Beat Update: Roundtable Questions

1. What are your views about Maziar Bahari's arrest and imprisonment in Iran?

2. Are there any reporters or U.S. publications who have done an exemplary job covering foreign affairs?

3.What piece of advice would you give an aspiring journalist?

4.During your decades as a journalist, how has the role of the print journalist changed?

5. What effect do you think the reduction of foreign bureaus will have on journalism?

Documents Story Proposal

According to the NPDES permits for the Potlatch Mill in Lewiston that I received from the EPA's Region 10 office in Seattle, the mill's main pollutant is heat. The mill uses water from the Snake River to cool machinery and pumps that warm water back into the river, possibly disturbing freshwater fish.

This sparked my interest because sources throughout the semester have said the mill operators decided to just pay the fines rather than modify the plant. These effluent discharge levels have been a source of contention for environmentalists for many years so I would like to see if state and federal fines are too low to make any real difference.

Twitter's fate up in the air

Students who fly home for the holidays are turning to a once unlikely source for travel information: Twitter.

Increasing numbers of airline passengers are making traveling less hectic by using the social networking site that allows users to post messages consisting of 140 characters or fewer.

Airlines such as jetBlue, Alaska and Southwest use Twitter to tout low airfare promotions, provide travel tips and answer customer questions. With public relations officials in the cockpit, airline staffers also use social networking sites to monitor consumer complaints and quickly respond to inquiries.

“When twitter started [jetBlue] saw two or three tweets a day mentioning our brand name, but now we see several hundred a day,” said Morgan Johnston, manager of corporate communications for jetBlue.

Johnston participated in a podcast about new media and social networking sites earlier this year with fellow public relations experts from Southwest and Alaska Airlines. The corporate twitterers acknowledged that the site helps airlines connect with their customers, but it cannot solve every problem. For example, it is not a practical tool when customers have complicated concerns such as lost luggage.

“Twitter is the new hot topic,” said Andrea Schwarzbach, a marketing spokesperson for Alaska Airlines.

It provides a two-way conversation for airlines to engage with customers, she added.

Customers, such as WSU freshman communication major Peter Wagner, are discovering new ways to use the site and connect with fellow travelers.

“I never thought about using it for travel,” Wagner said. “It seems like the next step though. People already use it to get news and everything else.”

Wagner said he made six or seven tweets between his flights home for Thanksgiving last week, posting comments about lines at security checkpoints and flight troubles.

While airlines and travelers have embraced Twitter, airport officials have not gravitated to the site yet.

Officials at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport said they still rely on their Web site to inform travelers of flight delays and new vendors in the terminal.

“Facebook and Twitter are something we have kept an eye on, but people are still turning to our web site,” said Sea-Tac Media Officer Perry Cooper. “For the airlines, it is a great opportunity. For us, we have so many different airlines that people go to our Web site and sign up for our e-mail notifications instead.”

With the Holiday travel season approaching, airport officials are expecting increased traffic in the sky and online. About 362,000 people visited the Sea-Tac Web site in December 2008, which is nearly five times as many people compared to the rest of the year, Cooper said.

Airlines are preparing for more twitter followers this December as well.

“There is a strong connection between the number of travelers and the number of tweets we see,” Johnston said.

To accommodate flyers, travel agencies are taking advantage of new media as well. Travelocity has started placing “spotters” in the nation’s largest airports to blog and tweet about travel conditions at each location.

Though Twitter remains in its infancy, the increased use by airlines and passengers proves its fate in the travel industry is no longer up in the air.

Morgan Johnston - (718) 826-7900

Andrea Shwarzbach- (206) 431-7049

Perry Cooper-(206) 787-4923

Peter Wagner- (360) 220-7545

Beat Update Week 13

Environment Or Economy? Obama's Balancing Act by Don Gonyea

Lede:"President Obama's China visit touched on the issue of climate change and cooperation on green energy research. But his weeklong trip to Asia has also brought an acknowledgment that next month's big climate change conference in Copenhagen will not result in a new treaty."


Climate change bill through coal states by UPI

Lede: "Several U.S. senators have a message for their chamber's leaders: The road to a climate change rumbles through their coal-rich states."

Thoughts on the Frontline documentary

Here is a link to a J305 blogpost about the Spokesman-Review's handling of the Jim West investigation.

Algae fuels alternative energy movement

Summary (Nut graph): Fueled by volatile energy prices and growing environmental concerns, WSU researchers are working to turn green algae into the next cost-effective, environmentally friendly energy source.

If WSU researchers are correct, pond scum could be the oil of the 21st century.

Fueled by volatile energy prices and growing environmental concerns, WSU researchers are working to turn green algae into the next cost-effective, environmentally friendly energy source.
“The university is becoming a powerhouse in biomass engineering,” said Manuel Garcia-Perez, WSU assistant professor of biological systems engineering. “No single career was offered in biomass engineering just a few years ago. The fact that we are creating an army of people to build a biomass economy now is incredible.”

That army of people is seen in bioprocessing laboratories across the Pullman campus. Graduate students pace between fermentors and high performance centrifuges that look like large washing machines as they work to find the next generation of biofuels.

Algae emerged as a possible savior for America’s energy problems during the summer of 2008 when oil prices topped $100 per barrel. Fears about corn-based biodiesel products displacing valuable farmland increased food costs, helping propel Algae into the spotlight.

Algae’s quick growth rate and high energy content make it appealing to researchers. According to the Department of Energy, algae may be able to produce 100 times more oil per acre than other biodiesel crops, including corn and soybeans.

WSU students and faculty involved in biomass engineering are working to modify the fatty acid composition of plant oils to act as substitutes for petroleum products, John Browse, professor of molecular plant sciences, said.

The amount of attention and funding for biomass engineering has increased in recent years. Last month, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash, announced that a $2 million appropriation for WSU biofuels projects would be included in a Senate funding bill. The appropriation is intended to spur development in algae fuels and create a partnership between WSU and Seattle-based research group Target Growth Inc.

“This funding will support cutting-edge research that will create jobs and continue to position Washington state as a leader in the clean energy economy,” Murray said in an Oct. 15 press release. “It provides a shot in the arm for Washington state biofuels research, and will help our country move toward cleaner and more efficient energy use.”

Funding is also streaming into algae-fuel research from private donors like Bill Gates and Boeing. In 2007, $32 million in venture capital was pumped into businesses working on algae fuel, and that sum increased to $184 million worldwide in 2008, according to Cleantech Network.

"Industry is coming to us," said Shulin Chen, a WSU biological engineering professor working on algae fuels.

"We have new ideas in all the areas that we're working on," he said. "They're promising, but we can't say it's economical at this point."

Harvesting large quantities of algae, extracting the fatty acids and integrating biofuels into the current energy infrastructure have created problems for researches. About 3.9 billion tons of biomass would be required every year to replace the petroleum resources people use, Norman Lewis, director of WSU's Institute of Biological Chemistry, said.

“We can’t afford to build a new infrastructure,” Garcia-Perez said. “We have to create an infrastructure that is compatible with the current system.”

It is an emerging industry, but unless oil prices return to $100 per barrel for an extended period of time, algae fuels will remain a difficult sell, he added.

Until a shift occurs, WSU biofuel researchers said they will look for new alternatives and offer students “a global vision” of biomass engineering.

“America needs an army of people,” Garcia-Perez said. “Capital will come, but you need the people.”

Sources
Manuel Garcia-Perez-(509)335-7758 (in person interview)

Shulin Chen -(509)335-3743

John Browse- (509)335-2293

Norman Lewis-(509)335-2682

Math Fun Times

1. $7,885

2. 83 percent

3. Mean salary?$ 67,500 Median salary? $40,000

4. It is a one percent difference, but a 20 percent change. It depends on the difference between percentage increase and percent increase.

5. a. 25 percent
b. 33 percent

6. Last year, your property tax bill was $1,152. This year, it rose to $1,275. What’s the percent increase? 11%

7. What’s the mean price? $790,600
What’s the median?$207,000

8. 3

9. Pullman:73.2 per 10,000 people; Spokane: 25 per 10,000 people
They are more likely to be assaulted in Pullman.

10. $150,000

Trend Story Proposals

1. Sustainable Design Programs at WSU

The issue of green buildings on campus has already been exhausted by the class, but it is a pertinent issue across many college campus as universities work to become more environmentally friendly.

2. Biofuel research at WSU

Through research projects in the plant science programs, WSU is working to develop and create renewable and environmentally friendly biofuels. Professors and students across WSU's multiple campuses are working to make the next generation of clean biofuels.

Seymour Hersh's My Lai

Journalists played a seminal role during the Vietnam War by disseminating information that ultimately helped shift public opinion against the conflict. Journalists such as Seymour Hersh, Neil Sheehan, David Halberstram and Michael Herr produced a large body of work chronicling the conflict in southeast Asia.

Some of the most notable works of reporting from this era are Seymour Hersh’s three articles, originally published in the St. Louis Dispatch, concerning the My Lai Massacre.

As informative as Hersh’s pieces are, they seem to barely scratch the surface of the event.

An inordinate amount of time is devoted to William Calley throughout the three articles. Though Calley played a large role in the killings, Hersh makes several fleeting references to more senior officials. Calley appears to be little more than a scapegoat in the event.

There is also a lack of clear chronology in the second article that pieces together the conflicting accounts of the incident. The reader understands how many soldiers partook in the massacre, how they did it and why, but it is not until the final article when Paul Meadlo describes Calley's actions on that day that the reader begins to understand what transpired. Until that point, readers have a vague notion of what happened and are forced to piece together the events themselves. Hersh' s use of Rashomon storytelling would have been fine if each of the accounts helped create one clear picture.

Peer Edit

1. The 2,800 square-foot four-bedroom house will be built on a concrete foundation.

2. Carlton, owner of Palouse Synergy Systems, believes Eastern Washington could be transformed into a renewable energy leader if people understood the benefits.

3. “I got a double with a full bath,” said John Gardner, WSU Vice President of Economic Development and Global Engagement. “I lived in Gannon-Goldsworthy for two years, and then I switched over here — [this is a] huge difference.”

4. PCEI leaders are hoping to offer workshops like the artists’ studio roof, so locals value and know how to (implement sustainable techniques)[what does this jargon mean], she said.

5. “The new dorm is likely to receive the silver rating,” Gardner said.

“Everything we do has a consequence,” Englund said about sustainability methods, consumption and ecological footprints. “We just have to be aware of the butterfly effect.”

6. He also raises money for student scholarships.

7. She said she has been ostracized in her dorm, and if things keep going like they are she might move to another hall.

8. Though helping to improve Pullman’s atmosphere, SEL does not make Pullman immune from the recession.

Palouse Synergy Systems helps homeowners reduce energy costs (Revised)

From the mangrove-choked shores of Liberia to the wheat fields of Eastern Washington, Michael Carlton’s attempts to provide the public with energy-efficient homes and renewable energy have encountered resistance.

Carlton, owner of Palouse Synergy Systems, believes Eastern Washington could be transformed into a renewable energy leader if people understood the benefits.

“There is not enough of a market, because people don’t know what an energy audit or renewable energy would do for them,” Carlton said.

A home retrofit market that could help Americans reduce energy bills has been hindered by the lack of financing, quality information and workers like Carlton, according to a report released Oct. 18 by the White House.

His passion for helping others find sensible solutions for their energy problems started far from the rolling hills of Palouse, Wash. In 2007, while working as an internal affairs officer for the United Nations in Africa, Carlton tried to convince American diplomats to build wind turbines off the coast of Liberia. His request was greeted with skepticism. Instead, Carlton watched the shores of Liberia become proliferated with oil derricks.

“It would have been perfect, perfect,” Carlton said.

Seeing an unstable country suffer under the brutal reign of warlord Charles Taylor as it continued down the path of oil dependence was disconcerting for Carlton.

When he returned to his home in Palouse in June 2007, he decided a career change was needed.
After spending more than two decades as a police officer, he retired and started to read extensively about renewable energy.

“I was coming up on 50 years old," Carlton said. "I didn’t want to walk foot beats anymore.”
He built a wind turbine and started talking to neighbors about their energy needs. What started as a hobby quickly grew into a new business.

As the owner and operator of Palouse Synergy Systems, Carlton works closely with customers to locate wasteful energy habits and design flaws in homes. After an initial inspection, he makes recommendations that may include replacing windows or purchasing a solar hot water system.

“For a fraction of the cost of a renewable energy system, you can fix the house,” Carlton said. It’s easier to fix the house than it is to throw more energy at it.”

An energy audit performed by Palouse Synergy Systems can isolate enough energy problems in a home to reduce electricity costs by 25 to 40 percent, he added.

Though Carlton emphasizes conservation, he admits that wind energy is becoming more practical and that he would like to diversify his business by becoming a certified wind turbine installer.

His interest in wind energy is apparent to local residents when they drive south of town. Perched on a hill overlooking Palouse is Carlton’s home and a 120-foot tall Jacob’s wind turbine that generates 2,000 kilowatt hours of electrical power annually. For an average residence that uses 11,000 kilowatt hours every year, a wind turbine similar to Carlton’s could reduce electricity costs by 18 percent. Carlton also retrofitted his home with a solar water heating system that can reduce water heating bills by as much as 80 percent.

Avista Utilities spokesman Hugh Imhof said Avista has very few customers who can afford to retrofit their homes like Carlton.

“It takes 20 or 25 years before a $40,000 solar panel starts to save the customer money,” Imhof said.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provided tax incentives for individuals to invest in energy-efficient products. According to the Internal Revenue Service, homeowners can now earn a $1,500 tax credit for making energy efficient improvements to their home.

Gwen Nolan, co-owner of Nolan’s Heating and Air, said residential home retrofits, including wind turbines, are becoming more popular because customers are using the federal stimulus money to defray costs.

Carlton is one step closer to erecting more wind turbines on the Palouse because the Whitman County Planning Commission approved a wind energy ordinance on Oct. 8.

“There are those who want to keep the status quo,” Carlton said at a Sept. 17 meeting of the county commissioners. “People who think we can just keep on keeping on, and people who think that because this is not a perfect step, we should not take it at all. History shows us that not only should we move beyond this type of thinking, but that we must.”

Though he was glad to see the wind ordinance pass, Carlton knows he still has work to do.

Watching the blades of his wind turbine slice through the air, Carlton explained why he became an advocate for wind energy.

“We can ask that others level mountains, drill holes and crawl through tunnels in the Earth to bring us energy or we can bear the very slight burden of turbines on our Palouse,” he said.

Ideas for Public Records Requests

1.Toxic Release Inventory
The EPA collects data from companies concerning what pollutants they emit in a given year. Though not every company complies with the EPA, these reports exist on the federal and state level and could illuminate what pollutants are entering the environment and where they are coming from.

Contact Info: Diane Fowler Toxics Release Inventory Coordinator Washington State Department of Ecology Hazardous Waste and Toxics Reduction Program
P.O. Box 47659Olympia, WA 98504-7659
Office: (360) 407-6171

2.Possible documents that could be obtained concerning the Hanford radioactive waste clean up:

A. The Washington Department of Ecology has conducted several studies concerning the clean up of Thorium along the Columbia River.
B. The Government Accountability Office released a report earlier this month outlining why the clean up costs have exceeded original projections. Acquiring a copy of this report could be used to find out why the clean up has lasted so long.

Blog Fun Times

1. a. Under Top Searches, identify the most frequent records searches in July, August and September of this year.

July 2009:ufo

August 2009: ufo

September 2009: guatemala

b. Lithuania

2. Drastic swings in test scores lead to questions of cheating
Historical records used to identify forgotten lead smelter

3. SPLC’s Automated FOI Law Request Generator

4. NO

5.2008 Inspector General’s report on unethical behavior at the Interior Department

Palouse Synergy Systems helps homeowners reduce energy costs

From the mangrove-choked shores of Liberia to the wheat fields of Eastern Washington, Michael Carlton’s attempts to provide the public with energy-efficient homes and renewable energy have encountered resistance.

Carlton, owner of Palouse Synergy Systems, optimistically speaks about how Eastern Washington could be transformed into a renewable energy leader if people understood the benefits.

Carlton said, “There is not enough of a market, because people don’t know what an energy audit or renewable energy would do for them.”

A home retrofit market that could help Americans reduce energy bills has been hindered by the lack of financing, quality information and workers like Carlton, according to a report released Oct. 18 by the White House.

His passion for helping others find sensible solutions for their energy problems started far from the rolling hills of Palouse, Wash. In 2007, while working as an internal affairs officer for the United Nations in Africa, Carlton tried to convince American diplomats to build wind turbines off the coast of Liberia. His request was greeted with skepticism. Instead, Carlton watched the shores of Liberia become proliferated with oil derricks.

“It would have been perfect, perfect,” Carlton said.

Seeing an unstable country suffer under the brutal reign of warlord Charles Taylor as it continued down the path of oil dependence was disconcerting for Carlton.

When he returned to his home in Palouse in June 2007, he decided a career change was needed.

After spending more than two decades as a police officer, he retired and started to read extensively about renewable energy.

“I was coming up on fifty-years old, Carlton said.” I didn’t want to walk foot beats anymore.”

He built a wind turbine and started talking to neighbors about their energy needs. What started as a hobby quickly grew into a new business.

As the owner and operator of Palouse Synergy Systems, Carlton works closely with customers to locate wasteful energy habits and design flaws in homes. After an initial inspection, he makes recommendations that may include replacing windows or purchasing a solar hot water system.

“For a fraction of the cost of a renewable energy system, you can fix the house,” Carlton said. It’s easier to fix the house than it is to throw more energy at it.”

An energy audit performed by Palouse Synergy Systems can isolate enough energy problems in a home to reduce electricity costs by 25 to 40 percent, he added.

Though Carlton emphasizes conservation, he admits that wind energy is becoming more practical and that he would like to diversify his business by becoming a certified wind turbine installer.

His interest in wind energy is apparent to local residents when they drive south of town. Perched on the top of a hill overlooking Palouse is Carlton’s home and 120-foot tall Jacob’s wind turbine that generates 2,000 kilowatt hours of electrical power annually. For an average residence that uses 11,000 kilowatt hours every year, a wind turbine similar to Carlton’s could reduce electricity costs by 18 percent. Carlton also retrofitted his home with a solar water heating system that can reduce water heating bills by as much as 80 percent.

Avista Utilities spokesman Hugh Imhof said Avista has very few customers who can afford to retrofit their homes like Carlton.

Imhof added, “It takes 20 or 25 years before a $40,000 solar panel starts to save the customer money.”

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provided tax incentives for individuals to invest in energy-efficient products. According to the Internal Revenue Service, homeowners can now earn a $1,500 tax credit for making energy efficient improvements to their home.

Gwen Nolan, co-owner of Nolan’s Heating and Air, said residential home retrofits, including wind turbines, are becoming more popular because customers are using the federal stimulus money to defray costs.

Carlton is one step closer to erecting more wind turbines on the Palouse because the Whitman County Planning Commission approved a wind energy ordinance on Oct. 8.

Speaking to the commission on Sept. 17, Carlton said: “There are those who want to keep the status quo. People who think we can just keep on keeping on and people who think that because this is not a perfect step, we should not take it at all. History shows us that not only should we move beyond this type of thinking, but that we must.”

Though he was glad to see the wind ordinance pass, Carlton knows he still has work to do.

Watching the blades of his wind turbine slice through the air, Carlton explained why he became an advocate for wind energy.

Reiterating the speech he gave to the commission, he said, “We can ask that others level mountains, drill holes and crawl through tunnels in the Earth to bring us energy or we can bear the very slight burden of turbines on our Palouse.”

Sources

In-person interview: Michael Carlton (509) 338-5889

Gwen Nolan -(509) 397-6944

Hugh Imhof -(509) 495-4264

Attempted to contact Paul Kimmel (Avista Regional Manager for the Pullman/Moscow area)

Beat Update Week 9

E.P.A. Clears Way for Greenhouse Gas Rules

Lede: "The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday formally declared carbon dioxide and five other heat-trapping gases to be pollutants that endanger public health and welfare, setting in motion a process that will lead to the regulation of the gases for the first time in the United States."

Obama Administration Will Remove Barriers to Home Energy Retrofits

Lede: "The emergence of a home retrofit market that would increase energy efficiency and cut home energy bills has been hampered by lack of access to reliable information, financing and skilled workers, finds a new report released today by Vice President Joe Biden."

Public Records

Page 1. On June 16, 2006, the Seattle P-I requested records on Enrique Fabergas. Who is Enrique and what records did the journalists find?

Fabregas was a convicted sex offender who was able a foster parent.
Social services should have a file

Page 2. In February of 2005, The Spokesman-Review requested access to something called BART, which was overseen by something called the “Mitigating Circumstances Review Board.” Find the news story that resulted from this request.

Page 3. This is an internal records release form. How is this different from a public records request?
It is not a public records release form because it concerns a private entity.

Page 4. This is the agency’s response to a records request. What does RCW 13.50.100 say about public records?
It covers "records not relating to commission of juvenile offenses — Maintenance and access — Release of information for child custody hearings — Disclosure of unfounded allegations prohibited."

Page 5 through 9. Review the pages.

a. It’s actually the same two-page report with two copies in the state records system. Why two copies?

b. What is the priest’s account of how the boy lost a 4-inch clump of hair?

c. What are the alleged and acknowledge forms of corporal punishment at the home?

d. Why are notes written on the page but not included in the body of the report? Can you use those if they aren’t in the official report?

Yes, they can be used.

e. The ‘Incident Report’ page has been labeled ‘draft.’ Why was it released?

f. Why is a routing slip included in the report? Find the RCW that requires the release of this slip. All notes are incorporated into the report.

g. Who or what precipitated this investigation?
The mother filed a complaint and a counselor at Morning Star made allegations concerning abuse at the facility.

h. Finally, here’s the story that resulted in 1978. Why did the state refuse to release the report in 1978? The state refused because of confidentiality.

Census data

I. State and local

a. Using the online resource www.census.gov, answer the following questions:

1. What’s the population of Whitman County? 41,664
2. Percent white? 86.6%
3. Percent with bachelor’s degree? 44.0%
4. Median household income? $36,538
5. Persons below poverty? 26.7%



II. Drilling down into Census data: Housing


1. Find the annual construction costs for building permits for Pullman from 2004 to 2008. Report it for each individual year.
2008-$14,007,013
2007-$31,922,839
2006-$34,549,367
2005- $40,062,508
2004- $21,793,767

2. What’s the most current construction cost for 2009? (Obviously the annual report isn’t yet available so look for the most recent month.)
August 2009- $7,170,166


IV. Health Care in Whitman County
’

1. Which two counties have the highest percent of uninsured people?
San Juan County, Whitman County,

2. What’s the percentage in Whitman County? 29.2%


V. Population

Is Whitman County’s population growing? Let’s look at population trends.

1. Type “Whitman County population” into Google Uncle Sam. Which federal or state agency comes up first in the Google list?

2. Click on the first listing, which takes us to the Office of Financial Management’s profile of the county.

3. On the profile page, click on “Population, Change, Marriages and Divorce.”

a. What’s the total population change in Whitman County from 2000 to 2007, according to OFM?
1,960
b. What’s the natural increase?
1,324
c. Explain the difference between “total change” and “natural change.”
Natural change is the difference between the number of births and deaths in a year



5. Choose the second result, which should take you to Whitman County page.

6. Under General Information, click on “Whitman County Overview from the Choose Washington website.” (Should be Web site, right?)

7. Under “County Data,” click on Population.

a. Based on this projection, how many people will live in Whitman County in 2025?


Whitman County Agenda

1. The Web site www.whitmancounty.org provides the agendas and minutes for the meeting of the county’s commissioners. Navigate to the commissioners’ page.


2. Open the current agenda.

a. According to the agenda, what meeting will be held on Thursday, Oct. 15, at 2 p.m.? Palouse Basin Aquifer Committee meeting.
3. Review the minutes from the Sept. 21, 2009, meeting. Find the H1N1 report.

a. How many confirmed cases in Whitman County? 4
b. How many doses of vaccine will be available in Washington state?
360
c. How many in Whitman County?
d. What is Dr. Moody’s suggestion on how to distribute?
Moody suggests
e. Write a lede based on this information.

Profile Story Ideas

1. Business Profile: Plummer Forest ProductsPlummer, Idaho is a quaint, rustic community highly dependent on Plummer Forest Products. More than 10,000 logs pass through the mill everyday, keeping the town's economy alive. An article depicting the daily operations of Plummer Forest Products and the lives of its employees would serve as a representation of the hundreds of other local businesses struggling to weather the economic decline.

2. Business Profile: Boyer Park Marina
The Boyer Park Marina is located only a few hundred yards from the Lower Granite Dam, which has been singled out for possible dam breaching. Talking to the owners and finding how changes in the flow regime of the river would affect their business would provide another angle to my previous works on dam removal.

3. Business Profile of Palouse Synergy Systems and its owner Michael Carlton.
Palouse Energy Systems has received media attention due to its involvement with the recent Whitman County wind ordinance. Finding out why Carlton started his business in Eastern Washington and how he hopes to make local communities more environmentally sustainable would shine light on the ever growing green movement.

Beat Update Week 8

Oregon dam's demise lets the Rogue River run
The removal of the Savage Rapids Dam on the Rogue River near Grants Pass, Ore. could be the first in a series of dam breachings in the Pacific Northwest. If the 20th century was the era of dam building, then the 21st century might be the era of dam breaching.

Alternative Energy Projects Stumble on a Need for Water
The residents of Amargosa Valley, Nev. always had to work to maintain their water supply. Living in a rural corner of one of the nation's driest states, Amargosa Valley residents were elated when Solar Millennium, a German energy company, decided to build two large solar farms in their community. However, the town fell prey to its Achilles' heel: no water.

"Is it libelous?"

1. “Up until the day he died, he was a brilliant writer. But the drugs made him a thief, a pimp and a liar,” said friend Karen Smith, who was with Johnson at the time of his death.
No, this is not libelous. The reporter is merely incorporating someone's opinion into the article.
Some corroborating evidence would have to be used, but because the man is dead and was probably a public figure makes it difficult for his estate to sue the writer for libel.

2. “Megan Fox is a man!” Headline on Weekly World News Web site
Though the headline is a slightly malicious attack, the Weekly World News Wed site is a tabloid and most people do not take these stories seriously.

3. “In my opinion, Kevin is a murdering rapist.”
This could be proven libelous in a court of law. Prefacing the remark with "in my opinion" does not shield the reporter from libel claims.

Beat Update Week 7

Apple quits U.S. Chamber of Commerce over global warming views
By Dana Hall

Lede: "Adding momentum to the revolt against the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Apple on Monday resigned from the business group because of its opposition to federal efforts to limit greenhouse gases."


Obama Gives Federal Agencies 90 Days to Set Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets
By Stacy Morford

Lede: "For the first time, the U.S. government is under orders to do what scores of businesses and cities have already done to bolster their bottom lines: Set targets for reducing its greenhouse gas emissions."

Colton farmers fear dam removal

COLTON, Wash. -- Like many farmers in Eastern Washington, the words “dam removal” bring a look of unease to Mike Sodorff’s face.

Staring at land that has been in his family for more than four generations, Sodorff said, “It is just crazy to think of taking out the dams.”

At times, he said he wishes the issue would just go away.

However, when he heard the Obama administration had ordered the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to conduct studies last month on removing the four dams on the lower Snake River, his worries returned.

Sodorff is one of many farmers in the rural farming community of Colton who are held hostage by the omnipotent threat of dam removal. With a population of approximately 394 people and an economy reliant on Washington State University and agriculture, the well being of many families in Colton rises and falls with fluctuating grain prices.

In the rolling wheat fields of the Palouse, the Snake River is more than just a river: It is a direct route to world markets. Barges shuttle grain downriver to Portland at rates that cost the average farmer half as much as hauling it by rail, according to analysis conducted by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Charlie Keller, communications director for Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash, said the loss of barge traffic caused by removing the dams would have to be made up elsewhere.

Farmers, like Sodorff, who transport their wheat to Lewiston where it is loaded on barges and hauled to Portland, would have to find a different way of getting their crops to market. If the dams were breached, farmers said it would increase shipping costs, reduce land values, bankrupt smaller farms and turn some farming communities into ghost towns.

Despite strong wheat prices in recent years, farmers said dam removal would be detrimental to their business. According to a highly debated 1999 study by the Army Corps of Engineers, shipping costs would increase by as much as 35 cents per bushel. Such increases would cut earnings from a typical 2,500-acre dry land wheat farm by 44 percent.

Finding alternative methods of getting their product to market would prove problematic for farmers. Without the dams, grain would have to be trucked or carried by rail to Pasco or all the way to Portland, placing an extra burden on farmers who said they are not prepared for the change.

“It already costs us too much to get our crops to Lewiston,” Colton farmer Robert Bauer said, “Our roads are not very good anyway.”

The rows of perfectly manicured lawns in Colton are filled with yard signs for local realtors and District 9 State Representative Republican candidate Susan Fagan.

Sodorff said he had never placed a candidate’s sign in his front yard before, but made an exception for Fagan. The Republican candidate has made numerous statements against dam breaching.

When it comes to protecting his business interests, Sodorff said, “You cover your ass and try to elect the right people.

“I don’t think the westsiders understand what it takes to raise a bushel of wheat and get it to market,” he said. “If they need a loaf of bread or a bag of noodles they just go to the store.”

As his dog Dixie curls around his legs, Sodorff added,“I would have loved to have my sons take over, but I’m not sure what will happen.”

Sources
Mike R. Sodorff: (509) 595-2501

Robert G. Bauer: (509) 710-9700

Charlie Keller (Communications Director for Rep. Doc Hastings): (202) 225-3251


Outline:

1. Describe Sodorff on his farm. (Details)
-Use one his quotes early
2.Explain why dam removal is being considered
3.Describe Colton and the local farmers
4. Transportation costs
5. Adverse effects on farmers
6. Alternatives
7. Work back to Colton and Bauer's quotes
8. Mention fisherman by the Lower Granite Dam.
9. Ending: Close with Sodorff's comments about his farm

Bishop Welsh

The release of a 16-year-old police report reveals Bishop Lawrence Welsh, whom



According to the report, Catholic Bishop Lawrence Welsh was investigated in September 1986 for involvement in an alleged sex crime that occured in a Chicago hotel. Welsh admitted to being in Chicago at the time of the incident, but initiallly denied any wrongdoing. Upon further questioning, Welsh admitted to engaging in a sexaul act, but denied using force against the man.

Enterprise Story Ideas

1. A follow-up to my previous article on the removal of the Snake River dams.
I would like to interview an Eastern Washington farmer and try to explain the issue through his story. Viewing the world through his eyes would add a new perspective to this highly politicized issue.

2. Business Profile: Plummer Forest Products
Plummer, Idaho is a quaint, rustic community highly dependent on Plummer Forest Products. More than 10,000 logs pass through the mill everyday, keeping the town's economy alive. An article depicting the daily operations of Plummer Forest Products and the lives of its employees would serve as a representation of the hundreds of other local businesses struggling to weather the economic decline.

Attribution exercise

1. “Mary is trying hard in school this semester,” her father said.

2. Early in the show, Steven Wright asked, “How do you tell when you're out of invisible ink?”

3. Did Steven Wright say, “If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you”?

4. “No,” the taxi driver said, “I cannot get you to the airport in 15 minutes.”

5. Gov. Peterson said she will support a tax increase this session. "Without it, schools will close," she said.

6. “My favorite line is when Jerry Seinfeld said, ‘My parents didn't want to move to Florida, but they turned sixty and that's the law,’” Smitty said.

7. My French professor said my accent is "abominable."

8.“Is Time a magazine you read regularly?” she asked.

9. When did Roosevelt say, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself”?

10. “Can you believe,” Dot asked me, “That it has been almost five years since we've seen each other?”

Beat Update Week 6

Superbug found at five beaches in Pacific Northwest
Due to the appearance of MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphyloccus aureus, on five Washington beaches, researchers at the University of Washington are recommending that tests be conducted on several Canadian beaches.

Students Call for Global Warming Solutions
Grassroots student groups are mobilizing across the nation, lobbying members of congress to vote for the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES), which would establish a framework for regulating greenhouse gas emissions.

Obama proposal considers dam breaching

In his first attempt at restoring dwindling salmon populations throughout the Columbia River Basin, President Barack Obama submitted a revised recovery plan to U.S. District Judge Joseph A. Redden on Sept. 15, reigniting one of the fiercest environmental debates in the Pacific Northwest.

The revised plan, called a “biological opinion,” leaves many of the Bush administration’s policies intact, but contains a contingency proposal that could lead to removing four dams on the Snake River if salmon populations “precipitously decline.”

Drawing criticism from both sides of the highly contested issue, Obama administration officials said the $10 billion plan was biologically and legally sound.

Farmers in the wheat fields of the Palouse and Republican congressmen in Washington D.C. expressed concerns about the economic impact dam removal would have on rural farmers who rely on the dams for irrigating their crops. Preliminary analyses conducted by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer suggest that removing the dams and the loss of barge traffic would have a combined cost of $100 million annually.

“Dam removal would have a disastrous impact on Eastern Washington,” Destry Henderson, a spokesperson for Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (R-Wash.), said. “Entire towns would become ghost towns.”

Built between 1962 and 1975 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the four dams (Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose and Lower Granite) provide hydroelectric power and make Lewiston an accessible seaport. The dams produce 1,136 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 5 percent of the region’s annual energy needs, according to a 2000 National Resources Defense Council report.

“The Snake River dams light our state with clean, green renewable energy and have been the lynchpin of our economy since they were first built,” McMorris-Rodgers said last Tuesday in a news release. “They’re carbon neutral, salmon-safe and critical to our state’s economy.”

Environmental advocates, including the Save Our Wild Salmon coalition, expressed disapproval at Obama’s plan because it does not take immediate action to explore dam breaching.

“This new plan is the very same plan proposed by the Bush administration,” Natalie Brandon, communications director for Save Our Wild Salmon, said. “They are working very hard trying to get by on the bare minimum.”

“People are very entrenched on this issue,” Brandon said, “but others would like to have a real discussion.”

Edward Weber, a professor of public policy at WSU, said the firestorm of debate is not just about the salmon population or the four dams on the Snake River.

"If you start taking the [the dams] out, some people think every district will lose their dams,” Weber added. “People do not want to open that door.”

“This issue will never be dead,” he said. “Environmentalists will not let it die.”

“Opening the door to dam removal even just a crack would incite dam removal extremists to keep fighting and divert time, attention and resources away from real solutions.” Rep. Doc Hastings (R-Wash.) said in a press release.

Charlie Keller, communications director for Hastings, said now that dam removal is back on the table, it looks like the Obama administration is trying to appease environmental extremists.

“The current recovery efforts are working,” Keller said. “Salmon numbers are at record highs.”

The series of dams on the Snake River are not the only obstacles faced by the fish during their migration. Though habitat loss and climate change have taken a toll on the native fish population, dam breaching remains the most controversial proposal for recovering the 13 steelhead and wild salmon runs protected by the Endangered Species Act.

“Salmon recovery is based on the four “H”s: hydroelectric, habitat loss, hatcheries and harvest,” Allyson Beall, an assistant professor of environmental science at WSU said.

It might come down to these four aspects and economics, Beall added.

She said the dams create a gauntlet for migrating fish, but dam removal poses its own challenges and a solution will only appear if people’s values shift.

Obama's biological opinion is not the only attempt at dam breaching currently being considered. Last month, Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) proposed legislation for the fifth time that would expedite studies on dam removal.

Rep. McDermott could not be reached for comment.

Judge Redden will have the final say on the proposed plan. Redden rejected two previous plans in 2003 and 2005 that did not consider dam breaching. He is expected to rule sometime in the next few weeks.

Sources
Destry Henderson (Spokesperson for Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rogers): (202) 225-2006
Natalie Brandon, (Communications Director for Save Our Wild Salmon): (206) 286-4455
Charlie Keller (Communications Director for Rep. Doc Hastings):(202) 225-3251

Allyson Beall (Instructor Washington State University)
Office: Troy 209
Phone: (509)335-4037
E-mail: abeall@wsu.edu

Edward Weber (Professor Political Science) (Instructs Pol Sci 430 Environmental Public Policy)
(509) 335-2455

Outline:
1.Lead: Plan and reaction
2.Nut Graph: Describe plan and provide background
3. Describe conflicting views
4. Pro-dam view (either McMorris-Rodgers or Hastings)
-Henderson or Keller quotes
5. Anti-dam view (either McDermott's office or Save our Wild Salmon)
-Brandon quote
6. Economic impact and dam contrustion history maybe
7.Policy breakdown
-Weber quotes
-Beall quotes
8. Expected Redden decision

Beat Update Week 5

Most Colleges Meeting Climate Commitment Goals
More than three-fourths of the nation's colleges and universities that pledged to achieve "climate neutrality" are meeting their deadlines.

College Students protest coal use on campuses
A coalition of students protested harmful environmental practices on 10 college campuses.

Northwest salmon recovery plan may include breaching dams.
Another update about the Obama administration's proposed plans for possible dam removal on the Columbia River Basin.

Legislative story ideas

1.Dam removal throughout the Columbia River Basin becomes a national issue

The issue of removing dams along the Columbia River Basin, one of the stories I pitched in the beat note, is gaining national attention because of President Barack Obama's decision to adhere to the Bush administration's stance on the issue.

Original Post: Rep. Jim McDermott proposed legislation that would lead to the removal of several dams along the Snake River, raising many concerns for residents in Eastern Washington . This signals a change in environmental regulation schemes and could impact the region's salmon populations.

Link for the New York Times article: Obama Follows Bush on Salmon Recovery


2.SB 5684 Addressing environmental mitigation in highway construction.

Of the handful of bills passed by the Washington Legislature during the previous session, this is the most pertinent one for my beat. Highway construction disturbs hundreds, sometimes thousands, of miles of land. Properly caring for the neighboring areas became a big enough issue for the legislature they were forced to take action. Investigating who supported and opposed this bill and what lobbyists helped shape the legislation could unveil why certain legislators voted the way they did.


3. A look at Susan Fagan and Pat Hailey's environmental records

In the months leading up to the 2008 general election, newspapers published reports focused on particular aspects of the candidates' platforms, with one of the areas being the environment. Neither candidate in the District 9 race has posted a clear breakdown of where they stand on environmental issues.

WSU students electrified by police forum

Speaking to a crowd of roughly 50 students, WSU Police Officer Kelly Stewart and Pullman Police Senior Patrol Officer Scott Kirk conducted a forum Tuesday afternoon in the CUB Lair concerning the use of non-lethal force.

“You all want to see someone get tased, don’t you? ” said Kirk. “That’s the reason all of you are here.”

Kirk demonstrated the debilitating effects of tasers by shooting Brandon Wilson, a junior criminal justice major, with the “non-lethal” device.

Standing several yards away from Wilson, Kirk aimed the taser at the student’s back and pulled the trigger, sending two barbed hooks spiraling into Wilson. As 50,000 volts passed through Wilson’s body, interrupting his nervous system, the student’s arms clamped against his sides and his body appeared to spasm before going limp. He fell to the ground with the aid of WSU Police Chief Bill Gardiner and officer Stewart.

After regaining motor function about a minute later, Wilson attempted to describe the experience. He said, “I was frozen. I couldn’t do anything.”

The demonstration concluded a two-part discussion that focused on the resistance and enforcement continuums and non-lethal products, such as tear gas, smoke and rubber bullets.

Stewart described the multi-part continuums and how officers are trained to respond to varying levels of aggression. According to Stewart’s PowerPoint presentation, the resistance and enforcement continuums are used by officers to determine whether they should escalate or deescalate their response in relation to a subject’s actions. He said the models are important for officers to understand because sometimes the police make mistakes.

Beginning with “compliant” and ending with “aggravated aggression,” the resistance model also helps officers establish when and how to properly use force. “The bottom line is that an officer’s actions have to be reasonable and necessary,” Stewart said.

Taking the microphone from Stewart, Kirk said, “I get to show you all the fun stuff.” Kirk explained how the non-lethal devices work and which ones are used by local officers. He described the modern police force as "a kinder, gentler police force.”

Junior communications major Keegan Snow said the event cemented his views on tasers. “They are a pretty efficient non-lethal force,” he added. “I kinda want to get tased now.”

Other students said the forums were a good public relations campaign for the Pullman and WSU police forces. “Students don’t think too highly of the police so I recommend students come to these (forums),” freshman criminal justice major Mark Roberto said.

Explaining the importance of interacting with students, Stewart said, “Just because we wear a uniform and a badge, that doesn’t mean we are not approachable.”

WSU Police Chief Bill Gardner said the forums are an attempt to connect with the student body and help students place a name with the badge.

The presentation was the first of three forums that will be hosted by the WSU Police Advisory Board. Subsequent forums will be held on Oct. 13 and Nov. 10 and focus on victim’s rights and how drug dogs find illegal narcotics.


Sources
Mark Ferenc Roberto
Student Directory Number (206-542-5157)
Personal Number (206-795-2140)

Keegan James Snow (206-551-7608)

Brandon Neal Wilson (509-448-3411)

WSU Police Chief Bill Gardner (509-335-8548)

WSU Police Officer Kelly Stewart (509-335-4408)

Pullman Police Senior Patrol Officer Scott Kirk (509-332-0802)

Questions
1. How has the Pullman Police Department changed its policies for use of force since the 1997 riot?

2. Amnesty International and various other organizations have requested police forces across the country to refrain or limit their use of tasers. How would you address critics who oppose less-lethal uses of force such as tasers?

3. Determining the proper use of force is a largely subjective decision. Describe the training process that new recruits undergo so that they understand the gravity of their decisions? Basically, what should younger officers be told so they will not liberally use devices like the taser?

Beat Update Week 4

Environmental Groups Spar Over Certifications of Wood and Paper Products

Fall chinook season opens on lower Snake

Legislative exercise

1.Go to www.leg.wa.gov and find a bill on your beat by searching a key word.
HB 1334 Concerning water resource management on the Columbia and Snake rivers.

2.Find one item on the agenda of a committee relevant to your beat.
Environmental health Committee

Find the chair of the committee.
Tom Campbell (R)

Find the name of one committee staffer (Legal counsel, legislative assistant, researcher, etc.).
Pam Madson, Counsel

Who are the three representatives of the 9th District, which includes Whitman County?
Senator Mark Schoesler
Republican
Representative Don Cox
Position 1, Republican
Representative Joe Schmick
Position 2, Republican

On which committees does Sen. Mark Schoesler serve?
Committees:Agriculture & Rural Economic Development(Ranking Minority Member)Financial Institutions Housing & InsuranceRulesWays & Means

Find one bill sponsored by Schoesler.
SB 5076 Creating the Washington grain commission.

What’s the phone number for Rep. Joe Schmick?
(360) 786-7844
Find audio or video of a committee meeting relevant to your beat.
TVW

When is the next meeting of the Senate’s Ways and Means Committee?
Ways & Means - 09/30/09 3:30 p.m.

What’s the difference between an RCW and a WAC?
RCW is the revised Code of Washington and WAC is the Washington Administrative Code.
Unlike the WAC, the RCW is a collection of laws that includes all subsequent revisions due to amendments and repeals.

What is the status of SB 5039?
Made eligible to be placed on second reading.

Who sponsored the bill?
Senators Jarrett, Kohl-Welles

What was the projected cost of the bill in FY2010?
$5,257

Which state agency creates the fiscal notes?
Office of Fiscal Management

Using the Web site www.pdc.wa.gov, determine how much Gov. Chris Gregoire received in campaign contributions last year.
$13,656, 561.01

a. Use the Web site www.fec.gov to find out how much Cathy McMorris raised through the end of 2008? She raised $1,426,107 through 2008.

According to Open Secrets, McMorris-Rogers' campaign committee raised $1,442,687 during the 2008 election cycle.

b. Use the Web site www.opensecrets.org to find the top five donors to McMorris in 2007-2008.

1	Avista Corp
2	Hecla Mining
3	Microsoft Corp
4	Wells Fargo
5	Alltel Corp

What’s an RSS feed on a bill and how could it be useful to journalists?
RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication" or "Rich Site Summary." These feeds are used to frequently publish new postings on blogs or news sites and help journalists follow emerging trends in their stories.

Floyd Blog Post

In an attempt to quell anxieties about the H1N1 virus, President Elson S. Floyd stated Tuesday that adminstration officials are responding to the reported cases and trying to resolve any misconceptions about H1n1.

"WSU has become a test case not just for the medical response to the flu outbreak, but for the media response as well," Floyd said.

Public Disclosure Commission

1. Susan Fagan (R), Patricia Hailey (R), Glen Stockwell (D), Arthur Swannack (R) and Darin Watkins (R)

2.Total raised and spent:
Raised: $142,213
Spent: $109,439.05

3. Cash contributions for the month of July: 8,700
In-kind contributions for the month of July: None
Total cash and in-kind contributions: $59,887.08

Do you want numbers for expenses during July or the figures from the statement filed at the beginning of July?

Cash contributions from the statement filed at the beginning of July:$9,815
In-kind contributions from the statement filed at the beginning of July :$964.33
Total cash and in-kind contributions for the period: $10,779.93

4. Total as of (8/10/09): $11,301.87

5. Total spent on "candy for parades" on July 6: $118.83

King Speech

Addressing a crowd of 200,000 civil rights activists, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. decried America’s lengthy history of racial injustice on Tuesday while standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character,” King said.

More than a hundred years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, King said he envisioned a day when all men would be free.

Beat Update Week 3

EPA to Soon Decide on Mountaintop-Mining Permits
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is weighing whether or not to allow mountaintop -mining companies to dispose of debris in neighboring valleys. "Mountain-toping" is a controversial mining practice cited for causing a dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico. EPA administrator Lisa Jackson's possible decision to ban the practice could significantly limit coal mining in the Appalachian Mountains.

Congress' Approach to Energy Research: There's No Place Like Home
-Potential Story Idea: Congress earmarked $75.2 million for research at a handful of public universities, including Washington State University. An investigation into which Washington congressman designated the funds for WSU would be pertinent for students wanting to understand how public policy is shaped.

Beat Note

For my beat this semester, I would like to cover environmental issues in Eastern Washington with a specific focus on regulation and the people and politics behind the decisions. Environmental issues extend far beyond maintaining rivers, lakes and forests. The food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breath – all of these things have backstories fraught with conflicting business interests and power struggles among politicians. Finding stories that have a human element or conflicting interests will be fairly easy to find on this beat.

The way we interact with nature has societal, political and cultural ramifications. Of course, events like the reactor meltdown at Three Mile Island or the Exxon Valdez tanker spill are not going to occur within close proximity to Pullman, but these stories are relevant because they directly impacted people’s lives. What happens to the environment in Pullman affects people hundreds of miles away. For example, the runoff of pesticides from nearby farms alter the water quality for miles down the Palouse River.

The United States is in the midst of a dramatic shift in environmental regulatory measures. The classic views of conservation and preservation initiated by people like President Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir are encountering a new wave of grassroots environmental movements. Chronicling this shift in political discourse will be evident throughout my work. The three ideas listed as possible stories cover a narrow range of topics, specifically water rights and sustainability, but have a huge impact on the quality of people’s lives.

Pullman's rural, agriculture-based community could benefit from reading an environmental beat. With the depletion of the Grande Ronde Aquifer, water conservation is a major concern for everyone in the Pullman community. Issues of sustainability and resource management would be valuable to all readers, especially the thousands of students majoring in environmental science or biology.

Potential Story Ideas:

1.The Palouse Ridge Golf Club was promoted as an “eco-friendly golf course,” which sounds like an oxymoron. Features, such as a special drainage and irrigation system, were touted as state-of-the-art, but few journalists questioned the effectiveness of the system and the pesticides being used at the course when it originally opened. A look at how much water the course uses could force some students to question how necessary it was to build.

2.LEED certification is the latest craze for environmentally conscious architects. However, according to a recent article in The New York Times, LEED certified buildings are failing to achieve their desired goals. The CUB is the first LEED certified building on campus and I would like to take an in-depth look at how cost effective is was to undergo LEED certification.

3.Representative Jim McDermott proposed legislation that would lead to the removal of several dams along the Snake River, raising many concerns for residents in Eastern Washington . This signals a change in environmental regulation schemes and could impact the region's salmon populations.

4. Washington State University is a leading research institute. Numerous research projects are started every year by graduate students who work in the community, making connections with farmers and leaders in the local environmental movement. I would like to report on some of these projects.

Recent stories
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/06/science/earth/06golf.html
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/washington/story/74017.html
http://www.tricityherald.com/1514/story/692794.html
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125133578177462487.html
http://www.ncbr.com/article.asp?id=101855.html

Potential Sources

Each story will have its own set of sources, but I would like to routinely question professors Weber and Beall because they approach the same issues from two different disciplines. Beall's students probably have their fingers on the pulse of most local environmental issues as well.

Allyson Beall Instructor Washington State University Office: Troy 209
Phone: (509)335-4037
E-mail: abeall@wsu.edu
Spoke briefly with Chris Pell, one of Professor Beall’s former graduate students.

Edward Weber (interviewed)
Professor Political Science (Instructs Pol Sci 430 Environmental Public Policy)
(509) 335-2455

Todd Lupkes Palouse Ridge Golf Club Superintendent
E-mail: tlupkes@palouseridge.com
phone: (509) 332-1874

Bob Haynes Regional Manager, Idaho Department of Water Resources
Phone: (208) 287-4800

Ray Ledgerwood Program Coordinator, Washington State Conservation Commission
E-mail:rledgerwood@scc.wa.
Phone: (208) 301-4728

Gerald Kelso, Area Manager for the Bureau of Reclamation
Phone: 509-575-5848

Questions for Jonathan Randal

1. Journalists during the Vietnam War were largely credited for the poor morale in the United States. However, writers like Michael Herr, Neil Sheehan, David Halberstam and Seymour Hersh wrote defining accounts of the conflict that are still highly praised. As someone who was in Vietnam, what is your opinion about the coverage of the Vietnam War.

2. Are there any contemporary journalists, such as Dexter Filkins, Evan Wright, or Rajiv Chandrasekaran, who you feel have done an exemplary job covering the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan?

3.What piece of advice would you give an aspiring journalist?

4.During your decades as a journalist, how has the role of the print journalist changed?

5.You have also written several books. How do you strike a balance between being a beat reporter and pursuing your interests with other investigative projects?

6. What effect do you think the reduction of foreign bureaus will have on journalism?

Public option is a necessity

Thousands of uninsured and underinsured Americans anxiously waited in lines that snaked around the Los Angeles Forum where Remote Area Medical units were providing routine medical care. Many of the people arrived at the Forum during the wee hours of the morning, hoping to be treated for the simplest of ailments. A seemingly endless row of people seeking health care is a common site in Third World nations, but when such an appalling scene appears on our shores, the nation’s broken health care system becomes evident.

At the same time, President Barack Obama, facing increased opposition to a public insurance option, was forced to conduct a series of town hall meetings across several swing states. By the time Obama finished his trek, his robust health care plan had withered into a frail assortment of watered-down policies that would only perpetuate the flaws of the current system. The public option had turned into a co-operative, price controls were gone and hostile crowds were demanding less of the one thing that will save American health care – progressive ideas.

The shrieking sounds of ignorance at town hall meetings and the pretentious jabbering of conservative talk show hosts quickly fade when thousands of people tell their horror stories about a health care system built on a market-oriented foundation of greed and neglect. When a dying man describes how a private insurance company repeatedly declined to provide care due to a trivial preexisting condition, profit appears far less important.

Socialism might be a four-letter word in America, but people need to realize that every sector of society does not have to make a profit. In order to minimize risk and maximize profits within a capitalist health care system, private insurers deprive care. Americans simply cannot buy their way out of this quagmire. Placing a value on life and turning the human body into a commodity demoralizes the populace and turns everyone into nothing but a customer. The system hemorrhages cash, leaves 46 million people uninsured and, according to the World Health Organization, is ranked 37th in terms of quality care.

Due to an indulgence in limited government, individualism and self-reliance, convincing Americans they should care for someone else is difficult. For the past century, whenever attempts were made to reform health care, fear-mongers espoused rhetoric laced with dishonesty and declared that the stars and stripes would be replaced with a sickle and hammer. Of course, their fears never came to fruition. Few people complain about the benefits of public schools, post offices, libraries, police and fire departments and the military. Medicare and Medicaid – two of the most popular public programs in U.S. history – are examples of socialized health care.

Much like the past, if it wasn’t for the slippery slope defense, the anti-health care reform movement would have no defense. Some concerns are legitimate, but paranoid accusations about “death panels,” eugenics and government-sponsored abortion are nothing more than public relations campaigns instigated by insurance companies.

Concerns about private insurers’ ability to compete with the government are misguided because FedEx and UPS manage just fine against the U.S. Postal Service. Other concerns about government bureaucrats depriving citizens of care are just as irrational, because as the system stands, it is corporate bureaucrats who deprive people of care.

Americans have to realize the health care debate is not really about capitalism or socialism – it is about need. It is about caring for fellow citizens. Obama’s task should be to change the health care system so it meets the needs of the people – not the insurance companies. The only way to accomplish this feat is through the creation of a public insurance plan capable of competing with private insurers.

Without the public option, the reform movement is meaningless. Any legislation that passes without a government insurance plan will be incapable of curbing skyrocketing costs and do little more than funnel new customers into fraudulent private insurance companies. Using the government’s considerable buying power to negotiate deals with the pharmaceutical companies and drive down costs, a public option would be akin to Medicare.

Forbidding insurance companies from discriminating against people with preexisting conditions, requiring everyone – even healthy citizens – to obtain insurance and providing incentives for doctors to focus on the quality of care rather than the quantity are integral components of reform, but they will not stop spiraling costs.

Financing such a sweeping reform of the health care industry will obviously require a combination of options: a surtax on the wealthiest 2 percent, a cap on tax-free employee benefits or a tax on employer-based health care. The first two options appear far more tenable for the White House to promote.

A nation’s strength is not measured by the size of its military nor the wealth of the rich – it is measured by its capacity to care for the ill and the forgotten. If a nation can finance two wars and a bank bailout, then it can find a way to provide universal health care.

Beat Ideas

I am interested in reporting the local political beat. Covering local issues, candidates and races is essential for maintaining honest, political discourse. Pullman is not Washington D.C., but there is a great need for intrepid journalists to cover town hall meetings, local races and public officials.

Due to the onslaught of internet journalists, David Simon, a former reporter for The Baltimore Sun, is a strong advocate for maintaining strong community papers with journalists who have a vested interest in the community. Without these journalists, local government could become a hotbed of corruption.

I would also be interested in being a crime reporter. Understanding the criminal justice system and how to accurately report on information concerning ongoing trials is a necessary skill for young reporters. The recent slew of assaults on campus and the introduction of the "Drive Hammered, Get Nailed" campaign indicates how dire it is for a reporter to cover local crime.

Pullman's rural, agriculture-based community could also benefit from reading an environmental beat. With the depletion of the Grande Ronde Aquifer, water conservation is a major concern for everyone in the Pullman community. Issues of sustainability and resource management could be valuable to readers.