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Trumix.com listings available of Northwest News Network Podcasts Build your own playlists with this podcast. Meals on Bike Wheels Saves Gas Earlier this week, we told you how meals-on-wheels programs are having trouble recruiting and retaining volunteer drivers due to high gas prices. Here’s a follow-up from reporter Tom Banse. He heard about another way to get food to shut-ins and the homebound hungry. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Signature Gathering Fueled By Handful of Donors Today was the deadline to submit signatures to get measures on this fall’s ballot in Oregon. Five measures have already qualified, with a half-dozen more poised to make it. At least half of the money that went towards signature gathering efforts came from a single source: Nevada businessman Loren Parks. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | WA Lawmakers Still Cool to Key Arena Upgrade Will the Washington State legislature help fund a Seattle Key Arena upgrade next year? Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Seattle Loses Supersonics The Seattle Supersonics basketball team is moving to Oklahoma City. But the settlement reached Wednesday gives incentives for Seattle to host another N-B-A team down the road. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | WA Right to Die Supporters Submit 320,000 Signatures It looks like Washington State voters will get the chance to vote on an Oregon-style right-to-die initiative this fall. Former Governor Booth Gardner, who has Parkinson’s, is leading the campaign. He says he’s confident of a win in November. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Legal Glitch Ensnares Five Juvenile Lifers Five juvenile murderers in Oregon say that because of a legal glitch, they received much harsher sentences than if they’d been older when they committed their crimes. So far the courts have not been moved, and the state isn’t backing down. Austin Jenkins has Part Two of our series on juvenile lifers. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Prayer and Cheers as Signatures Dropped for WA Right to Die Initiative Washington State is one step closer to adopting an Oregon-style Death with Dignity law. Supporters of I-1000 today submitted well over the number of signatures they need to get the measure on this November’s ballot. As Olympia Correspondent Austin Jenkins reports, opponents prayed while supporters cheered. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Moving Chemical Weapons to Umatilla, OR Possible Option The United States is falling behind on an international treaty deadline to destroy all of its chemical weapons by 2012. The state of Oregon might be asked to pick up the slack. Correspondent Anna King has the story. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | WA Foster Care System Says it Needs More Money Washington’s foster care system needs more money if it’s going to reduce social worker caseloads. That’s the response from the Department of Social and Health Services after a judge’s ruling Monday. Austin Jenkins reports. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Starbucks Closing 600 Stores Nationwide Some Starbucks customers may soon have to drive a bit further to get their caffeine fix. The Seattle-based coffee giant announced Tuesday the closures will affect underperforming stores nationwide. Austin Jenkins has details. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Life in Prison for Juveniles: Is it Good Public Policy? There are at least 60 juvenile murderers serving life sentences in Northwest prisons. Some will probably die in prison. Others have a chance at parole. But is it good public policy to prosecute juveniles as adults and sentence them to life? Austin Jenkins takes us behind bars in search of some answers. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Fourth Place Makes the Olympic Team Fourth place is usually the cruelest spot to finish at the Olympic Trials. Only the top three get a ticket to Beijing in track and field. But fourth was good enough for one Eugene woman last night. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Olympics: Will Third Time be the Charm for Oregon Native? Perhaps the third time will be the charm for an Oregon native with an unlucky record at the Olympics. Last night in Eugene, Tom Pappas became the first American man to make three Olympic teams in the decathlon. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Starbucks Closing 600 Stores Nationwide Some Starbucks customers may soon have to drive a bit further to get their caffeine fix. The Seattle-based coffee giant announced today it will close 600 underperforming stores nationwide. Correspondent Austin Jenkins has details. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Range Fire Burns at Umatilla Chemical Depot A team of regional firefighters brought a blaze on the Umatilla Chemical Depot under control Monday night. The range fire started in the afternoon in the southwest corner of the depot. The fire did not reach the igloos -- or underground bunkers -- where chemical weapons are stored. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | When Fourth Place Secure an Olympic Berth Fourth place is usually the cruelest spot to finish at the Olympic Trials. Only the top three get a ticket to Beijing in track and field. But on Monday night, fourth place was good enough for one Eugene woman to win a spot on the Olympic team. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Oregon Native Hopes for Change in Olympic Fortunes The third time could be a charm for an Oregon native with an unlucky record at the Olympics. Monday night in Eugene, Tom Pappas became the first American man to make three Olympic teams in the decathlon. On the first two go-rounds, Pappas finished fifth in Sydney. At the Athens Games, an injury forced him to drop out. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Smoke from California Fires Drifts into Oregon The Pacific Northwest fire season is still ramping up. But in California, more than a thousand wildfires are raging across the state. The smoke from some of those fires is making it hard for fire managers in southern Oregon to do their job. Correspondent Chris Lehman has more. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Makah Whalers Do Time for Whale Hunt Two Makah Indian whale hunters are behind bars today. They were jailed Monday immediately after a judge sentenced them for leading an illegal whale hunt last September. Austin Jenkins has details. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | NW’s Recent Temps Can Damage Potatoes So, you think you’re wilting in the heat? Think of a potato. Northwest potatoes like heat, but when it gets into the hundreds the plants shut down. That’s bad news for French fry processors as our Richland Correspondent Anna King explains. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Alaska/Horizon Airline: Second Bag Fee Starts July 1 Starting tomorrow, Alaska and Horizon Airlines are joining the ranks of air carriers charging for a second checked bag. Officials say high fuel costs and a weaker economy are forcing changes in how the business operates. Ed Schoenfeld reports. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Fires Crews in Eastern WA and Eastern OR on Alert In Eastern Washington and Eastern Oregon fire crews are on a Red Flag Alert. That’s because tonight there’s a dangerous cocktail of lightening storms, 100 degree heat and dry conditions. Richland Correspondent Anna King has the story. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Time for Another Constitutional Convention in Oregon? Oregon’s Constitution addresses everything from freedom of speech to the proper method of purchasing stationery for state business. Some lawmakers say it’s time to give the document a massive overhaul. Salem Correspondent Chris Lehman reports on the makings of a modern-day Constitutional Convention: Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | New WA Law: Plug in that Handset and Drive The Washington State Patrol says it will have NO grace period for drivers who violate the state’s new cell phone ban. The law goes into effect July 1st. It makes it illegal to drive while holding a cell phone to your ear. Austin Jenkins has details. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Northwest Athletes in the Spotlight at Olympic Trials Day Three of the Olympic Trials in Eugene featured the first five events of the decathlon and the final in the men's pole vault. Northwest athletes are making their presence known, as Andrew Theen reports. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Ex-Cougar Starts Run For Gold in Eugene He competed for his native Kenya at the past two Olympics. Monday night in Eugene, this same runner competes for a spot on the U-S Olympic squad bound for Beijing. Tom Banse explains the change in allegiances was nurtured in the Northwest. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Fewer Wheels With Meals Local agencies that deliver meals and groceries to the homebound are losing volunteer drivers faster than they can replace them. High gas prices get the blame. It’s a hard problem to solve, as correspondent Tom Banse reports. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Biodiesel Keeps Pumping, But Growth Slows Northwest drivers looking for an alternative to pricy gas have been disappointed to see alternatives like ethanol and biodiesel rise in price even faster. Alternative fuel retailers in Portland and Seattle are opening new stations despite the product expense and the separate food vs. fuel controversy. Correspondent Tom Banse reports. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | U of I Presidennt Daley-Laursen Say University Strong and Growing University of Idaho President- Delegate Steve Daley- Laursen says the momentum for the university has been strong and is growing. Glenn Mosley reports. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Measure 53 Recount Affirms Initial Results Oregon’s first statewide recount in eight years has produced the same result as the original tally. The margin of victory for Measure 53 was so small it triggered an automatic recount. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Economic Slowdown Spells Caution at Oregon Capitol The Oregon Legislature meets every other year. That makes it hard to deal with unexpected issues that arise between sessions. The only Legislative committee that gets to hand out money during the off-season is meeting today. Salem Correspondent Chris Lehman reports: Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Photographer Explores NW Serial Killer Dump Sites A Northwest art photographer has spent the last two years of his life capturing images of the places where serial killers dumped their victims. He traveled California, Washington and Oregon to visit nearly 300 sites. You’ll recognize the names of killers like Ted Bundy or Robert Lee Yates. The victims won’t be as familiar, nor the places they were found. Richland Correspondent Anna King has this artist profile. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | WA Fish and Wildlife Investigates Reports of Wolf Pack The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is intensively investigating photographs and reports of wolves in North Central, Washington. But so far the agency says there’s NO proof yet that a pack of wolves has taken up residence in the state. Correspondent Austin Jenkins reports. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Water Groups Questions Potato Numbers In Central Washington State, the Odessa Aquifer is running dry. The state’s Potato Commission warns of an economic disaster if farmers don’t get replacement water from the Columbia River. But now an environmental group says the Potato Commission’s predictions of an economic doomsday are exaggerated. Olympia Correspondent Austin Jenkins reports. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | NW Firefighters Head to California More than 25-hundred firefighters from the Northwest have been sent to Northern California to join the fight against the escalating wildfires there. Correspondent Tom Banse reports. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Emergency Money Given to Food Banks for Gas Washington Governor Chris Gregoire says food banks are running out of gas money. So today she opened up a state emergency fund to give food banks 200-thousand dollars for gas. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Oregon Lawmakers Cautiously Hand Out Money Caution is the buzzword in Salem this week as a panel of lawmakers is meeting to decide which state agencies are worthy of a financial pick-me-up. The Legislature’s Emergency Board is set to finish its work tomorrow. Salem Correspondent Chris Lehman reports: Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Gregoire: Do Not Use Soprano Theme Song in Ad WASHINGTON GOVERNOR CHRIS GREGOIRE SAYS STATE DEMOCRATS SHOULD NOT USE MUSIC FROM‘THE SOPRANOS’ IN ADS ABOUT HER REPUBLICAN CHALLENGER, DINO ROSSI. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | NW Coastal Fisherman Review Valdez Decision Costal fishermen are reviewing the Supreme Court's decision on damages for the Exxon Valdez disaster. April Baer reports that today's decision dashed hopes of thousands of Northwest fishermen who lost work because of the spill. April Baer reports... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | WA Study: Racial Bias in Child Welfare System? Is there racial bias in Washington State’s child welfare system? A new study that will be released today suggests the answer might be yes. Olympia Correspondent Austin Jenkins explains. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Will There Be Enough Labor for NW Fruit Harvest? Northwest farmers are unsure if there will be enough labor to harvest the region’s fruit this summer and fall. The sinking economy, high gas prices and low cherry yields are all playing a part. Richland Correspondent Anna King reports. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | OR Reviews Response to Winter Storms Last winter’s devastating storms may be a distant memory for most in the Northwest. But officials want to be ready for the next time a natural disaster strikes. A panel in charge of evaluating Oregon’s response to the storms issued a report Tuesday. Salem Correspondent Chris Lehman reports: Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | WA State Officials: No Packs of Wolves Here Yet Early this week reports of a wolf pack making a home in Washington State hit the headlines. We sent Richland Correspondent Anna King to sniff out the real story about wolves in the Evergreen State. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | WA Gov. Gregoire: Countrywide Targeted Minorities The Countrywide Home Loan company has another enemy,Chris Gregoire, Governor of Washington State Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | B-17 Fly Above Spokane to Delight of Vets Some members of the public and a few aging World War Two veterans got a special treat at Spokane International Airport– a visit by a trio of old war birds. Spokane Public Radio’s Steve Jackson talks with one of those vets inside a vintage B-17 Flying Fortress in the skies over Spokane. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | U of I President White Reflects Tim White’s tenure as president of the University of Idaho is rapidly drawing to a close. A goodbye celebration is planned for today and a tree will be planted in his honor on campus next Monday. Glenn Mosley reports. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Fading La Niña Clears Way for Summer Warm Up Summer– at long last -- officially begins this afternoon. Correspondent Tom Banse looked into the 90-day forecast and tells us what we can expect from the season. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Cleanup Continues at Hanford Over the weekend the Federal Government used explosives to demolish parts of the N Reactor at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. The reactor is one of nine that once produced plutonium for the Manhattan Project. The demolition is part of ongoing cleanup at Hanford. Richland Correspondent Anna King reports Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | One-Third of OR Counties in Crisis Mode due to End of Timber Payments One-third of all Oregon counties are in crisis mode due to a loss of Federal timber payments. That’s one of the findings of a new report from a task force set up by Governor Ted Kulongoski. Salem Correspondent Chris Lehman has more: Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Unemployment Jumps Across the Northwest There’s been a big jump in the unemployment rate in Washington State. Joblessness rose above five percent for the first time in nearly two years. The roughly half a percentage point increase corresponds with the size of the May increase in Idaho. Correspondent Tom Banse has more. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Measure 53 Recount Underway The first statewide election recount in eight years is underway in Oregon. Elections workers are double-checking ballots for Measure 53, which would give officers more power to keep property seized in criminal investigations. Correspondent Chris Lehman dropped in to watch the hand recount in Albany, Oregon: Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Soil Conservation Needed Scientists say that natural resources such as water and air aren’t the only resources that need our attention. Soil does, too. Glenn Mosley reports. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | New Airline Plies Seattle-to-Portland Route On June 30th a new airline takes to the Northwest skies. SeaPort Air will compete for business travelers on the Seattle to Portland route. Tom Banse reports it’s an interesting time to start an airline, to say the least. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | NW Relief Group Enters Micro-Financing A Portland-based relief organization is the new owner of an Indonesian bank. MercyCorps says the purchase will make it possible to provide small loans to millions of poor people. Chris Lehman reports. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Effort to Repeal OR Gay Rights Laws Halted The group Concerned Oregonians wanted to repeal Oregon’s domestic partnerships law and a separate law banning discrimination based on sexual orientation. But the group never got a chance to collect signatures due to legal appeals filed by a gay rights group. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Houses of Worship Begin Anti-Torture Campaign A pattern of abuse and torture of detainees at United States camps in Cuba, Afghanistan and Iraq has been revealed by an eight month investigation by the McClatchey news organization In response, houses of worship nationwide have begun an anti-torture campaign. George Prentice reports from Boise. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Possible Fall Ballot Initiatives Northwest initiative backers have less than a month left to collect enough signatures to get their measures on the November ballot. The deadline in Washington and Oregon is July 3rd. So what measures are likely to make the ballot? Olympia Correspondent Austin Jenkins has this preview Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Committee Forming To Find New U of I Pres. The Idaho State Board of Education is forming a search committee to look for a new president of the University of Idaho. Glenn Mosley reports. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Which Initiatives Can You Expect on Fall Ballot? Northwest initiative backers have less than a month left to collect enough signatures to get their measures on the November ballot. The deadline in Washington and Oregon is July 3rd. So what measures are likely to make the ballot? Austin Jenkins has a preview. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Cruise Line For Sale; NW Sailings Cut Back A regional cruise ship company is on the sales block. Majestic America is experiencing sluggish bookings. The cruise line is cutting back fall sailings on the Columbia and Snake rivers and dropping late summer tours in southeast Alaska. Tom Banse has more. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Alaska Native Corporations Send Checks to Lower 48 About 5,000 Pacific Northwest residents received an extra 500 dollars in their bank accounts this spring. The money comes from dividends paid out by an Alaska Native-owned corporation. Sealaska Corporation is the largest among a group of firms created to settle sweeping Native land claims. Ed Schoenfeld reports the Native shareholders nowadays are as likely to be found outside Alaska, as in. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Boeing Tanker Verdict Praised Washington Democratic Senator Patty Murray is elated over Wednesday’s G-A-O decision that favors Boeing in an Air Force contract dispute. Boeing contends it lost an air tanker deal worth 35-billion dollars due to unfair procurement practices. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Our Organic Northwest: Defining Organic, And Other FAQs This week on “Our Organic Northwest”, Brad Jaeckel, the project manager at WSU’s organic farm answers more listener questions, including the use of weed killers on organic gardens. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Aerospace Machinists Applaud Air Tanker Ruling The president of Boeing’s machinists’ union is pleased with the GAO decision in favor of the company. He says the GAO ruling that the Air Force procurement process was flawed, is a victory for the workers who have been building refueling tankers for 67 years. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Boeing Tanker Protest Upheld The Government Accountability Office is backing the Boeing company’s protest of a 35 billion dollar Air Force contract. The G-A-O found the Air Force made seven signifigant errors when it decided to buy air refueling tankers made by rival Airbus and Northrup Grumman. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | WA Inmates to Help Rebuild Burned Elk Fence It’s not a prison chain gang. But dozens of Washington State inmates have a tough summer job ahead of them. They will help rebuild miles of elk fence that was destroyed by wildfire three years ago. Austin Jenkins has details. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Transit Ridership Up - And So are Fares Public transit advocates want you to “Dump the Pump” Thursday. That’s the slogan for a promotion to get people out of their cars and onto the bus or train. Record numbers of people have been doing that across the Northwest this year. But many of those riders could find themselves paying more later this year. Chris Lehman has more. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Olympic Trials: The Big Leap Among hundreds of the nation’s top athletes coming to the U-S Olympic Track and Field Trials are about a dozen Northwesterners. University of Washington graduate Brad Walker enters the Olympic Trials as the man to beat in the pole vault. The most technically demanding track & field event attracts risk takers... and Walker says he’s no exception. Tom Banse has this profile. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | OR House Republican Wants State Employees to Fund Health Care for Poor Democrats are behinds it. Now Republicans are putting forward their idea on universal health care in Oregon. One Republican Representative wants to tap the wallets of state employees. Salem Correspondent Chris Lehman reports: Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | First Place School Many urban school districts have programs for kids who are homeless. But that’s not enough, say the people behind Seattle’s “First Place” school. It’s a private elementary school for kids and their families coming out of homelessness. From Seattle, Phyllis Fletcher has this profile. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Contents of Oregon Cannery Safe Revealed You may remember last month we told you about an old safe that was found in an Oregon Fish Cannery. A locksmith cracked the code. But the contents of the safe remained a secret. Until now. Correspondent Austin Jenkins reveals the mystery contents. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Cold June delays Northwest crops Dark skies and cold temperatures in the region has been more than a nuisance. The inclement weather has delayed crops around the Northwest and the nation. Growers say it’s the coldest spring in over a decade. Richland Correspondent Anna King tromped into the Eastern Washington fields to get this report. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Washington; A Top 10 Healthiest State Northwesterners are known for living an active, outdoor lifestyle. But New England has us beat in a new ranking of the healthiest states. Olympia Correspondent Austin Jenkins got a sneak peak at the report, which comes out today [Friday]. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | New Airport Security Lanes Many of us have experienced this airport aggravation: You’re running late for your flight and then you get stuck in the security line behind a bunch of people who don’t know what they’re doing. At P-D-X (Portland), SeaTac, and the Spokane and Boise airports, the security lanes have been revamped to address this. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Assisted Suicide Measure Divides WA Democrats Last month it was Republicans. Now Washington State Democrats are descending on Spokane. The occasion: the state party convention. It will be held this weekend. Democrats say they’re united behind Barack Obama. But the issue of assisted suicide could disrupt that unity. Olympia Correspondent Austin Jenkins explains. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Where Does Water Come From: Part 3 In the Pacific Northwest we rely on “snowpack” to supply our water needs during the summer months just ahead. Today we address challenges to our water reserves that will be brought on by climate change. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | South Korea Beef Ban Off, Beef Exports Still on Hold South Koreans have taken to the streets of Seoul to protest beef. That’s U.S. beef and the ban against it that was lifted in April. It’s been nearly five years since exports were halted after a case of mad cow disease was discovered in Mabton, Washington. Northwest meat packers are anxious to startup shipments. Richland Correspondent Anna King reports. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | OR Steps Up Campaign Against Dog and Cockfighting Officials in Oregon hope a new tip-line and a financial incentive will trigger more people to report cases of animal fighting. The Oregon Attorney General’s office and the Humane Society are teaming up in the effort. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | OR Community Organizations Can Challenge Casinos The Oregon Court of Appeals yesterday ruled a community organization can challenge the governor’s approval of a casino in Florence, OR. The ruling could have ramifications for tribal casinos throughout Oregon. KLCC’s Rachael McDonald reports. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | New U of I President Ready to Work New University of Idaho President Steve Daley- Laursen says he’s looking forward to working with the university’s stakeholders while he serves his interim appointment as president. Glenn Mosley reports. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | 224 Engineer Company Returns from Iraq They built highways, bridges, and culverts in Iraq. And now the Oregon National Guard’s 224 Engineer Company is home. Correspondent Chris Lehman was at the ceremony yesterday (Wednesday) in Albany and has this report. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | NW States Beef Up Programs to Protect Food Tomatoes are hitting waste cans with a fury after nearly 200 people nationwide became sick from the bacteria salmonella. But did you know that Northwest states have a program in place to check regionally grown crops for nasty microbes? Richland Correspondent Anna King has more. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Kulongoski Outlines Health Care Strategies for 2009 Legislature Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski wants the state Legislature to find ways to reduce the cost of health care. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | U of I Gets Interim President The Idaho State Board of Education has named Steven Daley-Laursen as Interim President of the University of Idaho. Daley- Laursen has been Dean of the UI’s College of Natural Resources since 2002. Glenn Mosley reports. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Eastern WA Is the Moon for NASA Practice The space agency NASA has plans to go back to the moon by the end of the next decade. Long before any astronauts blast off, lunar rovers, robots, and crew modules need to be tested under lifelike conditions. Would you believe the next best thing to stepping on the moon is a visit to Moses Lake, Washington? Correspondent Tom Banse explains. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Behind The Native Roots Series This week we’ve brought you two stories on the sacred tradition of Native American root gathering. today we bring you the third part of or native roots serires, with the story behind those stories. These features have been four years in the making. It took that long for Correspondent Anna King to gain the trust of Umatilla tribal members. Over those years she has been attending ceremonies as an observer. This year, Anna was invited to participate. She has this reporter’s noteboo ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Debate Continues Over Steep Slope Logging Steep slope logging is likely to become a top issue in this fall’s campaign for Washington State Lands Commissioner. It became front page news after last winter’s devastating storms in Southwest Washington. Correspondent Austin Jenkins reports. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Measure 53 Headed for Recount The final results still aren’t in for one race in last month’s Oregon primary. A ballot measure that would give officers more power to forfeit crime-related property is so close, officials plan a statewide recount. Salem Correspondent Chris Lehman has more: Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | ID: More Money to Center for Advanced Energy Studies Idaho Governor Butch Otter says the state will give another two million dollars to help complete the Center for Advanced Energy Studies in Idaho Falls. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Debate Continues Over Steep Slope Logging Are current logging regulations strict enough to protect against mudslides? That issue was front and center today as the Washington Department of Natural Resources led a tour to Stillman Creek in Southwest Washington. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | OR Independent Senate Candidate John Frohnmayer Drops Out of Race There’s one less person in the race for U-S Senate in Oregon. Independent candidate John Frohnmayer dropped out of the race today. Salem Correspondent Chris Lehman has more: Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Lt. Watada in Limbo 2 Years Later It was two years ago tomorrow that Army lieutenant Ehren Watada announced his refusal to go to war in Iraq. Since then, the Fort Lewis soldier has become a hero to the anti-war movement. But his legal troubles remain unresolved – tied up in federal court. Correspondent Austin Jenkins has this update. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Will Growing a Garden Offset Food Costs? As increasing fuel prices continue to drive up the cost of groceries, some experts are suggesting that home gardening would help many people save on food costs. Others aren’t so sure. Glenn Mosley reports. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Fuel Costs Hurt Farmers In cities across the region the focus is on fuel conservation. But in rural areas farmers say there is little they can do. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Oregon Coast Feels Pinch of Economic Slowdown The Oregon coast has been hit with a double whammy this year. High gas prices are causing some people to think twice about weekend trips to the shore. And a shutdown of the salmon season has left the fishing industry scrambling. Correspondent Chris Lehman takes us on a journey: Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Governor Says Keep the Car at Home With gas topping four dollars a gallon these days, many drivers are looking for alternate ways of getting to work. Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski hopes to steer many of those penny-pinching drivers to things like public transit or carpools. But the goal isn’t just to save money. Salem Correspondent Chris Lehman explains: Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | WSU Goes to Four-Day Work Week Public workers are getting a chance to switch to a four day week to save on gas money. Washington State University is the latest example in the region to offer its employees flexible hours. Richland Correspondent Anna King has the story. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | OR Money Into WA Right-to-Die Initiative Campaign Opponents of a Washington right-to-die initiative are crying foul. They say an Oregon-based front group is funneling hundreds of thousands of dollars into the campaign – and not disclosing all the names of its individual donors. Olympia Correspondent Austin Jenkins explains. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Controversial New Voting System Taking Effect Even as political party bosses continue to fight the State of Washington in federal district court, a controversial new voting system is taking effect. Amanda Loder reports. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Oregon Governor Issues “Commuter Challenge” Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski is challenging state employees to leave their cars at home this summer. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | NW Hillary Supporters on Obama Nomination Hillary Clinton supporters in the Northwest say they’re sticking by their candidate. But they’re also confronting the likelihood that Barack Obama will be the Democratic nominee for president. Correspondent Austin Jenkins has this regional round-up. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | NW Clinton Supporters “Disappointed” Northwest supporters of Hillary Clinton are confronting a tough reality: their candidate is unlikely to be the Democratic nominee for president. Correspondent Austin Jenkins has local reaction. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Hanford Resumes Tank Waste Cleanup Nearly 200 underground tanks of radioactive waste sit idle on the Hanford Reservation (in Eastern Washington.) Following some big fines the cleanup work is scheduled to get back underway this month. Richland Correspondent Anna King has more. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Native Woman Tries to Carry on Traditions in Modern World A middle-aged Native American woman from the Umatilla Reservation near Pendleton, [Oregon] is taking on a big responsibility. The grandmother wants to teach younger generations how to dig roots, pick berries and sing -- to be Indian. She fears modern life is overwhelming native culture. It’s a common concern on reservations around the West. Correspondent Anna King has this profile of a woman trying to keep her culture alive. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Campaigns Spend Out of State The amount of money political candidates RAISE always gets a lot of attention. But how much they SPEND and where they spend it is often ignored. Olympia Correspondent Austin Jenkins takes a look at out-of-state spending by the leading candidates for the Washington State Governor’s race. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Snow in the Passes? NW Road Crews Prepare for June Storm It’s almost the middle of June, but snow – yes snow - is back in the forecast. Northwest road crews are preparing for an unusual blast of winter in the higher elevations. The storm is expected to hit tonight into tomorrow. Correspondent Austin Jenkins has details. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Special Interests Line Up Behind WA Candidates It’s a big political year in Washington State. Beside a governor’s race, voters will decide contests for attorney general and lands commissioner – to name a couple. So what special interests are giving money to which candidates? Olympia Correspondent Austin Jenkins takes a peek at the finance reports. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | NW Native Women Keep Traditional Root Digging Alive Each year Native American women travel into the mountains of the Pacific Northwest to dig edible roots for ceremonies and subsistence. Historically roots are one of the staples of a native diet, but the food only makes it to the table with a lot of hard work. In the past few years, native women have had to travel farther away as development and fences have made favorite digging spots harder to access. Correspondent Anna King heads to the hills with Umatilla tribal members to dig for this mo ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Northwest Berry Harvest is Slowed by the Weather You can find some strawberries, blueberries and raspberries in your grocery store, but they may be from California. The weather has dampened northwest berry growers hopes for a bumper crop. KLCC’s Rachael McDonald reports. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Lewiston Id Residents Protest High Gas Prices In Lewiston, ID, tomorrow, residents will march in a parade to protest the cost of gasoline. Glenn Mosley has more. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Where DOES Water Come From: Part 2 Today, we continue our conversation about the importance of water to the Pacific Northwest ecosystem. Correspondent Glenn Mosley speaks with Michael Barber, Director of the State of Washington Water Resource Center at WSU about the challenges we face in getting science and public policy to work together. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | BIAW Hits Gregoire with Independent Ad The gloves are officially off in the Washington Governor’s race. Election Day is still five months away. But a conservative interest group has launched an independent ad campaign attacking Governor Chris Gregoire. Olympia Correspondent Austin Jenkins reports. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Fees Waived at Many NW Parks, Trails Saturday Northwesterners will have fewer excuses to sit on the couch this weekend. Many parks and trails will be free as part of a nationwide celebration of outdoor recreation. Correspondent Chris Lehman has more: Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Candidates Make Final Push before Oregon Primary The deadline to vote in Oregon’s primary is Tuesday evening at 8 o’clock. It’s been the most hotly contested Presidential primary in the state in many years. Chris Lehman has a round-up of the weekend’s campaigning. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Clinton and Obama Rally Across Oregon Democratic presidential front-runner Barack Obama drew the largest crowd of his 15-month campaign for the presidency at a rally in Portland Sunday. Former President Bill Clinton campaigned in support of his wife Hillary. And at a Salem rally, daughter Chelsea Clinton told supporters that the work isn’t over even if they’ve already voted. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Commercial Waste Disposal at Hanford Raises Concerns A lot of radioactive garbage is trucked to the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in South-central Washington, where a little-known commercial waste landfill is getting some attention from Hanford watchdogs. Anna King visited the massive sandy trench where that stuff is dumped. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | A Cross Burns in Medford A hate crime expert with Portland State University says he’s not surprised that vandals burned a cross and the letters “K-K-K” into a front lawn of a home in Medford Oregon. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Idaho: It’s Risch vs. LaRocco for Senate Idaho’s Lieutenant Governor Jim Risch enjoyed a landslide victory Tuesday night in his bid to become Idaho’s next U-S Senator. He beat out seven other Republican hopefuls - all vying for the seat being vacated by retiring Senator Larry Craig. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Northwest Food Banks See Demand Rise As gas and food prices rise, more Northwest families are turning to food banks for help. Officials in Idaho, Oregon and Washington all report an uptick in the number of people they serve. Correspondent Austin Jenkins has details. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Gas Prices Up, Traffic Deaths Down The average price of gas has topped four dollars a gallon in parts of the Northwest. It comes as a new Federal study shows that Americans are driving less. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | A Cross Burns in Medford A hate crime expert with Portland State University says he’s not surprised that vandals burned a cross and the letters “K-K-K” into a front lawn of a home in Medford Oregon. Professor Randy Blazak says incidents like this tend to happen in what he calls ‘edge cities,’ between urban and rural areas: Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | WA Gang Taskforce Hears from Community How do you attack the growing gang problem in Washington State? With more money. That’s what participants at a recent gang forum in Yakima told members of a statewide taskforce. Austin Jenkins reports. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | WA Lawsuit Challenges City, Developer Water Rights Farmland has long been the battleground over water rights. Now, environmentalists and tribes are challenging the water rights of cities and home-builders granted under a 2003 Washington State law. From KUOW in Seattle, Amy Radil reports. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Idaho Sets Goal to Halve Wolf Population Idaho's wolf population could be cut roughly in half this fall if hunters are as successful as state officials hope they’ll be. Yesterday, the Idaho Fish and Game Commission set the rules and quotas for the first wolf hunt since gray wolves were taken off the endangered species list earlier this year. Boise State Radio’s Don Wimberly reports. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Signatures Turned in for “Top Two” Primary Ballot Measure Supporters turned in tens of thousands of signatures today (Friday) for a ballot measure designed to let Oregon voters mix and match candidates and parties in the primary election. The proposal stands a good chance of going before Oregon voters in November. Salem Correspondent Chris Lehman reports: Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Memorial Day Weekend Travel Woes This Memorial Day weekend might be a good one to stay home. Northwest travelers face four-dollar-a-gallon gas prices, snowbound campgrounds and raging rivers. Austin Jenkins has details. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Western WA State Forests “Green” Certified A big chunk of state forestland in Western Washington has won a ‘green’ seal of approval from a monitoring group called the Forest Stewardship Council. Lands Commissioner Doug Sutherland says it means the state has received both of the major certifications for sustainability. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Sunnyside’s Gang Ordinance, One Year Later It’s been one year since Sunnyside, WA enacted a controversial anti-gang ordinance. The law criminalized membership in a gang and gave police the authority to stop kids for wearing gang clothing or colors. Other small Yakima Valley towns soon followed Sunnyside’s lead. So what’s happened in the year since? The answer might surprise you, as Austin Jenkins reports. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Smaller Cherry Crop Expected Cool spring weather has put a damper on the Northwest cherry crop this year. Cherry growers suffered more frost damage that previously thought, according to an industry group. Correspondent Chris Lehman has more: Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Canada, Alaska Agree to Reduce Catch of NW-Bound Salmon Canada and Alaska have offered to significantly reduce their catch of salmon migrating home to Oregon and Washington rivers. But a proposed new salmon treaty hinges on Congress approving a multi-million dollar buyout for Alaska and Vancouver Island fishermen. Correspondent Tom Banse has more.