Energy News Digest for January 5, 2012

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

THE NEWS DIGEST ON TWITTER

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

http://twitter.com/energydigest

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Plan Would Boot Puget Sound Energy in Favor of Thurston Public Utility District (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/2012/01/04/1935953/plan-would-boot-pse-in-favor-of.html

The Tale of Two Electrical Outlets - Puget Sound Energy’s Coal Power Leaves a Big Footprint in WA (Sightline Daily, WA)

http://daily.sightline.org/2012/01/04/the-tale-of-two-electrical-outlets/

The New Look of NIMBYism (The Daily Climate)

http://wwwp.dailyclimate.org/tdc-newsroom/2012/01/green-nimbyism

Netflix Says Customers Watched Two Billion Hours of Streaming Content in Fourth Quarter of 2011, Stock Jumps (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

http://www.mercurynews.com/rss/ci_19672928

Washington State Supreme Court Rules State Isn’t Fully Funding Education (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/education/2017166784_edruling06m.html

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

• Plan Would Boot Puget Sound Energy in Favor of Thurston Public Utility District
• The Tale of Two Electrical Outlets - Puget Sound Energy’s Coal Power Leaves a Big Footprint in WA
• Portland General Electric Seeks Ideas for New Power Plants
• Feds Approve Transmission Line for Wind Project in East Oregon
• Montana - Wholesale Cost Hike Prompts Sun River Electric Cooperative to Raise Electric Rates
• Mason County PUD 3 Receives Seventh Consecutive International Financial Reporting Award
• Montana - Two Beartooth Electric Cooperative Trustees Resign
• Shelton City Commission Meeting – Grant Support Sought for Purchase of Downtown PUD 3 Buildings
• US Natural Gas Supplies Shrank Last Week
• Chicago - ComEd’s Smart-Grid Plan to Create More Than 2,400 Jobs
• Lawmakers Aim to Revisit Power New York Act
• Pacific Gas & Electric Exec Vows to Never Have Another Power Outage At Candlestick
• Forest & Streams Protected in Union River Area
• Oregon Farmers Saving Water as State Faces Challenge
• The New Look of NIMBYism
• Renewable Energy Corporation to Further Reduce Norwegian Solar PV Wafer Production
• Canada - Incineration Firms Vying to Burn Vancouver BC’s Trash
• Solar Panels Compete with Cheap Natural Gas (?)
• South Dakota Lawmakers Unsure of Wind Energy Tax Cut
• With Long Paybacks, Vertical Turbines Still a Tough Sell
• Vermont - Hydro Projects Clear Final Hurdle Before Licensing
• Lowe’s Kicks Off Smart Energy Home Push
• Unboxing Nest’s Learning Thermostat
• LEDs to Brighten New Hampshire Co-op Streets
• Seattle’s Plastic-Bag Ban Ignores Reality
• GM Wants to Work on All Chevy Volts Sold in US for Fire Danger
• Netflix Says Customers Watched Two Billion Hours of Streaming Content in Fourth Quarter of 2011, Stock Jumps
• Feds Rip a Page out of Amazon’s Playbook in Data Center Move
• Op/Ed - Internet Access Is Not a Human Right
• Aurora Resident Says Comcast Equipment Has Bugs – Literally
• Washington State Supreme Court Rules State Isn’t Fully Funding Education
• One Million Inappropriate Images of Children Found After Belfair Man’s Arrest
• Portland Would Eliminate Major Road Paving for Five Years Under Proposed Budget
• Study: Postal Service Cuts Could Cost Companies $100 Million a Year
• No Snow Means Big Budget Savings across the Midwest

WORD OF THE DAY

Epithet • \EPP-uh-teth\ • Noun - 1: a characterizing word or phrase accompanying or occurring in place of the name of a person or thing 2: a disparaging or abusive word or phrase 3: the part of a taxonomic name identifying a subordinate unit within a genus

Epithets zinged across the conference room like nuclear missiles, obscene gerunds dropping like bowling balls, misnomers crashing like broken glass (similes succeeding as well as lead balloons). And that was just the discussion over the consent agenda at the local council meeting in the small, normally serene northwest community.

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

Plan Would Boot Puget Sound Energy in Favor of Thurston Public Utility District (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/2012/01/04/1935953/plan-would-boot-pse-in-favor-of.html

The Tale of Two Electrical Outlets - Puget Sound Energy’s Coal Power Leaves a Big Footprint in WA (Sightline Daily, WA)

http://daily.sightline.org/2012/01/04/the-tale-of-two-electrical-outlets/

Portland General Electric Seeks Ideas for New Power Plants (Portland Business Journal, OR)

http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/news/2012/01/04/pge-seeks-ideas-for-new-power-plants.html

Feds Approve Transmission Line for Wind Project in East Oregon (Daily Journal of Commerce, OR)

http://djcoregon.com/news/2012/01/04/feds-approve-transmission-line-for-wind-project-in-east-oregon/

Montana - Wholesale Cost Hike Prompts Sun River Electric Cooperative to Raise Electric Rates (Choteau Acantha, MT)

http://www.choteauacantha.com/articles/2012/01/04/news/doc4f04d78755a77229103340.txt

Mason County PUD 3 Receives Seventh Consecutive International Financial Reporting Award (Mason County PUD No. 3)

http://www.masonpud3.org/Newsdisplay.aspx?NewsID=957

Montana - Two Beartooth Electric Cooperative Trustees Resign (Billings Gazette, MT)

http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/beartooth-electric-trustees-resign/article_2c24a85d-ec01-515e-9ffc-ec3c454aecae.html

Shelton City Commission Meeting – Grant Support Sought for Purchase Of Downtown PUD 3 Buildings (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.com/news/news-page/21191-shelton-city-commission-meeting-1312

US Natural Gas Supplies Shrank Last Week (Associated Press)

http://www.seattlepi.com/business/article/US-natural-gas-supplies-shrank-last-week-2443212.php

Chicago - ComEd’s Smart-Grid Plan to Create More Than 2,400 Jobs (Chicago Tribune, IL)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-comeds-smartgrid-plan-to-create-nearly-1000-jobs-in-chicago-20120104,0,5525258.story

Lawmakers Aim to Revisit Power New York Act - Opponents of the law say state is overstepping its bounds (Pall Times, Osego, NY)

http://www.palltimes.com/articles/2012/01/05/news/doc4f0267cf8a6d7268564001.txt

Pacific Gas & Electric Exec Vows to Never Have Another Power Outage At Candlestick (SF Chronicle)

http://blog.sfgate.com/cityinsider/2012/01/04/pge-exec-vows-to-never-have-another-power-outage-at-candlestick/

FISH & WILDLIFE

Forest & Streams Protected in Union River Area (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2012/jan/04/forest-and-streams-protected-in-union-river-area/

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Oregon Farmers Saving Water as State Faces Challenge (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

http://news.opb.org/article/oregon-farmers-saving-water-state-confronts-mounting-challenge/

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

The New Look of NIMBYism (The Daily Climate)

http://wwwp.dailyclimate.org/tdc-newsroom/2012/01/green-nimbyism

Renewable Energy Corporation to Further Reduce Norwegian Solar PV Wafer Production (Solar Server)

http://www.solarserver.com/solar-magazine/solar-news/current/2012/kw01/rec-to-further-reduce-norwegian-solar-pv-wafer-production.html

Canada - Incineration Firms Vying to Burn Vancouver BC’s Trash (Globe & Mail, Canada)

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/bc-politics/incineration-firms-vying-to-burn-vancouvers-trash/article2290644/

Solar Panels Compete with Cheap Natural Gas (?) (National Public Radio)

http://www.npr.org/2012/01/05/144526652/solar-panels-compete-with-cheap-natural-gas?ft=1&f=1025

South Dakota Lawmakers Unsure of Wind Energy Tax Cut (Associated Press)

http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/ap-survey-lawmakers-unsure-of-wind-energy-tax-cut/article_62b3ee3a-3715-11e1-bc7e-001871e3ce6c.html

With Long Paybacks, Vertical Turbines Still a Tough Sell (Midwest Energy News)

http://www.midwestenergynews.com/2012/01/04/small-wind-turbines/

Vermont - Hydro Projects Clear Final Hurdle Before Licensing (Brattleboro Reformer, VT)

http://www.reformer.com/localnews/ci_19677442

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Lowe’s Kicks Off Smart Energy Home Push (GigaOM)

http://gigaom.com/cleantech/lowes-kicks-off-smart-energy-home-push/

Unboxing Nest’s Learning Thermostat (GigaOM)

http://gigaom.com/cleantech/unboxing-nests-learning-thermostat/

LEDs to Brighten New Hampshire Co-op Streets (Electric Co-op Today)

http://www.ect.coop/efficiency-conservation/energy-efficiency/new-hampshire-co-op-switching-to-led-lights/38127

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Seattle’s Plastic-Bag Ban Ignores Reality (Crosscut Seattle)

http://crosscut.com/2012/01/05/environment/21760/Seattle-s-plastic-bag-ban-ignores-reality/

GM Wants to Work on All Chevy Volts Sold in US for Fire Danger (Associated Press)

http://www.mercurynews.com/rss/ci_19680381

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Netflix Says Customers Watched Two Billion Hours of Streaming Content in Fourth Quarter of 2011, Stock Jumps (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

http://www.mercurynews.com/rss/ci_19672928

Feds Rip a Page out of Amazon’s Playbook in Data Center Move (GigaOM)

http://gigaom.com/cloud/feds-rip-a-page-out-of-amazons-playbook-in-data-center-move/

Op/Ed - Internet Access Is Not a Human Right (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/05/opinion/internet-access-is-not-a-human-right.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Aurora Resident Says Comcast Equipment Has Bugs - Literally (Chicago Sun-Times, IL)

http://beaconnews.suntimes.com/news/9675611-418/aurora-resident-says-comcast-equipment-has-bugs-literally.html

GENERAL NEWS

Washington State Supreme Court Rules State Isn’t Fully Funding Education (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/education/2017166784_edruling06m.html

One Million Inappropriate Images of Children Found After Belfair Man’s Arrest (Northwest Cable News)

http://www.nwcn.com/news/136712043.html

Portland Would Eliminate Major Road Paving for Five Years Under Proposed Budget (Oregonian, Portland)

http://blog.oregonlive.com/portlandcityhall/2012/01/portland_would_eliminate_road.html

Study: Postal Service Cuts Could Cost Companies $100 Million a Year (Sacramento Business Journal, CA)

http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/blog/morning-roundup/2012/01/study-postal-service-cuts-cost-companies.html

No Snow Means Big Budget Savings across the Midwest (USA Today)

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/news/story/2012-01-04/no-snow-budget-saving/52379618/1?csp=34news

DIVERSIONS

Swank Sushi: Tuna Fetches Record $736,000 in Tokyo

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/story/2012-01-05/japan-pricey-tuna/52384098/1?csp=34news

Couple Discovers Basset Hound Ate Their $4,500 Wedding Ring, Vet Forced to Remove From Stomach

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/couple-discovers-basset-hound-ate-their-4500-wedding-ring-vet-forced-to-remove-from-stomach/2012/01/05/gIQAZ6RucP_story.html

Titanic Items to be Sold 100 Years after Sinking

http://www.mercurynews.com/rss/ci_19680455

SONG OF THE DAY

Kay Kyser - Three Little Fishes

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

Energy News Digest for January 4, 2012

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

THE NEWS DIGEST ON TWITTER

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

http://twitter.com/energydigest

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Governor’s Office Shies Away from Energy-Initiative Battle - Legislature May Not Give Up So Easily (Washington Wire)

http://www.washingtonstatewire.com/home/13289-governor%E2%80%99s_office_shies_away_from_energy_initiative_battle_but_legislature_may_not_give_up_so_easily.htm

Boeing Shuttering Wichita Plant, Sending Tanker Work Here (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingaerospace/2017157214_wichita05.html

California Clean Air Rules Could ‘Wipe Out’ BC Hydro’s Export Revenue - Carbon cap-and-trade regulations will boost cost to B.C. consumers: economist (Vancouver Sun, BC)

http://www.vancouversun.com/business/California+clean+rules+could+wipe+Hydro+export+revenue/5944047/story.html

Washington State Republicans Push to Oust Newly Appointed Wildlife Commissioner (Wenatchee World, WA)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2012/jan/04/republicans-push-to-oust-newly-appointed-wildlife/

Habitat for Humanity Goes Green & Saves New Residents Some Green (USA Today)

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-01-03/habitat-green-homes/52369176/1?csp=34money

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

• California Clean Air Rules Could ‘Wipe Out’ BC Hydro’s Export Revenue
• BC Hydro Cuts Costs by Giving Up Luxury Canucks’ Suite
• Richland City Council Considers 5.1 Percent Electric Rate Increase
• Idaho Solar Plant Gets Power Bill Reprieve, For Now
• Privacy Alarm at ‘Smart’ Electric Meters
• Tennessee Valley Authority Seeks Help Fighting Copper Theft
• Ohio Quake Linked to Fracking Wastewater Well
• Connecticut - State Utility Regulators Expected to Reverse Decision & Review Proposed Nu-Nstar Merger
• North Carolina - Progress Energy & Duke Energy Plan New Merger Filing This Month
• Washington State Republicans Push to Oust Newly Appointed Wildlife Commissioner
• Idaho Family Claims Bonneville Power Damaged Wildlife Habitat with Access Road
• California - Salmon Rebound in Sacramento Valley
• 20 Tons of Herring Wash Up on Norway Coast
• Northeast Oregon Snowpack Off to Sluggish Start
• California - Sierra Snow Survey Finds Hardly Any
• Last Sewer-Outflow Pollution Worth $1 Billion to Stop?
• Governor’s Office Shies Away from Energy-Initiative Battle - Legislature May Not Give Up So Easily
• Oregon Community Wind Finds Seattle Renewable Energy Credit Market
• Franklin County Canal Hydroelectric Project near Mesa Gets Planners’ OK
• Is Wind Power Holding Electricity Costs Down?
• Who Will Pay for Renewable Energy?
• Editorial - Excess Wind: Keep Those Subsidies Flowing
• US Forest Service OKs 15-Turbine Vermont Wind Project
• What’s Up with Google & Biomass Power?
• Storehouses for Solar Energy Can Step In When the Sun Goes Down
• Tidal Energy Turbine Set Up In the Sea
• Habitat for Humanity Goes Green & Saves New Residents Some Green
• Op/Ed - Snohomish PUD a Leader in Pacific Northwest Energy Efficiency
• Edison Would’ve Loved New Light Bulb Law
• Top Ten Winter Energy Saving Tips
• Climate Change Means Regional Opportunity
• Retreat of Glaciers Makes Some Climbs Tougher
• Honda Hybrid Lawsuit: Are New Mileage Labels Misleading?
• Ohio-Based Broadband Stimulus Projects Delayed by Fiber Cable Shortages
• Teachers Resist High-Tech Push in Idaho Schools
• Now Hovering Above Us All: ‘The Cloud’
• Yahoo Names PayPal’s Thompson as CEO
• Washington State Redistricting Puts Less of Kitsap in the 35th Legislative District
• Boeing Shuttering Wichita Plant, Sending Tanker Work Here
• End of Ethanol Subsidy Could Raise Gas Prices for 2012
• Port Of Shelton Assigns Commissioner Duties
• City of Port Angeles Finance Director Placed on Leave over Leave Payouts
• Mistaken Calls to 9-1-1 on Rise across North Olympic Peninsula

WORD OF THE DAY

Echelon • \ESH-un-lawn\ • Noun - 1: a step like arrangement 2a: one of a series of levels or grades in an organization or field of activity b: the individuals at such a level

Nat was well known for his creative methods of avoiding the tough decisions. His trademark line “that’s above my pay-grade, I’ll pass it to the upper echelons,” had eventually been reduced to a well-worn piece of cardboard with the number “1” written in permanent marker. At the merest hint of impending responsibility it flipped up as if it were a hand fan in a blast furnace factory.

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

California Clean Air Rules Could ‘Wipe Out’ BC Hydro’s Export Revenue - Carbon cap-and-trade regulations will boost cost to B.C. consumers: economist (Vancouver Sun, BC)

http://www.vancouversun.com/business/California+clean+rules+could+wipe+Hydro+export+revenue/5944047/story.html

BC Hydro Cuts Costs by Giving Up Luxury Canucks’ Suite (Victoria Times Colonist, BC)

http://www.timescolonist.com/sports/Hydro+cuts+costs+giving+luxury+Canucks+suite/5939963/story.html

Richland City Council Considers 5.1 Percent Electric Rate Increase (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

http://www.kndo.com/story/16440902/ri

Idaho Solar Plant Gets Power Bill Reprieve, For Now (Associated Press)

http://www.idahostatesman.com/2012/01/03/1938435/idaho-solar-plant-gets-power-reprieve.html

Privacy Alarm at ‘Smart’ Electric Meters (Courthouse News Service)

http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/01/04/42732.htm

Tennessee Valley Authority Seeks Help Fighting Copper Theft (Electric Co-op Today)

http://www.ect.coop/industry/crime/tva-seeks-help-fighting-copper-theft/37795

Ohio Quake Linked to Fracking Wastewater Well (USA Today)

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/environment/story/2012-01-03/ohio-earthquake-wastewater-well-fracking/52368620/1?csp=34news

Connecticut - State Utility Regulators Expected to Reverse Decision & Review Proposed Nu-Nstar Merger (Hartford Courant, CT)

http://articles.courant.com/2012-01-03/business/hc-nu-nstar-merger-review-decision-20120103_1_nu-and-nstar-office-of-consumer-counsel-utility-regulators

North Carolina - Progress Energy & Duke Energy Plan New Merger Filing This Month (Charlotte Business Journal, NC)

http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/blog/power_city/2012/01/progress-energy-and-duke-energy-plan.html

FISH & WILDLIFE

Washington State Republicans Push to Oust Newly Appointed Wildlife Commissioner (Wenatchee World, WA)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2012/jan/04/republicans-push-to-oust-newly-appointed-wildlife/

Idaho Family Claims Bonneville Power Damaged Wildlife Habitat with Access Road (Courthouse News Service)

http://www.courthousenews.com/2011/12/21/42419.htm

California - Salmon Rebound in Sacramento Valley (Sacramento Bee, CA)

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/12/25/4144777/salmon-rebound-in-sacramento-valley.html

20 Tons of Herring Wash Up on Norway Coast (Yahoo! News)

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/20-tons-herring-wash-norway-coast-183358564.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Northeast Oregon Snowpack Off to Sluggish Start (Baker City Herald, OR)

http://www.bakercityherald.com/Local-News/Snowpack-off-to-sluggish-start

California - Sierra Snow Survey Finds Hardly Any (SF Chronicle)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/01/03/BAE71MKAPB.DTL

Last Sewer-Outflow Pollution Worth $1 Billion to Stop? (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2017147361_cso03m.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Governor’s Office Shies Away from Energy-Initiative Battle - Legislature May Not Give Up So Easily (Washington Wire)

http://www.washingtonstatewire.com/home/13289-governor%E2%80%99s_office_shies_away_from_energy_initiative_battle_but_legislature_may_not_give_up_so_easily.htm

Oregon Community Wind Finds Seattle Renewable Energy Credit Market (Earth Techling)

http://www.earthtechling.com/2012/01/oregon-community-wind-finds-seattle-market/

Franklin County Canal Hydroelectric Project near Mesa Gets Planners’ OK (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/01/04/1968658/canal-hydroelectric-project-near.html

Is Wind Power Holding Electricity Costs Down? (REVE)

http://www.evwind.es/noticias.php?id_not=15612

Who Will Pay for Renewable Energy? “…the 2.2 cents per kilowatt-hour tax credit for wind projects makes it cost-efficient for its customers…renewables depend on public policy support to stay price-competitive…” (Energybiz Insider)

http://www.scoop.com/remote/article/include/310809447/53616c7465645f5f570f24c89a91f4723b0e21afa3502fb310e6024c0521de78e7ff1ec591443e7e

Editorial - Excess Wind: Keep Those Subsidies Flowing (Wenatchee World, WA)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2011/dec/23/keep-those-subsidies-flowing/

US Forest Service OKs 15-Turbine Vermont Wind Project (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2017151977_apusdeerfieldwind.html

What’s Up with Google & Biomass Power? (GigaOM)

http://gigaom.com/cleantech/whats-up-with-google-and-biomass-power/

Storehouses for Solar Energy Can Step In When the Sun Goes Down (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/03/business/energy-environment/building-storehouses-for-the-suns-energy-for-use-after-dark.html?_r=1

Tidal Energy Turbine Set Up In the Sea (The Independent, UK)
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/tidal-energy-turbine-set-up-in-the-sea-6281625.html

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Habitat for Humanity Goes Green & Saves New Residents Some Green (USA Today)

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-01-03/habitat-green-homes/52369176/1?csp=34money

Op/Ed - Snohomish PUD a Leader in Pacific Northwest Energy Efficiency (Everett Herald, WA)

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20111224/OPINION03/712249993/1005

Edison Would’ve Loved New Light Bulb Law (Cable News Network)

http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/31/opinion/sloane-edison-bulbs/

Top Ten Winter Energy Saving Tips (Province of Ontario)

http://news.ontario.ca/mei/en/2011/12/top-ten-winter-energy-saving-tips.html

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Climate Change Means Regional Opportunity (Sustainable Business Oregon)

http://www.sustainablebusinessoregon.com/columns/2012/01/climate-change-means-regional.html

Retreat of Glaciers Makes Some Climbs Tougher (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/26/business/global/retreat-of-glaciers-makes-some-climbs-tougher.html

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Honda Hybrid Lawsuit: Are New Mileage Labels Misleading? (Christian Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/Latest-News-Wires/2012/0103/Honda-hybrid-lawsuit-Are-new-mileage-labels-misleading

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Ohio-Based Broadband Stimulus Projects Delayed by Fiber Cable Shortages (Fierce Telecom)

http://www.fiercetelecom.com/story/ohio-based-broadband-stimulus-projects-delayed-fiber-cable-shortages/2011-12-19

Teachers Resist High-Tech Push in Idaho Schools (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/04/technology/idaho-teachers-fight-a-reliance-on-computers.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Now Hovering Above Us All: ‘The Cloud’ (National Public Radio)

http://www.npr.org/2011/12/26/143795017/now-hovering-above-us-all-the-cloud?ft=1&f=3

Yahoo Names PayPal’s Thompson as CEO (Reuters)

http://www.q13fox.com/business/sns-rt-us-yahootre8030g8-20120104,0,2039555.story

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Washington State Redistricting Puts Less of Kitsap in the 35th Legislative District (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2012/jan/03/redistricting-puts-less-of-kitsap-in-the-35th/

GENERAL NEWS

Boeing Shuttering Wichita Plant, Sending Tanker Work Here (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingaerospace/2017157214_wichita05.html

End of Ethanol Subsidy Could Raise Gas Prices for 2012 (USA Today)

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2012/01/end-of-ethanol-subsidy-could-raise-gas-prices-for-2012/1?csp=34money

Port Of Shelton Assigns Commissioner Duties (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.com/news/news-page/21183-port-of-shelton-assigns-commissioner-duties

City of Port Angeles Finance Director Placed on Leave over Leave Payouts (KONP Radio, Port Angeles, WA)

http://www.konp.com/local/7551

Mistaken Calls to 9-1-1 on Rise across North Olympic Peninsula (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20120104/NEWS/301049996/mistaken-calls-to-9-1-1-on-rise-across-north-olympic-peninsula

DIVERSIONS

Cat Survives Two Euthanasia Attempts at Utah Shelter

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2017151813_apuscatsurviveseuthanasia.html

Volkswagen Agrees to Curb Company E-Mail in Off Hours

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/24/business/volkswagen-curbs-company-e-mail-in-off-hours.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Polish Art Student Hangs Own Painting in Museum

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/entertainment/2017154326_apeuoddpolandsneakyart.html

Is Frankincense Doomed? Trees that produce the substance are in serious decline due to over-harvesting & other environmental factors

http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/Mises-Economics/2012/0104/Is-frankincense-doomed

SONG OF THE DAY

Apollo 100 - Joy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NBsJa-H978