Thursday, August 27, 2015

In the news, Tuesday, August 4, 2015


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AUG 03      INDEX      AUG 05
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Information from some sites may not be reliable, or may not be vetted.
Some sources may require subscription.

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from Addicting  Info
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]
from Breitbart
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from The Daily Beast

The Most Generous Bride on Earth: Couple Feeds 4,000 Syrian Refugees on Their Wedding Day
A couple in Turkey swapped out lavish nuptials with their friends and family for the bread line with thousands of Syrian refugees. Last Thursday, Fethullah Üzümcüoğlu and Esra Polat doled out food to 4,000 Syrian refugees for their wedding reception on the border town of Kilis.

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from KOMO News (ABC Seattle)
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from Money Talks News

12 Items You Should Buy Generic (and 4 You Shouldn’t)
Name-brand items often aren’t worth the extra cost. Here’s a list of items you should always buy generic, along with a few exceptions to the rule.

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from RT (Russia Today)
(Russian government-supported propaganda channel)

Monsanto sued over PCB contamination of Spokane River in Washington state

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from The Spokesman-Review

Dye likely will face Democrat for state House seat
Voters in the legislative district south of Spokane may end up with two parties to consider in the battle to replace state Rep. Susan Fagan, who resigned in May. Republican Mary Dye, who was appointed by county commissioners to fill the 9th Legislative District seat soon after Fagan resigned, took the most votes in tonight’s primary with 48 percent. Democrat Kenneth E. Caylor, a former Othello City Council member, is in position to move to the general election to face Dye with his second-place showing of 27 percent. Former Franklin County Sheriff Richard Lathim, a Republican, was in a close third with 25 percent.

Fire District 8 levy passing
A maintenance and operations levy in Spokane County Fire District 8 is passing easily with a 65 percent yes vote. The district covers 110 square miles south of Spokane and Spokane Valley. The levy will allow the district to maintain its current level of staffing as well as add a paramedic at each station 24 hours a day.

Treppiedi takes most votes in Spokane School Board election
Long-time Spokane School Board member Rocky Treppiedi easily topped two challengers in the primary to move to the November election. Treppiedi, who took 42 percent of the vote, likely will face Jerrall Haynes, a staff sergeant at Fairchild Air Force Base, who finished second with 30 percent of the vote. Donald Dover, a former Washington State University administrator, was in third Tuesday night with 27 percent.

Spokane Valley library bond fails
The bond to build a new library in Spokane Valley once again couldn’t pass the 60 percent super majority threshold and is failing with just over 57 percent approval from voters. The bond would have raised $22 million to build a new Spokane Valley Library branch on vacant land across from the old University City Mall, plus a small neighborhood branch on Conklin Road and the remodel of the Argonne Library.

Condon will face Lichty in November election
Spokane Mayor David Condon had the best primary election night of his elected life Tuesday, taking 66 percent of the vote to advance to the Nov. 3 general election. Shar Lichty, Condon’s progressive challenger, came in a distant second with 24 percent of the vote and will face Condon in November.
Council District 1: Incumbent Councilman Mike Fagan handily won the most votes, despite controversial comments he’s made over the last year about vaccines and women serving in the military or working as police officers. Fagan captured 49 percent. The two men who shared the ballot with Fagan – Ben Krauss and Randy Ramos – are separated by just one vote.
Council District 2: The southern District 2 had three candidates running to replace Mike Allen, who is not seeking re-election. LaVerne Biel won with 38 percent of the vote. She will face Lori Kinnear, who finished second with 35 percent.
Council District 3: District 3 voters, in northwest Spokane, gave the day to Councilwoman Karen Stratton, who was appointed to the council when Steve Salvatori quit for work in Texas. She won with 42 percent of the vote. Evan Verduin, a young architect who owns his own firm, came in behind Stratton with 32 percent.
Results of Spokane propositions:
Proposition 1: With more than 80 percent of the vote, this measure allows the city’s Salary Review Commission to set the mayor’s pay as it does that of City Council members and municipal court judges. Proposition 2: Nearly 73 percent of voters agreed to enshrine the city’s Municipal Court in the City Charter, the city’s guiding document that can only be amended by a vote of the people. Previously, the court was described only in the municipal code, which can be undone by a City Council vote.

New fire reported near Bayview
A new fire was reported near Bayview, Idaho, tonight very close to where the Cape Horn fire burned more than a thousand acres and destroyed half a dozen homes last month. The Three Sisters fire is about 50 acres and is burning just northwest of the Cape Horn fire boundary.

3,111 patients treated at free health clinic
Volunteer medical staff treated 1,485 patients on Monday and 1,626 on Tuesday — free of charge — at a pop-up health clinic at the Spokane County Fair and Expo Center. The health clinic event, Your Best Pathway to Health, garnered help from more than 1,600 volunteers. Among them were more than 100 physicians, dentists and ophthalmologists and nearly 300 nurses and hygienists.
Free health clinic continues today at Spokane County fairgrounds
A free health and dental clinic continues today at the Spokane County Fair and Expo Center from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Free medical clinic draws hundreds
Hundreds of people from across the Inland Northwest lined up for free medical, dental and eye care as the Spokane County Fair and Expo Center transformed into a working field hospital.

Man jumps from Monroe Street Bridge, prompting water rescue
A man jumped from the Monroe Street Bridge and survived Tuesday afternoon, apparently plunging into deep water below Spokane Falls before being pulled onto the rocks by a Spokane police officer.

Idaho’s Boulder White-Clouds Wilderness approved
U.S. Senate unanimously approves bill ending 40 years of debate

Fire danger now ‘extreme’ in Spokane County
Fire danger has increased from “very high” to “extreme” in Spokane County, and state officials have tightened safety restrictions across northeastern Washington. The state Department of Natural Resources on Tuesday announced heightened fire danger in Spokane and northern Lincoln counties and Fire Districts 1 and 2 in Stevens County. Fire danger remains “very high” Okanogan and Ferry counties.

GOP loses bid to block Planned Parenthood funds
The Senate blocked a Republican drive Monday to terminate federal funds for Planned Parenthood, setting the stage for the GOP to try again this fall amid higher stakes – a potential government shutdown that could echo into next year’s presidential and congressional elections. The derailed legislation was the Republican response to videos, recorded secretly by anti-abortion activists, showing Planned Parenthood officials dispassionately discussing how they sometimes provide researchers with tissue from aborted fetuses.

Ballots due today for primary election
Nearly four of five voters in Spokane County had not turned in their primary ballots as of Monday. That’s not very good, but it is a bit better than the statewide average, which was below 15 percent.

City begins demolishing Under the Freeway skate park
A backhoe tore down the ramps and rails of Spokane’s Under the Freeway skate park Monday morning, marking the end of the popular-yet-troubled skating destination near Lewis and Clark High School.

Hunting traditions in Africa defended, scrutinized
In 1909-10, Theodore Roosevelt headed a Smithsonian hunting and trapping expedition in Africa that included colleagues who prepared the wildlife he killed for shipment back to America. The former U.S. president and his son, Kermit, shot hundreds of animals. Despite the killing spree, Roosevelt also advocated “a happy mean” between hunting and preserving wildlife sanctuaries, foreshadowing today’s debate on hunting that has become more polarized as poaching and human encroachment have vastly reduced wildlife in sub-Saharan Africa.

Obama emissions plan to head to courts, states
At a White House ceremony Monday, President Barack Obama sought to clamp down on power plant emissions with a federal plan that would attempt to slow global warming by shifting the way Americans get and use electricity. Under the plan, the U.S. must cut power plant emissions 32 percent by 2030, compared to 2005 levels. The Obama administration said it would cost $8.4 billion annually by 2030. Within minutes of Obama unveiling his plan, numerous groups said they’ll sue. Because of the lengthy timeline – states have 7 years to comply – the next president will have ample time to unravel the rules if he or she chooses to do so.

U.S. airstrikes in Syria widen
The White House has expanded its bombing campaign in Syria to help defend a small Pentagon-backed force against other armed insurgent groups or government security forces.

In brief: Storm blows down circus tent, killing 2
Officials say a young man and a girl were killed and at least 22 people were injured when a severe storm blew down a circus tent in New Hampshire.
Stores to pay N.Y., end toy gun sales
Retailers including Wal-Mart, Sears and Amazon have agreed to halt the sales of realistic-looking toy guns in New York and pay over $300,000 in penalties, state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced Monday.
Man accused of murder turns self in
Tremaine Wilbourn, the ex-con accused of killing a Memphis police officer, has turned himself in to federal authorities, ending an intensive two-day manhunt.
U.S.-China N-pact clears Congess
An agreement allowing American involvement in China’s civilian atomic industry is set to be renewed for 30 years despite some stiff criticism from lawmakers over the Asian nation’s record on nuclear proliferation.

Holmes jury keeps execution option
Jurors declined to rule out death for James Holmes on Monday as they moved toward sentencing the Colorado theater shooter. The decision clears the way for one last attempt from both sides to sway the jury, with gripping testimony from victims about their harm and suffering, as well as more appeals for mercy for the man convicted of murdering 12 people and trying to kill 70 more.

Hackers target Trump’s website
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s corporate website was the target of a cyberattack Monday, the same day a celebrity gossip website published an old mobile telephone number for the billionaire. Aides to Trump said hackers were able to access nonpublic pages inside Trump.com, where they posted a tribute to comedian and late-night talk show host Jon Stewart. The aides said the hackers’ entry into a low-level page was not connected to any of Trump.com’s navigational components, compromised no corporate information and was fixed in less than 30 minutes.

Prosecutor says officer panicked before shooting man
A white Charlotte police officer on trial for the on-duty killing of a black man panicked and didn’t identify himself or give any commands before shooting 12 times at the agitated man seeking help in an unfamiliar neighborhood after a car crash, a prosecutor said during opening statements Monday. Any agitation by Jonathan Ferrell was because of the September 2013 wreck, which was so violent he lost his cellphone and had to kick out a window to escape. He gave Officer Randall Kerrick no reason to fear for his life and resort to deadly force, prosecutor Adren Harris said. But an attorney for Kerrick said Ferrell made a number of bad choices after drinking and smoking marijuana following a fight with his fiancee. As officers arrived, he yelled “Shoot me!” Ferrell then charged at Kerrick and two other officers before they could assess the situation and tried to grab Kerrick’s gun when he fell on him after being shot several times, defense attorney Michael Greene said.

U.S.-led strikes against IS kill scores of civilians, group says
U.S.-led airstrikes targeting the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria have likely killed at least 459 civilians over the past year, a report by an independent monitoring group said Monday.

Shooter kills one at Mississippi courthouse
William A. Wells was a former firefighter who had never been in any more serious legal trouble than some traffic tickets – until his mother was shot. Kendrick Armond Brown was facing up to life in prison for felony drug charges under Mississippi’s three-strikes habitual offender law. But it was Wells who Madison County Sheriff Randy Tucker said parked at the County Courthouse around 9 a.m. Monday, got out of his maroon Toyota Tundra pickup truck, walked up to the 37-year-old Brown, and shot him once in the chest with a semi-automatic handgun.

Renewed violence for Turkey, Kurds
In an abrupt reversal, Turkey and the Kurdish rebels appear to be hurtling toward the return of an all-out conflict that plagued the nation for decades, before a fragile peace process was launched in 2012.

Spokane sues Monsanto in action tied to PCBs in river
The city of Spokane has filed a lawsuit against the international agrochemical giant Monsanto, alleging that the company sold chemicals for decades that it knew were a danger to human and environmental health, and is at fault for polluting the Spokane River. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Spokane, is similar to suits filed recently by San Diego and San Jose against the Missouri-based agriculture company for compromising municipal water sources with polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs.

VA center hits wall in recruiting ER doctors
Recruiting emergency room doctors remains a challenge for the Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center, which hasn’t made any progress since December in filling vacant positions. The VA is working with a national recruiter and advertising in outdoor magazines in an effort to entice ER doctors to Spokane, said Ron Johnson, the medical center’s interim director. In the meantime, the VA will continue to offer an urgent care clinic from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, staffed with contract physicians.

Condon sues to keep Envision’s Worker Bill of Rights off ballot
Spokane Mayor David Condon is trying to block the Worker Bill of Rights from appearing on the November ballot just a week after the City Council approved the measure for the ballot. The latest measure put forth by Envision Spokane – the group’s fourth to qualify for the ballot – would amend the city charter to require large employers to pay workers a “family wage,” ensure equal pay for equal work regardless of gender or race, and make it more difficult to terminate workers. The measure would make the rights of a corporation secondary to people’s rights.

In brief: Smoke lowering air health quality
Heavy smoke from wildfires sent Spokane’s air quality plummeting to unhealthy levels over the weekend, but shifting wind patterns appear to be bringing relief.
Harpham loses bid to undo conviction
Kevin William Harpham has failed once again to overturn his 32-year prison sentence for planting a bomb on the route of the Martin Luther King Day march in Spokane in 2011.
CdA teen’s body recovered from lake
A Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office dive team recovered the body of 16-year-old Reginald J. Nault from Lake Coeur d’Alene on Monday.
Dutch Bros., EWU raise $29K for Ken
A fundraiser sponsored by Dutch Bros. Coffee and helped by the Eastern Washington University men’s basketball team collected $29,148 to help a popular radio show host left paralyzed from the waist down. Ken Hopkins, part of the “Dave, Ken & Molly” morning talk show was in a bicycle accident July 13. His injuries have spurred giving from throughout the community that includes about $43,600 from 839 people through GoFundMe.
Body on Rainier is Tacoma man’s
Officials have confirmed that the body found on Mount Rainier last week is that of a 64-year-old Tacoma man who went missing while hiking with his son last year. The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the remains Monday as 64-year-old Edwin Birch, who was reported missing July 12, 2014.
Army looks to add site to fire rockets
The Army is looking to conduct a test to determine whether soldiers can fire rockets at a Joint Base Lewis-McChord training area without causing too much disturbance to South Sound residents.

Judge tosses Idaho’s anti-dairy spying law
A federal judge ruled Monday that Idaho’s law banning secret filming of animal abuse at agricultural facilities is unconstitutional, giving animal rights activists across the country hope that the decision will pave the way to overturn similar laws in other states. U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill found that the law violates the First Amendment. “Audio and visual evidence is a uniquely persuasive means of conveying a message, and it can vindicate an undercover investigator or whistleblower who is otherwise disbelieved or ignored,” Winmill wrote in his 29-page ruling. “Prohibiting undercover investigators or whistleblowers from recording an agricultural facility’s operations inevitably suppresses a key type of speech because it limits the information that might later be published or broadcast.”

DirecTV acquisition lets AT&T offer new package, discount
AT&T customers will save $10 a month and get a single bill for their TV and wireless services under a new package the company is offering after its $48.5 billion purchase of satellite TV company DirecTV 10 days ago.

Business briefs: Pimco says SEC may take action against fund
Investment giant Pimco said Monday the Securities and Exchange Commission may take legal action against its total-return fund. The investment management company said it received a Wells notice, which means SEC investigators are recommending that the agency take civil action against the company.
Family Home Care acquires competitor
Two Spokane in-home care organizations have merged to become one of the largest providers in the Northwest. The deal brings Independent Services Corp., founded in 1993 by Mary Hanna, into the fold of Family Home Care. FHC will now have 325 employees working with more than 500 families providing in-home care for people, including private pay and Medicaid. The employees of ISC have been offered jobs with FHC, according to Jeff Wiberg, president of FHC. The business will move into the Spokane Valley offices where ISC is now located.
Softer demand seen, dropping oil prices
The price of oil is sliding as traders brace for softer demand amid an increase in the number of active rigs and weak U.S. economic reports on construction spending and manufacturing activity. U.S. crude was down $1.80, or 3.8 percent, to $45.32 a barrel in afternoon trading in New York on Monday, the lowest price in more than four months. Benchmark U.S. crude has been declining since reaching a high this year of $61.43 a barrel on June 10. It’s down 15 percent so far this year.
BMW, Audi, Daimler buy map-data leader
Three major automakers signaled their commitment to automated cars late Sunday with an agreement to buy mapping technology from Nokia for just over $3 billion. The three companies – BMW, Audi and Daimler, all German – will each take one-third ownership of Nokia Here, which will remain operationally independent. Here is a map-data leader for car navigation systems. Competitors include Google and TomTom. Companies such as Microsoft, Amazon and Samsung are also customers of Berlin-based Here.

Stocks plunge in Greece
Greece suffered its worst stock market bloodbath in decades on Monday, when it opened after a forced five-week closure, and new data showed a dismal outlook for the bailout-dependent country’s shrinking economy. The main stock index shed over 22 percent just minutes into the opening, as investors got their first opportunity since late June to react to the latest twists in the country’s nearly six-year economic drama. The index closed 16.2 percent lower, with bank shares hitting or nearing the daily trading limit of a 30 percent loss. Collectively, Greek-listed companies lost about a sixth of their market value – almost $8.7 billion.

FDA approves first 3-D printed prescription pill
The Food and Drug Administration has approved the first prescription drug made through 3-D printing: a dissolvable tablet that treats seizures. Aprecia Pharmaceuticals said Monday the FDA approved its drug Spritam for adults and children who suffer from certain types of seizures caused by epilepsy. The tablet is manufactured through a layered process via 3-D printing and dissolves when taken with liquid. The Ohio-based company said its printing system can package potent drug doses of up to 1,000 milligrams into individual tablets. It expects to launch Spritam in the first quarter of 2016.

Puerto Rico misses debt payment
The government of Puerto Rico confirmed Monday that it failed to make a $58 million debt payment in a significant escalation of the debt crisis facing the U.S. island territory. Puerto Rico made a partial payment of $628,000 in interest but could not afford to make the remainder, which was due Saturday, because the legislature did not appropriate the funds, said Melba Acosta Febo, president of the Government Development Bank.

Robert J. Samuelson: Balancing politics, economics tricky

Outside View: Seattle’s recycling crackdown overzealous

CDC’s epidemic predictor makes estimates, courts controversy
Last fall, when Martin Meltzer calculated that 1.4 million people might contract Ebola in West Africa, the world paid attention. This was, he said, a worst-case scenario. But Meltzer is the most famous disease modeler for the nation’s pre-eminent public health agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. His estimate was promoted at high-level international meetings. It rallied nations to step up their efforts to fight the disease. But the estimate proved to be off. Way, way off. Like, 65 times worse than what ended up happening.

Dr. Zorba Paster: Seeking solutions to allergy symptoms

Ask Dr. K: Bowel prep necessary for colonoscopy

Say goodbye to yesterday’s iffy dental implants

Ex-Lions great Farr dies at 70
Retired Detroit Lions running back Mel Farr, who also earned acclaim off the field as one of the nation’s biggest car dealers, died Monday afternoon at age 70, the Lions said late Monday, citing relatives.

Inventor, aviator, mentor Forrest Bird dies at 94
Dr. Forrest Morton Bird’s research in breathing apparatuses for World War II pilots led to the development of the modern respirator, saving countless lives. The 94-year-old inventor and lifelong aviator died Sunday of natural causes at his home in Sagle, Idaho.

Jack Spring, former major league pitcher, dies
Played for seven teams in the majors, coached West Valley to state championship
Jack Russell Spring, a left hander who pitched in the same bullpen as Satchel Paige and against Mickey Mantle before returning home and coaching West Valley to the Spokane area’s only state high school baseball championship in 1978, died on Sunday. He was 82.

Obituary: Davis, Harry
30 Mar 1925 - 1 Aug 2015     Sunset/ Lamont/St. John

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from Tea Party
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]

Wife Of Judge Blocking Pro-Life Videos Is A Proud Abortion Supporter
The federal judge who late Friday granted a temporary restraining order against the release of recordings made at an annual meeting of abortion providers wasn’t just appointed by President Barack Obama, the most extreme proponent of abortion ever to hold the White House. He was also one of President Obama’s top fundraisers, a bundler who raised at least $200,000 for Obama and donated $30,800 to committees supporting him, according to Public Citizen.

LESBIAN MAYOR WHO DEMANDED SERMONS NOW BEING SUED
The openly lesbian mayor of Houston who created a national furor by allowing subpoenas to be issued by the city for the sermons of several area Christian pastors has been named defendant in a lawsuit by some of those same pastors who are alleging civil-rights violations.

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from US Herald
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]
from The Washington Times (DC)

Is Russia preparing to send troops to Syria?
There was confusion coming out of the Kremlin on Tuesday regarding Russia sending paratroopers to help the Assad regime in Syria, a longtime client state of Moscow. Russian news agency TASS initially reported that the commander of Russian airborne forces, Colonel-General Vladimir Shamanov, when asked by a Syrian reporter about Russia sending troops to help the Assad regime battle Islamic extremists, said, “Of course we will execute the decisions set forth by the country’s leadership, if there is a task at hand.”

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from The Western Center for Journalism
(Western Journalism)  [Information from this site may not be reliable.]

Pilots At NYC Airport On ‘High Alert’ After The Mysterious, Dangerous Thing Spotted In Sky
Airline pilots flying into America’s busiest airports are faced with an increasing danger from buzzing drones, as shown by this past weekend’s events in New York City.

Watch: Nation Of Islam Leader Makes Shocking Call To Black Americans- ‘Rise Up And…’
Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan called on his audience to “rise up” and “stalk and kill” those who are “killing us,” if the federal government refuses to intervene.

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