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.
NEWS DIGEST ON TWITTER
Follow the news digest on Twitter for breaking news & notices:
HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES
Reclamation Awards $102 Million Contract for Overhaul of Third Power Plant at Grand Coulee Dam (US Department of the Interior)
Oregon - SoloPower Will Abandon Wilsonville, Seek Deal for $340 Million Plant in Portland “…a small, but vocal number of citizens cost the city of Wilsonville as many as five hundred jobs…” (Oregonian, Portland)
When -- Not If -- A Japan-Scale Quake Hits Oregon, Experts Expect Deaths, Destruction, Blackouts & Food Shortages (Oregonian, Portland)
Washington State Cancels its 2012 Presidential Primary (Associated Press)
Warm Weather Puts Some under Flood Advisory This Weekend (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
- Reclamation Awards $102 Million Contract for Overhaul of Third Power Plant at Grand
- When -- Not If -- A Japan-Scale Quake Hits Oregon, Experts Expect Deaths, Destruction, Blackouts & Food Shortages
- Transmission Lines Needs Money, & Freedom, to Let Jobs Bloom
- Massachusetts - Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station Failure Probed
- Yucca Shutdown Was Political, Federal Watchdog Says
- Damage to Japanese Reactor Worse Than Expected
- Indiana - State Utility Panel Fines Storms, Citing Ethics Violations
- Mylar Balloons Spark Power Outages - Decorations can cause dangerous power outages
- Southern California Edison Offers Tips on Staying Safe around Electricity at Home
- Op/Ed - Wild Salmon & Wind Power Can Work Together
- Environmentalists Drop Suit against Wolf Kill
- In an Ocean of Noise, Sea Life Faces New Threat
- Wild Horses Wouldn’t be ‘Wildlife’ in Nevada Under a Pending Bill: It’s All About Water
- Yosemite Researchers Get Rare Glimpse at Habitat Shifts Over 100 Years
- Flooding Mississippi River Threatens Catfish Industry
- Invasive Spartina Has Been Nearly Eradicated from Washington State’s Shorelines
- Oregon Legislature Stalls on Portland-Area Air Pollution Monitoring
- Oregon - SoloPower Will Abandon Wilsonville, Seek Deal for $340 Million Plant in Portland
- Irony – Near Wilsonville: Oregon Wins Approval for ‘Largest Solar Highway Project
- San Francisco Solar Industry Fears Loss of Funding
- Moses Lake - REC Silicon Scrubber Damaged
- Oregon - Battle over Biomass: Does Seneca’s Plant Violate Pollution Regs?
- Xcel Says It’s close To Meeting Colorado Target for Renewable Energy
- Turtles & Whippoorwills - Ontario Green Project May Kill Endangered Species
- Electricity Monitor Helps Oregon Homeowners Improve Efficiency
- Timing for Traffic, No LED Traffic Signal Upgrades - Longview Will Time Traffic Lights
- How to Cut Your Energy Bill by 30 Percent - By keeping your windows open
- California - Sierra Club Wants Landmark Climate Law Altered
- Hailed Last Year for Collaborating, Colville Forest Factions Have Gotten Nowhere
- Solar Plane Takes Off for First International Flight
- Germany’s Unlikely Champion of a Radical Green Energy Path
- Google under Government Investigation for Online Pharmacy Ads
- AT&T/T-Mobile Merger Could Hasten Closing of Wireless Gaps
- Google’s Android Now on 100 Million Mobile Devices
- Clearwire Stock Dives on Intel’s Plan to Sell Up to 10 Million Shares
- Company of the Year: American Tower Scales to Leadership Position in Cellular Industry
- Bill Killing Kansas Technology Enterprise Corp. Goes to Brownback
- Washington State Cancels its 2012 Presidential Primary
- Benton County Pays Fired Employee $300,000 – Had a Political Sign in the Yard of Her Prosser Home
- Warm Weather Puts Some under Flood Advisory This Weekend
- Sailboat Crushed by Breaching Whale near Astoria, Oregon
- The Nose Knows: Allergy Season Here With Vengeance
- Visitors of Washington State Parks Face $30 Annual Fee
- Michaels Identifies Tampering at PIN Pads in Some Washington Stores
- Seattle One of the Worst Cities for Postal Worker Dog Attacks
- ‘Tax Lady’ Roni Deutch to Quit over Allegations of Swindling Clients & $15 Million in Debt
- Instant Karma - Donation Jar Thief Hit by Bus in Seattle
WORD OF THE DAY
Debutant • \DEB-yoo-tawnt\ • Noun - One making a debut
The new employee was figuratively shaking in his boots. His first task was to make a twenty minute presentation to the board of directors on the duties of his position. For a debutant, having the entire job description being listed as “other duties as assigned,” was daunting enough…but to hold forth for 20 minutes on his mysterious duties was the figurative “Mount Everest” of public speaking.
SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
Reclamation Awards $102 Million Contract for Overhaul of Third Power Plant at Grand Coulee Dam (US Department of the Interior)
When -- Not If -- A Japan-Scale Quake Hits Oregon, Experts Expect Deaths, Destruction, Blackouts & Food Shortages (Oregonian, Portland)
Transmission Lines Needs Money, & Freedom, to Let Jobs Bloom (GigaOM)
Massachusetts - Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station Failure Probed (Poten & Partners)
Yucca Shutdown Was Political, Federal Watchdog Says (NY Times)
Damage to Japanese Reactor Worse Than Expected (Associated Press)
Indiana - State Utility Panel Fines Storms, Citing Ethics Violations: Ruling also bars former IURC lawyer from future employment with state (Indianapolis Star, IN)
Mylar Balloons Spark Power Outages - Decorations can cause dangerous power outages; 1,327 customers lose power on May 11 (Electric Energy Online)
Southern California Edison Offers Tips on Staying Safe around Electricity at Home (Electric Energy Online)
FISH & WILDLIFE
Op/Ed - Wild Salmon & Wind Power Can Work Together (Seattle Times, WA)
Environmentalists Drop Suit against Wolf Kill (Northwest Public Radio)
In an Ocean of Noise, Sea Life Faces New Threat (Seattle Times, WA)
Wild Horses Wouldn’t be ‘Wildlife’ in Nevada Under a Pending Bill: It’s All About Water (Washington Post)
Yosemite Researchers Get Rare Glimpse at Habitat Shifts Over 100 Years (NY Times)
Flooding Mississippi River Threatens Catfish Industry (Associated Press)
WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT
Invasive Spartina Has Been Nearly Eradicated from Washington State’s Shorelines (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
Oregon Legislature Stalls on Portland-Area Air Pollution Monitoring (Oregonian, Portland)
RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
Oregon - SoloPower Will Abandon Wilsonville, Seek Deal for $340 Million Plant in Portland “…a small, but vocal number of citizens cost the city of Wilsonville as many as five hundred jobs…” (Oregonian, Portland)
Irony – Near Wilsonville: Oregon Wins Approval for ‘Largest Solar Highway Project in the Nation’ at Baldock I-5 Rest Area (Oregonian, Portland)
San Francisco Solar Industry Fears Loss of Funding (SF Chronicle, CA)
Moses Lake - REC Silicon Scrubber Damaged (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)
Oregon - Battle over Biomass: Does Seneca’s Plant Violate Pollution Regs? (Eugene Weekly, OR)
Xcel Says It’s close To Meeting Colorado Target for Renewable Energy (Denver Business Journal, CO)
Turtles & Whippoorwills - Ontario Green Project May Kill Endangered Species (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)
CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY
Electricity Monitor Helps Oregon Homeowners Improve Efficiency (The Republic, Columbus, IN)
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/9ada32b18e8a4b76ba96b6477db4458f/OR--Home-Electricity-Monitor/
Timing for Traffic, No LED Traffic Signal Upgrades - Longview Will Time Traffic Lights by End of Year (Longview Daily News, WA)
How to Cut Your Energy Bill by 30 Percent - By keeping your windows open in every season, even during parts of the winter, you’ll see your energy bill shrink a little bit (Christian Science Monitor)
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
California - Sierra Club Wants Landmark Climate Law Altered (SF Chronicle, CA)
BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI
Hailed Last Year for Collaborating, Colville Forest Factions Have Gotten Nowhere (Crosscut Seattle)
Solar Plane Takes Off for First International Flight (Associated Press)
http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Solar-plane-takes-off-for-1st-international-flight-1377543.php
Germany’s Unlikely Champion of a Radical Green Energy Path (Reuters)
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Google under Government Investigation for Online Pharmacy Ads (Washington Post)
AT&T/T-Mobile Merger Could Hasten Closing of Wireless Gaps (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)
Google’s Android Now On 100 Million Mobile Devices (Seattle Times, WA)
Clearwire Stock Dives on Intel’s Plan to Sell Up to 10 Million Shares (Bloomberg News)
Company of the Year: American Tower Scales to Leadership Position in Cellular Industry (Boston Business Journal, MA)
Bill Killing Kansas Technology Enterprise Corp. Goes to Brownback (Kansas City Business Journal)
POLITICS & GOVERNANCE
Washington State Cancels its 2012 Presidential Primary (Associated Press)
Benton County Pays Fired Employee $300,000 – Had a Political Sign in the Yard of Her Prosser Home (Associated Press)
GENERAL NEWS
Warm Weather Puts Some under Flood Advisory This Weekend (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
Sailboat Crushed by Breaching Whale near Astoria, Oregon (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
The Nose Knows: Allergy Season Here With Vengeance (Associated Press)
Visitors of Washington State Parks Face $30 Annual Fee (Seattle Times, WA)
Michaels Identifies Tampering at PIN Pads in Some Washington Stores (Associated Press)
Seattle One of the Worst Cities for Postal Worker Dog Attacks (KING-TV, Seattle)
‘Tax Lady’ Roni Deutch to Quit over Allegations of Swindling Clients & $15 Million in Debt (Associated Press)
Instant Karma - Donation Jar Thief Hit by Bus in Seattle (Associated Press)
DIVERSIONS
Prom Ban In Shelton, Connecticut Prompts Upset Calls to Shelton High School in Washington
Eww! Cat Hair Ball Jewelry for Fashion-Loving Feline Owners; Blogger is Creative with Cat Fur Accessories
Man Practicing Quick Draw Shoots Hole in Neighbor’s TV
A Typo Spells Romance for RP Salazars
SONG OF THE DAY
Orleans - Dance With Me
