(Tri-City Herald Photograph-Bob Brawdy)

While in Columbia Park Friday, covering testing by some unlimited hydroplanes, a local news crew had their car become part of the event.

KVEW  42 ABC TV was filming the testing, when the reporter noticed the Ford Explorer was moving.  Mark Harper, the crewman,  thought about jumping in to try to stop it, but it was traveling too fast towards the shoreline.   The Explorer plunged into the river, and ended up being immersed about halfway up the vehicle.  The waterline was even with the middle of the doors, and you could not see the wheel wells or tires.  

  According to witnesses and Harper, the vehicle slipped out of gear, causing it to roll.   The KVEW Video equipment also went into the drink with the vehicle.  A tow truck was able to pull it out, no word on amount of damage to the Explorer or the video equipment.

  Hey, we’ve all had days that like sometime!

Mario Tama, Getty Images

The separation of church and state doesn’t mean religious leaders can’t express political opinions. And in the wake of President Obama’s endorsement of gay marriage there has been talk that some houses of worship may encourage their flock not to vote for the president in 2012 to protest his reversal on the issue.

However, the majority of Americans would rather that churches and other religious institution keep out of politics altogether. According to a Pew Research Center Poll of 1,503 adults, 54 percent said that churches should keep out of political matters, whereas 40 percent think churches should express views on political questions.

In 1996, these percentages were just about reversed, with 54 percent in favor of churches being involved in politics and 43 percent opposed.

[Pew Research Center]

(courtesy US Geological Service)

It’s not the ‘big’ 20 or 30 year anniversary, but May 18th will always loom large in the minds of Northwest residents.

It was May 18th 1980 when Mt. St. Helens blew up, becoming the largest eruption of a volcano in the continental US since, well, Mt. Ranier blew smoke and ash back in 1842.   The mountain had, for months, been showing signs of definite activity.  It had been classified as dormant for sometime, but then became ‘active’. 

  May 18th, the skies over the Northwest became as dark as dusk,  in the Tri-Cities you could hear the hiss of volcanic ash coming down from the skies.   Ritzville, 80 miles north, was choked with a foot of fine volcanic dust,  cars became undrivable due to the filters being clogged.  We at Newstalk recall family members being ‘trapped’ in Spokane, as the streets were closed.  They finally were able to come home 3 days later, but had to go east, down through Idaho, and back up through Lewiston-Clarkston to get back.

   Somewhere in our shed out back, is a glass coffee jar full of ash.   Later, many Northwesterners made money from collecting and selling the ash, turning it with clay into sculpture, or just putting it in tiny jars and spinning off for 2-3 bucks a pop.  Imagine if St. Helens erupted today in the internet age…oh my!

  And finally who could forget Harry Truman? The salty old retired ‘mountain man’ who refused to leave his cabin at the base of the 12,000 plus foot tall peak.  He is forever entombed beneath the acres of ash, dust, rock and debris that forever changed the landscape of the entire Pacific Northwest.

Watch these remarkable videos, including a Seattle television station reporter caught in the ash cloud as he tried to get out of the blast zone.  He survived.  St. Helens still steams and rumbles to this day.

(Photo by Craig Mitchelldyer/Getty Images)

(Photo by Craig Mitchelldyer/Getty Images)

Thinkstock

Coffee drinkers no longer need to fret over health concerns and their beloved beverage, according to a new study by the National Cancer Institute. In fact, feel free to pour an extra cup in the morning because, the study suggests, coffee may actually prolong life.

Over the course of a 14-year study, researchers found that men who drank at least six cups of coffee a day had a 10 percent lower chance of dying than those who drank none. Women had a 15 percent lower chance.

“I would say it offers some reassurance to coffee drinkers,” said Neal Freedman, a nutritional epidemiology researcher and one of the authors of the study. “Other studies have suggested a higher risk of mortality with coffee drinking and we didn’t see that in our study.”

The study looked at the coffee habits of 229,000 men and 173,000 women from 1995 to 2008. It found that even people who drank between two and five cups of coffee daily seemed to have a lower risk of mortality. This applied to both regular and decaffeinated coffee.

It’s important to note, however, that the study highlights only a potential connection between coffee and decreased risk of death. Simply put, researchers aren’t quite sure why their findings highlight an uptick in longevity.

Still, Freedman said, it’s entirely possible that coffee may be beneficial in some unknown way. “Coffee has more than 1,000 compounds and we really don’t know what effects those compounds have on health,” he said.

[MSNBC]

(Photo by Tim Boyle/Getty Images

The Food Police Strike Again!  The Federal Government is going to trash the fine arts program at a Salt Lake City high school because of the fine.

Davis high school turned off the vending machine in the cafeteria during the 47 minute lunch hour, per Federally mandated law.  But apparently a similar soda machine in the library was not turned off, and the Feds found out, and fined the school .75 cents per student–to the tune of $15,000!   The school will now have to make cuts in it’s fine arts program to make up the fine to the Feds.

  It’s part of the Federal effort (if you can call it that) to force kids to eat more healthy foods.   Often referred to as the “Food Police”, the Federal agencies overseeing these programs and laws crack down hard on schools.  However,  because certain candy bars contain nuts, they are allowed to be sold in schools. So in Davis High in Salt Lake City,  Snickers bars are ok!   

  We wondered if such laws exist in Washington or Tri-City Schools.  According to the website of the National Association Of State Boards Of Education, here is what is on the books for Washington:

RCW 28A.210.365 (2007) states that its a goal of Washington state to ensure that by 2010, “only healthy food and beverages provided by schools during school hours or for school-sponsored activities shall be available on school campuses.

  The story goes on to list what the mandated healthy standards are for lunch or school food.  You can read the entire list here.  (Just scroll down to Washington).   The fine is the result of a confusing system of Federal laws defining what can and cannot be sold during school,  during lunch, and after school.  In a nutshell, the school was dinged for selling what is called ‘food with minimum nutritional value’ in competition to often Federally funded school lunch programs.  If the Feds supply funds for your school lunches, they demand complete compliance with their standards. 

 Such bans and removal of soda and vending machines from schools have already created “black market” operations in LA where students smuggle FMNV’s into school and sell them at higher prices to other students! (FMNV is Federal-speak for ‘Foods with Minimal Nutritional Value). 

 What are your thoughts on this?   Does the Federal Government have the right to fine and ‘punish’ schools for vending machines, candy, or other “non-healthy” foods?  Take our poll.

(courtesy Union County OR Jail)

A 49 year man has been charged in the stabbing death of another man in Enterprise following a bar fight.

Michael Trent Gaston has been charged with the murder of 26 year old Lawrence Mock.  The altercation took place at Lear’s Pub and Grill in Enterprise  in the early morning hours of May 10th.  Police have not released specific details about the altercation, but did say the stabbing occured after the altercation.  Gaston was arraigned in court Thursday.

Paramount Pictures / Universal Pictures / Lionsgate

This weekend, you’ll have your choice between a goofy comedy, watching things blow up, and a tale about the joys and perils of new parenthood.

In ‘The Dictator,’ Sacha Baron Cohen stars as the title character who risked his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed.

Based on the classic board game, ‘Battleship’ is an epic action-adventure that unfolds across the seas, in the skies and over land as our planet fights for survival against a superior force.

And ‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting,’ inspired by the self-help book of the same name, tells the story of a group of expectant parents dealing with the surprise demands of pregnancy.

Here’s a sneak peek.

‘The Dictator’

Directed by: Larry Charles
Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen, Anna Faris, Ben Kingsley, Jason Mantzoukas
Get Tickets & Showtimes

‘Battleship’

Directed by: Peter Berg
Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Alexander Skarsgård, Rihanna, Brooklyn Decker, Tadanobu Asano, Hamish Linklater, Liam Neeson
Get Tickets & Showtimes

‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting’

Directed by: Kirk Jones
Starring: Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Banks, Chace Crawford, Brooklyn Decker, Ben Falcone, Anna Kendrick, Matthew J. Morrison
Get Tickets & Showtimes

(courtesy Gibbons Racing-gibbonsracing.com)

You may have seen NASCAR races on TV, and maybe have been lucky enough to see stock car races in person, but you’ve NEVER seen this!

Coming this Saturday to Columbia Motor Speedway in Hermiston are the Rolling Thunder Big Rigs! The only U.S.-based semi-truck racing association Rolling Thunder will present at least 8-10 of the diesel monsters racing around the 3/8-mile just north of Hermiston. Two of the trucks put on a mini demonstration last weekend at the track, and were clocked at amazing speeds of over 65 mph average lap speed on the track!

These trucks race all over the Pacific Northwest, and will be making their first trip ever to the Mid-Columbia.  Time Trials are at 5 p.m. with racing to follow. Click here for ticket information for Columbia Motor Speedway.

(Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

Often called the “Queen” of Disco, Donna Summer has died Thursday at 63.

TMZ and other sources are reporting she lost her long time battle with lung cancer.  She had long believed she contracted the illness after inhaling some toxic particles after 911.  She had largely kept the cancer under wraps, and was continuing to work on new material.  She was finishing up an album of new work very recently.

 ”Last Dance”,  “Hot Stuff”, and “Bad Girls” were among her huge disco-ear hits, and she continued into the 80′s with such hits as “She Works Hard For The Money.”  Unlike many disco era performers, Summer was able to continue making hit music well after the craze faded, and she remained a musical icon who still toured and performed frequently.  She won 5 Grammy awards during her musical career.

The answer, which is “magic wand,” seems perfectly obvious to those of us watching at home, but the contestant repeatedly fails to provide the correct response. Instead, he guesses “magic hand,” “magic band,” “magic pand” (?) and a few dozen others. Once the buzzer sounds, he finally gets it, but by then it’s far too late.

“Uh, wow,” said a clearly stunned Pat Sajak. “It’s a weird game and you just never know. I’m really sorry.” Well, we’re not sorry. This guy just made us feel better about shouting answers at the TV during ‘Wheel of Fortune.’

Source: TheFW.com

Flickr, Jose Goulao

According to new information released by authorities, a Moses Lake boy suffering from child abuse could not even have sat up on his own for some time.

In addition, the 2-year-old who weighed less than ten pounds when revived last week by EMS workers, had no hair, and no discernible muscle tone.  The boy’s mother has been identified. Authorities confiscated a number of medical bottles and other items from the home, and they believe the mother was consulting with a naturopath provider in dealing with the boy.  The reason for such possible treatment was not released.

Detectives and DSHS personnel continue to investigate. The boy remains on life support in Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane. Other children found in the home were not appearing to suffer abuse and no arrests have been reported in the case.

myfuturedotcom, Flickr

Many of us do our banking via ATM or other electronic means, but how would you feel if actual in-person tellers didn’t exist? A few banks are testing out new systems with the possible goal of making that idea a reality.

In an effort to reduce waiting time for customers and free up employees to sell profitable products like loans and mortgages, some banks are installing touch screens and self-serve kiosks that would allow people to conduct standard banking business as well as cash checks, buy money orders and get cash in unusual denominations — tasks typically reserved exclusively for tellers.

Bank of America is even trying out video teller machines with screens that would give customers access to employees located in a centralized call center who can remotely authorize transactions, review check images and dole out cash. North Carolina’s Coastal Federal Credit Union, which has already switched to such a system, has seen its costs drop by 40 percent.

Willard Ross, chief retail officer for the credit union, said product sales have nearly doubled in the branches and added, “Branch managers don’t have to worry about manning the teller operations anymore, so they can be totally focused on the members who walk in.”  This could be interesting because in her last line of work, one of the wives of our Newstalk 870 crew worked as…you guessed it–a teller!

[The Wall Street Journal]

(Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

The Obama Administration’s ‘revisions’ of previous presidential biographies have created an Internet firestorm.

Late Tuesday, after news spread that the White House had inserted ‘did you know?’ comment balloons touting Obama’s policies into biographies of nearly every president since Coolidge, a website appeared touting events Obama played a part in that the Average American might not know about.

Soon after, the hashtag #ObamaInHistory appeared on Twitter, and hundreds, if not thousands, of tweets are appearing every minute. Twitter users are ‘informing’ everyone of epic events that Obama either shaped, appeared at, or was the mover and shaker. Here are some of the comments that have appeared on Twitter:

(newstalk 870 twitter page)

(Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Hail, sleet, rain, snow and ice.  The most common reasons roads are closed.  But yogurt?

A semi-truck driver has been cited for driving too fast around a corner and improper lane use after he dumped his truckload of yogurt all over an on-ramp leading to Interstate 88 in New York.  The driver, 24 year old Oleksandr Brychka of Nebraska, was entering the freeway near the town of  Chanango NY when his speed caused his load of over 96,000 cups of Chobani Yogurt to spill onto the road, most of the containers rupturing and creating a slick mess.

  Much of the load, which weighed 18 tons, slid down an embankment, but a significant amount was left on the shoulder, and some on the road.Into the early hours Tuesday morning, the on-ramp and a portion of the interstate were still being worked on to clean up the mess .   Somewhere a bunch of cows are mooing their displeasure with the driver destroying their hard work!

(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Critics are blasting the White House from every corner after it was learned the Obama Administration has been ‘editing’ the official government biographies of past Presidents to benefit Obama.

If you log on to the official White House Presidential Biographies, small ‘did you know’ boxes have been added to every president since Calvin Coolidge,  comparing Obama’s ideas and performance to that of previous Presidential accomplishments!  From the Fox News story:

For instance, the following line was added to the official bio of the late President Ronald Reagan: “In a June 28, 1985, speech, Reagan called for a fairer tax code, one where a multimillionaire did not have a lower tax rate than his secretary. Today, President Obama is calling for the same with the Buffett Rule.”

The White House says no biographies have been changed, they are merely adding links to each Presidential page, which they say has been done in the past.  However, each of the Obama additions tout things he has done that they believe are positive policy decisions. The additions attempt to link Obama policy ideas to those of Johnson, Kennedy, Truman, Reagan and others.

But conservatives have fired back with a hilarious Twitter hashtag or thread, that lists numerous world events that Obama participated in that you might not know about; such as juxtaposing him with the Beatles at Shea Stadium,  with Einstien, and at Stonehenge.

(newstalk image-courtesy WSP)

Like it or not, Click It Or Ticket turns 10 this year.   The Washington State Mandantory Seat Belt Law.

When the mandantory law went into effect in June 2002, Washington state had an estimated seat belt use rate of about 82 percent.  Now, the rate is at just over 97 percent according to law enforcement and data from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission.   Franklin County has the fourth highest seatbelt use rate in the state, just over 98% of drivers observed in the study used them.

  Now, it would be foolish to think people don’t want to drive safely, be safe in an accident, and avoid injury or death.  But the elephant in the room is, and will always be,  does the government have the right to force you to take care of yourself?   It’s a good idea to wear a seat belt.  But should government be able to make you do it?   Libertarians argue, no.   They point to the ever-increasing amount of government legislation that tries to “do the right thing” for the people; most recently, Obamacare. 

  According to the WTSC, over 1,000 lives have been saved due to increased seat belt use, or about 100 a year.  No data was available however, for the number of violations issued since the law went into effect.  Critics and cynics say it was just another law designed to get revenue from the public. 

 What are your thoughts on this?  Take our Newsmembers VIP Poll for a reward!  Not a Newsmember? Click here to sign up and start winning with Newstalk 870!

[button href="http://newstalk870.am/vip/q-and-a/polls/what-do-you-think-of-click-it-or-ticket/" title="Take The Poll" align="center"]

(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Got a few thousand you’re thinking of investing in Facebook? Hold on, and read this before you do, says Wall St. Expert.

Elizabeth McDonald, who publishes the popular Emac’s Bottom Line on the Fox Business Network, says beware of the initial Public Offering on the monster social network.   With the raging popularity of the world’s most used social network, you might ask ‘why?’  Consider these reasons, from McDonald:

(newstalk 870 image)

Congrats from Newstalk 870 going out to three of our Newstalk Newsmembers!

Kris K, Dwain A, and Eathen R, who all picked up copies of the new book “Shipwrecked-The People’s History of The Seattle Mariners.  They entered the contest in their Newsmembers VIP Account and won.   This book is flying off the shelves around the Northwest, and provides a great tell-all book of the highs and lows of the Mariners.

  If you’re not a Newsmember, click here to sign up, and starting winning–and being rewarded for listening to Newstalk 870!  And remember, Newsmembers get first crack at Tri City Dust Devil tickets, coming soon, and all season long, from Newstalk 870!

(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

If you’re a NASCAR fan watching races on TV, you’ve probably noticed more empty seats than usual, even at traditionally-sold out venues like Bristol, Martinsville and Darlington.

It’s no accident. Since 2009, an independent study done by Public Notice with help from Race Fans 4 Freedom says track attendance has dropped below 4 million, and it’s happened in correlation with the unemployment rate skyrocketing. While there has been some slippage in the sport, it was still considered very healthy until around 2008-2009.  When the economy began to tank, and the unemployment rates began to climb to record highs, NASCAR attendance and sponsor money dropped.

It used to be you had to be put on a six month to one year waiting list to get Bristol Motor Speedway tickets.  Not anymore.  Same for Martinsville and other legendary tracks.  The study shows a direct correlation between the economic downturn, and the loss of fans and sponsor money for the sport.

NASCAR fans are considered one of the ‘best’ targets for advertising.  Recent studies show at least 3 out of every 4  fans  make purchases based upon sponsors of their favorite driver.  For example, Mountain Dew has seen–despite the economy–a rise in their consumption of traditional Dew as well as their Amp Energy Drink, because it’s all over the 88 car of Dale Earnhardt Jr.   For years, Valvoline made millions off their logo being all over the legendary #6 car of Mark Martin.

But with unemployment high,  stock prices of race teams, race tracks, and sponsors having dropped, and big businesses tightening,  there aren’t as many BIG sponsors anymore.  Less money, fewer competitive teams,  fewer tickets sold; and high gas prices have not helped either.

Could the ‘NASCAR’ economy play a factor in November?  Considering the frosty response received by First Lady Michelle Obama last fall at a race,  could be.     The NASCAR economy trickles down regionally and locally too.   Northwest area race tracks have had to tighten up and really push for fans to stay alive.   A number of them have closed since the boom days of the 90′s and early 2000′s–including Spanaway near Seattle,  Tri-City Raceway in W. Richland,  Portland Speedway, and Spokane Raceway Park closed before being revived by casino money.

NASCAR fans tend to be politically conservative, even among Southern Democrats, and often vote “with their wallets.”  What the long-term effect on the sport, as well as the outcome in November will be, remains to be seen.

(Photo by John W. Adkisson/Getty Images)

While campaigning in front of a number of gay-lesbian groups, Obama has called for the repeal of the Defense Of Marriage Act.

The act, passed in 1996, defines marriage as involving one man and one woman.  Obama, who supposedly endorsed gay marriage unexpectedly,  has mysteriously had a string of campaign fund raising appearances with such groups, raising about 21 million dollars.   He claims his administration has never gone wrong in extending rights and responsibilities to everyone, claiming his actions would strengthen families.  The entire announcement of his support for the idea appears to be planned, as he is making appearance after appearance at  fundraisers held by pro-gay marriage groups and other supporters.  Obama has never done anything “by accident“-everything he does is calculated to help him get elected.

 Obama is now trying to portray Romney as ‘backwards’ on eqality.   Critics find this interesting that Obama is now turning his back on the hundreds of millions of Americans who believe through Christianity that the scriptures do not support gay marriage, and he is threatening to alienate his so-called spiritual advisors.  His political record, if you look back to his days in the Senate, is filled with numerous examples of taking opposite sides on issues when it suits him politically, and electorially.

 Mercedes Schlapp, founder of COVE Strategies, and a former Bush Administration director of special media, had this to say online in US News And World Report:

“Over the last 15 years he has taken opposing positions on this topic. First he favored legalization of same sex marriage in 1996 when he was a state senator and then changed his position to court Christian voters in 2008. And now in 2012, he is back where he started. This type of evolution is not Darwinian but Machiavellian. He has played both sides: one moment he is distancing himself from gay voters and the next he is misleading the Christian voters.”