested Fish-Friendly Turbine Fins, Raising Juvenile Salmon
Survival from Roughly 90% to 98% While Improving Efficiency (Energies Media)
https://energiesmedia.com/ice-harbor-dam-tested-fish-friendly-turbine-fins/
13. Alaska’s
300 Endangered Belugas Face an Underwater Data Center Proposal with More Than
300 Tidal Turbines (The Cooldown)
https://www.thecooldown.com/green-tech/alaska-cook-inlet-beluga-turbine-proposal/
Climate
Change Sequestration Vault
14. United
Nations Reports Warn of Large-Scale Damage to Earth’s Ice from Climate Change (Yahoo!
News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/science/articles/un-reports-warn-large-scale-161328455.html
Water,
Water Anywhere?
15. Central
Arizona Project Joins Colorado River Lawsuit (The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/arizona/article_fe11d99e-eaaf-46e1-aabd-c5979e0e0f29.html
16. Potential
of Missouri River Pipelines to Western States Opens New Front in Upstream-Downstream
Fight (States Newsroom)
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/oct/29/us-electric-ferries
17. Good
News for West Coast Water Resources (Cliff Mass Weather Blog)
https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2026/11/good-news-for-west-coast-water-resources.html
London
Calling –Telecommunications
18. Comcast
to Lay Off 159 Workers in Washington as Part of Nationwide Restructuring (KIRO
Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)
https://mynorthwest.com/local/comcast-layoff-washington/4291836
19. Throw
it Back? California Gov. Newsom Urged to Reject $1.4 Billion in BEAD Money over
Net Neutrality (Broadband Breakfast)
The
Wizarding World of Technology & Cybersecurity
20. Binance
Users Withdraw $3.6 Billion After Largest-Ever Crypto Hack (Yahoo! News)
I
Sing the Car Electric
21. First-Ever
Census Electric Vehicle Count Puts Washington State & King County Near the Top
(The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
22. A
New Wave of Electric Ferries Is Here in the U.S. Some Even Fly (The Guardian, UK)
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/oct/29/us-electric-ferries
Barrel
O’ Green Potpourri – Seething Stew of Science
23. Crew
from NASA’s Simulated Mars Mission Emerges After 378 Days in Isolation (Reuters)
Politics,
Governance, and Management
24. Power
Bills And Data Centers Cast Rare Spotlight on Utilities in U.S. Midterms (Yahoo!
News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/power-bills-data-centers-cast-100854979.html
25. Energy
Permitting Backers Want Senate to Rack Up Vote Count to Send Message to the House
(Politico)
Other
Things to Know About Today
26. Forecasters
Are Predicting a Warmer & Wetter Winter. Here’s How El Niño Will Affect
Your Region (National Public Radio)
https://www.npr.org/2026/10/28/nx-s1-6009547/el-nino-forecast-us-winter
27. California
County Abandons Repair Plans for Crumbling Coastal Road Ahead of El Niño-Fueled
Winter (Yahoo! News)
28. Space
Heaters Sold at Costco, Home Depot Recalled Nationwide Over Fire Hazards (KOIN-TV,
Portland, OR)
29. Daylight
Saving Means Washington & British Columbia Are Out-of-Sync for the First
Time (KREM-TV, Spokane, WA)
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
What is Native
American Heritage Month?
UK Adventurer Ends
Epic 28-Year Trek Across Jungles, Frozen Sea
https://courthousenews.com/uk-adventurer-ends-epic-28-year-trek-across-jungles-frozen-sea/
Pennsylvania Man Goes to
the Movies 1,207 Times in One Year
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2026/11/02/guinness-world-records-movies-cinema-one-year/2311793639017/
Nest of 1,000-5,000
rare ants stolen from England wildlife reserve
Song of the Day
Johnny Cash - I’ve
Been Everywhere
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoIfglXAbh0
Roll the Credits…
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