News Digest for November 13, 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

Tilde • \TILL-duh\ • noun – 1: a mark ˜ placed especially over the letter n (as in Spanish señor sir) to denote the sound \nʸ\ or over vowels to indicate nasality 2a: the mark ~ used to indicate negation in logic and the geometric relation “is similar to” in mathematics b: the mark ~ used to indicate an approximate value

“Who knew the Australians loved typography so much,” exclaimed Alphonse to his extremely bored date. “What do you mean?” she asked. “Where else would an entire country sing ‘Waltzing My Tilde’,” he responded. “You know; that squiggly line on the key in the upper left corner of the keyboard.” The woman made a mental note to change her telephone number after the date and never speak with Alphonse again.

WEATHER
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/MapClick.php?site=sew&smap=1&textField1=47.21528&textField2=-123.09944

Wet week to follow Monday storm – The fierce storm that knocked out power and snarled traffic Monday seems to have been the kickoff to a long week of dreary weather, according to the National Weather Service forecast. (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/weather/2004010449_weather13m.html?syndication=rss

The Olympic Region – DOT prepares for winter weather. A bigger budget and improved communication with power companies has the state Department of Transportation better prepared for winter, said a department official. (Peninsula Daily News)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20071113/NEWS/711130303

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

SUMMARY OF MONDAY'S WIND STORM – Winds gusting at hurricane force in some places yesterday left more than 125,000 customers without electricity across the Pacific Northwest and blew the roof off an Oregon firehouse. Winds higher than 70 mph blew trees and branches onto power lines and cut electricity to roughly 85,000 customers in Washington, mostly in the western part of the state. However, Mason County faired well with spot outages, mostly in Mason County P.U.D. No. 1's service territory along Hood Canal. A trained weather spotter in the Lake Lawrence area of Thurston County reported an 84 mph wind gust. About 20,000 Puget Sound Energy customers in Thurston County were without power yesterday. At last report some 2,000 of them are still without power but P-S-E expects those customers to have service restored later today. More than two inches of rain fell in Mason County over a 24-hour period Monday. That rainfall pushed the Skokomish River to near flood stage last night, however the River crested below 16 feet at 15.65 feet about 7pm. No flooding has been reported. The Skokomish River's level, at last report, was about 14 and a half feet. Forecasters predict the River will stay around 14 feet for the rest of this week. According to the National Weather Service, high pressure will build over the region today resulting in more settle conditions later today. Dry weather will prevail across much of the area tonight and Wednesday. However, another storm system will bring increasing precipitation Wednesday night. Forecasters expect steady rain to become showery Thursday afternoon. (KMAS Radio, Shelton)

Cowlitz County – 10,000 lose power in storm. Nearly 10,000 Cowlitz County PUD customers lost power Monday in a blustery Veterans Day wind storm with local gusts of up to 57 mph. (Daily News, Longview – Thanks Dave)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2007/11/13/top_story/doc47393bce38c40907515232.txt

Power still out for hundreds of homes in Clallam County (KONP Radio, Port Angeles)
http://www.konp.com/local/3246

Cleanup of storm aftermath begins (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/topstories/stories/NW_111307WAB_storm_cleanup_LJ.bbdb83.html

Post-Storm Roundup – Some Puget Sound Residents Without Power After Wind Storm (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/weather/14571891/detail.html

Do you need a generator? Carbon monoxide poisoning. Electrocution. Fire. With all the possible safety hazards that can occur if you misuse a portable generator, you have to wonder why homeowners take the risks. (The News Tribune, Tacoma)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/soundlife/story/200331.html

Seattle Times Editorial – Compromise shares NW hydropower. COOLER heads appear to be prevailing in a regional dustup over how the economic benefits of the Northwest hydropower system are shared.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorialsopinion/2004010178_bpaed13.html

Neither side happy with BPA deal – The proposal would reinstate payments to private utilities and cut rates for public utilities if BPA follows it (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/1194668729326660.xml&coll=7

Grays Harbor County PUD sees BPA settlement as a sell-out (The Daily World, Aberdeen)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2007/11/09/local_news/03news.txt

Grant County PUD's power auction brings $39 million to utility (Columbia Basin Herald)
http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2007/11/09/news/news04.txt

Dam would make international lake – The Okanogan County PUD wants to study building a dam west of Oroville to store water and generate electricity. The dam on the Similkameen River could be up to 260 feet tall, creating a lake that's half in Canada and larger than nearby Lake Osoyoos. (Wenatchee World)
http://www.wenworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071109/NEWS04/711090047/1001

Clatskanie PUD to interview candidates (The Daily News, Longview)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2007/11/09/news_briefs/doc4734175b72553116734697.txt

LNG expert: Vapor model misused – A chemical engineering expert said this week that methods for determining the spread of potentially flammable vapor in the case of a gas spill at a proposed Columbia River liquefied natural gas facility may be inaccurate. (The Daily News, Longview)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2007/11/10//area_news/doc47361c0aeee88838169808.txt

Gap in Electricity Prices For Industrial Customers Between Deregulated and Regulated States Has Tripled Since 1999 (Transmission & Distribution World)
http://tdworld.com/business/power-in-the-public-interest-electricity-prices/

(News Whiz) Energy Expert: Competition Produces Benefits For PA Electricity Customers (ElectricNet – It also makes you taller, ten pounds lighter, and a better dancer!)
http://www.electricnet.com/content/news/article.asp?docid=2e432582-d99e-4b81-abb3-0581436a0073&atc~c=771+s=773+r=001+l=a&VNETCOOKIE=NO

New Jersey – What will future hold for energy in New Jersey? Is nuclear energy in New Jersey's future? How can electricity costs be cut? Will windmills become a common sight off the Jersey shore? (The Associated Press)
http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/104-11102007-1438237.html

Missouri's public counsel tells utilities regulators: 'They know somebody is watching them' (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, via Power Marketers Online)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5CgllfhqyZTgd%22EN%26bfem%5Ev

New Zealand – Power cut family want coroner to stand aside. The family of oxygen-dependent Folole Muliaga, who died when the electricity was cut off, wants the chief coroner to withdraw from the inquest, claiming he has a conflict of interest. (The Dominion Post)
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4269842a11.html

Voter Anger May Free Up Energy Bills (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/13/washington/13oil.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper&oref=slogin

Coal surges despite warming concerns: Demand expected to rise through 2030 (Associated Press, via The Missoulian)
http://missoulian.com/articles/2007/11/13/business/biz29.txt

TVA lures record business growth – Toyota's decision to build a $1.3 billion assembly plant in Mississippi helped propel the Tennessee Valley to a record year for new business investment. (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, via Power Marketers Online)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5CglminqsXTgd%22EN%26bfem%5Ev

Wire Thieves Cut Traffic Light – Just after 9:45 p.m. Sunday thieves cut the wire to a traffic signal and lighting at the Intersection of Bridgeport Way and Interstate 5 in Lakewood. (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/news/14577361/detail.html

Some No Name Key Residents Want No Power (electricity, that is) – The absence of electricity is what drew Hallett and Linda Douville to No Name Key in 1990. (Associated Press)
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iHffVENWpahqwfAVlT8tv4sOX6CAD8SQN3MO0

WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT

Gregoire pushes for Columbia cleanup plan – Gov. Chris Gregoire will push for a faster cleanup of a highly polluted stretch of Columbia River shoreline, a decade after carcinogenic polychlorinated biphenyls were first discovered there. (The Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/2007/11/11092007_Gregoire-pushes-for-Columbia-cleanup-plan.cfm?newsletter=1

The Columbian Editorial – Finally back on track. Gov. Gregoire pushes old Alcoa-site cleanup to ecology department’s front burner
http://www.columbian.com/opinion/news/2007/11/11112007_Finally-back-on-track.cfm

Biologists use high-tech equipment to spy on Skagit River chum (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/339204_fish12.html

Returning urban salmon provide a thrill and a lesson (Seattle Post Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/339365_urbansalmon13.html

Spokane Tribe in Collaboration to Help Protect Wildlife Habitat – The Spokane Tribe of Indians is pleased to announce that the recent purchase of wildlife habitat land from Forest Capital Partners, a private forest landowner, will bring the Tribe closer to a goal of owning 100 percent of its Reservation land. The Bonneville Power Administration is providing funding for the acquisition as part of its wildlife mitigation efforts. (KNDO-TV, Tri-Cities)
http://www.kndo.com/Global/story.asp?S=7339413&nav=menu484_2_10

Idaho – EPA Targets Fish Farms With Permits – Federal environmental officials have a new permitting process designed to cut down on pollution that trout farms and other aquaculture producers discharge into the Snake River. (Associated Press, via Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1043232~EPA_Targets_Fish_Farms_With_Permits.html?cid=rss-Idaho_Headlines

Water rates going up for Cowlitz County PUD customers – Cowlitz PUD water customers living outside city zones likely will see their bills increase by about $4 a month starting Dec. 1, after the utility district raises rates for a second time in the past year. (The Daily News, Longview)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2007/11/13/area_news/doc47393d751a5e7065655060.txt

Seattle Times Editorial – Water bill is high and dry. Faint hearts in the House and Senate mustered the votes and courage to give President Bush his first veto override, on a $23-billion water-resources bill.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorialsopinion/2004008046_watered12.html

Outdoor Burning Bans Show Central Oregon's Growth (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/outdoor-burning-bans-show-central-oregons-growth/

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Snohomish County PUD to share details on tidal power – Snohomish County PUD customers are invited to learn about their utility's growing infatuation with tidal energy. (Everett Herald)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20071112/NEWS01/711120025

Idaho nuke planners buy renewable energy firm – A company that plans to build Idaho's first commercial nuclear power plant announced last week it has bought about half the interests in a Maryland-based alternative-energy company. (Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, via Power Marketers Online)
http://powermarketers.netcontentinc.net/newsreader.asp?ppa=8knpp%5E%5CglmhqrlTTgd%22EN%26bfem%5Ev

In Farm Belt, Ethanol Plants Hit Resistance – The era in which a new ethanol distillery in agricultural America was greeted with delight seems to be ending. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/13/us/13nimby.html?ex=1352610000&en=05f422806df8ae1c&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

U.S. Energy Bill -- Early Christmas Present or Lump of Coal? (Renewable Energy Access)
http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=50527&src=rss

Spokane company sees hope in tiny electric commuter car (Associated Press, via the Examiner.com)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1041122~Spokane_company_sees_hope_in_tiny_electric_commuter_car.html?cid=rss-Washington_Headlines

CONSERVATION

The Shadow Knows (MSNBC – Clever conservation advertising idea)
http://adblog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/11/13/463502.aspx

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Canadian climatologists puzzled at rationale for ending research fund (CanWest News Service)
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/politics/story.html?id=3e64e983-e851-4d26-9dd4-b5dfa31fa397&k=16859

Experts Discuss Engineering Feats, Like Space Mirrors, to Slow Climate Change (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/10/science/earth/10geo.html?_r=1&ex=1352437200&en=0824e43c8020389e&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Northeastern sues Google over patent – University, Waltham license holder say they own technology (The Boston Globe)
http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2007/11/10/northeastern_sues_google_over_patent/

(Irony Alert) F.C.C. Planning Rules to Open Cable Market – The Federal Communications Commission is preparing to impose significant new regulations to open the cable television market to independent programmers and rival video services after determining that cable companies have become too dominant in the industry, senior commission officials said. (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/10/washington/10cable.html?_r=1&ex=1352437200&en=098ec840d0dd5077&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin

FCC Chief: End Big-Market Ownership Ban – The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission wants to eliminate a ban on radio and television broadcasters owning newspapers, but only in the nation's largest media markets. (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/13/AR2007111300773.html?nav=rss_technology

Qwest Partners with Psychologist to Bridge the Digital Divide (Trading Markets)
http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/811393/

5 cool wireless research projects worth checking out (Network World)
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2007/110807-wireless-research-projects.html?page=1

New York – Cablevision rolls out WiFi networks – 8 Customers of Cablevision’s Optimum Online service in Peekskill, Pleasantville and Pelham can now connect wirelessly to the Internet while sitting outside at parks, cafes or while waiting for the train. (The Journal News)
http://burbsbiz.lohudblogs.com/2007/11/08/cablevision-rolls-out-wifi-networks

GENERAL NEWS

Ship soot is killing people, study – A new scientific analysis that blames air pollution from oceangoing ships for killing more than 60,000 people worldwide each year could bolster international efforts to regulate ships visiting Puget Sound and elsewhere. (News Tribune, Tacoma)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/200228.html

Opening November 16 – Outdoors enthusiasts ready to welcome Lacey Cabela's (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/268213.html

Idaho lawmakers look for ways to keep moms at home to strengthen families – Task force blames breakdown of traditional family for social ills (Idaho Statesman)
http://www.idahostatesman.com/eyepiece/story/205994.html

Environment groups seek to help consumers in holiday catalog flood – A new service, started by three environmental groups, is giving people a chance to gain some control over the postal flood tide that inundates them with billions of catalogs a year. (Chicago Tribune, via the Seattle Times)
http://us.mg1.mail.yahoo.com/dc/launch?.rand=6salsf5j8mr8a

The newest public enemy: bottled water – Bottled water, once an icon of a healthy lifestyle, has become a pariah, the environmentally incorrect Humvee of beverages. (The Philadelphia Inquirer, via the Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2004008505_water12.html

DIVERSIONS

SK Man Hurts Himself Trying to Loosen Lug Nut -- With a Shotgun (Kitsap Sun, may require free registration)
http://kitsapsun.com/news/2007/nov/10/sk-man-hurts-himself-trying-to-loosen-lug-nut/

Hilton Tries to Help Drunken Elephants – Paris Hilton is being praised by conservationists for highlighting the problem of binge-drinking elephants in northeastern India. Activists said a celebrity endorsement such as Hilton's was sure to raise awareness of the plight of the pachyderms
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/11/13/international/i071548S11.DTL&feed=rss.news

In land of the Monkey God, a primate menaces
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSDEL33966920071113?feedType=nl&feedName=ustopnewsearly

Church Steeple Renovation Uncovers 67 Mysterious Bullet Holes (well, at least it gave traffic signs a rest)
http://www.kirotv.com/irresistible/14551372/detail.html

Teen Accused Of Flying Over High School Football Game, Dropping Ball – A teenager flew a small airplane low over a high school football game and dropped a football into the end zone as a prank, said authorities who are now charging him with misdemeanors.
http://www.kirotv.com/irresistible/14551357/detail.html

Customer Service: Southwest Gate Agent Entertains Passengers With Ukulele (Consumerist Magazine)
http://consumerist.com/consumer/customer-service/southwest-gate-agent-entertains-passengers-with-ukelele-310207.php