Cousin Sam: In the news, Sunday, February 22, 2015

WATCH: This new super-hydrophobic metal makes water bounce like crazy
While hydrophobic materials of the past rely on chemical coatings to repel water, this new metal has the property built right into it. This means water molecules will never bond to it, and boy, do they look excited about that.

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from The Spokesman-Review

Small plane crashes in Spokane, injuring pilot
The pilot of a small airplane was critically injured today when the single-engine Piper Malibu crashed east of downtown Spokane. The plane had taken off from Felts Field and went down about 1:30 p.m. just north of East Sprague Avenue at North Erie Street, near the Hamilton Street bridge over the Spokane River.

In a twist, fight for medical pot goes to Florida Statehouse
Republicans lawmakers in Florida who once opposed medical pot are now embracing it, motivated by the strong show of support from voters and worried that another constitutional amendment during next year’s presidential race could drive opponents to the polls.

Idaho puts forward plan to protect sage grouse habitat
The Idaho Department of Lands has put forward a draft plan to protect sage grouse habitat on state endowment land as part an effort to avoid a federal listing of the bird under the Endangered Species Act.

Washington state searches for tax solution to fix crumbling roads
For nearly a century, state and federal gas taxes have been the financial foundation of the nation’s roads. As vehicles become more fuel-efficient and people cut back on driving, however, gas tax revenue has plateaued in most states. The federal gas tax has lost more than one-third of its value to inflation since it was last raised to 18.4 cents a gallon in 1993.

Spokane County records missing a piece of history
A century-old Spokane County mystery rests in clothbound, table-sized books at the state archives in Cheney. Auditor Vicky Dalton discovered a gap in planning documents – about 150 in total – while digitizing old county records a few years ago in partnership with archivists at the Washington State Archives branch on the Eastern Washington University campus. From September 1915 to July 1916, there are no county records for new developments, despite real estate agents at the time reporting housing and building booms in the pages of the Spokane Chronicle and Spokesman-Review.

Shooting protest blocks Pasco bridge
Protesters shut down traffic on a bridge spanning the Columbia River on Saturday evening, as turmoil continued in Pasco nearly two weeks after a controversial police shooting caught on video.

Cyclist attempting world record killed in Thailand crash
A Chilean cyclist’s quest to bike around the world in five years has ended with his death in a road accident in northeast Thailand, police said today. Juan Francisco Guillermo, 47, was hit by a pickup truck and immediately killed Saturday on a highway in Nakhon Ratchasima province. In February 2013, a British couple on a similar round-the-world quest was killed in a road accident in eastern Thailand.

VA’s private health option has few takers
Far fewer veterans than expected are taking advantage of a new law aimed at making it easier for them to get private health care and avoid the long waits that have plagued Department of Veterans Affairs facilities nationwide.

Uprising leaves Texas prison ‘uninhabitable’
As many as 2,800 federal prisoners will be moved to other institutions after inmates seized control of part of a prison in South Texas, causing damage that made the facility “uninhabitable,” an official said Saturday.

Afghanistan, Taliban may begin peace dialogue in March
After more than a decade of warfare, negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban appear set to begin, officials, diplomats and experts said as President Ashraf Ghani declared that peace is closer now than at any time since the war began following the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

Ukraine, rebels exchange POWs
Ukrainian military and separatist representatives exchanged dozens of prisoners under cover of darkness at a remote frontline location Saturday evening, kicking off a process intended to usher in peace to the conflict-ridden east.

Report says Russia planned for invasion of Ukraine
A Russian newspaper claims to have an official government strategy document outlining the invasion of Ukraine that was prepared weeks before the Ukrainian government collapsed last year.

Turkish forces evacuate troops from Syria
Turkey launched an overnight military operation into neighboring Syria to evacuate troops guarding the tomb of Suleyman Shah, the grandfather of Osman I, founder of the Ottoman Empire, authorities said today. TRT television broadcaster said ground troops backed by warplanes crossed into Syrian territory to reach the tomb, just over the border near the town of Kobani. The tomb, once about 22 miles from Turkey on the banks of the Euphrates River, has been moved into Turkey.

Democrats take introspective look
Democrats are struggling to answer a simple question – “What’s a Democrat?” – and must do a better job of explaining their core values to voters, according to a task force formed after the party’s dismal showing in the 2014 election.

Walker: ‘I don’t know’ if Obama loves America
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a leading Republican contender for the White House in 2016, said Saturday he doesn’t know whether President Barack Obama loves his country. “You should ask the president what he thinks about America,” Walker told the Associated Press while in Washington for a weekend meeting of the National Governors Association. “I’ve never asked him, so I don’t know.”

Hundreds mark 50 years since Malcolm X assassination
Activists, actors and politicians gathered Saturday in New York City to honor civil rights leader Malcolm X with a ceremony at the Harlem site where he was assassinated 50 years ago.

Cold temperatures, snow hit storm-weary East Coast
The latest in a seemingly unending parade of snowstorms moved over the East Coast on Saturday, dropping a wintry mix as far south as northern Georgia and potentially causing more headaches for snow-weary New England.

Fear of cross-border measles unfounded
While there are many serious diseases that have moved north to the United States from Mexico and Central America, measles is not one of them. Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras all have measles immunization programs comparable to the United States, making them unlikely sources of the outbreak.

Astronauts string cable 260 miles above Earth
Spacewalking astronauts routed more than 300 feet of cable outside the International Space Station on Saturday, tricky and tiring advance work for the arrival of new American-made crew capsules.

Life insurance scam targets local widows
It seemed simple enough. Shortly after her husband of 46 years died earlier this month, Irene Schell got a phone call from a woman who informed her that her husband had a life insurance policy. But there was a catch. The policy was delinquent, the woman on the phone told her, and Schell would need to pay back premiums of $2,596 to get the payout of $35,000. She was instructed to load the money onto prepaid debit cards purchased at Safeway and send them off via FedEx.

For a song
Album collectors take a spin around KPBX fundraiser to browse and buy
Spokane Public Radio and its three FM stations, KPBX, KSFC and KPBZ, are only months away from moving from their cramped quarters at 2319 N. Monroe St. to the former Spokane Fire Station 3 just down the street at Monroe and Sharp Avenue.

Eye on Boise: School donations bill stalled in House
Legislation proposed by the state Board of Education to extend a popular tax credit for donations to schools has been hung up in a House committee for more than six weeks as a freshman North Idaho lawmaker pushes for amendments.

English fluency gets boost
Oregon non-native speakers gain language skills in less time

Quinaults seek dismissal in lake lawsuit
The Quinault Indian Nation and the state Department of Natural Resources have filed motions to dismiss a lawsuit filed against them in December that challenges the Indian nation’s jurisdiction over Lake Quinault.

In brief: Two teens killed in U.S. 2 crash in Coulee City
A 1994 Honda Civic driven by Auston P. Frye, 17, was westbound on Highway 2 when Frye lost control and the car went off the road and hit a light pole about 8:30 p.m. The car came to rest at the entrance to Coulee City Park. Frye, a resident of Hartline, and one of his passengers, 18-year-old Pedro Huitron of Lind, died of their injuries. A second passenger, 16-year-old Roberto V. Valdovinos of Lind, was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle by MedStar. All three were wearing their seat belts.
Ambulance struck in Moses Lake
An ambulance with its lights and siren on was hit by a pickup truck in Moses Lake on Saturday morning. The driver of the ambulance, 33-year-old Jesse L. Bolyard, and the driver of the 2005 Nissan Frontier, 36-year-old Gricelda R. Farias, were uninjured. A second person in the pickup truck, 42-year-old Candy Farias, was taken to Samaritan Hospital for treatment of her injuries.
Wiring suspected cause of house fire
Old electrical wiring likely started a fire in the 3600 block of East Pacific Avenue about 12:30 a.m. Saturday.
Boeing managers get big bonuses
Boeing next month will give its three tiers of non-executive managers annual bonuses equal to about 12.5 percent, 17.5 percent and 22.5 percent of their salaries, far exceeding the bonuses recently granted to rank-and-file employees.
Man gets 15 years for June stabbing
John W.A. Russell, 26, of Aberdeen, was convicted by a jury earlier this month of first- and second-degree assault after he slit one woman’s throat, nicking a major artery, and then stabbed one of her friends as he tried to intervene.

Workers begin clearing port cargo
Dockworkers along the West Coast began the monthslong task Saturday of clearing seaports of cargo that was caught up in a contract feud between their union and employers. Parked off the Southern California coast is a flotilla of ships bulging with thousands of tractor-trailer-sized containers that hold a shopper’s delight of goods – which already would be on store shelves but for a labor dispute that has disrupted international trade. The leader of the Port of Los Angeles, the nation’s largest, said it would take three months “to get back a sense of normalcy.”

Spin Control: Some bills make the cut and others move closer to legislative oblivion

Cougar surprises man in Clarkston barn

Tommy Chong speaks out on pot
Entertainer, entrepreneur and cannabis celebrity Tommy Chong appeared last week at the opening of Seattle’s CannaCon, billed as the nation’s largest marijuana-related trade and seminar show.

Klamaths: Timberland sale jeopardizes water pacts
The chairman of the Klamath Tribes said the unexpected sale of private timberlands the tribes had hoped to regain to rebuild their lost reservation jeopardizes agreements to settle long-standing battles over water.

New Oregon governor will continue death-penalty moratorium
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said she’ll continue a death-penalty moratorium imposed by her predecessor while she seeks a debate about “fixing the system.”

Editorial: Exports-dependent economy on trade agenda

Kathleen Parker: Ideological certainty not part of ISIS conversation

Smart Bombs: Shift burden to the wealthy

Ryland (Skip) Davis: UW, WSU medical school and vision should be one and the same

In the Garden: Time to get ready for the season

FCC’s plan for net neutrality alarms critics, but it’s nothing new

Mortgage protection programs can’t escape shadow of scammers

BBB Tip of the Week
When buying a used car from a private seller, beware of curbstoning, which occurs when a car seller pretends to be a private seller but is actually an unlicensed car dealer, selling a high volume of used cars. This is illegal in Washington state, though not highly pursued by law enforcement.

Michigan renews emphasis on blue-collar employment
Only a few short years ago, Michigan leaders talked excitedly about diversifying the state’s economy beyond the auto industry, envisioning a Silicon Valley-style workforce that would be less dependent on manufacturing and more invested in technology and green energy. But that dream has collided with a stark reality: Car production is booming, Michigan’s skilled tradesmen are getting older and there aren’t enough qualified people to replace them in a labor pool that has started to shift away from industrial jobs.

Obituary: Pederson, Virgil Anton
15 Nov 1929 - 13 Feb 2015 Usk

Obituary: Corkrum, Cheryl Mae (Douglas)
19 Jul 1945 - 12 Feb 2015 Almira

Obituary: Fowler, Dorothy M.
10 Apr 1926 - 14 Feb 2014 noted sculptor

Obituary: Hays, Gloria D.
16 Dec 1931 - 16 Feb 2015 legal secretary with Brian Hipperson

Obituary: Cannon, Juanita
1 Feb 1917 - 16 Feb 2015 Usk

Obituary: Buchanan, Neil
d. 19 Feb 2015 Creston

Obituary: Roll, Gloria Jean (Purdy)
17 Jun 1932 - 18 Feb 2015 Elk

Obituary: Robinette, Virginia Mae
25 Mar 1927 - 12 Feb 2015

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from Universal Free Press

Global Warming Hoax Unraveling – House And Senate Hearings Into Criminal Data Falsification Will Be Held

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from The Washington Post (DC)

Documents show the expensive tastes of Jeb Bush’s low-key wife

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from WND (World Net Daily)

[Information from this site may not be reliable.]

WHISTLEBLOWER BELIEVES HSBC STILL MONEY-LAUNDERING
Scandal could sink Obama's pick for attorney general

TAXPAYERS: STOP SENDING OUR MONEY TO ANTI-CHRISTIAN NATIONS
New poll shows 2 of 3 want aid cut to persecutors

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Cousin Sam

Saturday, March 7, 2015

In the news, Sunday, February 22, 2015

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