Pacific NW

Oct. 9—RIDGEFIELD — For Ridgefield farmer Rob Baur, harvesting his farm's first commercial hazelnut crop this fall and shipping it off to buyers was a race against time and nature. "You have to beat the squirrels and the rain," Baur said. Baur and his wife, Clark County Councilor Sue Marshall, co-own and run Baurs Corner Farm. Six years ago, they removed most of the 4,500 pear trees on the ...

Oct. 9—Kathleen Stevens recently took a phone call from a woman in Vancouver who believed her abuser would kill her that night. She's terrified for her life and Stevens, an 82-year-old Hazel Dell woman who uses her savings to help fleeing domestic violence victims, is her last hope. But Stevens could find no beds available at shelters she called. "If I start crying, it's because I've hit a ...

Oct. 9—Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Brent Jones' announcement last week that he was shelving proposals to close up to 21 schools and would instead consolidate five yet-to-be-named schools brought relief to some parents and students that their schools would be off the hook next year. But it also sowed uncertainty among parents whose children attend schools with low enrollment or those ...

Oct. 8—During World War II Lt. Col. William Sapper and his fellow engineers working on the top secret Manhattan Project at the Hanford site in Eastern Washington made their own entertainment. They happened to be a group of musicians and poets living in an era before TV when people would get together to play cards, sing songs and make music. For the insular group of engineers, their ...

Oct. 8—Cheech Marin was unsure if he wanted to contribute his massive collection of Chicano art for a new museum. He wouldn't be loaning it; he would be donating it. He needed a sign. Marin was walking through the potential home of the museum with the Riverside, Calif., mayor when he asked how big the space was. The building was 66,420 square feet, she told him. "Four-twenty! That's the sign! ...

Oct. 8—TWIN FALLS — The Idaho Department of Education will conduct meetings in Hailey and Twin Falls on Tuesday to bring the public up to speed on proposed changes to the state's graduation requirements. The meetings will take place from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. at the Minnie Moore Room at the Blaine County School District Community Campus in Hailey, and from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Shields Building ...

The Idaho Republican Party says it stands behind a North Idaho state senator who leveled a disparaging remark at a Native American Democrat at a small-town candidate forum last week. About an hour into the moderated forum, Sen. Dan Foreman, R-Viola, left the event early after telling Democratic House candidate Trish Carter-Goodheart, “Why don’t you go back to where you came from?” according to ...