News

Over the years, bears have gone from primal menace to environmental icon, while enduring a close brush with extinction along the way. Ecologist and Bellingham resident Chris Morgan works to educate people about bears, especially the bears we share the Cascades Mountains with.

On this Earth Day, we present a recent conversation about the importance of coming to terms with these large carnivores.

KPLU News has garnered four 2011 Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards from the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) for excellence in electronic journalism, competing against other large market radio stations in Washington, Alaska, Idaho, Montana, and Oregon.

Making headlines around the Northwest this morning:

• Microsoft Raises Could "Get Us Out of the Recession"
• Opponents Lose Bid to Block I-90 Light Rail Plan
• Wash. Legislature Passes Marijuana Dispensary Bill
• U.W. Researcher in Serious Condition After Fall on Mt. Olympus

Economists say unprecedented raises announced by Microsoft yesterday could be just what's needed to help lift the Puget Sound region out of a economic slump.

"Initial Public Offering," or I-P-O, is a buzz term that was talked about a lot in the boom years of the late 1990s – especially in Seattle, where lots of high-tech startup companies were thriving at that time.  They've been pretty scarce lately.  But they may be coming back.

How can you have a successful draft during a lockout? That's what the Seahawks are trying to figure out ahead of the 2011 draft, which begins Thurs., April 28.

Even as the current players are locked out, the Hawks are trying to decide who to add to the team. KPLU sports commentator Art Thiel says the big question is, will they go for a quarterback?

Some jazz singers excel at singing standards. Others excel at scat-singing or vocalese (writing lyrics for instrumental improvisations and singing them). However, Grammy award-winning vocalist Kurt Elling can do it all.

He easily proved it in front of a small studio audience of Leadership Circle members on April 15th with along with two long-time musical colleagues; pianist, Laurence Hobgood, and guitarist, John McLean.

Making headlines around the Northwest this morning:

• Still snowing in Washington mountains
• U.W. Tacoma Names New Chancellor
• Children's Hospital Nurse That Gave Lethal Dose Commits Suicide
• No Security Changes for Governor After Cop Killer Attends Bill Signing

April Snow Falls in Washington Cascades and Foothills

It still looks like winter in the mountains - and some foothills - in Washington.

Pop stars and Nuns. They don’t usually go together, with some notable exceptions.

But in 1973 Sister Janet Mead, a Roman Catholic nun from Australia had an international smash hit on her hands with her single “The Lord’s Prayer”. Selling over two million copies, Sister Janet donated all the sales proceeds to charity and continues to record to this day.

But she wasn’t the first nun to strike pop gold...

An April 13th bill signing ceremony in Olympia presented a strange scene. Governor Chris Gregoire was surrounded by a motley crew of leather-clad bikers. They were there to watch her sign into law a ban on police officers profiling motorcycle riders. It was a lighthearted affair.

But some police officers aren't laughing. In fact, they're furious. One of the bikers in the room that day killed a Portland cop 30 years ago. But  the story gets even more complicated. It would take a cop's eyes to pick him out of the crowd.  It was Robert "Pigpen" Christopher, a longtime member of the Outsiders Motorcycle Club with chapters in Portland and Tacoma.

The State Patrol and Clear Channel Outdoor launched a new campaign today to warn people who might be considering getting behind the wheel while intoxicated.

The campaign features six billboards in Pierce, King and Snohomish counties. The billboards relay the mission of the State Patrol's Target Zero Teams, which are comprised of 21 troopers that focus on impaired drivers. The troopers are joined by police officers and sheriff's deputies when time and funding allows.

Some industries are slowly creating jobs again, but construction isn’t really one of them. The state lost about 2,400 construction jobs just last month, according to state employment economists. But in Seattle, hope could be on the horizon.

The clanking and pounding sounds of construction are starting to return to the city. Some builders who work on high-rise projects have been able to dust off their nail guns, thanks to a growing demand for apartments.

Federal regulators have put the brakes on construction of a second Boeing 787 assembly line in South Carolina. 

The National Labor Relations Board today filed a complaint accusing the Boeing Company of putting one of its assembly lines for the new 787 in South Carolina to retaliate against union workers who went on strike in 2008.

Why were "bath salts" for sale in head shops? Because they contained stimulants known as substituted cathinones that can affect user behavior and judgment. They've been growing in popularity as a legal alternative to cocaine or methamphetamine.

As of April 15th, they're no longer legal in Washington; the state Board of Pharmacy has approved emergency rules classifying the salts as Class I controlled substances, banning their manufacture, sale, delivery and possession.

What do you like about Washington? The state’s tourism office wants to know. Today, it’s launching a campaign called Share Your Washington.

Insiders from many of Seattle's most recognizable big businesses are gathering today at the Washington State Convention Center downtown.

Boeing, Microsoft, Starbucks, REI, and The Mariners have all been invited to give interactive presentations meant to inspire others in the region to follow in their footsteps. The topic? Going Green.