Explosive Demolition Of Boardman Coal Plant Underscores End Of Coal-Fired Electric Generation In Oregon

By Tom Banse
The towering smokestack at Portland General Electric’s shuttered coal-fired power plant near Boardman has fallen, heralding the end of the era of coal-fired power generation in Oregon, Sept. 15, 2022.
A demolition contractor on Thursday imploded the towering smokestack and 19-story boiler building at Portland General Electric’s shuttered coal-fired power plant near Boardman, bringing a symbolic close to the era of coal-fired power generation in Oregon. Imported electricity generated from coal still flows through transmission wires across the Pacific Northwest, but that Read More

Coastal Washington Tribe Creates Higher Ground By Building Tsunami Tower, First Of Its Type Here

By Tom Banse
The first free-standing tsunami refuge in North America is now open in Tokeland in Pacific County, Washington.
There is a new option to escape a tsunami if you’re on the southwest coast of Washington when the Big One strikes. The Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe on Friday dedicated a 50-foot tall evacuation tower in Tokeland, Washington. Tribal leaders and the Federal Emergency Management Agency said the new tsunami refuge platform should be an example and inspiration for other Read More

World Track Championships Wrap Up With More Golds For USA, Praise For Host City Eugene

By Tom Banse
Oregon native Ryan Crouser won the gold medal in shot put at the 2022 World Track and Field Championships in Eugene.
The first World Outdoor Track and Field Championships held on American soil sprinted to a joyful conclusion Sunday night in Eugene with back-to-back U.S. victories in the 4x400 relays. The full stadium was also treated to a new world record in the women’s 100-meter hurdles by Nigeria's Tobi Asuman and a new world record in men's pole vault by Sweden's Mondo Duplantis. The Read More

Age Is Just A Number For Some Elite Marathoners At World Track & Field Championships In Eugene

By Tom Banse
Portland marathoner Galen Rupp in this file photo runs his way to a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. He's hoping for similar success in Eugene this year.
An elite field featuring most of the world's best marathoners has arrived in Oregon for this year’s World Track and Field Championships. Competitors from 34 countries will race through the streets of Eugene and neighboring Springfield this coming Sunday morning for the men and Monday for the women. Some of the marathoners are trying to outrun both their rivals and Father Read More

By Air And By Bike, Civilian Pilots And Cyclists Rehearse Delivering Aid After ‘The Big One’

By Tom Banse
Private pilots and cyclists will separately take to the air and the streets this month to practice delivering relief supplies after a catastrophic earthquake.
A huge dress rehearsal for regional earthquake disaster relief was supposed to happen next week until the ongoing pandemic forced its cancellation. The scrubbed Cascadia Rising exercise would have involved more than 22,000 participants – chiefly U.S. soldiers, sailors and airmen as well as state, local and tribal emergency planners. Some smaller drills are going ahead this Read More

To ‘Honor The Shoulders We Stand On:’ Big Band Premieres With Nod To History Of Native Jazz Musicians

By Tom Banse
The Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band posed for a commemorative photo after their premiere in Olympia on May 19, 2022.
A scheme to entertain a 4-year-old youngster in Spokane by playing a jazz album nearly three decades ago produced a cascade of aftereffects that culminated on stage in Olympia, Washington, this month with crescendos of horns and multiple standing ovations. During the debut of a 16-piece, all-Indigenous big band, the performers on stage hearkened even further back in Read More

Rehearsing For ‘The Big One’ On A Room-Sized Chess Board

By Tom Banse
Emergency planners could move pins representing earthquake response resources during an exercise at Camp Murray, Washington, on May 4.
Close to 200 federal, state and tribal emergency preparedness planners gathered around a giant map of the Pacific Northwest this week to rehearse and critique the federal response plan for "The Big One." The three-day Cascadia earthquake discussion exercise partially replaced a much bigger planned dress rehearsal that was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Read More

Electric Utilities In Northwest Spending Millions On Upgrades To Reduce Risk Of Wildfire Ignitions

By Tom Banse
Utility crews replace power poles burned in the Beachie Creek Fire east of Salem in September 2020.
Private electric utilities in the Pacific Northwest are planning tens of millions of dollars in upgrades to reduce the risk that their power lines could spark wildfires during extreme weather. Utilities such as Pacific Power, Avista, Idaho Power, Portland General Electric and Puget Sound Energy are either required to or are voluntarily submitting wildfire mitigation plans. Read More

Green Aluminum? Complex Deal Seeks To Restart The Last Aluminum Smelter In The NW And Cut Pollution

By Tom Banse
The potential restart of the Intalco Works smelter near Ferndale, Washington, calls for millions in taxpayer dollars and a cheap power deal.
A complex deal is taking shape to revive the Pacific Northwest's last remaining aluminum smelter. Alcoa idled its Intalco Works smelter near Ferndale, Washington, a year-and-a-half ago and laid off virtually all the workers there. The plan to bring this industry back involves a new owner, cash from taxpayers and an uncertain new contract for cut-rate wholesale power. Read More
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