NewsTalk 1450 KBKW

Calling all Teachers Campaign Kicks Off

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:10:00 -0100

U.S. Cellular is giving $1 million to help teachers erase classroom needs with the return of the company’s Calling All Teachers campaign. The pinch of budget cuts has compelled many teachers to supplement shortfalls by purchasing basic supplies like crayons, textbooks and calculators with personal resources. Starting Aug. 1 through Sept. 15, Washington teachers can post their funding requests to www.DonorsChoose.org, and U.S. Cellular will fund projects in September and October. Last year, U.S. Cellular funded 51 projects in Washington valued at nearly $26,000 that impacted more than 3,600 students.

NW Groups say 'No' to Tropical Trash

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:13:54 -0100

Portland, OR - It's not exactly the "aloha" you'd expect from Hawaii. Conservation groups and the Yakama Nation have filed a lawsuit to stop barges loaded with Hawaiian garbage from making their way to a landfill in the Northwest. The trash would be unloaded at Longview, Wash., and sent by rail to southeastern Washington.

The lawsuit charges that the U.S. Agriculture Department hasn't done enough to ensure the trash won't carry invasive, non-native pests and plants into the orchards, vineyards and water of the Columbia Gorge. Robert Harris, director of the Sierra Club of Hawaii, agrees.

"The fruit fly, for example, which is quite prevalent in Hawaii and has been eliminated in the United States. And the concern is, what if it gets established in either Oregon or Washington? These are the types of things that really should be looked at through an environmental review, which hasn't happened yet."

Teachers Missing from New WA Higher Ed Task Force

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:24:28 -0100

OLYMPIA, Wash. - To some, it is a glaring omission that Gov. Chris Gregoire's new Higher Education Funding Task Force, formed this week, includes no teachers. It will be chaired by an attorney at Microsoft, and is made up of 16 business executives and school administrators, but no instructors.

That concerns Bill Lyne, president of the United Faculty of Washington State, although he says it does not surprise him. Many teachers have been affected as university budgets have been cut by about 20 percent, and students have seen tuition hikes of at least 14 percent in the past two years. No matter who's on the committee, Lyne says new funding ideas will be welcome.

"All of those people who are on that task force know a lot about raising money. They don't know anything about running universities. So, they should focus on raising money, and leave the running of the universities to the people who have been doing it really well for a long time."

Timberland Bancorp Earns $0.08 per Share in Fiscal Third Quarter

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:05:20 -0100

Hoquiam, WA - Timberland Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: TSBK) ("Timberland" or "the Company") today reported net income of $804,000 for its fiscal third quarter ended June 30, 2010. Net income available to common shareholders after adjusting for the preferred stock dividend and the preferred stock discount accretion was $543,000, or $0.08 per diluted common share. This compares to a net loss to common shareholders of $(3.44 million), or $(0.51) per diluted common share for the quarter ended March 31, 2010 and net income available to common shareholders of $769,000, or $0.12 per diluted common share, for the quarter ended June 30, 2009.

Fiscal Third Quarter 2010 Highlights:

* Capital levels remain very strong: Total Risk Based Capital of 15.96%; Tier 1 Leverage Capital Ratio of 11.15%; Tangible Capital to Tangible Assets Ratio of 10.94%, all solidly above well capitalized levels

* Non-performing loans ("NPLs") decreased 20% and represented 3.74% of total loans at June 30, 2010

* Non-performing assets ("NPAs") decreased by $5.6 million during the quarter

* NPAs decreased to 5.12% of assets at June 30, 2010 from 5.95% three months earlier

* Construction and land development loans decreased 53% year over year and 34% during the quarter, and now account for 12% of total loans

* Net interest margin for the current quarter remained strong at 3.85%

* Deposits increased 17% year over year with no brokered funds

* N.O.W. checking account balances increased to 27% of deposits compared to 21% of deposits one year prior

Washington Dental Care Program Receives National Acclaim

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 11:45:49 -0100

SEATTLE – A collaborative program developed in the state of Washington to address “the greatest unmet need for health services among children” has achieved impressive results while delivering “a strong return on taxpayers’ investment,” according to the Pew Center on the States.

In its June 2010 report, Washington’s ABCD Program: Improving Dental Care for Medicaid-Insured Children, Pew says, “other states would be smart to consider a similar approach.” The need for prevention-based programs is apparent because, as the Pew report notes, “The costs of dental disease are severe: impaired nutrition and health, lost school time, worsened job prospects and sometimes even death.”

“We were very impressed with Washington State’s ABCD program. It is a good model for others to consider because it is effective and shows that investing in early preventive care results in lower dental treatment costs over time.” said Shelly Gehshan, director of the Pew Children's Dental Campaign.

Arson Investigation at Skokomish Tribal Police Department Building

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 17:08:58 -0100

Shelton, WA - Sheriff’s Deputies are investigating an early morning arson fire that only caused minimal damage to the Skokomish Tribal Police Department Building located on the Skokomish Indian Reservation about 9 miles north of Shelton.

At about 5:42 AM Thursday morning Sheriff’s Deputies were notified of the fire by two passers by that had discovered the flames on the front of the building. The men not only notified Deputies of the fire but took quick action to douse the flames keeping damage to a minimum. Investigators credit the men as heroes for grabbing a garden hose and knocking down the flames until fire units arrived.

According to Sheriff’s investigators a male dressed in a hoody and blue jeans was seen on surveillance video spreading what they think was an accelerant on the building just prior to flames engulfing the area at the front of the police building.

A Sheriff’s Office tracking dog unit was utilized in an attempt to locate the suspect. Investigators are currently pursuing several leads in this case and hopeful to make an arrest soon. Anyone having information on this matter is encouraged to call Detective Jim Morini at the Mason County Sheriff’s Office at 360-427-9670 Ext 313 or 911.

WSP Recaps First Half of 2010 on Grays Harbor Highways

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:44:42 -0100

Grays Harbor County – The Washington State Patrol has investigated 12% fewer collisions along Grays Harbor County state routes during the first half of 2010, with a drastic 63% reduction where speed was listed as a contributing factor.

Troopers responded to 14 driver impaired collisions along state routes between January and June 2010, as compared to 18 during that same time period in 2009 – a 22% decrease.

This year, troopers have investigated 63% fewer speed related collisions along state routes, by responding to 18 so far as compared to 48 in 2009.

375 drivers who failed to buckle up were stopped by troopers, and 95% of them were issued a $124 traffic infraction. The percentage of unrestrained motorists who received tickets in 2009 was 88%, which means troopers are choosing to increase enforcement on driver behavior that can result in fatality or disabling injury.

HOMELESS VETERANS BBQ

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:19:04 -0100

LOCAL VETERANS IN NEED TO GET TOGETHER, EAT AND ENJOY A LIVE BAND, AT ZELASKO VETERAN’S PARK, AUGUST 7TH AND 8TH FROM NOON TO 6PM. ACCEPTING DONATIONS AND HANDING OUT NEEDED ITEMS. MORE INFO CALL 360-591-2046.

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:10:00 -0100

MONDAY AUG. 16TH- FRIDAY AUG. 20TH. OPEN TO GRADES PRE K-6TH. FREE TO ALL NO PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED. 9-11:30AM DAILY. AT NEW LIFE FELLOWSHIP.

Some Aberdeen Builders Want Fair Treatment

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:38:31 -0100

Aberdeen, WA - An even playing field, that's what some Aberdeen residents asked the Aberdeen City Council for by proxy last night. City Councilman Frank Gordon said he was approached by several businesmen earlier this week who said they would put signs up all over the town protesting Aberdeen's Building Department "Part of the issue is, they feel there is some unfairness in the building department, there is a difference when there is inspections made between one person and the other" said Gordon. The concerned party reportedly wanted the building department to be more uniform in their decisions. Gordon showed the council one of the vinyl signs as he explained "One inspector the same as the other so that when people go into [the building department] they know everybody gets the same rules, the same respect, the same courtesy."

Councilman Paul Fritz said the concerns are specific to interpretations of the building codes, and not the implementation of building inspections. Gordon said that the citizens who had addressed concerns were content to know that the issue was brought to the city council. While some councilman said they'd rather the citizens had come in on their own, Gordon said he felt they were worried about retributions had their identities been known.

Aberdeen Mayor Bill Simpson said he'd be happy to sit down and talk with with Robert Waite, the Building Department's Building Official.