The Columbian

Forest Service Study Finds Acid Fog in Gorge ; Gorge Commission Urged to Expand Its Haze Analysis

On Tuesday, when officials deliver their fifth annual report on gorge air quality to the Columbia River Gorge Commission in Hood River, Ore., their presentation will raise more questions than it answers. Questions like: How much information is needed to know there's a problem? What comes next? And even: What's all this for?

Safeco Ceo, Considering Senate Run, Pays Visit

A Seattle-area insurance executive exploring a run for the U.S. Senate said last week in Vancouver that it's "an unconscionable way to think" to criticize the war in Iraq while claiming to support the troops. "I think it's hurtful," said Mike McGavick, a Republican considering a challenge to incumbent Sen. Maria Cantwell, a Democrat. "We have to have leadership willing to stand tall for the mission in Iraq and the larger war on terrorism."

Tansy Ragwort Thrives After Warm Winter ; Officials Call On Landowners to Help Kill Harmful Weed

An unusually balmy winter, followed by above-average rainfall in the spring, has resulted in a bumper crop of tansy ragwort in Clark County. That's bad news for cattle and horses, which can suffer severe liver damage by ingesting the invasive weed originally introduced from Europe. With the plant now beyond its seed-production stage, county weed management specialists are asking private landowners to pull and bag up the remaining flower head to minimize the risk of seeds spreading even farthe...

Judge Avoids Major Injury in Crash

Clark County Superior Court Judge John Wulle suffered some minor injuries in a motorcycle accident Sunday afternoon near Carson. Wulle, a Superior Court judge since 2001, was riding a Triumph Bonneville with about 100 other motorcyclists as part of a police fundraiser.

Eugene's Downtown Sees Revival ; Business Owners Show Confidence in City's Potential

EUGENE, Ore. There's a resurgence of business in downtown Eugene, and it's not just because some attractive rents can be had amid the vacant storefronts. Many of these business owners say downtown is at a turning point, and they're willing to stake their business futures on the future of downtown.

Report: Doctors Spill Drug Secrets to Wall Street ; Practice Driven by Lucrative Hedge Funds, Paper Finds

SEATTLE (AP) Doctors testing new drugs are sworn to keep their research secret until drug companies announce the results. But there's a great deal of money at stake, and some Wall Street firms are paying doctors to spill the details early. An investigation by The Seattle Times found at least 26 cases in which doctors have leaked confidential and critical details about ongoing drug research to Wall Street firms.

School Fire Flares, Torches Buildings ; 32,000-Acre Blaze Forces Evacuations of 175 Homes

POMEROY (AP) Nearly three dozen buildings have been charred by a volatile wildfire that fed on shifting winds and dry fuel Sunday, growing to 32,000 acres and forcing the evacuation of about 175 homes. Farmers beyond the flames were plowing up broad swaths of earth through fields of wheat and other crops, trying to create fire breaks and save this year's harvest, said spokesman Marc Hollen at the Northwest Fire Coordination Center in Portland.

'The Menace' Returns ; Seattle Publisher Revives 'Dennis the Menace'

SEATTLE "Peanuts" turned to gold for Fantagraphics. Now the once- struggling comics publisher hopes another American cartoon icon, "Dennis the Menace," can rake in millions with his decades-old antics. In September, Fantagraphics will publish the first book in a 25- volume series, "Hank Ketcham's Complete Dennis the Menace." The series will run 11 years and reprint every "Dennis the Menace" newspaper strip nearly 11,000 strips spanning more than 44 years.

Big Issues Left On the Table in Oregon ; Legislators Punted On Civil Unions, Property Rights

SALEM, Ore. Lawmakers couldn't agree on two of the biggest issues during the 2005 session whether to allow civil unions for same-sex couples or to rework the Measure 37 property rights law. The Legislature is gone now, but neither of those issues is going away anytime soon.

Defazio Secures Billions for Oregon Roads, Bridges ; State to Get $2.7 Billion in Federal Funding

GRANTS PASS, Ore. When U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio realized he was finally going to be in a position of power on the House subcommittee that hands out billions in federal transportation funds, he figured it was time to boost Oregon's share and get federal help for fixing cracked Interstate 5 bridges. With the help of the Oregon Department of Transportation, the Oregon Democrat figured out a way to tweak the gas tax allocation formula so that Oregon's share would increase rather than go down. He...

Boy's Antics Result in 3-Day Harassment Sentence

GOLD HILL, Ore. (AP) A 15-year-old boy who pinched and twisted the nipples of a 13-year-old has been sentenced to three days of community service for harassment. David Thumler, 15, said the action was just horseplay. The mother of 13-year-old Matthew Cox counters that the incident was humiliating for her son, who saw it as an assault from an older, bigger bully.

Low-Cost Home Loans for Indians Expanded ; Program to Extend to All of Oregon Not Just Reservations

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) The U.S. government is expanding a program providing low-cost home loans to American Indians in Oregon. The Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw had asked the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to expand its low-cost home loan program to cover all of Oregon not just reservation land.