Washington news

• Math a concern for U.S. teens; science, reading flat on test

  06-12-2016 11:03
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — American students have a math problem. The latest global snapshot of student performance shows declining math scores in the U.S. and stagnant performance in science and reading. “We’re losing ground — a troubling prospect when, in today’s knowledge-based economy, the best jobs can go anywhere in the world,” said Education Secretary John […]
  
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• Delaware poultry processor to pay $420K for contamination

  17-12-2019 22:03
  
  DOVER, Del. (AP) — A Delaware poultry processing company accused of contaminating surface and groundwater through the illegal disposal of wastewater and sludge has agreed to pay a $420,000 penalty and upgrade its wastewater system. The agreement and a proposed consent decree between state environmental officials and Mountaire Farms was filed in federal court on […]
  
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• Bill to raise tobacco age has unlikely allies: Altria, Juul

  17-12-2019 21:51
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress is moving to pass the biggest new sales restrictions on tobacco products in more than a decade, with support from two unlikely backers: Marlboro-cigarette maker Altria and vaping giant Juul Labs. The legislation would raise the minimum age to purchase all tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes, from 18 to 21 nationwide, […]
  
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• State hospital temporarily suspends civil commitments

  17-12-2019 21:41
  
  SALEM, Ore. (AP) — The Oregon State Hospital has suspended all civil admissions until Dec. 27 to prioritize patients ordered by courts to receive competency restoration treatment. The Bulletin reports the pause on civil commitments was announced in a Monday letter to the hospital’s statewide partners. It is effective immediately. According to hospital spokeswoman Rebeka […]
  
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• 3 workers injured in fire at high-rise construction site in downtown Seattle

  17-12-2019 21:39
  
  Three construction workers were injured in a fire on the ninth floor of a downtown Seattle high-rise Tuesday, according to the Seattle Fire Department. The fire in the 1200 block of Second Avenue was classified on dispatch logs as electrical, and Seattle Fire said that it occurred in a vault room of the under-construction building. […]
  
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• Some popular tax breaks renewed in big govt funding bill

  17-12-2019 21:15
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — A raft of expired and expiring tax breaks, including deductions for mortgage insurance premiums, college tuition and large medical bills, would be renewed under a massive government-wide funding bill approved by the Democratic-controlled House. The action comes a few days before the second anniversary of passage of President Donald Trump’s massive 2017 […]
  
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• Audit: Portland leaders fell short on tax-funded programs

  17-12-2019 20:59
  
  PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A city auditor’s report released Tuesday says Portland leaders failed to fully deliver on promises they made to voters as they implemented arts, cannabis, affordable housing, and street repair programs funded by voter-approved taxes and bond measures. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports the audit focused on measures and taxes passed in 2016: the […]
  
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• Ada County won’t appeal ruling in public records lawsuit

  17-12-2019 20:58
  
  BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Ada County Commissioners won’t appeal a judge’s ruling that they violated Idaho’s Public Records Act after largely rejecting records requests from four Boise-area journalists. The board of commissioners voted 2-1 on Monday not to appeal the ruling from 4th District Judge Deborah Bail. The ruling, issued Friday, was a win for […]
  
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• Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson sues Trump administration over courthouse immigration arrests

  17-12-2019 20:46
  
  The AG, in his 53rd lawsuit against the Trump administration, says that such arrests violate individuals' constitutional right to access courthouses and states' right to operate their justice systems without federal interference.
  
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• US permits sale of cigarettes with 95% less nicotine

  17-12-2019 20:30
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health officials on Tuesday endorsed a type of cigarette that could help ease the addictive grip of smoking by delivering very low levels of nicotine. The Food and Drug Administration will allow 22nd Century Group to begin selling the first low-nicotine cigarettes reviewed by federal health regulators. The products contain roughly […]
  
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• A tweet gave a journalist a seizure. His case brings new meaning to the idea of ‘online assault.’

  17-12-2019 20:30
  
  Journalist Kurt Eichenwald suffered a severe seizure in 2016 when he opened a tweet with a strobe GIF from someone who apparently knew he had epilepsy. Now, the Epilepsy Foundation has announced criminal complaints against a legion of copycats.
  
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• Police: Marijuana Christmas gifts sniffed out at airport

  17-12-2019 20:03
  
  NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A man who may have been dreaming of a “green” Christmas found himself inside the gray walls of a Tennessee jail. According to court documents, state police caught Somphone Temmeraj, 57, with more than 80 pounds (36 kilograms) of marijuana disguised as Christmas gifts at Nashville International Airport on Monday, news […]
  
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• Troopers: Alaska fatal shooting occurred over car dispute

  17-12-2019 19:11
  
  FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — A Fairbanks man killed last week was shot after unsuccessfully attempting to retrieve a stolen vehicle, according to a criminal complaint filed by Alaska State Troopers. Brian Talbott, 43, is charged with first- and second-degree murder in the death Friday of Clayton Nelson, 46, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported. Talbott is […]
  
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• Most US opioid overdose deaths accidental, 4% are suicide

  17-12-2019 19:05
  
  Accidental overdoses cause 90% of all U.S. opioid-related deaths while suicides account for far fewer of these fatalities than previously thought, a new analysis published Tuesday suggests. Rising use of heroin and illicit, highly potent synthetic opioids including fentanyl has likely contributed to the unintentional death rate, which surged nine-fold between 2000 and 2017, the […]
  
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• Opponent of Newberg marijuana facility formally objects

  17-12-2019 18:49
  
  NEWBERG, Ore. (AP) — The main opponent of a controversial proposed hemp and marijuana processing facility near Newberg, Oregon, is filing an appeal. The owners of the 22.7-acre property want to grow 5-10 acres of hemp on the property, grow up to 10,000 square feet of marijuana indoors, and process both in separate buildings. Laura […]
  
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• Dental patients advised to get tested for HIV, hepatitis

  17-12-2019 18:48
  
  KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Some patients treated by a Tennessee dentist have been advised to get tested for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C. The Tennessee Department of Health issued the recommendation after finding that Knoxville dentist Clarence “Buzz” Nabers did not ensure proper sterilization of dental equipment, news outlets reported. The recommendation was included […]
  
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• Michigan sues opioid distributors, likens to drug dealers

  17-12-2019 18:47
  
  LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan on Tuesday sued four companies over the deadly painkiller epidemic, becoming what state Attorney General Dana Nessel said is the first state to sue major opioid distributors under a drug dealer liability law. The suit, filed in Wayne County, names AmericsourceBergen, Cardinal Health, McKesson and Walgreens, which have been sued […]
  
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• Congress votes to compensate Spokane Tribe millions for lands flooded by Grand Coulee Dam

  17-12-2019 17:05
  
  The Spokane Tribe will receive $6 million a year for 10 years, and $8 million a year after that, from revenues of the Bonneville Power Administration, which sells electricity generated by Grand Coulee and other federal dams in the Northwest.
  
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• Alaska Roadless Rule public comment scheduled to end Tuesday

  17-12-2019 16:12
  
  JUNEAU Alaska (AP) — The public comment period for the draft environmental impact statement on the Alaska Roadless Rule has nearly come to an end. The comment period is scheduled to close Tuesday at midnight, The Juneau Empire reported. Comments can be submitted on the U.S. Forest Service website and mailed or hand delivered to […]
  
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• 4 dead as suspected twisters, other storms batter the South

  17-12-2019 15:32
  
  ALEXANDRIA, La. (AP) — A swarm of tornadoes and storms that left a trail of destruction across the Southeast killed four people, injured a dozen more and left victims to bundle up against the cold as they picked up pieces of their homes Tuesday. The death toll from the violent weather rose to four Tuesday […]
  
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• 3 dead as suspected twisters, other storms batter the South

  17-12-2019 15:32
  
  ALEXANDRIA, La. (AP) — A daylong swarm of tornadoes that left a trail of destruction across the Southeast killed three people, injured a dozen more and left victims to bundle up against the cold as they picked up pieces of their homes Tuesday. It wasn’t clear exactly how many twisters skipped across the region after […]
  
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• UPS plans $110M facility expansion at Anchorage airport

  17-12-2019 15:23
  
  ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — UPS Inc. plans to construct a new flight operations building and warehouse for $110 million at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, officials said. The expansion by the global package delivery company would span about 1.3 million square feet (120,770 square meters), KTVA-TV reported Monday. The Atlanta-based company needs extra space in […]
  
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• Canadian brothers plead guilty to Bitcoin scheme

  17-12-2019 15:10
  
  PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Two Canadian brothers pleaded guilty Monday to duping an Oregonian woman out of over $140,000 worth of bitcoin currency. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports Jagroop Singh Khatkar surrendered to federal authorities for the negotiated plea agreement and appeared with his brother, Karanjit Singh Khatkhar, before U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon in federal […]
  
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• U.S. proposes new rules to increase organ transplants

  17-12-2019 15:05
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government proposed new rules Tuesday to increase organ transplants — steps to make it easier for the living to donate and to make sure that organs from the deceased don’t go to waste. The proposals come after President Donald Trump in July ordered a revamping of the nation’s care for […]
  
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• Monroe inmate died after prison failed to provide him with cancer treatment for over a year, report finds

  17-12-2019 15:00
  
  An ombuds report states an Monroe prison inmate was alerted to a lump in his breast in March 2018 but that it wasn't looked at by Department of Corrections medical officials for six months, when doctors identified an invasive cancer and recommended immediate surgery, chemotherapy and diagnostic tests. The report said months passed while nothing was done.
  
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• Monroe inmate died after jail failed to provide him with cancer treatment for over a year, report finds

  17-12-2019 15:00
  
  An ombuds report states an Monroe prison inmate was alerted to a lump in his breast in March 2018 but that it wasn't looked at by Department of Corrections medical officials for six months, when doctors identified an invasive cancer and recommended immediate surgery, chemotherapy and diagnostic tests. The report said months passed while nothing was done.
  
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• Ciara surprises Georgia students using STEM to remix songs

  17-12-2019 12:23
  
  NORCROSS, Ga. (AP) — Recording artist Ciara returned to the city where she launched her career to surprise students at an Atlanta-area STEM high school Monday. The R&B artist sat in on a class at Paul Duke Stem High, a Norcross school which focuses on science, technology, engineering and math education. Students there have been […]
  
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• Europe postpones launch of planet-studying mission

  17-12-2019 10:00
  
  SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — European space officials on Tuesday postponed the launch of a three-year mission to study planets in other solar systems less than an hour before it was due to blast off. The European Space Agency announced that the launch from Kourou, French Guiana, of the Characterising ExOPlanets Satellite, or CHEOPS, […]
  
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• Europe postpones launch of planet mission, seeks Soyuz fix

  17-12-2019 10:00
  
  SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — European space officials on Tuesday postponed the launch of a three-year mission to study planets in other solar systems shortly before it was due to blast off. The European Space Agency announced that the launch from Kourou, French Guiana, of the Characterising ExOPlanets Satellite (CHEOPS) mission would be delayed […]
  
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• State: Artifact found in 1973 may be more than 3K years old

  17-12-2019 09:16
  
  MONROE, N.C. (AP) — An item found in North Carolina in 1973 may be thousands of years old, according to the state’s office of archaeology. The 7-inch carved artifact found by a Monroe landowner is suspected to be a grooved adz, a tool used for smoothing or trimming wood, The Charlotte Observer reports. It could […]
  
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