Energy News Digest for April 17, 2012

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.

To subscribe, email jmyer@masonpud3.org

THE NEWS DIGEST ON TWITTER

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

http://twitter.com/energydigest

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Supreme Court Rejects Ex-Enron CEO Skilling's Second Appeal (USA Today)

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/story/2012-04-16/skilling-enron-ceo-supreme-court-appeal/54309270/1?csp=34money

Gorst, Belfair Transportation Projects Get Top Priority – Top Two: Belfair Bypass & Highway 3-Johns Prairie Road Intersection (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2012/apr/16/gorst-belfair-transportation-projects-get-top/

Amazon, Microsoft Low on Greenpeace Clean-Energy 'Cloud' Index “…Quincy is a good place to go…They have access to electricity that's renewably powered, from hydroelectricity” (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2017997234_greenpeace18.html

Apple Promises “Dozens” of Prineville Jobs When Data Center Opens, Hundreds of Construction Jobs in the Interim (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/silicon-forest/index.ssf/2012/04/apple_promises_dozens_of_prine.html

At Sixty Dollars - New Energy-Efficient Light Bulb Goes on Sale Sunday (USA Today)

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/story/2012-04-16/philips-light-bulb/54321662/1?csp=34money

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

• Supreme Court Rejects Ex-Enron CEO Skilling's Second Appeal
• Eugene Water & Electric Board Commissioners to Discuss Smart Meters
• Bonneville Power Administration Looks Back at 75 Years
• Army Corps Getting Ready for 'Big Water' in Northwest
• NW Natural Gas Eyes $4 Million Credit for Washington State Customers
• Grays Harbor PUD Honored Nationally as "Reliable Public Power Provider"
• Chelan County PUD’s Janney Accepts Six-Year Contract
• Bonneville Power Administration Electrical Engineers Head Back To College
• Orcas Power & Light Cooperative Celebrates 75 Years, May 5
• Smith Seeks Reelection to Chelan PUD Commission
• Pacific Power Utility Bill Struggles: "They Got Irate & Threatened Me"
• Southern Montana Electric Co-op's Interim Manager Fired
• US Has a Natural Gas Problem: Too Much of It
• Oregon Salmon Ballot Measure Nets $250,000 Contribution
• Canada - Salmon Virus Claim Disputed
• City of Shelton Gets Favorable Settlement for Satellite Sewer Plant Damage
• First Solar Lays Off 2,000 as Europe Demand Wanes
• Vermonters Fight Mountaintop Wind Farm
• Wind’s ‘Modular’ Advantage over Power Plants
• At Sixty Dollars - New Energy-Efficient Light Bulb Goes on Sale Sunday
• Rebates to Cut Price of $60 LED Bulb
• Cascade Energy Partners with Puget Sound Energy to Offer Industrial Electricity Savings
• Amazon, Microsoft Low on Greenpeace Clean-Energy 'Cloud' Index
• Greenpeace Slams Apple Despite Its Clean Power Data Center Plans
• Apple Promises “Dozens” of Prineville Jobs When Data Center Opens
• Chelan County PUD Commissioners Unanimously Approve Fiber Plan
• Companies Try to Reserve Wi-Fi Bandwidth for Work, Not Play
• The Strange New World Washington State’s First Congressional District
• Washington State Dems to Kucinich: Get Lost
• Gorst, Belfair Transportation Projects Get Top Priority
• Facebook Fugitive Caught in Port Angeles
• Accused Funeral Burglars Arrested in Snohomish County
• Washington State Workers Leaving Liquor Stores before Handoff
• Audit Finds Eatonville Uses Donations for Operating Expenses

WORD OF THE DAY

Nebbish • \NEBB-bish\ • Noun - A timid, meek, or ineffectual person

Bronson was a “cipher” in the company’s employee directory; so unremarkable was he that his image did not register on the digital camera during the “photo day.” As the nebbish of the office pool, his image in the directory was one of those “missing image” pictures you see on Facebook or in unfinished web profiles on obscure web forums about niche creatures from “Dungeons & Dragons.”

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS

http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/mapclick.php?textfield1=47.213805&textfield2=-123.113412&site=all&smap=1&searchresult=shelton%2c%20wa%2c%20usa

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Supreme Court Rejects Ex-Enron CEO Skilling's Second Appeal (USA Today)

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/story/2012-04-16/skilling-enron-ceo-supreme-court-appeal/54309270/1?csp=34money

Eugene Water & Electric Board Commissioners to Discuss Smart Meters - The utility is on the cusp of key decisions about overhauling how it measures consumption (Eugene Register-Guard, OR)

http://www.registerguard.com/web/newslocalnews/27908710-41/eweb-smart-meters-customers-meter.html.csp

Bonneville Power Administration Looks Back at 75 Years - Administrator discusses history, mission at annual forum (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2012/apr/17/agency-looks-back-at-75-years/

Army Corps Getting Ready for 'Big Water' in Northwest (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

http://news.opb.org/article/army_corps_getting_ready_for_big_water_in_northwest/

NW Natural Gas Eyes $4 Million Credit for Washington State Customers (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

http://www.columbian.com/news/2012/apr/16/NW-natural-eyes-credit-for-washington-customers/

Grays Harbor PUD Honored Nationally as "Reliable Public Power Provider" (KBKW Radio, Aberdeen, WA)

http://kbkw.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=4057

Chelan County PUD’s Janney Accepts Six-Year Contract (Wenatchee World, WA)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2012/apr/16/puds-janney-accepts-6-year-contract/

Bonneville Power Administration Electrical Engineers Head Back To College - This Time to Teach (Bonneville Power Administration)

http://www.bpa.gov/corporate/BPANews/ArticleTemplate.cfm?ArticleId=article-20120416-01

Orcas Power & Light Cooperative Celebrates 75 Years, May 5 (Islands Sounder, Eastsound, WA)

http://www.islandssounder.com/lifestyle/147664315.html

Smith Seeks Reelection to Chelan PUD Commission (KPQ Radio, Wenatchee, WA)

http://www.kpq.com/04-17-12-Smith-Seeks-Reelection-to-Chelan-PUD-Comm/12860424

Pacific Power Utility Bill Struggles: "They Got Irate & Threatened Me" (KEPR-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

http://www.keprtv.com/home/related/Utility-bill-struggles-They-got-irate--threatened-me-147681985.html

Southern Montana Electric Co-op's Interim Manager Fired (Great Falls Tribune, MT)

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20120417/NEWS01/204170302/Southern-Montana-s-interim-manager-fired

US Has a Natural Gas Problem: Too Much of It (National Public Radio)

http://www.npr.org/2012/04/17/150766635/u-s-has-a-natural-gas-problem-too-much-of-it?ft=1&f=3

FISH & WILDLIFE

Oregon Salmon Ballot Measure Nets $250,000 Contribution (Willamette Week, OR)

http://www.wweek.com/portland/blog-28502-salmon_ballot_measur.html

Canada - Salmon Virus Claim Disputed: Fish farm and government officials reject industry foe's findings (Victoria Times Colonist, BC)

http://www.timescolonist.com/Salmon+virus+claim+disputed/6469099/story.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

City of Shelton Gets Favorable Settlement for Satellite Sewer Plant Damage (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

http://masonwebtv.com/?p=4452

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

First Solar Lays Off 2,000 as Europe Demand Wanes (Associated Press)

http://www.seattlepi.com/business/article/First-Solar-lays-off-2-000-as-Europe-demand-wanes-3487937.php

Vermonters Fight Mountaintop Wind Farm (Courthouse News Service)

http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/04/17/45676.htm

Wind’s ‘Modular’ Advantage over Power Plants (Midwest Energy News)

http://www.midwestenergynews.com/2012/04/17/winds-modular-advantage-over-power-plants/

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

At Sixty Dollars - New Energy-Efficient Light Bulb Goes on Sale Sunday (USA Today)

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/story/2012-04-16/philips-light-bulb/54321662/1?csp=34money

Rebates to Cut Price of $60 LED Bulb (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Rebates-to-cut-price-of-60-LED-bulb-3486101.php

Cascade Energy Partners with Puget Sound Energy to Offer Industrial Electricity Savings (MarketWatch)

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/cascade-energy-partners-with-puget-sound-energy-to-offer-industrial-electricity-savings-2012-04-17

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Amazon, Microsoft Low on Greenpeace Clean-Energy 'Cloud' Index “…Quincy is a good place to go…They have access to electricity that's renewably powered, from hydroelectricity” (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2017997234_greenpeace18.html

Greenpeace Slams Apple Despite Its Clean Power Data Center Plans (GigaOM)

http://gigaom.com/cleantech/greenpeace-slams-apple-despite-its-clean-power-data-center-plans/

Apple Promises “Dozens” of Prineville Jobs When Data Center Opens, Hundreds of Construction Jobs in the Interim (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/silicon-forest/index.ssf/2012/04/apple_promises_dozens_of_prine.html

Chelan County PUD Commissioners Unanimously Approve Fiber Plan (Wenatchee World, WA)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2012/apr/16/pud-commissioners-unanimously-approve-fiber-plan/

Companies Try to Reserve Wi-Fi Bandwidth for Work, Not Play (USA Today)

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/story/2012-04-16/company-employee-broadband/54325232/1?csp=34tech

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

The Strange New World Washington State’s First Congressional District (Crosscut Seattle)

http://crosscut.com/2012/04/17/congress/22223/The-strange-new-world-of-the-1st-Congressional-District/

Washington State Dems to Kucinich: Get Lost (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/2012/04/16/state-dems-to-kucinich-get-lost/

GENERAL NEWS

Gorst, Belfair Transportation Projects Get Top Priority – Top Two: Belfair Bypass & Highway 3-Johns Prairie Road Intersection (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2012/apr/16/gorst-belfair-transportation-projects-get-top/

Facebook Fugitive Caught in Port Angeles (KOMO-TV, Seattle)

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Facebook-fugitive-Travis-Nicolaysen-caught-in-Port-Angeles-147676285.html

Accused Funeral Burglars Arrested in Snohomish County (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle)

http://mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=662742

Washington State Workers Leaving Liquor Stores before Handoff (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2017992166_apwaliquorstorejobs.html

Audit Finds Eatonville Uses Donations for Operating Expenses (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2017999448_apwaeatonvilleaudit.html

DIVERSIONS

iSmell? Fragrance Mimics Scent of New MacBook

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/technologylive/post/2012/04/ismell-fragrance-mimics-scent-of-new-macbook/1?csp=34tech

Sleepy Air Canada Pilot Thought Venus Was a Plane

http://news.yahoo.com/sleepy-air-canada-pilot-thought-venus-plane-175953259.html

More Americans Freezing Than Sleeping on Assets: Poll

http://news.yahoo.com/more-americans-freezing-sleeping-assets-poll-161909684.html

Dutch Bug Cookbook Launched to Stir Taste for Insects

http://news.yahoo.com/dutch-bug-cookbook-launched-stir-taste-insects-150243897--sector.html

SONG OF THE DAY

Blondie - The Dream's Lost On Me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kt-9i_ksdA

Energy News Digest for April 16, 2012

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.

To subscribe, email jmyer@masonpud3.org

THE NEWS DIGEST ON TWITTER

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

http://twitter.com/energydigest

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Op/Ed - Now Biomass is the Environment’s Enemy? (Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal)

http://kpbj.com/business_daily/2012-04-16/now_biomass_is_the_environments_enemy

Mason County PUD 3 Settles into New Home - Johns Prairie Operations Center offers expanded space for customer-centered service (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2012/apr/15/pud-3-settles-new-home/

Radiation from Japan’s Damaged Reactors Posed Little Risk in Oregon Despite Portland ‘Hotspot’ (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/health/index.ssf/2012/04/radiation_levels_in_portland_a.html

How Green Are Electric Cars? Depends on Where You Plug In (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/15/automobiles/how-green-are-electric-cars-depends-on-where-you-plug-in.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

Lake Cushman Killing - Wife’s Last Words: ‘Why Don’t You Just Shoot Me?’ (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/komo/article/Wife-s-last-words-Why-don-t-you-just-shoot-me-3481828.php

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

• Mason County PUD 3 Settles into New Home
• Radiation from Japan’s Damaged Reactors Posed Little Risk in Oregon Despite Portland ‘Hotspot’
• Montana - Beartooth Electric Co-op Seeks to Nullify SME Contract
• Pennsylvania - Just Don’t Call It a ‘Smart Meter’; PECO Has Begun Installations
• Washington State Not Ready for Implications of British Columbia Pipeline Expansion
• Natural Gas Explosion – Pacific Gas & Electric Makes $70 Million Payment to San Bruno
• Washington State Plan to Fend Off Mussels Gets Lake Mead Test
• Salmon May Soon Spawn Again in Elk Flats
• Nez Perce Tribe Releases Lampreys in Wallowa River
• Grant County PUD Delivers Salmon Lesson - Provides Tour of Priest Rapids Hatchery
• Marine Mammals Coming Back to the Salish Sea
• Op/Ed - Now Biomass is the Environment’s Enemy?
• Biomass, Geothermal Replacing Coal on Campuses
• Green Groups Sue to Stop California Wind Project that Threatens Condor
• Price of Solar Panels Continues to Drop, Damaging Companies’ Profits
• Wal-Mart Solar Power Count Hits 100 in US
• Take Me Out to the Renewably-Powered Ballgame
• Public Utilities Commission May Decide California’s Fight over Net-Metering
• United Kingdom - Ministers Preparing to Veto Wind Farms
• New Navy Center Identifies Energy Savings
• Saving $1 Trillion in Energy Costs
• The Glaciers Are Still Shrinking – And Rapidly
• Himalayan Glaciers Growing Despite Global Warming - Glaciers in parts of the greater Himalayas are growing despite the worldwide trend of ice melting due to warmer temperatures, a study has found
• Warming Takes Toll on Utah Snow & It Looks to Get Worse
• NOAA Temperature Record “Adjustments” Could Account for Almost All “Warming” Since 1973
• How Green Are Electric Cars? Depends on Where You Plug In
• Oregon - Lincoln City to Look at ‘Quick-Charge’ Option
• How Green is a Parking Lot? New Efforts to Test Infrastructure
• Portland Markets Its Solar-Powered Public Toilet
• Hybrid Tubular Solar Panels Create Electricity & Hot Water
• Telecoms’ Push Puts Expectation of Home Phone Line at Risk
• Ask an Expert: Why Twitter is Great for Small Business
• Washington State Ecology Employee Accused of Embezzlement
• McMorris Rodgers Could Balance Republican Ticket - Some predict she would complement Romney as VP
• With Lax Oversight, Mismanaged Oregon Towns Veer Toward Insolvency
• Lake Cushman Killing - Wife’s Last Words: ‘Why Don’t You Just Shoot Me?’
• Belfair Water District Customers Welcome New Guard
• Everett’s Kimberly-Clark Paper Mill Shuts down for Good
• Economy Has Habitat Doing More Rehabbing
• Don’t Wait for Social Security Check in the Mail
• Crap or Collectibles? Old Cars Prompt Dispute on the Chehalis

WORD OF THE DAY

Piquant • \PEEK-unt\ • Adjective - 1: agreeably stimulating to the palate; especially: spicy 2: engagingly provocative; also: having a lively arch charm

When the local dining editor said the local hash house’s five-alarm chili had a “piquant personality, just right for a cold winter’s repast,” what he really meant was that the meal had the volcanic characteristic of drinking hot magma.

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS

http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/mapclick.php?textfield1=47.213805&textfield2=-123.113412&site=all&smap=1&searchresult=shelton%2c%20wa%2c%20usa

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Mason County PUD 3 Settles into New Home - Johns Prairie Operations Center offers expanded space for customer-centered service (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2012/apr/15/pud-3-settles-new-home/

Radiation from Japan’s Damaged Reactors Posed Little Risk in Oregon Despite Portland ‘Hotspot’ (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/health/index.ssf/2012/04/radiation_levels_in_portland_a.html

Montana - Beartooth Electric Co-op Seeks to Nullify SME Contract (Great Falls Tribune, MT)

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20120414/NEWS01/204140312/Beartooth-co-op-seeks-nullify-SME-contract

Pennsylvania - Just Don’t Call It a ‘Smart Meter’; PECO Has Begun Installations (Philadelphia Inquirer, PA)

http://articles.philly.com/2012-04-15/business/31345435_1_wireless-meters-new-meters-meter-readers

Washington State Not Ready for Implications of British Columbia Pipeline Expansion (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

http://earthfix.opb.org/water/article/washington-not-ready-for-implications-of-bc-pipeli/

Natural Gas Explosion – Pacific Gas & Electric Makes $70 Million Payment to San Bruno (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

http://www.mercurynews.com/san-mateo-county-times/ci_20392169/pg-e-makes-70-million-payment-san-bruno

FISH & WILDLIFE

Washington State Plan to Fend Off Mussels Gets Lake Mead Test (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2017981375_aporinvasivemussels1stldwritethru.html

Salmon May Soon Spawn Again in Elk Flats (Cannon Beach Gazette, OR)

http://www.cannonbeachgazette.com/news/local_news/article_7491033e-8433-11e1-9903-001a4bcf887a.html

Nez Perce Tribe Releases Lampreys in Wallowa River (Wenatchee World, WA)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2012/apr/13/nez-perce-tribe-releases-lampreys-in-wallowa-river/

Grant County PUD Delivers Salmon Lesson - Provides Tour of Priest Rapids Hatchery (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/news/school_news/article_88e58d0c-84e0-11e1-8a6b-001a4bcf887a.html

Marine Mammals Coming Back to the Salish Sea - The shared inland waters of Juan de Fuca Strait, B.C.’s Strait of Georgia, & Washington State’s Puget Sound may once again approach its former greatness (Victoria Times Colonist, BC)

http://www.timescolonist.com/news/oceans/Marine+mammals+coming+back+Salish/6456476/story.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Op/Ed - Now Biomass is the Environment’s Enemy? (Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal)

http://kpbj.com/business_daily/2012-04-16/now_biomass_is_the_environments_enemy

Biomass, Geothermal Replacing Coal on Campuses (Midwest Energy News)

http://www.midwestenergynews.com/2012/04/13/biomass-geothermal-replacing-coal-on-campuses/

Green Groups Sue to Stop California Wind Project that Threatens Condor (Forbes Magazine)

http://www.forbes.com/sites/toddwoody/2012/04/13/green-groups-sue-to-stop-california-wind-project-that-threatens-condor/

Price of Solar Panels Continues to Drop, Damaging Companies’ Profits (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

http://www.mercurynews.com/rss/ci_20391710

Wal-Mart Solar Power Count Hits 100 in US (Earth Techling)

http://www.earthtechling.com/2012/04/walmart-solar-power-count-hits-100-in-us/

Take Me Out to the Renewably-Powered Ballgame (Scientific American)

http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=take-me-out-to-the-renewably-powere-12-04-15

Public Utilities Commission May Decide California’s Fight over Net-Metering (Renewable Energy World)

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/04/puc-may-decide-californias-fight-over-net-metering?cmpid=rss

United Kingdom - Ministers Preparing to Veto Wind Farms - Ministers are preparing to veto major new wind farms in the British countryside & cut back their subsidies, according to senior Whitehall sources (The Telegraph, UK)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/energy/windpower/9205837/Ministers-preparing-to-veto-windfarms.html

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

New Navy Center Identifies Energy Savings (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2012/apr/15/new-navy-center-identifies-energy-savings/

Saving $1 Trillion in Energy Costs (Electric Co-op Today)

http://www.ect.coop/efficiency-conservation/energy-efficiency/saving-1-trillion-in-energy-costs/42582

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT (“Ball of CONFUSION” EDITION)

The Glaciers Are Still Shrinking – And Rapidly (The Guardian, UK)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/apr/15/glaciers-shrinking-rapidly

Himalayan Glaciers Growing Despite Global Warming - Glaciers in parts of the greater Himalayas are growing despite the worldwide trend of ice melting due to warmer temperatures, a study has found (The Telegraph, UK)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/globalwarming/9206785/Himalayan-glaciers-growing-despite-global-warming.html

Warming Takes Toll on Utah Snow & It Looks to Get Worse (Salt Lake Tribune, UT)

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/53909597-78/snow-utah-climate-rain.html.csp

NOAA Temperature Record “Adjustments” Could Account for Almost All “Warming” Since 1973 (Tucson Citizen, AZ)

http://tucsoncitizen.com/wryheat/2012/04/16/noaa-temperature-record-adjustments-could-account-for-almost-all-warming-since-1973/

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

How Green Are Electric Cars? Depends on Where You Plug In (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/15/automobiles/how-green-are-electric-cars-depends-on-where-you-plug-in.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

Oregon - Lincoln City to Look at ‘Quick-Charge’ Option (Coast River Business Journal, Astoria, OR)

http://www.crbizjournal.com/news/article_f35d2e1a-7e73-11e1-a932-0019bb2963f4.html

How Green is a Parking Lot? New Efforts to Test Infrastructure (Idaho Statesman, Boise)

http://www.idahostatesman.com/2012/04/15/2076180/how-green-is-a-parking-lot-new.html

Portland Markets Its Solar-Powered Public Toilet (Associated Press)

http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_20397574/portland-markets-its-solar-powered-public-toilet

Hybrid Tubular Solar Panels Create Electricity & Hot Water (Laser Focus World)

http://www.laserfocusworld.com/articles/2012/04/hybrid-solar-naked-energy.html

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Telecoms’ Push Puts Expectation of Home Phone Line at Risk (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/living/2017969818_phones13.html

Ask an Expert: Why Twitter is Great for Small Business (USA Today)

http://www.usatoday.com/money/smallbusiness/columnist/strauss/story/2012-04-15/steve-strauss-using-twitter-for-small-business/54265956/1?csp=34money

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Washington State Ecology Employee Accused of Embezzlement (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/2012/04/13/2068350/ecology-employee-accused-of-embezzlement.html

McMorris Rodgers Could Balance Republican Ticket - Some predict she would complement Romney as VP (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2012/apr/15/mcmorris-rodgers-could-balance-republican-ticket/

With Lax Oversight, Mismanaged Oregon Towns Veer Toward Insolvency (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/clackamascounty/index.ssf/2012/04/with_lax_oversight_mismanaged.html

GENERAL NEWS

Lake Cushman Killing - Wife’s Last Words: ‘Why Don’t You Just Shoot Me?’ (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/komo/article/Wife-s-last-words-Why-don-t-you-just-shoot-me-3481828.php

Belfair Water District Customers Welcome New Guard (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2012/apr/14/belfair-water-district-customers-welcome-new/

Everett’s Kimberly-Clark Paper Mill Shuts down for Good (KING-TV, Seattle)

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Kimberly-Clark-paper-mill-officially-closes-its-doors-147535885.html

Economy Has Habitat Doing More Rehabbing (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2017989062_apwarehabforhumanity.html

Don’t Wait for Social Security Check in the Mail (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2017985257_apusnomorechecks.html

Crap or Collectibles? Old Cars Prompt Dispute on the Chehalis (KING-TV, Seattle)

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Crap-or-collectibles-Old-cars-prompt-dispute-on-the-Chehalis-147398505.html

DIVERSIONS

1962 Classmates Did a Fair Job of Predicting 21st-Century Life

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2017984231_thirdgraders15m.html

Please Don’t Live-Tweet Your 12 Hour Wedding Proposal

http://gizmodo.com/5902109/please-dont-live+tweet-your-12-hour-wedding-proposal

‘Dead’ Hamster Digs Itself Out of Grave - Pet Rodent Resurrected

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4253935/Dead-hamster-digs-itself-out-of-grave.html

Deputies: Man Attacks Girlfriend with Ukulele over $10

http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2012/apr/13/deputies-man-attacks-girlfriend-with-ukulele/

SONG OF THE DAY

Moody Blues - Nights in White Satin (From the album “Days of Future Passed”)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lazdg-eqmQ