Washington State News Archive

Below are archived news items for the current month. To view a previous month, choose it from the list below.

"Study: costs to build two Yak[ima] Valley reservoirs exceed benefits"--Yakima Herald-Republic - Please Ask a Librarian for a copy of this article.
A Bureau of Reclamation cost-benefit study of the proposed Black Rock Reservoirstates that the cost of the reservoir outweigh its economic benefits. Supporters of the project point out the study focues on benefits to the national economy, not on benefits--including recreation and irrigation--to the local region. - 12/01/2006

"Jail health-care troubles put inmates at risk, report says"--Seattle Times
King County has issued a response to a critical King County Ombudsman report on the King County Jail pharmacy. The Ombudsman's report is, in part, based on a report by the Washington State Board of Pharmacy which is not available online. - 12/01/2006

"Supreme Court arguments focus on diversity in Seattle schools"--Longview Daily News - Please Ask a Librarian for a copy of this article.
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments today in the case of Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1. The argument is over whether or not a school district can use race as a deciding factor in assigning students to a particular school. Although Seattle is no longer using race as a factor, the implications of the Court's decision has attracted national attention. - 12/04/2006

"Two more cities end jail pact with county"--Yakima Herald-Republic - Please Ask a Librarian for a copy of this article.
The cities of Snoqualmie and Des Moines will withdraw from an inmate housing agreement with the Yakima County jail next year. They entered this agreement with Yakima County because of lack of room in the King County jail. Now they are making this move because of delays in opening the new Yakima County jail. Inmate housing agreements between local jurisdictions are common because many small communities don't have their own jails. - 12/04/2006

"State wins spyware settlement: Washington consumers eligible for refunds after company penalized "--Tacoma News Tribune - Please Ask a Librarian for a copy of this article.
Cyberspace has more than its share of dangers such as spyware--and companies such as Secure Computer that sold bogus anti-spyware software. This company settled claims against it by the Washington State Attorney General by agreeing to pay a $1 million fine. $75,000 will go to 1,145 Washington consumers who purchased the software. The rest of money goes to cover civil fines and the state's legal costs. - 12/05/2006

"Gates Says U.S. Is Not Winning Iraq War"--Yakima Herald-Republic - Please Ask a Librarian for a copy of this article.
Secretary of Defense nominee Robert Gates testified in his confirmation hearing that the U.S. is not winning the war in Iraq. He also said the U.S. is not losing the war, but all options are on the table. - 12/05/2006

"Panel: Bush Iraq policy 'not working'"--Pasco Tri-City Herald - Please Ask a Librarian for a copy of this article.
The bipartisan Iraq Study Group issued its much anticipated report on the situation in Iraq today. The news is grim. Now the question is whether or not President Bush will act on the group's recommendations. - 12/06/2006

"State reports faster aid for abused kids"--Olympia Olympian - Please Ask a Librarian for a copy of this article.
The Children's Administration, a division of the Department of Social and Health Services, released a report showing that its goal of responding to emergency reports of abuse within 24 hours and nonemergency reports within 72 hours kept 195 children from being further abused. Meanwhile the agency is waiting to see if will get additional funding and staff in the next year's budget. - 12/06/2006

"Pearl Harbor survivors share memories, gratitude for life"--Port Angeles Peninsula Daily News - Please Ask a Librarian for a copy of this article.
The number of survivors of the attack on Pearl Harbor grows smaller every year. Their memories of that day 65 years ago remain vivid even as their bodies grow frail. The Library of Congress has many items about the Pearl Harbor attack. - 12/07/2006

"Wash Ecology Dept upgrades water quality rules"--Vancouver Columbian - Please Ask a Librarian for a copy of this article.
The Washington State Department of Ecology has issued more stringent water quality rules for selected watersheds that are home to endangered fish. The standards set acceptable levels for pollution, dissolved oxygen, and water temperature. The Department has issued a focus sheet on the new standards. - 12/07/2006

"Colville tribe has lawsuit immunity, high court rules"--Olympia Olympian - Please Ask a Librarian for a copy of this article.
The Washington Supreme Court denied a racial discrimination claim by a white construction worker who had been employed by a business owned by the Colville tribe. The court ruled that tribal sovereign immunity protected the business from the lawsuit. The case was Wright v. Colville Tribal Enter. Corp. A concurring opinion and a were also issued. - 12/08/2006

"Public access key to Hanford Reach plan "--Pasco Tri-City Herald - Please Ask a Librarian for a copy of this article.
The Hanford Reach National Monument borders the Hanford Nuclear Reservation and encompasses one of the last free-flowing stretches of the Columbia River in Washington. A draft management plan has been released. It deals with public access and wildlife management for this relatively undeveloped region of river and arid steppe. - 12/08/2006

"Cowlitz Co. still waiting on disaster relief funds"--Longview Daily News - Please Ask a Librarian for a copy of this article.
The November storms have passed, and now the bills need to be paid. Cowlitz County suffered $3.7 million dollars in flood damages and is hoping to get disaster relief. County and state officials are waiting to hear if President Bush will declare a state of emergency for the area. This would entitle the area to get Federal disaster relief. - 12/11/2006

"RURAL KIDS WORSE OFF THAN URBAN KIDS...Rural children died at a rate at least double that for children in urban areas, a state health-care study shows."--Walla Walla Union-Bulletin - Please Ask a Librarian for a copy of this article.
The Department of Health's Washington Rural Health Assessment Project paints a sober picture of the social and health conditions for rural youth. They experience higher rates of poverty, hospitalization, and unintentional death than urban youth. - 12/11/2006

"Gregoire proposal would aid math, science" -- Seattle Times
Two weeks after recommending a delay in math requirements for high-school graduates, Gov. Christine Gregoire on Monday announced a $197 million math and science initiative that would put more teachers in the classroom and provide additional help for struggling students. You can access the highlights from her budget proposal on World Class Education: Math and Science and visit Gregoire's site on Education for more press releases, comments and resources. - 12/12/2006

"Don't believe IRS forms: Sales tax deduction will be available" - Olympian - Please Ask a Librarian for a copy of this article.
Congress' restoration of the sales tax deduction comes in time for 2006 tax returns but not, it turns out, in time for the IRS. The tax break, which allows taxpayers who itemize to choose between deducting state and local sales taxes and state income taxes, was in effect in 2004 and 2005, after a nearly 20-year hiatus. But the deduction expired in 2005. It will be restored when the president signs the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006, which he's expected to do shortly. - 12/12/2006

"Federal disaster aid to flow to county" -- Everett Herald - Please Ask a Librarian for a copy of this article.
President Bush on Tuesday declared a federal disaster in Washington state, including Snohomish County, opening the door for federal money to flow where Election Day floodwaters damaged homes and businesses. Information on assistance for Washington's severe storms, flooding, landslides and mudslides can be found through FEMA. - 12/13/2006

"State rainy-day fund proposed: Gregoire seeks amendment to constitution"--Spokane Spokesman-Review - Please Ask a Librarian for a copy of this article.
(Registration may be required to read this article. State Library cardholders can access articles in back issues via ProQuest.) Governor Gregoire proposed an amendment to the Washington state Constitution that would create a rainy day fund for state government. The money in the fund would be set aside and only used to maintain state programs during economic downturns or disasters. There would be strict rules on when the funds could be used. The fund would be started with deposits of $262 million in the first two years and then annual deposits of 1 % of the state's general revenues in normal years. - 12/13/2006

"Dig uncovers city's antiquity: Artifacts suggest Spokane has longest continuous human use in state"--Spokane Spokesman-Review - Please Ask a Librarian for a copy of this article.
(Registration may be required to read this article. State Library cardholders can access articles in back issues via ProQuest.) The city of Spokane recently celebrated its founding 125 years ago, but it could older than that by several millennia. Recent archaeological digs done by Eastern State University have found artifacts 8,000 years old. The site is on the Spokane River at Latah Creek. Native tribes hunted and fished there back when salmon could swim that far inland. - 12/14/2006

"Gregoire offers blueprint to rescue Puget Sound: But stormwater pollution still at issue"--Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Governor Gregoire put forth an ambitious set of proposals to clean up Puget Sound. Based on recommendations made by the Puget Sound Alliance, the plans include creating an agency responsible for supervision of the clean up and tightening rules on sources of pollution such as septic tanks and stormwater run off. The cost could eventually reach $9 billion. The Puget Sound Partnership's report includes an executive summary. - 12/14/2006

"In jail study, most inmates used marijuana, cocaine" -- Everett Herald - Please Ask a Librarian for a copy of this article.
More men and women are being booked into the Snohomish County Jail with marijuana and cocaine in their systems than any other drug, including methamphetamine, according to a new study. You can read a summary of the report in a White Paper on methamphetamine presented to the Snohomish County Council. - 12/18/2006

"Storm death toll at 8, carbon monoxide poisoning hits 100" -- Tacoma News Tribune - Please Ask a Librarian for a copy of this article.
The death toll is now eight from a storm that left more than a million homes and businesses in the dark and its aftermath, including a “carbon monoxide epidemic” from indoor use of generators and charcoal grills. The Washington State Department of Health has a Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Fact Sheet and Tips for Staying Safe in Bad Weather. King County and Seattle Public Health have posted what to do If You Don't Have Electricity in six different languages. - 12/18/2006

"Franklin [County] population increase leads state"--Pasco Tri-City Herald - Please Ask a Librarian for a copy of this article.
A new Office of Financial Management population estimate has Franklin County as the fastest growing county in Washington state. Hispanics are the largest population group in the county. The OFM website has a set of popular population tables. - 12/19/2006

"Study: Premarital sex normal for most" -- Seattle Times
More than nine of 10 Americans, men and women alike, have had premarital sex, according to a new study. The high rates extend even to women born in the 1940s, challenging perceptions that people were more chaste in the past. The study, examining how sexual behavior before marriage has changed over time, was based on random interviews conducted with more than 38,000 people — about 33,000 of them women — in 1982, 1988, 1995 and 2002 for the federal National Survey of Family Growth. - 12/20/2006

"Change in federal funds distribution could hurt ports"--Pasco Tri-City Herald - Please Ask a Librarian for a copy of this article.
Some public port officials are worried that small ports and cities will be hurt by a change to the way the Washington State Department of Transportation distributes federal Surface Transportation Program funds. The Washington Public Ports Association is very concerned about programs that maintain and improve rural infrastructure. - 12/20/2006

"Boss accused in fatal wildfire: Manslaughter, lying charges filed"--Spokane Spokesman-Review - Please Ask a Librarian for a copy of this article.
(Registration may be required to read this article. State Library cardholders can access articles in back issues via ProQuest.) Four Forest Service firefighters died in the Thirtymile Fire on July 10, 2001. Their crew boss has just been charged with involuntary manslaughter for gross negligence that day. He is also charged with making false statements to investigators. These deaths shaped safety training for firefighters; one example is a staff ride over the fire site. The Forest Service's website on the investigation of the Thirtymile Fire seems to be down right now. - 12/21/2006

"Budget misses certain projects" -- Olympian - Please Ask a Librarian for a copy of this article.
Gov. Chris Gregoire's budget for the next two years would pay for $305 million in local construction projects, expand programs headquartered here, and give pay raises to all state workers. It spends much of a projected $1.9 billion surplus, at $30 billion total. You can access all of Christing Gregoire's Proposed 2007-2009 Budget plus supporting documents from the Office of Finance Management. - 12/21/2006

"Olympia may end free parking" -- Olympian - Please Ask a Librarian for a copy of this article.
Free parking is on its way out in downtown Olympia, if the city follows the recommendations of a parking committee. The Parking Advisory Committee will recommend to the Olympia City Council Jan. 2. that Olympia end its 18-year tradition of free parking in the downtown core and move to a metered system. - 12/26/2006

"Gerald Ford dies" -- Seattle Times
Gerald R. Ford, who struggled to heal the nation's Watergate wounds in a short and turbulent tenure as the nation's only nonelected president, died Tuesday at his home in Rancho Mirage, Calif. He was 93. The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum has issued a statement on his death and also contains scanned documents and images from his administration. The White House has President Bush's press release on the loss of Gerald R. Ford. - 12/27/2006

"Nuclear energy nearing revival"--Pasco Tri-City Herald - Please Ask a Librarian for a copy of this article.
Utilities are considering building at least 30 new nuclear plants for generating electricity. The driving force is the need for energy sources that don't create greenhouse gasses. Two drawbacks are the government subsidities needed to finance construction and the places needed to store radioactive waste. The Congressional Research Service recently updated its report on the nuclear waste stream. The Federal government is proposing a national nuclear waste depository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada, but that state is strongly opposed to the idea. - 12/28/2006

"Cloned beef: It may be what's for dinner" -- Seattle Times
The Food and Drug Administration is expected today to release a formal recommendation that milk and meat from cloned animals should be allowed on grocery-store shelves. You can access the FDA's draft of A Risk-Based Approach to Evaluate Animal Clones and Their Progeny. - 12/28/2006

"Murder rate up in U.S. cities" -- Tri City Herald - Please Ask a Librarian for a copy of this article.
Gangs, drugs, easy access to guns and a disturbing tendency among young people to pull guns to demand respect were among the causes authorities cited in trying to explain this year's increase in murders in New York and many other major cities after years of decline. You can access the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reports online. The FBI does not release its national crime statistics until several months after the end of the year, but the preliminary 2006 Report is available, along with data going back to 1995. - 12/29/2006

Previous Months Archived News

June 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006