Northwest

Eric Idle gives commencement to Whitman graduates

WALLA WALLA — English entertainer and former Monty Python member Eric Idle delivered the commencement speech Sunday at Whitman College in Walla Walla where his daughter Lily was among the 375 graduates.

Seat belt enforcement week in Oregon

PORTLAND — Law enforcement agencies across Oregon are taking part in the "click it or ticket" seat belt enforcement campaign through June 2.

FBI: No arrests in Spokane ricin case

SPOKANE — The FBI said Monday that no one has been arrested after last week’s discovery of a pair of letters containing the deadly poison ricin in Spokane, but the agency remained tight-lipped about the investigation and a weekend raid at a downtown apartment building.

Indoor pot production leaves giant carbon footprint

SEATTLE — Marijuana growing is not a green industry.

Warren Buffett meets with young entrepreneurs

OMAHA, Neb. — Billionaire Warren Buffett is spending his day listening to business pitches from a select group of kids, but the ideas aren't likely to generate new acquisitions for Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate.

Boy, 14, arrested in Wilsonville after I-5 chase

WILSONVILLE, Ore. -- Police say a 14-year-old boy was arrested Monday morning in Wilsonville after leading officers on a chase on Interstate 5 from Woodburn.

New lab to give scientists underwater access

$239 million project will install seismic monitors, more off Northwest coast

SEATTLE — Scientists are eager for access to information from a quarter-billion dollar lab at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean that they hope will teach them about climate change, earthquakes and even the origins of life on Earth and other planets.

Brutality lawsuit moves forward

Oregon man claims he was beaten by officers in 2010

McMINNVILLE, Ore. — A trial date could be set this week for a lawsuit claiming Yamhill County law enforcement officers used excessive and unnecessary force in making an arrest three years ago.

Eugene, Ore., school district faces $16M budget gap

Officials: If union declines wage deal, class size may grow

EUGENE, Ore. — The Eugene School District wants wage concessions from teachers because of a projected $16 million budget gap.

E-commerce a big boon for Whatcom Co.

BLAINE A report from the state Department of Revenue shows that online commerce is a big boon for the Whatcom County towns of Blaine and Sumas on the Canadian border.

Fluoride question divides Portland

Backers, foes have spent a bundle ahead of vote on adding it to water supply

PORTLAND — While soaking up the rays in what's been an unusually sunny season, Portlanders have broken away from their polite chatter about food, wine and outdoor adventure to fight about whether to fluoridate the water supply.

Snohomish transit organization rejects anti-gun ad

EVERETT — The main transit organization in Snohomish County is declining to run advertisements from a statewide gun control group on public buses.

23-year-old woman killed on highway near Hillsboro

HILLSBORO, Ore. — Washington County sheriff's deputies say no charges are expected against a minivan driver who struck and killed a 23-year-old woman who was walking on a rural highway south of Hillsboro.

FBI team searches Spokane apartment in ricin letter case

Authorities say the residents of building are not in danger

SPOKANE -- Authorities in hazardous materials suits searched a downtown Spokane apartment Saturday, investigating the recent discovery of a pair of letters containing the deadly poison ricin.

Fugitive held on kidnap, rape charges in Medford, Ore.

MEDFORD, Ore. — A man with two out-of-state warrants for his arrest allegedly kidnapped and assaulted a woman for several days in a Medford hotel, police said.