1. Population of Whitman County: 41,664
2. 85 percent white
3. 48.2 percent with a bachelor's degree
4. Median household income: $32,083
5. 26.7 percent below poverty level
Pullman:
2008 construction costs: $14,007,013
2007: $31,922,839
2006: $34,549,367
2005: $40,062,508
2004: $21,793,767
Most current: August 2009 $$7,170,166
1. Two counties that have the highest percentage of uninsured: San Juan County and Whitman County
2. Whitman County percentage uninsured is 29.2 percent
1. The Office of Financial Management for the state of Washington comes up first
2. Total change in population was 1,960
3. Natural increase was 1,324
4. Natural change is births, deaths, etc.
1. The Palouse Basin Aquifer Committee Meeting is on Oct. 15 at 2 p.m.
2. They suggest not giving the shots to anyone expect those who have underlying health conditions for swine flu
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
Beat update Oct. 13
From the Spokesman Review: "Sprague project nears an end" by Mike Prager.
From the Daily Evergreen: "Commission approves ordinance" by Briana Alzola. This is about the wind ordinance being passed by the Pullman Planning Commission.
From the Daily Evergreen: "Fairmount Cemetary road to be paved" by Taras Zhulez.
From the Daily Evergreen: "Commission approves ordinance" by Briana Alzola. This is about the wind ordinance being passed by the Pullman Planning Commission.
From the Daily Evergreen: "Fairmount Cemetary road to be paved" by Taras Zhulez.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Is it Libel?
1. “Up until the day he died, he was a brilliant writer. But the drugs made him a thief, a pimp and a liar,” said friend Karen Smith, who was with Johnson at the time of his death.
*I don't think this is libelous because this is his FRIEND saying these things, not the reporter. It is clear in the story that it is not the reporter's opinion, because it has quote marks around the statement to show that it is is a direct quote, and the source of the quote is identified.
2. “Megan Fox is a man!” Headline on Weekly World News Web site
*I think this is potentially libelous because the claim being made in the headline is not backed up with any facts (perhaps it is later in the actual story, but if someone just read the headline...they could think that the news source is claiming this person is a man with no actual proof). Making a claim that is this controversial and this outrageous, and that could destroy this person's reputation really puts the news source at risk of being sued for libel.
3. “In my opinion, Kevin is a murdering rapist.”
*This is libelous because there is no attribution for the direct quote. The reporter doesn't say here who said this or why it was said. Maybe it is the reporter saying it and he/she just decided to put quotes around it, who knows?
*I don't think this is libelous because this is his FRIEND saying these things, not the reporter. It is clear in the story that it is not the reporter's opinion, because it has quote marks around the statement to show that it is is a direct quote, and the source of the quote is identified.
2. “Megan Fox is a man!” Headline on Weekly World News Web site
*I think this is potentially libelous because the claim being made in the headline is not backed up with any facts (perhaps it is later in the actual story, but if someone just read the headline...they could think that the news source is claiming this person is a man with no actual proof). Making a claim that is this controversial and this outrageous, and that could destroy this person's reputation really puts the news source at risk of being sued for libel.
3. “In my opinion, Kevin is a murdering rapist.”
*This is libelous because there is no attribution for the direct quote. The reporter doesn't say here who said this or why it was said. Maybe it is the reporter saying it and he/she just decided to put quotes around it, who knows?
Monday, October 5, 2009
Enterprise Story
Palouse receives grant to clean up and renovate land
PALOUSE, Wash. – After the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) completed a Targeted Brownfield Assessment in 2008, the small town of Palouse received its first Integrated Planning Grant from the Washington State Department of Ecology (DOE).
In the spring of 2009, Palouse received $200,000 to hire consultants, create a Brownfields Committee and to do whatever else was needed to begin its project. Palouse is the second city in the state of Washington to receive an Integrated Planning Grant, enabling the town to cleanup and renovate a piece of land and begin its first Brownfields Project.
“We have a history of working very closely with government agencies,” Palouse Mayor Michael Echanove said. “We demonstrate a real desire to begin this cleanup and begin the renovation process on this land, and I think that's part of the reason they picked us.”
According to the DOE’s Web site: “Brownfield sites are abandoned or underused properties where there may be environmental contamination. Redevelopment efforts are often hindered by the liability for the cleanup or the uncertainty of cleanup costs. Brownfield sites that aren’t cleaned up represent lost opportunities for economic development and for other community improvements.”
The piece of land causing concern in Palouse is the former Palouse Producers site. The site consists of an abandoned gas station, service station and agricultural chemical distribution facility. The land is in the center of downtown Palouse, right between Main Street and the Palouse River.
Echanove said the idea of cleaning up the area initially occurred in the 1980s when Petroleum was discovered leaking into the Palouse River. The groundwater and soil at this particular site are still contaminated, creating a potential threat to the environment and citizens of Palouse. Echanove said this is what makes this bit of land a perfect Brownfields Project.
The Brownfields Project has three distinct phases. The first is the Target Brownfield Assessment, where the land in question is evaluated by the EPA and it is decided whether or not the city will get the grant. The second phase is the cleanup, which Palouse is currently in the beginning stages of. Finally, the third stage is the reuse and renovation stage.
Councilman Mike Milano said the land being considered for this project is not owned by the city. It is privately owned and must be bought by the city in order to begin the cleanup process.
“We currently don’t have funding secured for either property acquisition or any site cleanup work at this point,” Milano said. “The goal of the integrated planning process is to define the community’s wishes for the future use of the site.”
He said the recommended site cleanup method could be very different depending on what the community of Palouse decides to do with the land.
Echanove said the cost of acquiring the land and the cost of the cleanup are unknown at this time. However, he said he thinks the cost of the cleanup may be around $285,000. Palouse will apply for an additional grant for this money with the EPA and the DOE. The cleanup methods depend on what the city decides to use the land for, and only when that is decided will the cost become clear. Echanove said he knows for sure he would like to integrate the Palouse River into the city more.
“We really want to bring our river to the forefront of the property so people can have more river access,” he said.
John Means, brownfields grant manager and program planner for the DOE, said in an e-mail that he knows of no other state that has a grant program like this one. He said it is very important for cities that do get this grant to be able to see and create their vision for the property they wish to cleanup and renovate. Echanove said Means flew in to Palouse on Oct. 1 for the committee meeting concerning the Brownfields Project.
A town hall meeting was also held to discuss the project on Sept. 30. Echanove said about 60 people attended and many people had ideas of what they would like to see at the new site. He said he has heard ideas for a parking lot, urban housing, a park and a retail center with urban housing around it. Though none of the citizens of Palouse oppose this project, Echanove said some are wary of the liability and of the fact that this is something new to them.
“We have never been down this road before, it is something new that will create new challenges,” he said.
Palouse plans to reach the cleanup stage of the project by early in 2010. After that is completed, Echanove said the city will have some options concerning how they will get money for the reuse and renovation stage. He said they may apply for public funds, try to sell the property to a private enterprise that wants to build on it or they will apply for Public Development Authority, which allows a public entity to build a structure on the land.
-30-
Sources
Mayor Michael Echanove (in-person interview): 509-335-0512
echanove@wsu.edu
Councilman Mike Milano: councilmanmilano@palousedays.com
509-595-0664
John Means: jmea461@ecy.wa.gov
OUTLINE
I. Lead: What Palouse received, what it means, MONEY!
II. Lead quote: Echanove saying why he thinks the city of Palouse was chosen to receive this grant.
III. What is Brownfields? What makes the land in Palouse a good Brownfields Project?
IV. Mike Milano discusses the city needs to buy the land, how to being intial cleanup
V. More on costs and what the land may be used for
VI. John Means bit of information
VII. Echanove talks about the meetings, what people think and the city’s plans for renovation and reuse
PALOUSE, Wash. – After the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) completed a Targeted Brownfield Assessment in 2008, the small town of Palouse received its first Integrated Planning Grant from the Washington State Department of Ecology (DOE).
In the spring of 2009, Palouse received $200,000 to hire consultants, create a Brownfields Committee and to do whatever else was needed to begin its project. Palouse is the second city in the state of Washington to receive an Integrated Planning Grant, enabling the town to cleanup and renovate a piece of land and begin its first Brownfields Project.
“We have a history of working very closely with government agencies,” Palouse Mayor Michael Echanove said. “We demonstrate a real desire to begin this cleanup and begin the renovation process on this land, and I think that's part of the reason they picked us.”
According to the DOE’s Web site: “Brownfield sites are abandoned or underused properties where there may be environmental contamination. Redevelopment efforts are often hindered by the liability for the cleanup or the uncertainty of cleanup costs. Brownfield sites that aren’t cleaned up represent lost opportunities for economic development and for other community improvements.”
The piece of land causing concern in Palouse is the former Palouse Producers site. The site consists of an abandoned gas station, service station and agricultural chemical distribution facility. The land is in the center of downtown Palouse, right between Main Street and the Palouse River.
Echanove said the idea of cleaning up the area initially occurred in the 1980s when Petroleum was discovered leaking into the Palouse River. The groundwater and soil at this particular site are still contaminated, creating a potential threat to the environment and citizens of Palouse. Echanove said this is what makes this bit of land a perfect Brownfields Project.
The Brownfields Project has three distinct phases. The first is the Target Brownfield Assessment, where the land in question is evaluated by the EPA and it is decided whether or not the city will get the grant. The second phase is the cleanup, which Palouse is currently in the beginning stages of. Finally, the third stage is the reuse and renovation stage.
Councilman Mike Milano said the land being considered for this project is not owned by the city. It is privately owned and must be bought by the city in order to begin the cleanup process.
“We currently don’t have funding secured for either property acquisition or any site cleanup work at this point,” Milano said. “The goal of the integrated planning process is to define the community’s wishes for the future use of the site.”
He said the recommended site cleanup method could be very different depending on what the community of Palouse decides to do with the land.
Echanove said the cost of acquiring the land and the cost of the cleanup are unknown at this time. However, he said he thinks the cost of the cleanup may be around $285,000. Palouse will apply for an additional grant for this money with the EPA and the DOE. The cleanup methods depend on what the city decides to use the land for, and only when that is decided will the cost become clear. Echanove said he knows for sure he would like to integrate the Palouse River into the city more.
“We really want to bring our river to the forefront of the property so people can have more river access,” he said.
John Means, brownfields grant manager and program planner for the DOE, said in an e-mail that he knows of no other state that has a grant program like this one. He said it is very important for cities that do get this grant to be able to see and create their vision for the property they wish to cleanup and renovate. Echanove said Means flew in to Palouse on Oct. 1 for the committee meeting concerning the Brownfields Project.
A town hall meeting was also held to discuss the project on Sept. 30. Echanove said about 60 people attended and many people had ideas of what they would like to see at the new site. He said he has heard ideas for a parking lot, urban housing, a park and a retail center with urban housing around it. Though none of the citizens of Palouse oppose this project, Echanove said some are wary of the liability and of the fact that this is something new to them.
“We have never been down this road before, it is something new that will create new challenges,” he said.
Palouse plans to reach the cleanup stage of the project by early in 2010. After that is completed, Echanove said the city will have some options concerning how they will get money for the reuse and renovation stage. He said they may apply for public funds, try to sell the property to a private enterprise that wants to build on it or they will apply for Public Development Authority, which allows a public entity to build a structure on the land.
-30-
Sources
Mayor Michael Echanove (in-person interview): 509-335-0512
echanove@wsu.edu
Councilman Mike Milano: councilmanmilano@palousedays.com
509-595-0664
John Means: jmea461@ecy.wa.gov
OUTLINE
I. Lead: What Palouse received, what it means, MONEY!
II. Lead quote: Echanove saying why he thinks the city of Palouse was chosen to receive this grant.
III. What is Brownfields? What makes the land in Palouse a good Brownfields Project?
IV. Mike Milano discusses the city needs to buy the land, how to being intial cleanup
V. More on costs and what the land may be used for
VI. John Means bit of information
VII. Echanove talks about the meetings, what people think and the city’s plans for renovation and reuse
Beat update this week!
In the Spokesman Review: "Freeway trees set to fall" by Mike Prager. This story is about some trees that were planted along part of I-90 that have now grown too large and pose a safety threat...kind of ironic...
In the Daily Evergreen: "Work party beautifies Palouse River" by Rochelle Adams. This story is about the Pullman Civic Trust organizing a team to work and clean up the Palouse River.
In the Daily Evergreen: "Work party beautifies Palouse River" by Rochelle Adams. This story is about the Pullman Civic Trust organizing a team to work and clean up the Palouse River.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
police report
Police detectives in Spokane, Wash. were assigned to follow up on a police report that a Male Prostitute was strangled while performing an oral sex act on a man in Chicago.
The suspect is a Spokane resident, who also happens to be a priest. Bishop Welsh later admitted to putting his hands all over the victim and performing sexual acts on him.
The suspect is a Spokane resident, who also happens to be a priest. Bishop Welsh later admitted to putting his hands all over the victim and performing sexual acts on him.
Enterprise story ideas
I have already spoke to Palouse's Mayor about a few story ideas in Palouse.
First, I would like to maybe look more into the fact that almost 50 percent of the houses in Palouse were built before 1939.
If not that, the Palouse Mayor has told me about a few projects the city is working on. I don't have lots of details on a single one yet, but have some good ideas.
First, I would like to maybe look more into the fact that almost 50 percent of the houses in Palouse were built before 1939.
If not that, the Palouse Mayor has told me about a few projects the city is working on. I don't have lots of details on a single one yet, but have some good ideas.
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