Energy News Digest for December 22, 2010

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.

To subscribe, email jmyer@masonpud3.org

Follow the news digest on Twitter for breaking news & notices: http://twitter.com/energydigest

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Very Wet Weather, Possible Flooding, Seen for Olympic Peninsula (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/theweatherbeat/2013738749_olympicpeninsula.html

Moratorium Could Stymie Evergreen Biomass Project – Permit on Track for Shelton Wood Power Plant (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/12/22/1474573/tesc-energy-project-halted.html

News Release – Improved Returns Demonstrate Columbia Salmon Protection: Spawning fish find more habitat, while predators pose threat, report says

http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/1582/977571/

News Release - Ecology Adopts Rule Change to Expedite Water Storage Projects in the Columbia Basin (Washington State Department of Ecology)

http://www.ecy.wa.gov/news/2010news/2010-329.html

Washington Gains 830,000 Residents, Becomes 13th Most Populous State (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2013729560_census22m.html

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

·         Power Auction Gains Chelan PUD $45.5 Million

·         New High-Tech Meters Coming to Port Angeles Electric & Water Customers

·         Mason County PUD 3 Commission Scales Back Meetings

·         San Francisco Shutting Down Power Plant January 1

·         Nuclear Regulatory Commission Advisers Back New Westinghouse Nuclear Reactor

·         Tennessee Valley Authority - Electricity Demand on Dec. 14 Broke Record

·         Copper Prices Jump on China Import Data

·         News Release – Improved Returns Demonstrate Columbia Salmon Protection

·         Buying Frozen Fish Environmentally Friendly?

·         Alaska to Sue over US Polar Bear Protection

·         News Release - Ecology Adopts Rule Change to Expedite Water Storage Projects in the Columbia Basin

·         Puget Sound Partnership Reaches a Crossroads

·         City of Bend Says Hexavalent Chromium Came from Private Utility, Not City System

·         BNSF Railway Company Resists More Aquifer Funding

·         Colorado - Climate Change a Possible Culprit in Elevated Snake River Zinc Levels

·         Moratorium Could Stymie Evergreen Biomass Project – Permit on Track for Shelton Wood Power Plant

·         Biomass Power Plant - Public Invited to Comment on ADAGE Permit Application; Public Hearings Set

·         Intel Solar Spinoff Announces New York Plant Closing

·         REC Silicon Secures a 1.2 Billion Wafer Sales Contract

·         Nordic Windpower Leaving California

·         US Challenges China’s Wind Power Equipment Aid

·         Ohio - Smart Papers to Burn Paper Waste, Save Money

·         Iowa - City of Marion Brings Its Plasma-Arc Proposal to the Solid Waste Agency in Search of Garbage

·         Florida - Convert Christmas Trees into Electricity

·         Pacific Northwest Utilities Encourage Purchase of Energy Efficient TVs

·         Do Digital Billboards Waste Energy?

·         EPA to Double Down on Climate

·         A Scientist, His Work & a Climate Reckoning

·         Is Washington State’s Clean-Tech Sector as Sorry as it Sounds?

·         Co-Op Offers a Slice of the Sun

·         Green Economics: Can We ‘Decarbonize?’

·         FCC Approves Net Rules & Braces for Fight

·         A Look at the FCC’s Neutrality Rules

·         Most Common Passwords List - Discovered by Hackers - Includes ‘12345,’ ‘Password’

·         Could Redistricting Cost Kitsap a Congressman?

·         Very Wet Weather, Possible Flooding, Seen for Olympic Peninsula

·         Rain-Soaked California Braces for Biggest Storm Yet

·         Mason County Storm Damage Could Reach $1 Million

·         Washington Gains 830,000 Residents, Becomes 13th Most Populous State

·         Goodwill Store Coming to Shelton

WORD OF THE DAY

Numinous • \NOO-muh-nuss\ • Adjective - 1: supernatural, mysterious 2: filled with a sense of the presence of divinity: holy 3: appealing to the higher emotions or to the aesthetic sense: spiritual

Placide’s candle was starting to gutter, his puffy, tired eyes starting to dim in the early morning hours. He had been working hours to compose a poem he had entitled “Minuit, Chrétiens” at the exhortation of his local priest. “Oh numinous night has a nice ring to it, but there are too many syllables,” he moaned. His sleepless wife muttered “Holy night dear…just put it aside and move on.”

“O Holy Night” (“Cantique de Noël”) is a well-known Christmas carol composed by Adolphe Adam in 1847 to the French poem “Minuit, Chrétiens” (Midnight, Christians) by Placide Cappeau (1808–1877), a wine merchant and poet, who had been asked by a parish priest to write a Christmas poem.

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS

http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/mapclick.php?textfield1=47.213805&textfield2=-123.113412&site=all&smap=1&searchresult=shelton%2c%20wa%2c%20usa

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Power Auction Gains Chelan PUD $45.5 Million (Wenatchee World, WA)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2010/dec/20/power-auction-gains-pud-455-million/

New High-Tech Meters Coming to Port Angeles Electric & Water Customers (KONP Radio, Port Angeles, WA)

http://www.konp.com/local/6471

Mason County PUD 3 Commission Scales Back Meetings (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.net/news/news/4148-pud-3-commission-scales-back-meetings

San Francisco Shutting Down Power Plant January 1 (SF Chronicle)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/12/21/MN7G1GTAGE.DTL

Nuclear Regulatory Commission Advisers Back New Westinghouse Nuclear Reactor (Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/21/AR2010122103623.html

Tennessee Valley Authority - Electricity Demand on Dec. 14 Broke Record (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2013738254_apustvacold.html

Copper Prices Jump on China Import Data (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2013732584_apuscommoditiesreview.html

FISH & WILDLIFE

News Release – Improved Returns Demonstrate Columbia Salmon Protection: Spawning fish find more habitat, while predators pose threat, report says

http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/1582/977571/

Buying Frozen Fish Environmentally Friendly? (Northwest Public Radio)

http://www.nwpr.org/07/HomepageArticles/Article.aspx?n=8174

Alaska to Sue over US Polar Bear Protection (USA Today)

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2010/12/alaska-sue-polar-bear-protection/1

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

News Release - Ecology Adopts Rule Change to Expedite Water Storage Projects in the Columbia Basin (Washington State Department of Ecology)

http://www.ecy.wa.gov/news/2010news/2010-329.html

Puget Sound Partnership Reaches a Crossroads - Can the state cleanup effort deliver on Gov. Gregoire’s demands for measures of real progress? (Crosscut Seattle)

http://crosscut.com/2010/12/22/puget-sound/20467/Puget-Sound-Partnership-reaches-a-crossroads/

City of Bend Says Hexavalent Chromium Came from Private Utility, Not City System (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/health/index.ssf/2010/12/city_of_bend_says_hexavalent_c.html

BNSF Railway Company Resists More Aquifer Funding - Money for DEQ position, water protection at issue (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/dec/22/bnsf-resists-more-aquifer-funding/

Colorado - Climate Change a Possible Culprit in Elevated Snake River Zinc Levels (Summit Daily, Frisco, CO)

http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20101222/NEWS/101229960/1078&ParentProfile=1055

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Moratorium Could Stymie Evergreen Biomass Project – Permit on Track for Shelton Wood Power Plant (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/12/22/1474573/tesc-energy-project-halted.html

Biomass Power Plant - Public Invited to Comment on ADAGE Permit Application; Public Hearings Set (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.net/news/news/4152-public-invited-to-comment-on-adage-permit-application-public-hearings-set

Intel Solar Spinoff Announces New York Plant Closing - Steep decline in demand for solar cells due to a harsher-than-usual European winter (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2013738906_apnysolarplant.html

REC Silicon Secures a 1.2 Billion Wafer Sales Contract (4 Traders)

http://www.4-traders.com/RENEWABLE-ENERGY-458338/news/RENEWABLE-ENERGY-REC-secures-a-NOK-1-2-billion-wafer-sales-contract-13525789/

Nordic Windpower Leaving California (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

http://www.mercurynews.com/rss/ci_16913416

US Challenges China’s Wind Power Equipment Aid (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/23/business/global/23trade.html

Ohio - Smart Papers to Burn Paper Waste, Save Money (Cincinnati Enquirer, OH)

http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20101221/BIZ01/12220319/

Iowa - City of Marion Brings Its Plasma-Arc Proposal to the Solid Waste Agency in Search of Garbage (Eastern Iowa Government)

http://easterniowagovernment.com/2010/12/21/city-of-marion-brings-its-plasma-arc-proposal-to-the-solid-waste-agency-in-search-of-garbage/

Florida - Convert Christmas Trees into Electricity (Panama City News-Herald, FL)

http://www.newsherald.com/news/city-89498-convert-electricity.html

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Pacific Northwest Utilities Encourage Purchase of Energy Efficient TVs (Northwest Public Radio)

http://www.nwpr.org/07/HomepageArticles/Article.aspx?n=8175

Do Digital Billboards Waste Energy? (NY Times)

http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/20/do-digital-billboards-waste-energy/

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

EPA to Double Down on Climate (Politico)

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1210/46697.html

A Scientist, His Work & a Climate Reckoning (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/22/science/earth/22carbon.html

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Is Washington State’s Clean-Tech Sector as Sorry as it Sounds? (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

http://blog.seattlepi.com/energy/archives/232415.asp

Co-Op Offers a Slice of the Sun (The Enterprise Newspaper, Lynnwood, WA)

http://heraldnet.com/article/20101222/ETP03/712229933/-1/NEWS01

Green Economics: Can We ‘Decarbonize?’ (Christian Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/Growthology/2010/1222/Green-economics-Can-we-decarbonize

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

FCC Approves Net Rules & Braces for Fight (NY Times)

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/21/f-c-c-approves-net-rules-and-braces-for-fight/

A Look at the FCC’s Neutrality Rules - At least the parts the ‘transparent’ FCC has released (Broadband Reports)

http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/A-Look-At-The-FCCs-Neutrality-Rules-111939

Most Common Passwords List - Discovered by Hackers - Includes ‘12345,’ ‘Password’ (Victoria Times Colonist, BC)

http://www.timescolonist.com/Most+common+passwords+list+discovered+hackers+includes+12345+password/4009314/story.html

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Could Redistricting Cost Kitsap a Congressman? (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2010/dec/21/could-redistricting-cost-kitsap-a-congressman/

GENERAL NEWS

Very Wet Weather, Possible Flooding, Seen for Olympic Peninsula (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/theweatherbeat/2013738749_olympicpeninsula.html

Rain-Soaked California Braces for Biggest Storm Yet (Associated Press)

http://www.nwcn.com/news/Rain-soaked-California-braces-for-biggest-storm-yet-112311254.html

Mason County Storm Damage Could Reach $1 Million (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.net/news/news/4151-storm-damage-could-reach-1-million

Washington Gains 830,000 Residents, Becomes 13th Most Populous State (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2013729560_census22m.html

Goodwill Store Coming to Shelton (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.net/news/news/4147-goodwill-store-coming-to-shelton-

DIVERSIONS

Hollywood Special Effects Give Girl New Ear

http://www.kirotv.com/health/26197172/detail.html

Beatles’ Abbey Road Crossing Now Heritage Site

http://www.kirotv.com/entertainment/26243576/detail.html

CIA Launching WikiLeaks Task Force, AKA ‘WTF’

http://www.nwcn.com/news/CIA-launching-WikiLeaks-Task-Force-aka-WTF-112322574.html

To Boldly Go Where No Play Has Gone Before: A Klingon Christmas Carol

http://newsfeed.time.com/2010/12/22/to-boldly-go-where-no-play-has-gone-before-a-klingon-christmas-carol/

SONG OF THE DAY

The Beatles - You Never Give Me Your Money

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvA64O2LySc

Energy News Digest for December 21, 2010

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.

To subscribe, email jmyer@masonpud3.org

Follow the news digest on Twitter for breaking news & notices:

http://twitter.com/energydigest

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Washington Gets Tenth Congressional Seat as Population Grows (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2013729560_census22m.html

What’s Driving Gas Prices Higher? (Kansas City Star, MO)

http://www.kansascity.com/2010/12/20/2534047/energy-trading-seems-to-be-fueling.html

Lewis County - Major Permit Issued for $250 Million Doty Area Wind Farm (KELA Radio, Centralia, WA)

http://www.kelaam.com/pages/localnews?Major-permit-issued-for-250-million-Doty=1&blockID=377461&feedID=410

Company Wins Bid to Splice Chelan PUD Fiber Optics (Wenatchee World, WA)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2010/dec/21/company-wins-bid-to-splice-fiber-optics/

Bonneville Power Administration Lobbying for Relief from Fish & Wildlife Restraints (Magic Valley News, Twin Falls, ID)

http://www.magicvalley.com/news/local/mini-cassia/article_a8e527af-cffc-5d5a-b66f-096ac36f8def.html

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

·         Audit Questions Pacific Gas & Electric Gas Line Inspections

·         Snoqualmie Falls Plant No. 2: Restoring a Renewable Resource

·         Poll: 19 Percent of Consumers Have a High Opinion of Their Utility

·         Constellation Energy Chairman, COO Retires

·         Bonneville Power Administration Lobbying for Relief from Fish & Wildlife Restraints

·         Cheaper Way to Find Spotted Owls: Dogs?

·         Salmon Projects Funded in Skamania, Clark Counties

·         Lewis County - Major Permit Issued for $250 Million Doty Area Wind Farm

·         Sea Breeze & Bonneville - Wind Diversity Study Lays Foundation for Greater US-Canada Collaboration on Renewable Energy Projects

·         BLM: Wind Development Okay on Public Land

·         Editorial - Renewables & Rate Hikes

·         Editorial - A Loud Chorus on Biomass

·         California - Forest Service Study Suggests Yreka Biomass Feasible

·         Georgia Power Moves Forward on Plans to Covert Coal Plant to Biomass

·         New Hampshire - Wood-Burning Power Plant Fined for Pollution

·         Geothermal Heating & Cooling Systems Help Tame Energy Bill

·         Last Potential Barrier to Implementation of EPA Climate Rules Falls

·         Google Project Keeping an Eye on Environment

·         Visions of Emissions Trading Fading in Puff of Smoke

·         Op/Ed - Should Washington State be a Resource Colony or Clean-Energy Leader?

·         More Ethanol Not So Good for All Engines

·         Couple Makes Cross-Country Trip Fueled by Vegetable Oil

·         Company Wins Bid to Splice Chelan PUD Fiber Optics

·         Oregon - Pendleton’s Chances for Data Center Shy on Power

·         Divided FCC Adopts Rules to Protect Web Traffic

·         Washington Gets Tenth Congressional Seat as Population Grows

·         Officials Agree: Ferry Fares Can’t be Raised without Lawmaker Vote

·         Olympia City Councilwoman Karen Rogers’ Community Meetings Under Fire

·         Nick Handy Retiring as State Elections Director

·         Belfair Man Suspected of Robbing Port Orchard Credit Union

·         City of Shelton Adopts 2011 Budget with No Cuts to Police

·         To Replace Reception Center at Shelton - Senator Wants to Turn Maple Lane into Prison Processing Center

·         Fall Had It All, But Winter Offers Rain, Rain & Rain

·         What’s Driving Gas Prices Higher?

·         Nativity Scene Gets OK at Washington State Capitol

·         REI to Open Olympia Store This Spring

WORD OF THE DAY

Ekphrasis • \EK-fruh-sis\ • Noun - A literary description of or commentary on a visual work of art

“Lay-dees and Genn-tell-men,” howled the side show barker. “ Through the magic of ekphrasis, the ancient art of mind-pictures, the amazing Bartholemew will take you on a tour of the FAY-MOSS Loooover museum of gay Pair-EEE...using only the power of his voice…and the sorcery of your very own inward looking eye you will see the works of masters past and present. Now, give me your five bucks, close your eyes, and we shall begin…”

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS

http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/mapclick.php?textfield1=47.213805&textfield2=-123.113412&site=all&smap=1&searchresult=shelton%2c%20wa%2c%20usa

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Audit Questions Pacific Gas & Electric Gas Line Inspections (San Francisco Business Times)

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/morning_call/2010/12/audit-questions-pge-inspections.html

Snoqualmie Falls Plant No. 2: Restoring a Renewable Resource (Renewable Energy World)

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2010/12/snoqualmie-falls-plant-no-2-restoring-a-renewable-resource?cmpid=rss

Poll: 19 Percent of Consumers Have a High Opinion of Their Utility (Electric Light & Power)

http://www.elp.com/index/display/article-display.articles.electric-light-power.t-and_d.transmission.2010.12.Poll__19_percent_of_consumers_have_a_high_opinion_of_their_utility.QP129867.dcmp=rss.page=1.html

Constellation Energy Chairman, COO Retires (Electric Light & Power)

http://www.elp.com/index/display/article-display.articles.electric-light-power.t-and_d.transmission.2010.12.Constellation_Energy_chairman__COO_retires.QP129867.dcmp=rss.page=1.html

FISH & WILDLIFE

Bonneville Power Administration Lobbying for Relief from Fish & Wildlife Restraints (Magic Valley News, Twin Falls, ID)

http://www.magicvalley.com/news/local/mini-cassia/article_a8e527af-cffc-5d5a-b66f-096ac36f8def.html

Cheaper Way to Find Spotted Owls: Dogs? (Oregon Public Radio)

http://news.opb.org/article/21270-cheaper-way-find-spotted-owls-dogs/

Salmon Projects Funded in Skamania, Clark Counties (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

http://www.columbian.com/news/2010/dec/21/salmon-projects-funded-skamania-clark/

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Lewis County - Major Permit Issued for $250 Million Doty Area Wind Farm (KELA Radio, Centralia, WA)

http://www.kelaam.com/pages/localnews?Major-permit-issued-for-250-million-Doty=1&blockID=377461&feedID=410

Sea Breeze & Bonneville - Wind Diversity Study Lays Foundation for Greater US-Canada Collaboration on Renewable Energy Projects (Renewable Energy Magazine)

http://www.renewableenergymagazine.com/paginas/Contenidosecciones.asp?ID=9&Cod=6964&Tipo=&Nombre=Wind%20Power%20News

BLM: Wind Development Okay on Public Land (Sustainable Business Oregon)

http://www.sustainablebusinessoregon.com/articles/2010/12/blm-wind-development-okay-on-public.html

Editorial - Renewables & Rate Hikes (Midwest Energy News)

http://www.midwestenergynews.com/2010/12/20/renewables-and-rate-increases/

Editorial - A Loud Chorus on Biomass (Baker City Herald, OR)

http://www.bakercityherald.com/Editorials/A-loud-chorus-on-biomass

California - Forest Service Study Suggests Yreka Biomass Feasible (Siskiyou Daily News, Yreka, CA)

http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/news/x650533372/Forest-Service-study-suggests-Yreka-biomass-feasible

Georgia Power Moves Forward on Plans to Covert Coal Plant to Biomass (WGST Radio, Atlanta, GA)

http://wgst.com/pages/localNews.html?feed=122602&article=7963418

New Hampshire - Wood-Burning Power Plant Fined for Pollution (Nashua Telegraph, NH)

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/903090-196/wood-burning-power-plant-fined-for-pollution.html

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Geothermal Heating & Cooling Systems Help Tame Energy Bill - Despite federal subsidy, idea isn’t taking hold in Inland Northwest (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/dec/21/geothermal-systems-help-tame-energy-bill/

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Last Potential Barrier to Implementation of EPA Climate Rules Falls (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2010/12/20/20climatewire-last-potential-barrier-to-implementation-of-44939.html

Google Project Keeping an Eye on Environment (Sioux Falls Argus-Leader, SD)

http://www.argusleader.com/article/20101221/NEWS/12210326/1001

Visions of Emissions Trading Fading in Puff of Smoke (Globe & Mail, Canada)

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/gary_mason/visions-of-emissions-trading-fading-in-puff-of-smoke/article1845336/

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Op/Ed - Should Washington State be a Resource Colony or Clean-Energy Leader? (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2013725499_guest21macfarlane.html

More Ethanol Not So Good for All Engines (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/12/21/1473363/more-ethanol-not-so-good-for-all.html

Couple Makes Cross-Country Trip Fueled by Vegetable Oil (Longview Daily News, WA)

http://tdn.com/news/local/article_71718a50-0ca9-11e0-b684-001cc4c03286.html

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Company Wins Bid to Splice Chelan PUD Fiber Optics (Wenatchee World, WA)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2010/dec/21/company-wins-bid-to-splice-fiber-optics/

Oregon - Pendleton’s Chances for Data Center Shy on Power (Associated Press)

http://www.gazettetimes.com/news/state-and-regional/article_d628a360-ca5c-51a7-a93b-4d13dbfd479a.html

Divided FCC Adopts Rules to Protect Web Traffic (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2013729919_apustecfccnetneutrality.html

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Washington Gets Tenth Congressional Seat as Population Grows (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2013729560_census22m.html

Officials Agree: Ferry Fares Can’t be Raised without Lawmaker Vote (KING-TV, Seattle)

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Officials-agree-ferry-fares-cant-be-raised-without-lawmaker-vote--112230519.html

Olympia City Councilwoman Karen Rogers’ Community Meetings Under Fire - Some express concern over use of city staff & website for councilwoman’s meetings (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/2010/12/21/1481373/rogers-meetings-under-fire.html

Nick Handy Retiring as State Elections Director (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/12/20/1472683/nick-handy-retiring-as-state-elections.html

GENERAL NEWS

Belfair Man Suspected of Robbing Port Orchard Credit Union (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.net/news/news/4142-belfair-man-suspected-of-robbing-port-orchard-credit-union

City of Shelton Adopts 2011 Budget with No Cuts to Police (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.net/news/news/4141-shelton-adopts-2011-budget-with-no-cuts-to-police

To Replace Reception Center at Shelton - Senator Wants to Turn Maple Lane into Prison Processing Center (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/12/21/1473345/senator-wants-to-turn-maple-lane.html

Fall Had It All, But Winter Offers Rain, Rain & Rain (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/12/21/1473330/fall-had-it-all-but-winter-offers.html

What’s Driving Gas Prices Higher? (Kansas City Star, MO)

http://www.kansascity.com/2010/12/20/2534047/energy-trading-seems-to-be-fueling.html

Nativity Scene Gets OK at Washington State Capitol (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/2010/12/21/1481648/nativity-scene-gets-ok-at-capitol.html

REI to Open Olympia Store This Spring (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/2010/12/21/1481883/rei-to-open-olympia-store-this.html

DIVERSIONS

Court Won’t Protect Trademarking of Chocolate Bunnies - Bunnies, mice & reindeer aren’t protected species when they’re made of chocolate, a European Union court ruled Friday.

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/12/18/1469917/court-wont-protect-chocolate-bunnies.html

Japan Bio-Scientists Produce ‘Singing Mouse’

http://www.timescolonist.com/life/Japan+scientists+produce+singing+mouse/4008411/story.html

America’s Last Sleigh Bell Maker Finds Success in Modern Age

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/dec/21/ring-in-the-new/

SONG OF THE DAY

Loggins & Messina - House at Pooh Corner

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G5x3fpfpFI