Tom Banse

Super-energy efficient homes built to inspire more stringent codes

Tom Banse — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:33:28 +0000

The homes of the future will come with remarkably low heating bills. At least that's the hope of a Portland-based nonprofit group showcasing 13 super-energy efficient homes in four Northwest states. The question is: can you afford to buy one of these houses?

The model homes are scattered among many of the big cities in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana. The houses don't look unusual from the outside. But all have been designed to use at least 30 percent less energy.

Should the state OK equity crowdfunding?

Tom Banse — Sun, 19 May 2013 18:32:44 +0000

Crowdfunding websites have grown rapidly as a way to raise money for creative ventures—everything from movies to scientific research, to clever inventions. You might have heard of Kickstarter, Indiegogo or Rockethub. It would be just a small leap to use those same platforms to sell shares in a startup. That's illegal right now, but maybe not for long.

Nissan electric car sales booming in Washington state

Tom Banse — Thu, 16 May 2013 19:01:16 +0000

The automaker Nissan says sales of its fully-electric Leaf compact surpassed all other Nissan models at dealers in the Seattle and Portland areas this spring. The announcement Wednesday runs counter to the prevailing wisdom that adoption of plug-in cars has been sluggish.

At Nissan USA headquarters, director of electric vehicle marketing and sales Erik Gottfried says he's scrambling to ship enough Leafs to meet demand in the Pacific Northwest. The car maker juiced its plug-in sales by slashing the sticker price and offering low-cost leases. Gottfried says that was made possible by opening a domestic production line in Tennessee.

Can this rare songbird be lured away from risky neighborhoods?

Tom Banse — Tue, 14 May 2013 16:30:20 +0000

A songbird called the streaked horned lark has a curious propensity for risky neighborhoods. That's not a good quality for a bird proposed for listing as a threatened species. Its preferred hangouts include airports, Army training fields, and dredge spoil dumping sites along the lower Columbia River. A two-state experiment seeks to find out if these rare larks can be enticed to safer habitats.

Air Force says new air refueling tanker program on track

Tom Banse — Tue, 07 May 2013 16:43:36 +0000

Fairchild Air Force Base near Spokane is planning a public memorial service for three of its airmen killed in a mid-air explosion over central Asia.

The cause of the air refueling tanker accident last Friday remains under investigation, but the crash renews attention on a Boeing Company contract to replace the Air Force's aging tanker fleet.

Wash. state pressed to save honey bees by restricting pesticides

Tom Banse — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:29:47 +0000

This is the time of year when local farmers count on bees and other insects to pollinate orchards and vegetable and berry fields. The change in the seasons is not the only thing creating a buzz in the world of beekeeping.

This week, the European Commission put a moratorium on the use of three popular pesticides judged to pose high risk to bees.

Beekeepers have started to push Washington State's Department of Agriculture to go in that direction, too. And that could have an effect on what's available at your local garden center.

Lake managers get new tool to combat algae

Tom Banse — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 00:21:57 +0000

Nothing spoils a summer swim in your favorite lake like an algae bloom. These become more common as the weather warms up. A lake in Federal Way is serving as a proving ground for a possible new tool to combat toxic blooms.

Alaska Air CEO calls FAA furloughs 'unfathomable'

Tom Banse — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:01:00 +0000

The head of Alaska Airlines has choice words for the air traffic controller furloughs that started Sunday.

Alaska Air Group CEO Brad Tilden on Thursday called the travel impact of automatic federal budget cuts "unfathomable."

U.S. border agents to work on Canadian soil for pilot project

Tom Banse — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 23:03:17 +0000

The federal government announced a pilot project Wednesday to pre-inspect some trucks before they cross into the U.S. from Canada.

The proposed project will have U.S. officers working on Canadian soil. The ultimate goal is to reduce congestion and wait times at busy border crossings.

Wash. hangs up on mandatory delivery of White Pages

Tom Banse — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 23:07:00 +0000

Utility regulators on Tuesday ordered an end to the automatic delivery of White Pages phone books to Washington households.

For decades, Western states commonly required their local phone companies to deliver a phone book to each landline customer. But telecom companies contend most consumers no longer want a printed copy of the White Pages dropped on their doorsteps.

Some Northwest cities explore ways to keep airport control towers open

Tom Banse — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 12:00:01 +0000

Some Northwest cities and counties are exploring whether to use local or private money to keep their airport control towers open. By mid-June, the federal government plans to close the control towers at 13 small to medium sized airports across the region.

Laura the Luthier kept Gibson strumming during WWII

Tom Banse — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 13:00:00 +0000

During World War II, a popular song called "Rosie the Riveter" turned female assembly workers into icons. Women filled in at places like the Boeing airplane factory in Seattle and the Kaiser shipyards in Portland while the men went off to war.

But one famous guitar company allegedly tried to hide the fact that it was using female replacements to keep making its musical instruments. Now, seven decades later, a Portland guitarist is helping tell that story.

Sequester suspends tuition assistance for troops

Tom Banse — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 12:30:00 +0000

JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. - The Defense Department has suspended a workplace benefit cherished by many soldiers, airmen and Coast Guardsmen. The agency has put tuition assistance on indefinite hold because of the automatic federal budget cuts known as the "sequester."

The paychecks of active duty military are exempt from the across-the-board federal budget cuts.

Iranian-Americans test political 'glass ceiling'

Tom Banse — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 22:36:00 +0000

OLYMPIA, Wash. - In the decades since the Iranian Revolution, immigrants from there have made it to the corner offices of corporate America, academia and Hollywood. But they're largely absent from the political scene.

In the U.S., the highest ranking Iranian-American elected official is a freshman state representative from suburban Seattle.

Did 2011 Japan tsunami change preparedness on our coast?

Tom Banse — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 16:15:47 +0000

The March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan served as a wake up call for coastal residents and visitors on our shores. But two years later, it is hard to measure how much that disaster has changed tsunami readiness on the Pacific Northwest coast.

Althea Rizzo is the geologic hazards program coordinator for Oregon Emergency Management.