News
Columbian Newspaper
|
WA, feds upend plan to clean up one of nation’s most costly, dangerous radioactive sites
KENNEWICK — The Department of Energy and its regulators have released a revised path forward for DOE’s most costly liability in the nation — the 56 million gallons of radioactive waste stored in leak-prone underground tanks in Eastern Washington. |
|
A ‘leaner’ 3M emerges as CEO hands off company to new leader
Mike Roman crossed a lot of billion-dollar items off his to-do list in his final few months as CEO of 3M. |
|
Walmart launches store-label food brand as it seeks to appeal to younger shoppers
NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart is launching the U.S. retailer’s biggest store-label food brand in 20 years in terms of the breadth of items, seeking to appeal to younger customers who are not loyal to grocery brands and want chef-inspired foods that are more affordably priced. |
|
Stock market today: An ugly April for Wall Street is closing with more weakness
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are falling Tuesday after the latest hotter-than-forecast reading on the economy raised more worries about inflation and interest rates staying high. |
|
EPA bans consumer use of a toxic chemical widely used as a paint stripper but known to cause cancer
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday it has finalized a ban on consumer uses of methylene chloride, a chemical that is widely used as a paint stripper but is known to cause liver cancer and other health problems. |
|
Chinese scientist who first published COVID sequence stages protest after being locked out of lab
SHANGHAI (AP) — The first scientist to publish a sequence of the COVID-19 virus in China staged a sit-in protest outside his lab after authorities locked him out of the facility — a sign of the Beijing’s continuing pressure on scientists conducting research on the coronavirus. |
|
Florida Democrats hope abortion and marijuana questions draw young voters despite low enthusiasm
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Jordan Vassallo is lukewarm about casting her first presidential ballot for President Joe Biden in November. But when the 18-year-old senior at Jupiter High School in Florida thinks about the things she cares about, she says her vote for the Democratic incumbent is an “obvious choice.” |
|
Politicians and dog experts vilify South Dakota governor after she writes about killing her dog
Politicians and dog experts are criticizing South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem after she wrote in a new book about killing a rambunctious puppy. The story — and the vilification she received on social media — has some wondering whether she’s still a viable potential running mate for presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. |
The Chronicle - Centralia
|
Commentary: Unfortunately, it is animal fighting season in our state
Unfortunately, it’s animal fighting season in the Pacific Northwest. The Washington state Gambling Commission encourages reporting of animal fighting to help stop these terrible acts. Our area has seen an influx of animal fighting, especially cockfighting. In the past week, our special agents assisted in a federal case against La Nuestra Famila, where hundreds of roosters from Washington locations in Zillah and Outlook were seized. Luckily, at least 40 of the roosters were re-homed. Cockfighting involves money, drugs and gangs. Cockfighting derbies equal thousands of dollars exchanged during fighting events. Birds are drugged to enhance their performance, keeping them aggressive. A bird’s combs and waddles, the skin under their beaks and atop their heads, are lanced off. Some birds have their spurs amputated from their legs for the installation of a sharp gaff or knife. Over the past few years, we have served search warrants on animal fighting; one in Port Orchard cockfighting ring based off of several tips. Two cockfighting operators were arrested, 27 guests detained, along with over $35,000 in cash and 300 fighting roosters. Since then, we’ve had busts in several areas, including near Yakima and Snohomish, where bikers would exchange heroin while also fighting dogs. One operation had our agents encounter a rooster described as “Foghorn Leghorn.” He was 4 feet tall with a massive wingspan. Other fighting roosters scurried away, but “Foghorn” was ready to attack any human in its steroid-induced rage. Our agents focus on the gambling component of an animal fighting operation. The overall investigation involves local law enforcement and animal control. Fighting dogs cannot be rehabilitated due to their aggressive nature. Nor can the birds be placed into the food supply. So, they are euthanized. Attending an animal fighting event is also a felony. The public’s attention on animal fighting wanes as they do not understand how it directly affects them. When dogs are trained to fight, a methodology exists to create constant aggressive behavior. Starvation. Drugs. Tortured with acid or beatings. It also includes using weaker dogs as “bait.” Tossed into the ring for the aggressive “champion” dog to destroy. Many of these weaker animals are your neighborhood’s pets, friendly dogs kidnapped right out of a homeowner's backyard. We want to educate the public on why animal fighting is cruel. It requires more eyes and ears toward spotting the signs of illegal animal fighting so we can eliminate the practice from our area. How do you spot a potential animal fight? Lots of traffic in remote areas. Crowds huddled in a barn, cheering loud. Birds tethered to a barrel to keep them aggressive, their combs and waddles removed. Numerous dogs sporting fighting scars, puncture wounds, each one separated and tethered by a heavy chain. The yard will have several crop circles limiting where chained dogs roam, a spring pole for the dog to hang while strengthening their jaw. Coyotes aren’t the only area apex predator killing pets. None of these are absolutes to determine animal fighting. However, we encourage tips if illegal activity is suspected. Because money is involved in animal fighting, they are associated with assaults, robbery and even murder. The signing of HB 1961 into law, which our agency supported, is a good first step toward eliminating animal fighting. Anonymous tips can be sent to our agency here. Gary Drumheller has served with the Washington State Gambling Commission for 34 years, working as an undercover agent, field supervisor and now as the agency’s deputy director.
|
NYT Politics
|
Democrats Announce That They Will Rescue Johnson if He Faces Ouster Vote
Party leaders said their members would join an effort to table any attempt to remove the Republican speaker after he allowed House passage of military aid to Ukraine.
|
