Experts question benefits of fluoride-free toothpaste
Dental health experts worry that more people are using toothpaste that skips the most important
ingredient – fluoride – and leaves them at a greater risk of cavities.
Clarence Page: QAnon: When reality is just too much
“Reality is for people who can’t handle drugs,” according to an old hippie slogan from the ’60s. Today I would update that line to say that reality is for people who can’t handle conspiracy theories.
Sen. Chuck Grassley: I’m ready to work to confirm Kavanaugh. I invite Democrats to join me.
Johnson, Brandt advance in race for Spokane County District Court Judge
Ohio race too close to call – but Trump claims victory
A special congressional election that tested President Donald Trump’s clout and cost both parties millions of dollars in battleground Ohio was too close to call early Wednesday. Trump claimed victory nevertheless. The president took credit for Republican Troy Balderson’s performance, calling it “a great victory,” even though the contest could be headed to a mandatory recount. Democrat Danny O’Connor, trailing in the latest count, vowed: “We’re not stopping now.” The candidates were locked in a razor-thin race, which they will reprise in the general election in just three months. There were at least 3,367 provisional ballots left to be reviewed. That’s enough for O’Connor to potentially pick up enough to force a recount.
Oregon businesses hit hard by cancellations due to smoke
Wildfire smoke in southern Oregon is forcing organizations that are dependent on tourist dollars to scramble for other options. The air quality in Medford and surrounding towns continues to range from “unhealthy for sensitive groups” to “hazardous” levels. The air quality Sunday night in both Medford and Ashland moved into “hazardous” territory, the Mail Tribune reported.
Despite crackdown, immigrants flowing through Arizona border
The Border Patrol’s Yuma Sector has seen a more than 120 percent spike in the number of families and unaccompanied children caught at the border over the last year, surprising many in an area that had been largely quiet and calm for the past decade. So far this fiscal year, agents in the Yuma sector have apprehended nearly 10,000 families and 4,500 unaccompanied children, a giant increase from just seven years ago when they arrested only 98 families and 222 unaccompanied children.
Trump going ahead with taxes on $16B in Chinese imports
The Trump administration announced Tuesday that it will go ahead with imposing 25 percent tariffs on an additional $16 billion in Chinese imports. Customs officials will begin collecting the border tax Aug. 23, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said. The list is heavy on industrial products such as steam turbines and iron girders.
Trump can keep legal reasons for shrinking monuments secret
The U.S. government does not have to turn over documents to an environmental law firm about the legal arguments for President Donald Trump’s decision to shrink national monuments, a judge ruled. U.S. District Judge David Nye said Monday that the records are protected presidential communications. Boise, Idaho-based firm Advocates for the West had sued for 12 documents withheld from a public records request related to Trump’s decision to reduce two sprawling monuments in Utah. Trump also is considering scaling back other
Still raging: Largest wildfire in California history grows
Twin fires in Northern California being treated as one are the largest wildfire in state history and by Tuesday had scorched 455 square miles – nearly the size of the city of Los Angeles. The Mendocino Complex fire north of San Francisco was still growing this week as it broke the record set eight months ago. In December, the Thomas Fire killed two people, burned 440 square miles and destroyed more than 1,000 buildings in Southern California.
Gates says he and Manafort disguised foreign income as loans
Paul Manafort’s longtime deputy told jurors Tuesday how he spent years disguising millions of dollars in foreign income as loans to lower the former Trump campaign chairman’s tax bill. Rick Gates, the government’s star witness, recounted how he and Manafort used more than a dozen offshore shell companies and bank accounts in Cyprus to funnel the money, all while concealing the accounts and the income from the IRS.
OPINION: “Unbiased” media
Thursday’s “Other Voices” article, “It’s time for news media to fight back,” by Alann B Steen, is extremely biased. He mentions Fox News who obviously supports the president but fails to mention that all other media outlets do not support the president. Something like 91 percent of all mainstream media coverage of the president is negative.
Results point to real contest: Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Lisa Brown nearly tied in primary
There’s no doubt now. The race for Congress in Eastern Washington is for real. Out of more than 120,000 votes counted, Republican U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers had a lead of a little more than 500 votes in Tuesday’s primary over Democrat Lisa Brown.
Silver Lake fire near Cheney enters mop-up stage
The worst of the Silver Lake fire burning along Interstate 90 near Cheney is likely over as residents return home and firefighters focus Tuesday on mopping up hotspots. The fast-moving grass-and-brush fire started about 1 p.m. Monday and forced mandatory evacuations for up to 100 homes, which were lifted Monday evening. Fire officials said 55 homes were still in danger, though they didn’t expect the roughly 100-acre fire to grow or spread further, as it was 100 percent lined.
Paul Turner: Yearning for old-fashion polling place
When Washington switched to voting by mail we gained a bit of convenience. But we also lost something. Going to a polling place wasn’t just a symbolic gesture. It was, quite literally, a coming together. It was a small dose of community, even when we are almost unbelievably divided politically. Don’t we sort of need that right now?
Historically, when it’s this hot, Spokane takes notice
Temperatures over 100 degrees aren’t too common in Spokane. Since 1881, Spokane has had about 60 months with temperatures at or above 100 degrees according to records from the National Weather Service. The last four times Spokane had days over 100 degrees was in 2015, which was also a bad year for fires in much of Eastern Washington.
Air quality could remain unhealthy until Friday
Air quality in the Spokane area dipped into the unhealthy range Tuesday and could remain so until Friday as the region became inundated with smoke from area wildfires.
It’s unclear which Democrat will face Joel Kretz for Northeast Washington House seat
Whatever blue wave was seen in other parts of the state, it doesn’t look ready to wipe out long-time Republican state Rep. Joel Kretz, who easily topped three challengers in the primary in the race for a 7th Legislative District house seat. Kretz racked up 63 percent of the vote, while the next two closest candidates, Democrats Mike Bell and Crystal Oliver, drew 16.9 and 15.6 percent of the vote respectively, making the second-place finisher too close to call Tuesday night.
Dave Wilson, Jenny Graham advance in 6th District House race
Democrats may once again have a chance to win seats in Spokane County’s 6th Legislative District. The district, which covers the West Plains and western Spokane, hasn’t elected a Democrat since 2008. But in all three races in the 6th on Tuesday’s primary ballot, Democrats won more votes than Republicans.
Cantwell tops U.S. Senate field, faces Hutchison in November
Three-term Sen. Maria Cantwell is headed for a general election showdown against former GOP State Chairwoman Susan Hutchison after the two finished far ahead of the field in Tuesday’s Washington state primary.
Vets ready for rare efforts to save ailing endangered orca
Experts are preparing rare emergency efforts to administer antibiotics or feed live salmon to try to save a young emaciated orca that’s part of a critically endangered pod of killer whales.
Feeding a wild orca: Inside the practice run to save the ailing killer whale J50
After 5 weeks in a Seattle church, undocumented immigrant says he still has hope
Jose Robles apologizes for his messy room, saying his wife usually helps him keep it clean. For the past five-and-a-half weeks, Robles, 43, has been confined to Gethsemane Lutheran Church in downtown Seattle, where he sought sanctuary in late June to avoid deportation to his native Mexico. It’s here that he awaits word on his other two options: Approval of a U-Visa, which is given to certain undocumented immigrants who are victims of a crime, or a decision by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) to reopen his case. Having worked for 18 years as a painter, Robles says he gets anxious about his current situation.
EPA delists federal Superfund site in Washington state
The Frontier Hard Chrome Inc. Superfund Site at 113 Y St. in Vancouver has been officially deleted from the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Priorities List.
Today’s primary: Seats up for grabs; results open to interpretation
The race for Eastern Washington’s 5th Congressional District will probably draw the most attention around the country as incumbent Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, the fourth-ranking Republican in the House, faces a strong challenge from Democrat Lisa Brown, a former state legislator and university official.
Venezuela president ties opposition leader to drone attack
President Nicolas Maduro went on television Tuesday night to accuse one of Venezuela’s most prominent opposition leaders of being linked to a weekend assassination attempt using drones.
Japan medical school confirms altering scores to limit women
Tokyo Medical University apologized Tuesday after an internal investigation confirmed that it altered entrance exam scores for years to limit the number of female students and ensure more men became doctors.
‘Christopher Robin’ won’t play in China amid government censorship of Winnie the Pooh
For many, the name Winnie the Pooh recalls childhood bedtime stories and Saturday morning cartoons. But in China, the famous honey-hunting bear has become a symbol of resistance. Starting in 2013, memes comparing Winnie the Pooh’s appearance to that of Chinese President Xi Jinping began to circulate on China’s internet.
Ex-Argentina VP Boudou sentenced to prison for corruption
A court in Argentina has sentenced former Vice President Amado Boudou to five years and 10 months in prison for bribery and conducting business incompatible with public office.
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