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Mike
Huckabee - John
McCain
- Ron
Paul
- Mitt
Romney
- Washington_State
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Texas
- Massachusetts
- 2008
Election - "Huckabee
won't concede state; GOP resuming delegate count."
... "According to the Saturday tally [in Washington State], [2008 Election
Republican Presidential Candidate and Senator from] Arizona Sen. John McCain
won about 26 percent of delegates, [2008 Election Republican Presidential
Candidate and] former Arkansas Gov. [Governer] Huckabee won 24 percent,
[2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate and Representative from]
Texas Rep. Ron Paul finished with 21 percent, and [2008 Election Republican
Presidential Candidate and] former Massachusetts Gov. [Governer] Mitt Romney,
who has dropped out of the race, got 17 percent." ... "Pastor Joseph Fuiten
of Bothell [Washington], who's heading Huckabee's volunteer effort in the
state, said three Huckabee supporters in Pierce County [Washington] reported
voting irregularities on Saturday." ... "Fuiten said one woman reported
that she and a Ron Paul supporter were told that they wouldn't be allowed
to run for alternative delegate positions — and that no actual vote was
taken at the caucus. Instead, Fuiten said the woman reported that the caucus
leaders simply tallied up the sign-in sheets to get the results." ... ""Counting
is not so much the issue, so much as it is a concern about disenfranchisement,"
Fuiten said." ... "Paul's campaign is also not conceding the state." -By
Janet I. Tu -SeattleTimes
Mike
Huckabee - John
McCain
- Washington_State
- Arizona
- 2008
Election - Law
- "Huckabee
protests Washington caucus results." ... "[2008 Election]
Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee cried foul Sunday after
[2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain's apparent
victory in the Washington state caucuses Saturday." ... "Huckabee's campaign
released a statement saying that it will be exploring all available legal
options regarding the "dubious final results." Arizona [Senator] Sen. McCain
was announced as the victor in the caucuses. Sunday, he had 25 percent
of the vote; Huckabee had 23.8 percent." ... "Huckabee's campaign chairman,
Ed Rollins, said Luke Esser, Washington state's Republican Party chairman,
chose to call the race too quickly for McCain." ... "Rollins said Huckabee
was losing by 242 votes with 87 percent of the vote counted. He said there
were 1,500 or so more votes that were apparently not counted." ... ""That
is an outrage," Rollins said." ... "Rollins said the Huckabee campaign's
lawyers will be on the ground in Washington soon to see why the count took
so long, and why the vote-counting was stopped prematurely." ... ""It would
be a disservice to every voter in Washington state to not pursue a full
accounting of all votes cast," Rollins said. "
-SeattlePI
Barack
Obama
- Hillary
Clinton
- John
McCain
- Mike
Huckabee - Washington
- Nebraska
- Louisiana
- Illinois
- New
York
- Kansas
- 2008
Election - "Obama
wins big in Wash., Nebraska, La." ... "[2008 Election
Democratic Presidential Candidate and Illinois Senator] Sen. Barack Obama
swept the Louisiana primary and caucuses in Nebraska and Washington state
Saturday, boosting his slim delegate lead over [2008 Election Democratic
Presidential Candidate and New York Senator] Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton
in their historic race for the Democratic presidential nomination." ...
"The Illinois senator also won caucuses in the Virgin Islands, completing
his best night of the campaign." ... "The Democratic race moved into a
new, post-Super Tuesday phase as [2008 Election Republican Presidential
Candidate John] McCain flunked his first ballot test since becoming the
Republican nominee-in-waiting. He lost the Kansas caucuses to [2008 Election
Republican Presidential Candidate] Mike Huckabee, gaining less than 24
percent of the vote." ... "Huckabee also was named by NBC News as the apparent
winner of an extremely close Louisiana primary race." ... "His Kansas defeat
aside, McCain also suffered a symbolic defeat when Romney edged him out
in a straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference meeting
across town from the White House." (1, 2)
-AP -MSNBC
Babies
- Health
- Corporate
- Manufacturers
- Los
Angeles - California
- Washington
- "Study
finds high levels of chemicals in infants using baby cosmetics:
Babies exposed to lotion, shampoo and powder had more than four times the
level of phthalates in their urine as those whose parents had not used
the products. Previous research found that the substances altered the children’s
hormones." ... "Infants and toddlers exposed to baby lotions, shampoos
and powders carry high concentrations of hormone-altering chemicals in
their bodies that might have reproductive effects, according to a new scientific
study of babies born in Los Angeles [California] and two other U.S. [United
States] cities." ... "The research, to be published today in the medical
journal Pediatrics, found that as the use of baby care products rose, so
did the concentration of phthalates, which are used in many fragrances."
... "The lead scientist in the study, Dr. Sheela Sathyanarayana of the
University of Washington's Department of Pediatrics, said the findings
suggested that many baby care products contain a variety of phthalates
that enter children's bodies through their skin." ... "Manufacturers do
not list phthalates as ingredients on labels, so it is unknown which products
contain them." ... "In their report, the scientists advised parents who
want to reduce their baby's exposure to stop using lotions and powders
unless their doctors recommend them for medical reasons. They also suggested
limiting use of shampoos and other products. Many adult lotions and other
personal care products also contain phthalates." -By
Marla Cone -LAtimes
Dennis
Kucinich - Dick
Cheney
- Law
- Health
Care - Gay
Marriage
- Ohio
- Energy
- US
- International
- Trade
- Seattle
- Washington
- 2008
Election - History
- "Kucinich
Abandons White House Bid." ... "[2008 Election Democratic
Presidential Candidate and Ohio Representative] Democrat Dennis Kucinich
is abandoning his second, long-shot bid for the White House as he faces
a tough fight to hold onto his other job - U.S. congressman." ... "Once
dubbed the "boy mayor" of Cleveland [Ohio], he made an unpopular decision
to refuse to sell a publicly owned utility that pushed the city into default
and drove him from office." ... "In 1994, Kucinich was elected state senator
and he then won a seat in Congress in 1996. His once unpopular stand against
the sale of the municipal electric system was praised as courageous. In
1998, the Cleveland City Council issued him a commendation for having the
foresight to refuse to sell it." ... "During his time in Congress, Kucinich
has been one of the most outspoken liberals, opposing international trade
agreements like the North America Free Trade Agreement and marching with
protesters in Seattle [Washington] during a meeting of the World Trade
Organization." ... "As a presidential candidate, he has proposed a Department
of Peace, backed universal health care and supported gay marriage. He also
pushed for impeachment of [Republican] Vice President Dick Cheney." -By
Joe Milicia -WRAL.com
Money
- Politics
- Federal
- Housing
- Legislation
- New
Jersey - Georgia
- California
- Texas
- Utah
- Maryland
- Nevada
- Oregon
- Washington
- 2004
Election - US
- Netherlands
- "Lender
Lobbying Blitz Abetted Mortgage Mess: Ameriquest
Pressed For Changes in Laws; A Battle in New Jersey." ... "During the housing
boom, the subprime industry succeeded at more than just writing mortgages.
It also shot down efforts by some states to curtail risky lending to borrowers
with spotty credit." ... "Ameriquest Mortgage Co. [ACC Capital Holdings],
until recently one of the nation's largest subprime lenders, was at the
center of those battles. Working with a husband-and-wife team of Washington
lobbyists, it handed out more than $20 million in political donations and
played a big role in persuading legislators in New Jersey and Georgia to
relax tough new laws. Those victories, in turn, helped blunt efforts by
other states to crack down on reckless lending, critics of the industry
contend." ... "Home loans made by Ameriquest and other subprime lenders
are defaulting now in large numbers, roiling global credit markets and
sparking debate about whether regulators and lawmakers should have anticipated
the mess and taken action. A close look at Ameriquest's lobbying and political
donations shows how the subprime industry maneuvered to defeat legislation
that might have contained some of the damage." ... "Data from federal and
state campaign-finance records, Internal Revenue Service filings, and the
National Institute on Money in State Politics show that from 2002 through
2006, Ameriquest, its executives and their spouses and business associates
donated at least $20.5 million to state and federal political groups. In
comparison, over the same time period, Countrywide Financial, another large
subprime lender, gave about $2 million in campaign gifts, and spent an
additional $6.7 million lobbying in Washington, records indicate." ...
"Some of the giving by Ameriquest executives and associates was high-profile.
[Republican] President Bush received more than $200,000 for his 2004 re-election
campaign, and Ameriquest founder Roland Arnall and his wife, Dawn, contributed
more than $5 million to political organizations that backed the president.
Last year, [Republican] President Bush appointed Mr. Arnall ambassador
to the Netherlands, and his wife took over as chairman of Ameriquest's
parent company. California [Republican Governor] Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's
campaigns received at least $1.4 million, along with stacks of tickets
to a Rolling Stones concert that were used to lure big donors." ... "Last
year, ACC Capital, its [Ameriquest Mortgage Company] parent company, agreed
to pay $325 million to settle regulators' claims that it charged excessively
high mortgage rates and didn't adequately disclose loan risks. Some of
the state attorneys general who signed the settlement, including Greg Abbott
of Texas, received campaign donations from the firm. Utah's attorney general,
Mark Shurtleff, received a $1,000 contribution and Rolling Stones tickets."
... "Ameriquest also handed out Rolling Stones tickets to state legislators
in Georgia, Maryland, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and California,
according to ethics records and local news accounts." ... "Federal lawmakers
didn't pose much of a threat to the subprime industry in recent years.
Members of Congress received at least $645,000 in donations from Ameriquest
and large sums from other big subprime lenders, Federal Election Commission
records indicate." ... "ACC Capital, Ameriquest's parent company, and its
executives gave more than $350,000 to Texas politicians in 2006, including
$100,000 to [Republican Governor] Gov. Rick Perry, according to state records."
-By Glenn R. Simpson -WSJ.com
Alberto
Gonzales - Karl
Rove
- Randy
"Duke" Cunningham
- Criminal
- US
Attorneys - Politics
- Government
- Law
- Hatch
Act - Washington
- 2004
Election - New
Mexico - San
Diego - California
- "Gonzales
could be prosecuted, McKay says." ... "The U.S. Inspector
General may recommend criminal prosecution of [Republican President Bush's]
departed Attorney General Alberto Gonzales at the conclusion of an investigation,
possibly as early as next month, the fired former U.S. attorney for Western
Washington told a Spokane audience Friday." ... "His refusal to open a
federal criminal investigation into voter fraud allegations in Gov. Chris
Gregoire’s razor-thin victory over Republican challenger Dino Rossi in
2004 [election] may be the reason he was fired, John McKay told the Federal
Bar Association." ... "Appointed by President Bush in October 2001 to the
top law enforcement job in western Washington, McKay said he believes he
and seven other U.S. attorneys were fired last December by Gonzales for
political reasons, perhaps with former White House chief of staff Karl
Rove pulling strings." ... "Gonzales “lied about” reasons for the firings
when questioned under oath in July by the Senate Judiciary Committee and
now has hired a lawyer and is refusing to answer questions from the Inspector
General, McKay said." ... "“There was a conspiracy to politicize the Justice
Department,’’ the former U.S. attorney said, “and they did not get away
with it.”" ... "[Former New Mexico U.S. Attorney David] Iglesias has filed
a Hatch Act complaint, alleging Rove and other White House officials may
have violated that federal law in his firing." ... "[Former San Diego,
California U.S. Attorney Carol] Lam has said she believes her firing was
tied her office’s aggressive investigation of Rep. [California Republican
Representative] Randy “Duke” Cunningham, a Republican congressman who later
pleaded guilty to conspiracy and tax evasion." -By
Bill Morlin -SpokesmanReview.com
Microsoft
- Computer
- Search
Engines - Online
- Advertising
- Seattle
- Washington
- "Microsoft
Wraps Up $6B aQuantive Buy." ... "Microsoft took
a major -- and expensive -- step toward solidifying its place in the online
advertising space with its $6 billion acquisition of aQuantive." ... "Completing
its largest acquisition ever, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT)
closed its US$6 billion purchase of digital advertising player aQuantive,
then created a new business unit to encompass aQuantive and its three companies:
Avenue A | Razorfish (Nasdaq: RAZF),
Atlas Solutions and DRIVE Performance Solutions." ... "Formed in 1997 and
based in Seattle [Washington], aQuantive is a veteran and big player in
the online advertising world. However, the price paid by Microsoft is 85
percent more per share than aQuantive's valuation last Friday, before the
deal was finalized." ... "Some observers believe Microsoft was becoming
antsy about getting a foothold in the digital advertising industry, since
[search engines] Google (Nasdaq: GOOG),
AOL and Yahoo (Nasdaq: YHOO)
have already bought, or are buying, online ad entities. Microsoft said
the acquisition shows it is serious about its "increased focus on online
advertising market opportunities."" ... "The size of the deal raised eyebrows
of many observers, as the price was triple the amount Microsoft ever paid
for an acquisition and double what Google is willing to spend on DoubleClick
(Nasdaq: DCLK).
It's also far more than the $680 million paid by Yahoo for Right Media,
an Internet ad exchange and the $435 million spent by AOL on Advertising.com
in 2004." -ECommerceTimes.com
US
- International
- Seniors
- Babies
- Science
- History
- Canada
- EU
- Washington
- "U.S.
now trails 41 other nations in life expectancy."
... "Americans are living longer than ever, but not as long as people in
41 other countries." ... "For decades, the United States has been slipping
in international rankings of life expectancy, as other countries improve
health care, nutrition and lifestyles." ... ""Something's wrong here when
one of the richest countries in the world, the one that spends the most
on health care, is not able to keep up with other countries," said Dr.
Christopher Murray, head of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation
at the University of Washington." ... "A baby born in the United States
in 2004 will live an average of 77.9 years." ... "That life expectancy
ranks 42nd, down from 11th two decades earlier, according to international
numbers provided by the Census Bureau and domestic numbers from the National
Center for Health Statistics." ... "Researchers said several factors have
contributed to the United States falling behind other industrialized nations."
... "A major one is that 45 million Americans lack health insurance, while
Canada and many European countries have universal health care, they say."
... "Adults in the United States have one of the highest obesity rates
in the world." ... "A relatively high percentage of babies born in the
U.S. die before their first birthday, compared with other industrialized
nations." -AP
via -AZStarNet.com
Music
- Entertainment
- Webcast
- Artists
- Free
Speech - Communications
- Media
- Net
- Corporate
- Politics
- Seattle
- Washington
- Illinois
- "Pearl
Jam protests censoring of Lollapalooza webcast: AT&T
says the deleting of Vedder's anti-Bush lyrics was a 'major, major mistake.'."
... "Pearl Jam is alarmed that an AT&T concert website pulled the plug
on their stage politics, but an official with the communications giant
today called the incident "a major, major mistake" that runs counter to
the company's policy." ... "The Seattle [Washington] rock band closed the
three-day Lollapalooza Festival in Chicago [Illinois] last weekend, with
AT&T's Blue Room handling the live webcast. But when lead singer Eddie
Vedder sprinkled one song with some disparaging lyrics about [Republican]
President Bush, a content monitor chose to hit the equivalent of a mute
button." ... "The band, on its official
website, called that decision an example of Corporate America putting
a chill on free speech." ... ""This, of course, troubles us as artists
but also as citizens concerned with the issue of censorship and the increasingly
consolidated control of the media," the band said in the statement. "AT&T's
actions strike at the heart of the public's concerns over the power that
corporations have when it comes to determining what the public sees and
hears through communications media."" -By Geoff Boucher
-LAtimes
Julie
MacDonald
- Government
- Animals
- Justice
- Science
- Politics
- Industry
- Seattle
- Washington
- West
Virginia - "Decisions
on species to be reviewed: Methods of Interior official
who resigned in question." ... "In the wake of the resignation of a [Republican
President] Bush administration official who was rebuked for meddling in
scientists' calls about protecting endangered species, federal officials
on Friday announced plans to re-examine eight decisions influenced by the
disgraced official." ... "Environmentalists labeled the administration's
move a "token effort designed for damage control."" ... "Friday's announcement
by Dale Hall, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, comes less
than three months after the resignation of Julie MacDonald, an Interior
Department official in charge of the wildlife service. She had been chastised
by the agency's inspector general for bullying agency scientists and leaking
information to industry groups." ... "The most recent controversy in the
Northwest involved a Washington, D.C.-based team of [Republican President]
Bush administration officials, including MacDonald, who overruled a panel
of Northwest-based experts and reduced by one-fifth the amount of acreage
protected as "critical habitat" for the spotted owl." ... ""People's bells
should go off when the folks in an agency's regional office are overruled
by political appointees in D.C.," [Seattle, Washington attorney from Earthjustice,
Kristen] Boyles said. "I don't believe the region is always right, but
I believe they are paying attention to the science because they are the
scientists." ... West Virginia Democratic Representative Nick Rahall: ""What
we have learned to date raises concerns about political tinkering with
science that has affected perhaps 100 endangered species-related decisions
-- and goodness knows what else -- that deserve further scrutiny," Rahall
said Friday." ... "Environmentalists noted that Hall was agreeing to review
only about a third of the cases in which misconduct by MacDonald was alleged."
-By Robert McClure and John Heilprin
-AP -SeattlePI.NWsource
Michael
Elston
- Alberto
Gonzales - US
Attorneys - Law
- Politics
- Seattle
- Washington
- Phoenix
- Arizona
- San
Diego - California
- Little
Rock - Arkansas
- "Justice
Dept. Official To Quit: [Michael] Elston Had Role
in Prosecutor Firings." ... "Former U.S. attorney John McKay of Seattle
[Washington] told Congress that on Jan. 17 -- before McKay stepped down
-- he received a call from Elston that he "greatly resented." He said Elston
attempted to "buy my silence by promising that the attorney general [Alberto
Gonzales] would not demean me in his Senate testimony."" ... ""My handwritten
and dated notes of this call," McKay told Congress, "reflect that I believed
Mr. Elston's tone was sinister and that he was prepared to threaten me
further if he concluded I did not intend to continue to remain silent about
my dismissal."" ... "Paul K. Charlton, who was the U.S. attorney in Phoenix
[Airzona], said that he, too, received a call that day in which Elston
offered "a quid pro quo agreement: my silence in exchange for the attorney
general's." Another former prosecutor, Carol C. Lam of San Diego [California],
said Elston accused her of "leaking" word of her dismissal to the press
"and criticized me for talking to other dismissed U.S. attorneys."" ...
"Former U.S. attorney Bud Cummins of Little Rock [Arkansas] also recounted
a Feb. 20 conversation with Elston that Cummins said contained a "threatening
undercurrent" warning that Justice Department officials would retaliate
if he or his colleagues spoke to journalists or volunteered to testify
in Congress." -By Dan Eggen and Amy Goldstein
-WashingtonPost
Secret
- Paul
McNulty
- Michael
Elston
- US
Attorneys - Law
- Politics
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Seattle
- Washington
- San
Francisco - California
- "Justice
Official Says He Was Directed To Call Fired Prosecutors."
... "The chief of staff to Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty
has told congressional investigators that phone calls he placed to four
fired U.S. attorneys -- calls that three of the prosecutors say involved
threats about testifying before Congress -- were made at McNulty's direction."
... "Michael Elston, the chief of staff, told congressional investigators
in a closed-door session on March 30 that McNulty specifically instructed
him to make the phone calls after the Justice Department's No. 2 official
learned that the fired prosecutors might testify before Congress about
their dismissals." ... "At least one member of Congress has questioned
whether the phone calls might constitute obstruction of justice." ... "Elston
said that McNulty directed him to place calls to fired U.S. attorneys Paul
Charlton of Arizona, Bud Cummins of Arkansas, and John McKay
of Seattle [Washington], all of whom said they felt pressured to keep quiet.
Elston also placed a call to federal prosecutor Kevin Ryan of San
Francisco [California], as directed, but did not speak to him. The calls
were placed between January and March of this year -- before details about
the political motivations for the firings became public." ... "On Wednesday,
the House Judiciary Committee made public formal
correspondence from three fired prosecutors who said they thought that
Elston was trying to intimidate them into keeping quiet." -By
Murray
Waas -NationalJournal
20070426
Renzi
- Domenici
- Wilson
- Hastings
- Ariz
- NM
- Seattle
- WA
- 2006
Election - US
Attorneys - Law
- "Renzi
Aide Called U.S. Attorney to Ask About Probe: Chief
of Staff Inquired About Land Deal Investigation; Prosecutor Among Eight
Who Were Fired." ... "The top aide to [Arizona Republican Representative]
Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.) called the office of Arizona's U.S. attorney
about six weeks before the prosecutor was fired, inquiring about a federal
probe into the congressman's role in a land deal that benefited a former
business partner and political patron." ... "The former U.S. attorney,
Paul K. Charlton, told House investigators this week that his office alerted
the Justice Department's headquarters about the call from Renzi's chief
of staff, Brian Murray, because he considered it potentially improper,
according to congressional sources who spoke about the probe on the condition
of anonymity. Justice rules require prosecutors to report contacts from
members of Congress seeking information about investigations." ... "The
incident means that Charlton was the third of eight U.S. attorneys forced
to resign last year who had reported to Justice officials that Republican
members of Congress or their staffs made inappropriate overtures to their
offices about politically sensitive investigations they were supervising."
... "The former U.S. attorney for New Mexico, David C. Iglesias, has told
Congress he felt pressured to speed up an indictment of Democrats during
phone calls last October from [New Mexico Republican Senator] Sen.
Pete V. Domenici (R-N.M.) and [New Mexico Republican Representative]
Rep. Heather A. Wilson (R-N.M.). And former U.S. attorney John McKay of
Seattle has said he was called by the chief of staff to [Washington Republican
Representative] Rep. Doc Hastings (R-Wash.) about a preliminary inquiry
into [2006 election] voter fraud in Washington state." -By
Amy Goldstein and Dan Eggen -WashingtonPost
20070306
Hastings
- Ed
Cassidy
- Boehner
- Ohio
- California
- Washington
- 2004
Election - US
Attorneys - Law
- "Hearing
on U.S. attorney's ouster reveals Hastings' office contacted McKay."
... "During the recount of the hotly contested 2004 governor's race in
Washington state, the chief of staff to [Washington state Republican Representative]
Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., called former U.S. Attorney John McKay to inquire
about the status of any federal investigations into voter fraud, McKay
told a Senate committee today." ... "McKay told the Senate Judiciary Committee
that Ed Cassidy, who now works for [Ohio Republican Representative] Republican
Minority Leader John Boehner, called him "some weeks" following the 2004
election, and after a third re-count had determined that Democrat Christine
Gregoire had narrowly defeated Republican Dino Rossi." ... ""I was told
the purpose of the call was to inquire on behalf of congressman Hastings"
about the status of ongoing investigations of voter fraud, McKay said in
response to a question from [California Democratic Senator] Sen. Dianne
Feinstein." ... "McKay said that he informed Cassidy that the office of
the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington had already asked
the public to contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation with any evidence
of voter fraud, so it could be investigated." ... "Cassidy then began to
ask McKay whether any future action would be taken by the U.S. Attorney's
office with regard to the governor's race." ... ""When Mr. Cassidy called
me on future action I stopped him and I told him I was sure that he wasn't
asking me on behalf" of Congressman Hastings, McKay told the committee,
"because we both knew that would be improper. [Cassidy] agreed it would
be improper and he ended the conversation in a most expeditious manner.""
-By David Bowermaster, Mike Carter and Alicia Mundy
-SeattleTimes.NWsource
20061017
US
- Government
- Money
- Politics
- Legislators
- Election
2006 - TV
- Radio
- Ads
- Washington
- Virginia
- Indiana
- Connecticut
- Iraq
- Afghanistan
- Military
- "Dems
using hourly wage issue against GOP rivals." ...
"Democratic challengers in more than two-dozen House and Senate races are
attacking Republicans in Congress for taking pay raises while voting against
a minimum wage increase." ... "The attacks are contained in television
and radio ads running from Washington state to Virginia. In some races,
such as House contests in Indiana and Connecticut, Democrats also link
pay raises to Republican votes against combat bonuses for U.S. troops fighting
in Iraq and Afghanistan." ... "Most members of Congress currently earn
$165,200 a year; top leaders earn more. That's $31,600 more than in 1997,
when the federal minimum wage was raised to the current $5.15 an hour.
Unless legislators act during a lame-duck session after [2006] Election
Day, lawmakers who will be part of the Congress that convenes in January
will get an automatic 2% raise to $168,504." -By Andrea
Stone -USATODAY
20060901
Washington
- Maryland
- Police
- "McGavick
gave misleading DUI account." ... "A 1993 Maryland
police report, obtained Friday, shows that [Washington state] Republican
U.S. Senate candidate Mike McGavick was less candid than he seemed last
week when he disclosed a previously unknown arrest for drunk driving."
... "For example, in a sketchy, four-sentence description of the incident
on his campaign Web site Aug. 24, McGavick wrote that he was stopped when
he "cut a yellow light too close in 1993" while driving home with Gaelynn,
now his wife." ... "The Montgomery County, Md., police officer who arrested
him Nov. 21, 1993, said in his report that he saw McGavick "drive through
a steady red light."" ... "The candidate, who is running against Democratic
Sen. Maria Cantwell, said in an interview last week that he was issued
a citation but wasn't arrested." ... "But the police report and a police
spokesman Friday said McGavick was placed under arrest, handcuffed, driven
to a district police station and handcuffed to a desk while he was questioned
and signed various forms." -By Neil Modie
-SeattlePI.NWsource
20060706
World
- Fuel
- Ocean
- Animals
- Food
- Science
- Seattle
- Washington
- "High
acidity infiltrates the oceans." ... "Corals and
shelled sea creatures face an uncertain future in oceans made increasingly
corrosive by the industrial emissions that fuel global warming, a government
report warned Wednesday." ... "Human activities, chiefly the burning of
fossil fuels, have upset a natural balance in ocean acidity, concludes
the report called Impacts of Ocean Acidification on Coral Reefs and
Other Marine Calcifiers: A Guide for Future Research." ... "From corals
to sea snails to microscopic plankton, the creatures affected underpin
many ocean food chains, say the authors of the report, a document reflecting
the views of 50 top experts in ocean chemistry. The research was sponsored
by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and other
federal agencies." ... ""We have very clear evidence, and there is no doubt
this is occurring," says report co-author Richard Feely of the NOAA Pacific
Marine Environmental Laboratory in Seattle [Washington]." -By
Dan Vergano -USATODAY
20060608
Global
- Industry
- Climate
- Disaster
- Politics
- Earth
- Environment
- Entertainment
- UN
- Seattle
- Washington
- "Does
Gore overheat global warming?" ... "Al Gore's documentary,
"An Inconvenient Truth," continues to trigger heated discussions about
global warming, as well as Mr. Gore's political ambitions, real or imagined."
... "But how close to the mark is his representation of the science tying
humanity's industrial activity to changing climate aka anthropogenic global
warming?" ... "In short, say several climate researchers, he basically
gets it right, although one can question some aspects of the presentation."
... ""I worry that the movie is a little heavy on disaster scenarios,"
says David Battisti, professor of atmospheric science at the University
of Washington in Seattle and director of the university's Earth Initiative.
Over the course of the coming century, he says, average conditions are
likely to change in ways that should prompt action now; it doesn't require
extreme examples to make the point." ... "After viewing the film, he says,
his impression is that nothing in it "misstated the science in a qualitative
way."" ... "Indeed, his colleague Eric Stieg, also with the University
of Washington, has noted that the film includes research that is only a
few months old and clearly relevant to the discussion - research that won't
appear in the next UN summary of climate science, slated for release early
next year. The newest studies were too late to be included in the next
UN summary, which is published about every six years and widely cited in
public debates." -By Peter N. Spotts -CSMonitor
20060327
Terrorism
- Enforcement
- Environment
- Food
- Civil
Liberties - Free
Speech - Privacy
- Law
- Politics
- 2004
Election - Seattle
- WA
- CO
- "FBI
Keeps Watch on Activists." ... "The FBI, while waging
a highly publicized war against terrorism, has spent resources gathering
information on antiwar and environmental protesters and on activists who
feed vegetarian meals to the homeless, the agency's internal memos show."
... "For years, the FBI's definition of terrorism has included violence
against property, such as the window-smashing during the 1999 Seattle [WA]
protests against the World Trade Organization. That definition has led
FBI investigations to online discussion boards, organizing meetings and
demonstrations of a wide range of activist groups. Officials say that international
terrorists pose the greatest threat to the nation but that they cannot
ignore crimes committed by some activists." ... "The FBI's encounters with
activists are described in hundreds of pages of documents obtained by the
American Civil Liberties Union under the Freedom of Information Act after
agents visited several activists before the 2004 political conventions."
... ""They don't know where Osama bin Laden is, but they're spending money
watching people like me," said environmental activist Kirsten Atkins. Her
license plate number showed up in an FBI terrorism file after she attended
a protest against the lumber industry in Colorado Springs [CO] in 2002."
(1, 2)
-By Nicholas Riccardi
-LAtimes
20051223
Washington
- Microsoft
- TV
- Web
- Business
- "NBC
Universal Buys Control of MSNBC From Microsoft (Update3)."
... "NBC Universal bought a controlling interest in the MSNBC cable news
television channel it created with Microsoft Corp. in 1996, with an option
of getting full ownership in two years." ... "NBC Universal increased its
stake in MSNBC to 82 percent from 50 percent in a cash transaction, Microsoft
spokesman Adam Sohn said today, declining to comment further. Redmond,
Washington-based Microsoft and General Electric Co.'s NBC Universal will
continue to own equal parts in the MSNBC.com Web site." -By
Alex Armitage -Bloomberg
20051213
Washington
- Animals
- Water
- Science
- "Efforts
to protect orcas may have wide impact: Public urged
to comment on the conservation plan." ... "Early next year comes the first
step in determining how much punch the "endangered" label will carry for
the oft-ogled orcas [in Washington state's Puget Sound]. Federal officials
are asking the public to speak up in the next few weeks." ... "But the
agency isn't likely to do anything soon about an expanding whale-watching
fleet, and what orca advocates call a growing underwater cacophony of boat
noise hobbling the whales' ability to find prey and communicate." ... "Orca
advocates want all that dealt with under the new endangered designation,
but that's unlikely, according to Fisheries Service spokesman Brian Gorman."
... "Environmentalists, who had to sue the Fisheries Services to force
the endangered species listing, say that's exactly what they're afraid
of." -By Robert McClure
-SeattlePI.NWsource
Washington
- Gay
- "Spokane
voters oust mayor embroiled in sex scandal: Recall
vote - James West, accused of offering city jobs and other favors to entice
dates, will leave office Dec. 16." ... "Mayor James West was recalled from
office Tuesday in a special election prompted by news accounts that he
offered City Hall jobs and perks to young men he met in a gay Internet
chat room." ... "West, 54, a Republican and former state legislator who
voted against gay-friendly bills, must leave office when the election results
are certified Dec. 16." ... "The Spokesman-Review newspaper conducted an
undercover investigation and reported in a series of articles beginning
May 5 that West visited gay chat rooms on his city-owned computer and offered
internships and other favors to young men he hoped to have sex with." -By
John K. Wiley -OregonLive.com/Oregonian
20051104
Gordon
Smith - Oil
- Money
- Politics
- Wildlife
- Alaska
- Washington
- Oregon
- "Senate
endorses oil drilling in Alaska wildlife refuge."
... "Senate opponents to drilling in an Alaska wildlife refuge failed Thursday
to strip the measure from a massive budget package as supporters of exploration
argued that the oil is needed to help break America of its import habit."
... "Environmentalists, who believe strongly the refuge should continue
to be off limits to oil companies to protect the area's wildlife, had acknowledged
that it was a long shot to get the provision killed and now are concentrating
on defeating the overall budget bill." ... "The Democratic Party of Oregon
issued a statement criticizing [Oregon Republican Senator Gordon] Smith's
decision to vote for a budget package that includes the drilling." ...
""Gordon Smith has again shown the dishonesty of his slick campaign ads
and so-called independence in the U.S. Senate," said Kelly Steele, the
party's communications director. "When the chips were down, Gordon Smith
bowed to the will of the Bush White House, and broke another promise to
Oregonians."" ... "[Washington state Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell:]
"Using backdoor tactics to destroy America's last great wild frontier will
not solve our nation's energy problems and will do nothing to lower skyrocketing
gas prices," Cantwell argued. She dismissed industry arguments that the
refuge can be drilled with little if any adverse impact on the environment
or wildlife." ... "The Prudhoe Bay oil fields, just to the west of ANWR
[Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge] and the Alaska oil pipeline
have resulted in 504 spills a year since 1996 and there's no reason to
assume greater protection in the refuge, maintained Cantwell. " -By
H. Josef Hebert with contributions by Matthew Day
-AP via -kgw.com