News Digest for September 19, 2007

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.

WORD OF THE DAY

Fissiparous • \fih-SIP-uh-rus\ • adjective – tending to break up into parts: divisive

Will Rogers was stumped. “I’m a part of a fissiparous party. I’m a Democrat,” he wrote. “Nah, that sounds like I jus’ rolled in from Harvard on a Rhodes Scholarship,” he grouched. Then the light went on, “I am not a member of any organized political party,” he wrote. “I am a Democrat.” “Much better,” his wife whispered from her rocking chair across the room.

More Will Rogers quotes can be found here:
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/w/willrogers122697.html

WEATHER
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/total_forecast/index.php?minlon=-124.8&maxlon=-120.57&minlat=46.2&maxlat=49.33&mapwidth=354&map.x=144&map.y=269

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Ellison resigns from Grays Harbor County PUD post
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2007/09/18/local_news/03news.txt

Portland General Electric touts electric meters it wants to buy – PGE has entered an agreement with Sensus Metering Systems to buy the smart electric meters that it wants to install for about 850,000 customers. (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/1190168717118860.xml&coll=7

Thieves pillage another Tacoma park – Cost to replace stolen wiring could hit $22,000, say city officials (Tacoma News Tribune)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/159376.html

Stehekin down to 20-year-old power source – A single 20-year-old diesel generator is all that's keeping Chelan County PUD power on for the approximately 170 ratepayers in Stehekin. (Wenatchee World)
http://www.wenworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070918/NEWS04/109180046/1001

Benton PUD Online Billing – Saves Customers Money, Reduces Waste (KVEW-TV, Kennewick)
http://www.kvewtv.com/news/?sect_rank=1&section_id=1&story_id=3387

Preparedness can save lives, property – Preparedness is key when it comes to making it through a winter storm and minimizing impacts to lives and property. (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/snohomishcountynews/2003890609_weatherside19n.html?syndication=rss

Renewable energy transmission initiative gains power – The state of California has formed a public-private partnership to consider the feasibility of building new transmission lines to access renewable power generation. (San Francisco Business Times)
http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2007/09/17/daily10.html

News Release – DTE Energy Offers Fall Harvest Safety Tips: During the fall harvest season, DTE Energy reminds farmers to be aware of overhead power lines and underground utilities, whether working near the house or out in the field.
http://digital50.com/news/items/PR/2007/09/18/CLTU113/dte-energy-offers-fall-harvest-safety-tips.html

WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT

Proposed reservoir's leakage a worry: Hanford area – The water could carry nuclear contamination into the Columbia River. A proposed central Washington reservoir with a multibillion-dollar price tag has another serious catch: It would leak water underground, into the highly contaminated Hanford Nuclear Reservation and toward the Columbia River. (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/119016694465670.xml&coll=7

Doc Hastings says proposed reservoir doesn't have to leak (Associated Press)
http://www.examiner.com/a-943431~Doc_Hastings_says_proposed_reservoir_doesn_t_have_to_leak.html?cid=rss-Washington_Headlines

55 anglers cited on Toutle, Kalama rivers – State fisheries agents cited 55 anglers during a weekend investigation into complaints of illegal salmon fishing on the Kalama and Toutle rivers. (The Daily News, Longview)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2007/09/19/area_news/news14.txt

Scientists: Canadian fish farms threaten wild salmon (Bellingham Herald)
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/256/story/184029.html

Lake Forest Park fights county to keep its 'pristine' aquifer (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/331931_water17.html?source=rss

Light Sentences For Raptor Killers Riles Bird Lovers – Environmentalists and animal rights’ advocates expressed outrage last spring, when undercover federal agents infiltrated a group of pigeon hobbyists. They discovered that pigeon owners were killing federally protected hawks and falcons that were threatening their pigeons. (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/light-sentences-raptor-killers-riles-bird-lovers/

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Gregoire OKs wind farm near Ellensburg – Gov. Christine Gregoire today announced she will overrule local objections and allow a controversial plan to install 65 towering wind turbines in hills northwest of Ellensburg. (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003890252_webwind18m.html?syndication=rss

NY Times Editorial – The High Costs of Ethanol
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/19/opinion/19wed1.html?ei=5088&en=8fc197c4eb405fb0&ex=1347854400&adxnnl=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1190222833-dxANS7HEHFy58t7eYqtABA

San Francisco Chronicle Open Forum – On Energy Conservation: Harnessing the sun
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/09/19/ED4US8MP2.DTL&feed=rss.opinion

CONSERVATION

Council OKs "zero-energy" housing project – The Issaquah City Council voted unanimously Monday night to approve a much-anticipated "zero-energy" housing project, in which 10 homes will be designed to produce as much electricity as they consume. (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003890184_zeroenergy18e.html?syndication=rss

Will utilities give consumers cash for buying efficient PCs? Right now, if you buy an energy-efficient dishwasher, utilities like PG&E will give you a cash rebate. They may do the same for energy-efficient PCs. (CNET News)
http://www.news.com/Will+utilities+give+consumers+cash+for+buying+efficient+PCs/8301-10784_3-9780783-7.html?part=dht&tag=nl.e703

Utahns urged to turn off the lights – That's all that will be required to participate in Wednesday's "Lights Off Utah" event, an effort to encourage residents and businesses to turn off all non-essential lighting statewide between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. (Daily Utah Chronicle)
http://media.www.dailyutahchronicle.com/media/storage/paper244/news/2007/09/18/News/Utahns.Urged.To.Turn.Off.The.Lights-2975319.shtml

Lights out, S.F.! Voluntary brownout to show ease of saving energy (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/09/19/BUDUS8P5P.DTL&feed=rss.business

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Green groups signal auto-emission lawsuit – Western environmental groups say said they intend to sue the Bush administration if states are not given federal waivers to combat auto emissions.
http://www.examiner.com/a-941775~Green_groups_signal_auto_emission_lawsuit.html?cid=rss-Washington_Headlines

Oregon crafting greenhouse gas reporting rule – State regulators are starting work on a new rule requiring Oregon companies to report emissions of greenhouse gases, an early step in the drive by Gov. Ted Kulongoski to limit the gases blamed for global warming. (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/1190085938187980.xml&coll=7

Effort to Get Companies to Disclose Climate Risk – Two environmental groups and the financial officers of 10 states and New York City are asking the Securities and Exchange Commission to require companies to disclose the risks that climate change may pose to their bottom lines. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/18/business/18disclose.html?ex=1347768000&en=91bf4433bcf7e2c4&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Joel Connelly: Seattle Post-Intelligencer Columnist – Evidence of global warming surrounds a skeptic. As a city that reads, Seattle is on the A-minus list for authors' book-launching tours, and its "green" reputation makes the Emerald City a natural destination for professional enviro-skeptic Dr. Bjorn Lomborg.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/connelly/332243_joel19.html?source=rss

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Comcast says feeling telco, satellite competition – Exec for cable company says rivals are increasingly aggressive about packaging and pricing services. (Reuters via CNET News)
http://www.news.com/Comcast+says+feeling+telco%2C+satellite+competition/2100-1037_3-6208840.html?tag=fd_nbs_ent

Intel Previews a New Family of Power-Saving Chips – Intel today gave the first public demonstration of a new generation of processors that significantly increase performance without consuming more power. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/18/technology/18cnd-chip.html?ex=1347768000&en=a99e500622caaa4d&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Alaska Airlines To Test In-Flight Wi-Fi (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/technology/14144936/detail.html?rss=sea&psp=news

GENERAL NEWS

LOCAL INVESTIGATION INTO ESCAPED MURDERER – The Mason County Sheriff's Office is helping Arizona law enforcement in their search for escaped murderer Roy Townsend. The Sheriff's Office is conducting its own investigation in the event Townsend makes his way here. Investigators are looking into the possibility of local family or friends having contact with him. Roy Townsend is described as a white male, 5 feet 11 inches tall, with black hair and brown eyes. At the time of the escape Townsend was wearing blue jeans and a white T shirt or blue top. Townsend was convicted of arson, theft and murder in the shooting of Gerald Harkins in Mason County. Townsend's release date is Sept. 5, 2054. Citizens having information about the whereabouts of Roy Townsend are cautioned not to approach him and call 911 immediately. Due to the violent nature of the escape and Townsend's previous convictions, he is considered armed and dangerous. About 1am Monday, Townsend and 24-year-od Kollin Folsom overpowered and tied up a correctional officer while they were performing cleaning duties. The two then gained access to ladders, scaled a prison roof and two fences to make good their escape. Folsom was subsequently captured by local law enforcement, but again Townsend remains at large. (KMAS Radio, Shelton)

Former Shelton Man: Escaped Washington killer still at large – Roy Townsend escaped from an Arizona prison Monday along with another convicted killer from Washington who was later captured. (NW Cable News)
http://www.nwcn.com/statenews/washington/stories/NW_091807WAB_arizona_prisoner_LJ.e6bd881b.html

PORT AND COUNTY TO WORK TOGETHER TO EXTEND WATER TO JOHN'S PRAIRIE – The Port of Shelton plans on working with Mason County to get proper fire flow to a site on John's Prairie. Port Commissioner Richard Byrd stated during Tuesday's Port of Shelton Commission meeting that he does not understand why the City of Shelton is “dragging it's feet” when it comes to extending water service to that area. He also explained that last year, the Port and the County worked cooperatively to extend a Port waterline to Belco Forest Products that now provides proper fire flow to that mill. That water extension was completed in a matter of months. Byrd would like to do a similar project that will extend that water line at Belco about a half a mile to the property where Coeur d' Alene Fiber Fuels would like to build a plant. Lack of fire flow is what is stopping the company from building an $8 Million facility, relocating its operations from Idaho and creating 15 new jobs. Officials are meeting with a design engineer Thursday to find out what it will take to extend that waterline from Belco to the Fiber Fuel site. This extension would be built to the standards spelled out in the Shelton Urban Growth Area Sub Area Plan. (KMAS Radio, Shelton)

Traffic's yearly toll: 45 hours in jams – And stressed-out commuters, that's BETTER than in 1995 (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/transportation/332190_traffic19.html

The Columbian Opinion – In our view: Santa Sohn Visits “…Meet Chang Mook Sohn. For the 16th consecutive quarter, Sohn, the state's chief economist, has predicted an expansion of the state economy…”
http://www.columbian.com/opinion/news/09182007news199275.cfm?newsletter=5

DIVERSIONS

Man arrested after calling border agents to say he lost backpacks full of cocaine
http://www.komotv.com/news/local/9851481.html

'Peanuts' character to be namesake for Sonoma recital hall
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/09/18/MNSQS8M8C.DTL&feed=rss.news

Trying to impress his girlfriend – Man bitten after putting rattler in his mouth
http://www.examiner.com/a-943374~Man_bitten_after_putting_rattler_in_his_mouth.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines

Tape Catches Woman's Fury At Man In Chimney – Firefighters Ripped Open Wall To Get Trapped Man Out
http://www.kirotv.com/news/14147879/detail.html?treets=sea&tid=2653595907813&tml=sea_7am&tmi=sea_7am_1_09000309192007&ts=H

Quarter-century of 'smiley faces' – School celebrates birth of emoticon. PITTSBURGH -- It was a serious contribution to the electronic lexicon. :-)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/332191_emoticon19.html?source=rss