In the Media

Washington Treasurer Jim McIntire says he has six to eight weeks of cash available to keep paying state-government bills, if Congress fails to lift the debt ceiling in time and interrupts federal payments of about $500 million a month.
Even so, McIntire sent a letter to the state’s 11 members of the U.S. House and Senate on Monday, urging action and warning that inaction could “crush” the fragile global economic recovery. It also could put unwanted pressure on state banks and even larger ones if federal Treasury investments lose value, McIntire said Thursday.
“At this time, it is a much greater risk than these people recognize,” the first-term Democrat said, warning that global credit markets are at risk and that credit lines could freeze. “It is very reckless. It’s kind of shocking that people (in Congress) would take this kind of a risk with such a fragile recovery – with the state, national and global economy at such a risk.”

The U.S. government's stalemate over raising the debt limit is taking a growing toll on states as Tuesday's deadline draws near, with some canceling bond sales and identifying roadwork and other expenditures that could be delayed.
"As the deadline to Aug. 2 comes closer, people are really, really worried," says Scott Pattison, executive director of the National Association of State Budget Officers.
A failure by Congress to raise the $14.3 trillion federal debt limit would lower the nation's credit rating and raise borrowing costs for states as well as 7,000 cities, counties, universities and non-profits. That's partly because many interest rates — for everything from municipal bonds to mortgages — are benchmarked to U.S. Treasuries.

Touch “play,” and the song slides in close beside you.

The singer treats her tune with care, caressing the lyrics in a voice soft like cashmere worn lightly.

Sarah Shea, the Sequim-bred vocalist and actress, has released her debut CD of jazz standards, from “Fever” to “Sunny” to “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” — her favorite among the 12 songs on the disc.

As volleyball player Bryce Larson gears up for her senior season at Kamiak High School in Mukilteo, she is having an action-packed summer. Her Washington Volleyball Academy team placed 20th in the 32-team national championship tournament earlier this month in Atlanta. The spring was also eventful for Larson, a reigning Herald All-Area Second Team hitter and All-Wesco South 4A First Team selection. In April she made the biggest decision of her life, verbally committing to play for Western Washington University after receiving interest from several other programs. "It's my dream school," Larson said of WWU.

Vicki Hamblin, a Western Washington University professor and department chair, has been named the executive director of the Center for International Studies.

Hamblin, who teaches French and chairs the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, will start her new role January 1.

Western Washington University is being called one of the best colleges in the nation to work for.

University spokesperson Paul Cocke says the award from the “Chronicle of Higher Education” is an honor, especially at this time when state cuts have forced the university to operate under a slim budget.

You need something done. What are you told?

“Fill out a form.”

Western Washington University officials figured there had to be a better way. The use of hard-copy forms to request services, they believed, was a waste of paper and time, as the requisitions had to be sent via campus mail to the appropriate parties, who in turn had to review, copy, and file them. Each person in the approval chain needed his or her own copy, and there was no central repository where the forms could be accessed easily.

That’s to say nothing of forms—some of them quite important—that got lost, which sometimes took weeks for someone to realize.

As a professor of geography, Michael Medler knows to ask "Why here?"
Combine that with his academic interest in fire, and Medler has developed an intriguing idea - what he calls a "speculation" - about why early ancestors of humans developed where they did.
The Olduvai Gorge in east Africa's Great Rift Valley has been called the "cradle of mankind" because of important prehistoric discoveries there. The valley is where Homo erectus, a predecessor of contemporary humans, emerged about 1.8 million years ago and spread outward, helped in part by its ability to use fire.

The Dieringer School District is by no means a large district today, but back when recently retired Principal Pat Keaton got his start, it was even smaller.

"Staff at that time was only nine teachers so we taught multiple subjects," he said of his first job at North Tapps Middle School more than two decadesago, breaking into a wide smile.

Trained to teach History at Western Washington University, Keaton found himself also in front of the school's technology class as well as teaching typing. And every now and again, Keaton said he'd have to take the shop teacher to lunch to get him to fix one of the old manual typewriters so class could continue.

In an always-changing music industry, indie rock group Death Cab for Cutie is very much alive even after nearly 15 years as a band.
Death Cab is set to kick off its latest tour at The Lifestyles Communities Pavilion in Columbus Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m.
And while the band has been a figure in the music industry for years, Wednesday night's show, and the other shows on their tour, will give fans a glimpse at a different side of Death Cab, bassist Nick Harmer said in an interview with The Lantern.
"I hope they get to see a little different side of our band," he said. "Our albums are a little more introverted and our shows are more extroverted."