News Digest for September 27, 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

Acerbic • \uh-SER-bik\ • adjective – Acid in temper, mood, or tone

The entire office was walking on eggshells…literally…after Donatello’s outburst. His acerbic wit could not be suppressed when one office worker asked lightly, “What came first the chicken or the egg.” At that point, crates of farm fresh “AA” eggs came spewing from Donatello’s cubicle. “That answer your question?” he crowed! All the employees were looking over their shoulders the rest of the day, preparing for the next onslaught, which most likely was to be dozens of Cornish broiler chickens.

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

Tacoma Public Utilities picks director from within – Board chooses Tacoma Power boss to lead entire public utility agency. The Tacoma Public Utility Board named Bill Gaines director of Tacoma Public Utilities on Wednesday night. (The News Tribune, Tacoma)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/165739.html

Voters recall Clatskanie PUD's Ollila – Clatskanie and Quincy residents turned Clatskanie PUD board member Rod Ollila out of office Tuesday by a margin of nearly two to one --- 293 yes votes to 158 no votes. (The Daily News, Longview)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2007/09/26/area_news/news13.txt

Clatskanie PUD Board plans next move after Ollila's ouster – The Clatskanie PUD Board will soon seek resumes from applicants who want to replace board member Rod Ollila, who was voted out office in Tuesday's recall election. (The Daily News, Longview)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2007/09/27/area_news/news06.txt

Oregon – Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative's board forces out Stewart. OTEC’s board of directors has fired Cliff Stewart, the cooperative's general manager since 1993, over Stewart's recent decision to fire an OTEC employee. (Baker City Herald)
http://www.bakercityherald.com/news/story.cfm?story_no=5318

Just in time for winter: A break in heating costs – Puget Sound Energy’s natural gas customers soon will see a 13 percent cut in their rates. (The Associated Press, via the Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/news/story/228356.html

Mouse click could plunge city into darkness, experts – Researchers who launched an experimental cyber attack caused a generator to self-destruct, alarming the government and electrical industry about what might happen if such an attack were carried out on a larger scale (Cable News Network)
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/09/27/power.at.risk/index.html?eref=ib_topstories

Oregon – Central Lincoln PUD rates change: Five percent increase effective Oct. 1 (Newport News-Times)
http://www.newportnewstimes.com/articles/2007/09/26/business/business02.txt

Snohomish County PUD is preparing for foul weather; are you? After floods, snow and windstorms in 2006, and a wetter and colder than normal winter on the horizon, utilities and emergency responders are getting prepared. (The Everett Herald)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20070927/NEWS01/709270070

For second straight day, manhole blows top in Grand Rapids – Pardon the motorists in Michigan's second-largest city if they appear to be apprehensive while driving downtown. (WOOD-TV, Grand Rapids)
http://www.woodtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=7137859&nav=menu44_2

News Release – Idaho Power Company and U.S. Geothermal Sign 13-Megawatt Power Purchase Agreement (Yahoo Finance)
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070926/law027.html?.v=101

Mistakes will happen and how they are resolved makes all the difference for utility customers (Electric Light & Power)
http://uaelp.pennnet.com/display_article/307302/22/ARTCL/none/none/Mistakes-will-happen-and-how-they-are-resolved-makes-all-the-difference-for-utility-customers/

Florida – Cape Coral man fuming over trimmed tree. Utility cuts banyan after branches cause outages (Coral Cape News-Press)
http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070927/NEWS0101/709270396/1075

WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT

Suit filed for Willamette fish plan – Endangered species: Environmental groups say federal progress on recovery is too slow (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/science/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/119086172510560.xml&coll=7

Changes should have Columbia River anglers smiling – The Columbia River reopens Saturday to keeping Chinook salmon from Buoy 10 at the mouth upriver to Pasco, Wash. Fishery officials in Oregon and Washington made the decision after Chinook numbers jumped the past week. (Salem Statesman Journal)
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070927/OUTDOORS/70927011/1034

Oregon – Rain will jump-start fall fishing – High tides in the nine-foot range early afternoons this week should push fresh Chinook into coastal estuaries, creating additional angling opportunities. (The News Register)
http://www.newsregister.com/news/story.cfm?story_no=226491

California – Fish ladder to help trout spawn. Project aims to reduce obstacles along Alameda Creek that are impeding steelhead's instincts (Contra Costa Times)
http://www.contracostatimes.com/environment/ci_7013968

Itinerary of fish tag stuns biologists – A hunter in New Zealand finds the steelhead's implant in a bird (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/119086354560930.xml&coll=7

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

California – PG&E may miss renewable-energy deadline, but not by much – Pacific Gas and Electric Co. probably won't meet the state deadline for ensuring that 20 percent of the power it sells comes from renewable resources by the end of 2010 (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/09/27/BUN9SEO6D.DTL&feed=rss.business

British Columbia, Canada – Wind farm project advances, but angers crabbers. The company building an offshore wind farm off the coast of the Queen Charlotte Islands has recently installed a marine meteorological station, but not everyone is happy the project is proceeding. (Canada.com)
http://www.canada.com/cityguides/princerupert/story.html?id=46692c1d-5a42-4b26-8da5-fc2385709d0b

Alternatives to Alternative Fuels Explored – Growing canola to make biodiesel isn't exactly setting Northwest farmers' hearts aflutter. (Northwest Public Radio)
http://www.nwpr.org/07/HomepageArticles/Article.aspx?n=3259

Arizona – Solar power? Wind? Nope, green goo (The Arizona Republic)
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/business/articles/0926biz-buzz26.html

CONSERVATION

News Release – Eight Utilities Seek To Increase Energy Efficiency Investment by $500 Million Annually (PR Newswire)
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire/CLTH04027092007-1.htm

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

White House Taking Unearned Credit for Emissions Cuts – Pushing Voluntary Curbs on Greenhouse Gases, Administration Lauds Results of Programs It Opposed (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/26/AR2007092602345.html?nav=rss_business

The Climate Change Peril That Insurers See – Montana is burning again. This summer, some of the nation's worst wildfires incinerated homes, barns and fences, killing livestock and forcing families to evacuate. (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/26/AR2007092602070.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns

NY Times Op-Ed Contributor, Vaclav Havel – Our Moral Footprint. Over the past few years the questions have been asked ever more forcefully whether global climate changes occur in natural cycles or not.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/27/opinion/27havel.html?ex=1348545600&en=ade3d5bdf14b602a&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Computer maker Dell to be carbon neutral next year – Buying offsets is key part of plan (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/333299_dell27.html?source=rss

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

WiMax World 2007 – Industry primed to go with Internet on the go. WiMax is hardly a household word, but the industry is starting to show signs it has hit a groove, especially now that commercial availability is imminent. (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2003906392_wimax27.html

Microsoft retools to catch Google – Live Search gets overhaul (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/333316_msftsearch27.html

GENERAL NEWS

Family leave costs become clearer – A paid family leave program on the drawing boards for Washington state workers might eat up 25 percent of its cost in overhead in its early years, a task force learned Wednesday. (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/228349.html

Blaze clears way for a vibrant prairie, but don't try this at home – Intentional fires swept across chunks of Mima and Weir prairies in south Thurston County Wednesday to help restore rare habitat. (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/news/story/228365.html

Bill Virgin, Seattle Post-Intelligencer – They're old media, but newsletters are staying
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/virgin/333219_virgin27.html

High-schoolers or free agents? Top prep athletes in Oregon are switching campuses and uniforms, putting a spotlight on the competitive practice (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/sports/1190777110162240.xml&coll=7

DIVERSIONS

Ouch! Siberian Woman Delivers Healthy 17-Pound Baby
http://www.kirotv.com/irresistible/14219053/detail.html

Police Say Jaws Of Life Used In Vandalism – Volunteer Firefighters Accused
http://www.kirotv.com/news/14215937/detail.html