May 5, 2017

Nuclear waste at Hanford: Turn it into glass or encase in cement?

SPOKANE — Congress should consider authorizing the U.S. Department of Energy to study encasing much of the nuclear waste at the nation’s largest waste repository in a cement-like mixture instead of turning it into glass logs, according to a new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

Doing so before burying the waste would be less expensive than a process called vitrification to turn the waste into the glass logs, said the report issued Wednesday.

The process called grouting might also allow waste at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation near Richland to be treated more quickly, the report said.

The waste is left over from plutonium production for nuclear weapons, including the bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan that led to the end of World War II.

Read more: http://www.columbian.com/news/2017/may/04/nuclear-waste-at-hanford-turn-it-into-glass-or-encase-in-cement/

May 5, 2017

Legislature finishes budget negotiations, approval to come Monday

TALLAHASSEE -- Behind schedule and late in the evening, House and Senate negotiators agreed Thursday to an $83 billion spending plan for the year that begins July 1, setting up a delayed end to the legislative session.

The agreement provides for a modest increase in the main state formula for funding public education, cuts payments to hospitals by more than $500 million, and provides a raise to state employees for the first time since 2013.

It also closes out an arduous, weeks-long negotiation between the two chambers that has already pushed them into overtime — a final vote on the spending plan will come Monday, three days after the annual legislative session was supposed to end.

The state Constitution requires a 72-hour “cooling off” period before any agreement between the House and Senate can be approved.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article148755219.html

May 5, 2017

Science museum and rap fans will converge Sunday in downtown Miami

Whether you’re into sharks or song, astronomy or A$AP Rocky, large dinosaurs or Lil Wayne, you’ll be rubbing sweaty shoulders Sunday in downtown Miami, where 43,000 people will converge for the Rolling Loud hip-hop music festival and the members-only opening of the Frost Science museum.

Despite the crowds clustering in Bayfront Park and Museum Park, an enjoyable and dank time can be had by all if everyone makes an effort to use public transportation, share rides, drink water and behave.

“We welcome people to downtown,” said Miami police spokeswoman Kenia Fallat. “Even with multiple events taking place, don’t be deterred. It will be a bit of a learning experience as far as the traffic is concerned, but we have a good plan and we have plenty of manpower.”

The only road closure will be one northbound lane on Biscayne Boulevard between Chopin Plaza and Northeast Fourth Street from 6 a.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Monday.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/downtown-miami/article148751489.html

May 5, 2017

Cocaine Cowboy indicted in $1.67 million car fraud ring

One of the last remaining “Cocaine Cowboys,” who was more recently known for his art, is in trouble with the feds again.

Michael “Mickey” Munday, 71, and seven other men were indicted Thursday in an elaborate stolen car scheme that prosecutors said earned the group $1.67 million.

Munday, a former pilot for the Medellín and Cali Cartels, spent nearly all of the 1990s in prison for smuggling 10 tons of cocaine from Colombia to Miami.

Arrested were Mark David Johnson, 41, of Fort Lauderdale; David William Wheat, 66, of Fort Pierce; Michael Kennedy Brown, 53, of Delray Beach; James Carrington, 37, of Aurora, Missouri; Jana Kabelova, 41, of Fort Lauderdale; Juan Ottavianelli, 71, of North Miami, and Edwin Fernandes, 50, of North Miami.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article148664759.html

May 5, 2017

Ex-exec gets 40 years' prison in $300M vacation resort scam

KEY WEST, Fla. -- A former vacation resort executive has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for his role in what federal prosecutors called a $300 million scam.

A federal judge in Key West, Florida, imposed the sentence Thursday on 60-year-old David Schwarz. A jury previously found Schwarz guilty of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud and Internal Revenue Service interference.

Schwarz was once chief financial officer and one-third owner of the Cay Clubs Resorts and Marinas, which operated resorts in the Florida Keys, Clearwater, Orlando and Las Vegas. Prosecutors say 1,400 investors who purchased units in Cay Clubs developments were defrauded.

The resort's former president, Fred Davis "Dave" Clark Jr., was sentenced last year to 40 years in federal prison. Two former sales executives were sentenced to five years in prison.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/article148613994.html#storylink=cpy

May 5, 2017

Washington governor signs bill allowing sunscreen in schools

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Washington students will no longer need a note from a doctor and parent in order to use sunscreen at school under a new law signed by Gov. Jay Inslee.

Inslee signed the bill Thursday and the law takes effect immediately.

Previously, students needed a prescription or note from a licensed health care professional and a parent or guardian to use over-the-counter sunscreen products while at school. According to The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, sunscreen is considered to be a medication because it is regulated by the United States Food and Drug Administration and is categorized as a "sunscreen drug product."

Senate Bill 5404 exempts sunblock from being classified as a medication so children can use it on campus, at school-sponsored events or during field trips.

http://www.yakimaherald.com/news/state_news/washington-governor-signs-bill-allowing-sunscreen-in-schools/article_e166f8d3-b696-5df5-8e4a-934d20f598ec.html

May 5, 2017

Legislators make case for adding another ferry to shopping list

OLYMPIA — Kitsap lawmakers are pushing to keep the ferry assembly line churning.

Most local representatives signed letters urging House and Senate transportation committee chairs to include funding for a fifth 144-car vessel in the 2017-19 budget. However, when the document was approved April 21, it denied money for another Olympic-class boat. It did include a proviso directing Washington State Ferries to submit a cost estimate by June 30, including construction, operations and potential savings from replacing an existing vessel.

A legislative ferry caucus, which believes that five 144-car vessels would address the system's immediate fleet replacement needs, met with WSF officials at mid-session, said Sen. Christine Rolfes, D-Bainbridge Island.

"We talked about whether ferries believed this boat was the most cost-effective and how we could be most effective in helping to advocate for it," she said.

Read more: http://www.kitsapsun.com/story/news/local/2017/05/03/legislators-make-case-adding-another-ferry-shopping-list/101204572/

May 5, 2017

'Swarm' of small earthquakes recorded in Bremerton area

A swarm of small earthquakes occurring Wednesday afternoon through Thursday morning gently rattled the Bremerton area.

A 3.3 magnitude quake struck at 12:20 p.m. Wednesday 16 miles deep beneath the seafloor just east of Manette, according to Pacific Northwest Seismic Network. Smaller aftershocks continued through Thursday morning. About 20 tremors were recorded in an area between Enetai, Manchester and the south end of Bainbridge Island.

No injuries or property damage was reported, according to the Kitsap Department of Emergency Management.

Bill Steele with the Seismic Network said based on the characteristics of the earthquakes, it is possible the swarm was created by breaking along the Seattle Fault, which runs beneath central Puget Sound. The depth of the epicenters makes it hard to draw firm conclusions.

Read more: http://www.kitsapsun.com/story/news/local/2017/05/04/swarm-small-earthquakes-recorded-bremerton-area/101291624/

May 5, 2017

Counties still going after property tax reform in special session

Although the legislature is already well into its first special session, lobbyists for counties around the state are still pushing for a property tax cap increase that they argue would allow counties to maintain public safety services.

House Bill 1764 (and its Senate companion, SB 5772) seek to lift a cap — approved by voters in 2001 — that limits county-collected property tax increases to one percent per year. The proposal would instead change the cap to a “floating” number driven by inflation and population growth, and approved by local governments.

Counties have been hindered for a decade since Initiative 747 — the Tim Eyman-driven one-percent cap — went into effect, said Josh Weiss, a lobbyist for the Washington State Association of Counties.

Weiss said that county governments have had revenue growth of about two to four percent since the recession, as opposed to the eight to 12 percent growth the state has seen.

Read more: http://tdn.com/news/local/counties-still-going-after-property-tax-reform-in-special-session/article_946db590-11aa-5615-a636-6c7e52d93f4e.html

May 4, 2017

A year's supply of birth control? Washington lawmakers say insurance should cover it

Women in Washington state soon should be able to get a year’s supply of birth control at a time.

The Legislature has approved a measure requiring insurers to cover 12-month refills for contraceptives, instead of supplies that last only one or three months.

House Bill 1234 passed the House and Senate last month with broad bipartisan support. Gov. Jay Inslee is expected to sign it into law.

State Rep. June Robinson, D-Everett, said the goal is to make it easier for women to keep up with their birth control prescriptions and avoid missing doses.

Read more here: http://www.theolympian.com/news/politics-government/article147960394.html