Thursday, April 18, 2013

In the news, Thursday, April 18, 2013


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WED 17      INDEX      FRI 18
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from Fox News (& affiliates)

Police say between 5 and 15 people killed in Texas fertilizer plant explosion, more than 160 hurt
includes video and slide show.

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from Natural Society
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]

Could Lavender Be the Solution to Drug-Resistant Infections?



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from Space.com (& CollectSpace)

The Human Body in Space: 6 Weird Facts

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*from The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, WA)

Police: 5 to 15 people killed in Texas explosion

Fertilizer factory explodes in Texas
Dozens hurt, deaths unknown in blast near Waco

Image leads to hunt for Boston bombing suspect

Gun control backers: Senate defeat won’t stop us

Gauge tells 100-year-old tale
Readings are useful to a wide range of groups

N. Korea sets preconditions for talks

Baucus faults run-up to health law
Rollout will likely be ‘train wreck,’ senator says

Pardon urged for first black heavyweight boxing champ

Budgets could force special session
Legislation on gun control and abortion passed the House but has stalled in the Senate
Lawmakers act on bills, including TCEP ban and alcohol sales

Tuition rising next fall at Idaho universities

Higher percentage of seniors headed toward graduation
(corrected version)

State delays issuing licenses for marijuana until Dec. 1

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In brief:  From Staff and Wire Reports:

Thatcher funeral draws thousands

London – Margaret Thatcher was laid to rest Wednesday with prayers and ceremony, plus cheers and occasional jeers, as Britain paused to remember a leader who transformed the country – for the better according to many, but in some eyes for the worse.

Soaring hymns, Biblical verse and fond remembrances echoed under the dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral, as 2,300 relatives, friends, colleagues and dignitaries attended a ceremonial funeral for Britain’s only female prime minister.

Queen Elizabeth II, current and former prime ministers and representatives from 170 countries were among the mourners packing the cathedral, where Bishop of London Richard Chartres spoke of the strong feelings Thatcher still evokes 23 years after leaving office.

“There is an important place for debating policies and legacy … but here and today is neither the time nor the place,” he said.

Security for the funeral – the largest in London for more than a decade – was tightened after bombings at the Boston Marathon on Monday. More than 700 soldiers, sailors and air force personnel formed a ceremonial guard along the route taken by Thatcher’s coffin to the cathedral, and around 4,000 police officers were on duty.


Kerry sees urgency on 2-state solution

Washington – Secretary of State John Kerry told Congress on Wednesday that any chance of resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by creating a separate Palestinian state may be lost in two years.

The unusually specific prediction was intended to highlight Kerry’s urgency in trying to encourage peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.

“The window for the two-state solution is shutting,” he said. “I think we have some period of time, a year and a half or two years, or it’s over.”

Some Arab officials and peace advocates have warned that continuing Jewish construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which the international community views as illegal, and other factors, would one day make it impossible to create a viable Palestinian state. But specific predictions have been rare from U.S. officials.

Kerry’s warning emphasized the pressure on Israelis and Palestinians, but also on the Obama administration. During a trip to Jerusalem in March, President Barack Obama called upon Israelis to embrace a Palestinian state to guarantee their nation’s future.


Pendleton area makes play for drone testing

PENDLETON, Ore. – Pendleton officials trying to lure manufacturers of drone aircraft to their industrial park say a slowdown in commercial flights and sparse population make their Eastern Oregon site area prime for testing unmanned aircraft.

“There’s not much to hit in the air, there’s not much to hit on the ground,” economic development consultant Steve Chrisman told the East Oregonian.

Chrisman said he and the leader of the local convention center plan a conference in Pendleton in October for drone manufacturers, and they hope to recruit participants at a similar conference in Seattle this week.

Drones have attracted the attention of economic development officials over much of Oregon, and especially in the open areas east of the Cascade Range.

“For dramatic industrial development, it’s probably our best bet at this point,” Chrisman said.

The local airport is underused, he said. The only commercial airline, SeaPort Air, has seen passenger numbers fall by more than half since 2001.


State unemployment drops to 7.3 percent

Washington’s jobless rate in March fell to 7.3 percent, the lowest monthly rate since December 2008.

The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate has been stuck at 7.5 percent for the previous three months, the Employment Security Department said Wednesday.

Statewide sectors making the biggest gains in March were education and health services, up 1,800; manufacturing, up 900; retail, up 500; construction, up 400; and wholesale trade, up 200.

Industries showing the largest job losses in March were government, down 4,600 jobs; professional and business services, down 2,500; other services, down 1,000; financial activities, down 900; and information, down 200.

In the government category, 1,500 of the job losses were in state agencies; 1,300 were in public higher education; 1,200 were in local government, mostly in K-12 schools; and 600 were from federal employment.

County jobless numbers will be released next week.


Japan trade deficit hits record $83.4 billion

TOKYO – Japan’s trade deficit rose to a record $83.4 billion in the fiscal year that ended in March, as exports faltered and costs for imported gas and crude oil rose.

Customs figures released today also showed a deficit for March, the ninth monthly deficit in a row, of $3.7 billion, down from February’s gap.

Exports fell 2.1 percent in the fiscal year from the year before, to $652.4 billion while imports rose 3.4 percent to $735.8 billion. The deficit of $83.4 billion was up 84 percent from the previous fiscal year’s $45.1 billion shortfall.

A sharp depreciation in Japan’s currency since late 2012 has failed to fully offset weak demand for Japan’s exports.
Companies constantly upgrade networks
Investment needed to outpace technology

Global economy worries fuel market downturn

Editorial: Legislature racing past participation by public

Sadly, it was business as usual
Dana Milbank

Justices unanimously toss Nigeria human rights suit
David G. Savage      McClatchy-Tribune

Kings’ fate remains in limbo
Stern expects relocation plans may need two weeks to settle
Bob Condotta      Seattle Times

Landers: River access should be natural part of project

Without financial help, the curtain will fall on Interplayers
Jim Kershner      The Spokesman-Review

Doctor K: Several things may cause burning mouth
Anthony L. Komaroff      Universal Uclick

One-day survey shows how Washington libraries are used
Pia Hallenberg      The Spokesman-Review

Gardening: Though creepy, most spiders can be helpful
Pat Munts

Front Porch: It’s not right that we bury our children
Stefanie Pettit      The Spokesman-Review

Shrine Circus opens today at Spokane Valley Mall

City seeking input on park near University City Mall
Meeting planned Monday on Balfour


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