News Digest for November 2, 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

Gossamer • \GAH-suh-mer\ • adjective – Extremely light, delicate, or tenuous

“Ah to be a butterfly,” mused Derwood. “To float around on gossamer wings, flitting from flower to flower.”

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

Ecology asks residents to reduce wood burning because of stagnant air (Wenatchee World)
http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071101/NEWS04/711010080/1025/rss1025

We change the clocks this weekend. The time change was delayed by a week in an attempt by congress to save power. Local fire fighters hope you use the extra time to do something which could save your life. They want to you find fresh batteries for your smoke detectors. Lewis Count first responders are often frustrated when they arrive to a house fire and find no working smoke detectors. Remember to “fall back” one hour when you go to sleep Saturday night. (KELA Radio, Centralia/Chehalis

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Salmon, Dam Plan Put Upward Pressure On Electric Rates – Proposed changes to Columbia and Snake River dam operations could raise your electric bill. (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/salmon-dam-plan-puts-upward-pressure-electric-rates/

Portland General Electric earnings soar in third quarter thanks to income tax reform (Portland Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2007/10/29/daily33.html?ana=from_rss

Oregon – 70-foot-tall power pole 'unsuitable,' some argue – Officials may reconsider scenic highway location (Bend Bulletin)
http://bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071102/NEWS0107/711020511/1001&nav_category=

News Release – Vandals damage BPA property in Lane County, Oregon; reward offered (Bonneville Power Administration)
http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/1582/180922/

Ohio Senate passes amended energy bill (Business Courier of Cincinnati)
http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2007/10/29/daily44.html?ana=from_rss

News Release – NRG and Powerspan Announce Large-Scale Demonstration of Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) for Coal-Fueled Power Plants - Demonstration to be among largest CCS projects in the world (NRG Energy)
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/11-02-2007/0004696394&EDATE=

WATER, FISH & THE ENVIRONMENT

Study to look at whether cormorants are harming salmon runs (Well, Duh! My guess is that these guys are harder on the little fishies than the sea lions.)
http://www.examiner.com/a-1023335~Study_to_look_at_whether_cormorants_are_harming_salmon_runs.html?cid=rss-Idaho_Headlines

Alaska – Salmon bycatch a major problem. The pollock fishery experiences a "nightmare" season. (Anchorage Daily News)
http://www.adn.com/money/industries/fishing/story/9424156p-9336428c.html

Belfair Residents Get a Price Tag for Sewer Connection – The hook-up fee for the new system is projected to be $3,200, with monthly rates ranging from $85 to $100, county says. (Kitsap Sun, may require free registration)
http://kitsapsun.com/news/2007/nov/01/belfair-residents-get-a-price-tag-for-sewer/

Cowlitz dredging to start next week – The dredge Oregon should be at the mouth of the Cowlitz River this morning and is expected to start clearing in the silt-engorged channel next week. (The Daily News, Longview)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2007/11/02/area_news/news08.txt

Water updates, impacts topic of conference – Hastings' district director calls for farmer unity. Even though insiders may think work on the Odessa Aquifer is going slowly, Mike Schwisow assures residents it's progressing quite well. (Columbia Basin Herald)
http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2007/11/01/news/news02.txt

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Inslee pushes for clean energy in new book, "Apollo's Fire" (Associated Press, via the Columbian)
http://www.columbian.com/news/state/APStories/AP11022007news224890.cfm/

Venture Capital: Seattle VCs missing clean tech boom – Some of the largest venture capital firms in the state have shied away from wind power, biofuels, fuel cells and other clean tech sectors, a message highlighted in a survey released this week by the law firm of Stoel Rives. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/venture/337810_vc02.html?source=rss

California – Wind turbine manufacturer pitches alternative to solar roof (Contra Costa Times)
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_7350174?source=rss&nclick_check=1

Pay dirt: Start-up draws electricity from the ground – Here's a renewable energy source most of us haven't thought of: dirt. (CNET News)
http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9809164-7.html?part=dht

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Clinton sees global warming fight as a way to create jobs, opportunity (Seattle Post Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/337769_climate02.html?source=rss

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

FCC urged to stop Comcast Internet blocking – Members of the SavetheInternet.com Coalition and Internet scholars from Harvard, Yale and Stanford law schools filed a petition and complaint with the Federal Communications Commission Thursday in response to claims that Comcast is blocking some kinds of peer-to-peer traffic. (CNET News)
http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9809263-7.html?part=dht

City Wi-Fi networks get Senate panel nod, again – Cities and local governments would be free to build their own broadband networks under a bill approved once again this week by a U.S. Senate panel. (CNET News)
http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9809196-7.html?part=dht

Utah – UTOPIA users get Internet through Mstar (The Daily Herald)
http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/242239/3/

GENERAL NEWS

Shelton, Tenino join the party – Playoff football in November is familiar territory for Tumwater coach Sid Otton. For Matt Hinkle of Shelton and Kevin Ridout of Tenino, this is relatively new turf. (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/143/story/260215.html

Port Townsend High Football Game Canceled After Student Is Diagnosed With ‘Superbug' (Kitsap Sun, may require free registration)
http://kitsapsun.com/news/2007/nov/01/port-townsend-high-football-game-canceled-after/

Man Collecting L& I Benefits Caught On Camera Pushing Car, Moving Tires
Richard Thompson – Duane Nissen claims he was injured while working at Olympic Panel Products in Shelton in 2003 and he says he is entitled to keep nearly $60,000 in workers compensation. (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.kirotv.com/news/14489862/detail.html?rss=sea&psp=news

New Narrows Bridge drivers contesting unpaid tolls (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_110107WAB_narrows_bridge_transponders_TP.1ca5568cd.html

Colbert’s Presidential Bid Ends After a ‘No’ in South Carolina (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/02/us/politics/02colbert.html?ex=1351656000&en=ce3002a76acb2aca&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Lobbyists miss deadline for payment of back rent at state Capitol (The Olympian)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/260331.html

HISTORY ON THE AIR IN LEWIS COUNTY – KELA made twin cities broadcasting history after going onto the air 70-years ago this week. The station at that time in 1937 could be heard in Utah, Oakland, and British Columbia. KELA continues to broadcast out of it’s studios between Centralia and Chehalis.

DIVERSIONS

Man, 72, misses monkeys, hits neighbor – A Malaysian villager who was aiming to shoot wild monkeys encroaching on his garden shot his neighbor instead, police said Friday. The neighbor suffered slight injuries.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071102/ap_on_fe_st/odd_bad_aim;_ylt=Av0mQGkvlFdMzg736j_cWT7tiBIF

Woman pleads no contest in fork attack – A woman accused of stabbing her husband with a fork during a fight at a restaurant has pleaded no contest to reduced charges of being drunk and disorderly.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071101/ap_on_fe_st/odd_fork_attack;_ylt=AksXlwiC1qLMN.YnNDqI9grtiBIF

Gator dropped off at water department
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071101/ap_on_fe_st/odd_gator_in_crate;_ylt=AtbBXhO2gTZhjyVizydWTnntiBIF

Dog, cat honored for saving masters
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/odd_animal_rescues;_ylt=AoAQAfb2EHzr9RCaDY3Hxn_tiBIF