School districts throughout Washington state will buy more than the 30 new, less-polluting school buses with help from the Washington Department of Ecology. They provide up $20,000 for each school bus from School Bus Replacement Grant funds. The money helps pay to replace the oldest and most heavily polluting diesel school buses ...

Clark County residents have until late November to donate or recycle unwanted computers before a new state rule changes the collection system. The Clark County computer reuse and recycling program known as CREAM, will suspend collections and operations at all of its current collection sites before the end of this month ...

Forty-two attorneys general are asking the Federal Trade Commission to add additional disclosures about a vehicle's history to the "Buyer's Guide" notice displayed on cars available for purchase from dealers ... "The federal 'Used Car Rule' is rusty and needs tuning to perform properly for consumers ...

The Bank of America Charitable Foundation this week announced two Portland area nonprofits, Portland YouthBuilders and Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives, Inc., as recipients of the Neighborhood Excellence Initiative  Neighborhood Builder awards. Five community leaders and five local high school students were also recognized ...

Oprah Winfrey Presents The Color Purple, The Musical About Love.
"Pure Heart! A Broadway Hit!" USA Today
"Soaring and Joyful" Time.
December 30 - January 4 • One Week Only!
For Tickets ...

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)   A double check the Legislature ordered suggests that Oregon's vote tally this year was close to spot-on. Across the state, elections workers have been checking samples to see whether voting machines and procedures are accurate. Twenty-nine of the 36 counties have reported. The deadline is Thursday.
The results, elections workers say so far, show just minor discrepancies --nothing big enough to trigger recounts ....

JOS, Nigeria (AP) -- Troops on foot and in armored personnel carriers appeared Sunday to have quelled two days of violence that left hundreds dead in a central Nigerian city. Fearful residents who had been trapped in their homes ventured out in search of water as many of the dead were buried. Military units moving into the city of Jos strengthened roadblocks. Streets were mostly empty. Police said they had arrested hundreds of people since the clashes flared early Friday following a disputed local election ...

The following is from the speech Obama gave Monday, Dec. 1 at a press conference.
Good morning. Last week, we announced our economic team, which is working as we speak to craft an Economic Recovery Program to create jobs and grow our struggling economy. Today, Vice President-elect Biden and I are pleased to announce our national security team.
The national security challenges we face are just as grave -- and just as urgent -- as our economic crisis. We are fighting two wars. Old conflicts remain unresolved, and newly assertive powers have put strains on the international system. The spread of nuclear weapons raises the peril that the world's deadliest technology could fall into dangerous hands. Our dependence on foreign oil empowers authoritarian governments and endangers our planet ....

Romas Allen, 10, ponders his next shot at the new Rainier Vista Boys and Girls Club and Rainier Valley Teen Center. The 40,000 sq. ft. facility includes a commercial-grade recording studio, Internet cafe, teaching kitchen, health and ...
Photo by Susan Fried

The U.S. Census Bureau is already looking for job applicants to work for the 2010 Census. Peak hiring will be from February 2009 through the end of May 2010 for temporary assignments, most lasting 5 to 10 weeks.
By working on this once-a-decade population headcount, residents have an opportunity to be a part of history. Conducted every decade since 1790, the constitutionally mandated census affects community funding and determines representation in Congress.
In 2009, the Census Bureau will hire about 100,000 people to help update the Census Bureau's address list. The workers will use GPS-equipped hand-held computers to verify, add and delete addresses, and they will be paid for training. By the end of the 2010 Census, the Census Bureau will have employed about 750,000 temporary workers in communities across the country. Employees will update the Census Bureau's address list, interview people who do not respond to the census by mail and perform other assignments vital to the national count ...