Tom Banse

Nissan Electric Car Sales Booming In Pacific Northwest

Tom Banse — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:53:26 +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, electric vehicle marketing & sales director Erik Gottfried says he's scrambling to ship enough Leafs to meet demand in the Pacific Northwest.

Guilty Verdict At JBLM In Trial Of Sgt. Accused Of Baghdad Shooting Spree

Tom Banse — Mon, 13 May 2013 22:27:36 +0000

A case that featured harrowing testimony of combat-related mental illness ended Monday with a guilty verdict. Army Sergeant John Russell was convicted for murdering five fellow servicemen at a military mental health clinic in Baghdad in 2009.

A military judge found the 48-year-old Texas native guilty of premeditated murder.

Air Force Says New Air Refueling Tanker Program On Track

Tom Banse — Tue, 07 May 2013 15:51:27 +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. The crash renews attention on a Boeing Company contract to replace the Air Force's aging tanker fleet.

The doomed Fairchild Air Force Base crewmates were flying a KC-135 Stratotanker built by Boeing in the early 1960s.

Washington State Pressed To Save Honey Bees By Restricting Pesticides

Tom Banse — Wed, 01 May 2013 16:44:19 +0000

For about seven years, many Western beekeepers have been plagued by unexplained die-offs in their hives. It happened recently to Mark Emrich.

"I was doing great until about five weeks ago," he says. "Then I came down and opened up the hives and I had five dead boxes of bees.

Lake Managers Get New Tool To Combat Algae

Tom Banse — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:57:13 +0000

Nothing spoils a summer swim in your favorite lake like an algae bloom.

Costly New Bridge Over Columbia River Spawns Ultimatum, Brinkmanship

Tom Banse — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 16:15:22 +0000

OLYMPIA, Wash. - A costly new interstate highway bridge over the Columbia River is spurring brinkmanship in Olympia. U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood joined Democratic Governor Jay Inslee Wednesday to press state lawmakers to commit hundreds of millions dollars to the proposed new toll bridge between Portland and Vancouver, Washington.

Washington Governor Jay Inslee came out of a meeting between key state lawmakers and the U.S.

Collector To Return Japanese War Flag Nearly 70 Years After Capture

Tom Banse — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 16:53:44 +0000

A collector of World War II memorabilia has succeeded in a daunting quest thanks to help from the Japanese government. The veteran from Clarkston, Washington has found the right person to receive a Japanese war flag taken in battle nearly 70 years ago.

Years ago, memorabilia collector George Koller bought an inscribed "good luck flag." It originally belonged to a Japanese fighter pilot killed in combat.

Some Northwest Cities Explore Ways To Keep Airport Control Towers Open

Tom Banse — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 19:53:20 +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.

Across-the-board budget cuts known as the 'sequester' have led the Federal Aviation Administration to cancel a contract for control tower staffing at smaller western airfields.

Rosie The Riveter Had A Sister, Laura The Luthier

Tom Banse — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 18:37:46 +0000

PORTLAND - 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.

Universities Say Research Funding Cuts May Bring Job Cuts

Tom Banse — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 16:47:43 +0000

The Northwest's public universities pull in massive amounts of federal research dollars. It totaled $1 billion last year at the University of Washington. Oregon State University won close to $200 million in federal research funds. The University of Idaho is counting on $100 million this year.