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Pollsters say the Washington state race for governor will be among the closest political contests in the nation in November. The latest Vision Dynamics poll reveals that 47% of respondents say they will vote for incumbent Christine Gergoire, while 45% say they’ll vote for Dino Rossi. The poll shows that 8% were undecided. Several other recent polls have the two candidates in a tie at 45% each.

After counting the vote in 2004, and recounting, Republican Dino Rossi appeared to have won the very close election. You will recall that somehow some new ballots were discovered in King County after the second count, and Gregoire was favored in most of them. She won by a mere 133 votes, but the whole episode left a very bad taste in the mouths of many voters who believe to this day, that due to shenanigans in King County, Gregoire was able to steal the election.

Political billboards posted across the state warn against letting King County steal the election in 2008. Gregoire is offended by them of course, but the group that paid for the signs isn’t kidding.

The truth is, King County didn’t “steal” the election so much as it was forfeited by voters in many counties, (most in eastern Washington), where substantial opposition to Gregoire was found in 2004. Had a mere few dozen more voters opposed to Gregoire for governor in each county, cast a ballot in 2004, Rossi would have won comfortably.

The good news is they still can make the difference this election year. The Governor knows that, and Christine Gregoire also knows that following a number of reforms put in place in the last few years, this will be a much cleaner election.

It should actually be pretty easy to knock off the incumbent this fall. She has endeared herself to almost no one who opposed her in 2004.

Here’s the big news!  It’s never been done before.

“30 Triathlons in 30 Days to raise $30,000″

      As a Spokane television broadcaster I have an amazing opportunity and responsibility to make a positive contribution to the community. This is one way I hope to accomplish that. I hope you will join me in raising awareness and money for Cancer Patient Care.  Please sponsor my efforts either by the mile or with a single contribution. 

     Why Cancer Patient Care?  Not only is it a local agency helping cancer survivors and their families, 100% of all donations stays right here in the Inland Northwest.   You’ll find more details on my “30 in 30″ profile page on Cancer Patient Care’s website. 

     I would also like to challenge ‘YOU’ to set a triathlon goal for the month of September.  Distances below.  Encourage your friends and family to sponsor your commitment of completing 1, 5, 10 or 30 triathlons in 30 days.  They too, can make a donation in your honor through my “30 in 30″ profile page.

     As for me, I’ll be swimming, biking and running “INDOORS” at a Spokane area fitness club, Monday through Friday between 6:00-8:30 am.  Weekend times will vary.

(Ironman Coeur d’Alene, June 22, 2008)

     Not ready for a triathlon?  No problem.   Take my other “30 in 30″ challenge: “30 Minutes of Exercise a Day, for 30 Days”.   This too would be a fundraising effort.   

     I challenge people of all ages, especially children, to commit to some kind of physical activity for 30 minutes a day for 30 days.   To help you, I’ve partnered with Natalie Litzell, Certified Fitness Trainer and Wellness Consultant in North Idaho.

     Each day on the News at 5 blog, we’ll be posting a new exercise and nutritional tip to help guide you.  A healthy body is a strong body, let’s stop cancer before it starts!

Sprint Triathlon distance:

Swim: 1/2 mile = 900 yards = 27,000 yards = 15.34 miles

Bike: 13 miles = 390 miles

Run: 3.1 miles (5k) = 93 miles + 2

30 Day Total = 500 miles

       Growing up… every year on my birthday, my mom would tell me the story of my birth… what happened that winter day on February 23rd, 1980. Now it’s my turn. My baby girl turned 1 year old yesterday. And now I get to tell my daughter her story… the birth of Leialoha Lani Deyo.  July 30th, 2007.

       You were due July 25th. Of course just like every other pregnant lady… I wanted you to come earlier. But you had your own plans. I felt no contractions, no sign of labor, nothing indicating that you were ready to enter the world. Finally, four days after your due date, early Sunday morning I felt contractions (I do have a very accurate, graphic description of what contractions feel like… but I’ll spare you blog readers from that description and keep it between my daughter and I).

       By night, I was in pretty bad pain. Your daddy, being the computer knowledgeable person he is (I’d refer to him as a nerd if I were talking to anyone other than his daughter) set up the laptop next to the bed and opened an excel spreadsheet. Every time I would have a contraction, he’d promptly sit up in bed and type in the time and length of the contraction. Though I was in pain, I managed to laugh at that spreadsheet. I still do to this day. Hahaha.

       At 3 AM we got in the car and headed to Sacred Heart. Before they checked us in, they had your daddy and I walk around the birthing floor for an hour. They wanted to make sure I was really in labor. I remember being in the worst pain of my life walking the floor in the hospital that night. I had to hold the railing along the wall when the contractions hit and I ordered your daddy not to look at me. I didn’t want anyone looking at me. I don’t remember this… but your grandma says that when I was a teenager I didn’t like her looking at me either. I don’t know why. Anyway, I digress… back to the labor story.

       By 5 AM they checked us into the hospital. Then, the good stuff came.. a big needle into my back that pumped drugs into my body easing the pain (Okay, I might hold off on that part until she’s older). Nonetheless, after I checked in, we got settled and watched Good Morning Northwest while we ate popsicles. After a tough night of contractions, I felt like I was in heaven… feeling nothing and lounging with your daddy as you got ready to enter the world. But that heavenly feeling ended when the nurse stopped the epidermal and it became time to push. Two hours later (a lot happened in that two hours that I will also spare readers of), you were born. My baby girl… weighing 8 pounds even and stretching 21 inches long. You had a big cone head and not much of a chin.

       Still, you were beautiful. You were beautiful then and are even more beautiful now. Here’s what you looked like when you were just one day old:

The people from mom’s work came to get footage of you to put on the news.  They were the first people to meet you… even before your grandmas and grandpas, aunties and uncles.  I banned all of them from the hospital because I wanted you all to myself.  I love you baby girl. Happy birthday.

Teachers and School Administrators

The notion that teachers have the entire summer off is a myth. They work after the students leave to complete grading, additional training, and class preparation. However, many American teachers have ten paid holidays, spring and winter breaks, and at least a month off in the summer.

Career training begins by earning your bachelor’s degree, then completing either a teaching credential or master’s degree program. You can do it all through online colleges, too. Secondary school teachers earn on average $52,450 a year, but time off is invaluable.

Holistic Health Professional

Alternative medicine is rapidly becoming part of mainstream health care. Holistic health care professionals typically join an existing practice or manage their own business, which means that you may work hard, but you also work smart, setting your own hours. Prepare for a rewarding career by taking online courses in natural health, nutrition, or massage therapy. There are associate, bachelor’s, and graduate degrees available.

Love the tropics? Holistic health pros often organize retreats or workshops at spas, resorts, and on cruises. Team up with other body workers, nutritionists, or natural healers to cover your client appointments while you enjoy extended leave. The national average wage for health care practitioners in 2007 was $65,020.

Freelance Game Designer

As many a game designer will tell you, game development companies only produce a few titles a year. A production may take four months to complete, with work piling up at burn-out levels as the game advances deep into the production schedule. That’s why companies find it advantageous to hire designers on a freelance basis. Do the job and you’ll be asked back again when another idea hits the table.

That means plenty of time between gigs to relax at the beach. Train for this career through a computer science or graphic design program, earning an associate or bachelor’s degree. Multimedia artists earned on average $61,010 last year.

Business Consultant

Business management consultants belong to one of the fastest-growing, highest-paying career groups. It’s a great profession for entrepreneurs who want to work on a freelance basis, taking on strategic clients, conducting corporate research, or delivering workshops on topics such as process flow or change management.

Consider adding an MBA to your existing business or computer science credentials. Focus on human resource, financial, technical, and administrative management. Business management professionals averaged $96,150 a year in 2007. Combine business and pleasure by conducting training workshops at hotels and resorts. Play golf. It may be tax deductible.

Convention and Tourism Planner

If you can’t take time for a vacation, why not pursue a career where your job is actually an extended tour in paradise? Hotel managers and convention planners help corporate clients book long business meetings at luxurious accommodations in resorts and spas. Your work will seem like a juggling act, but you’ll be ideally situated to get the most of your off hours and long weekends. When the dust settles from a major booking, you can use compensation time for swimming and tanning.

(Source of article)

I’ve been watching with fascination in recent weeks all the developments going on at Starbucks. What began with a relative whimper and the closure of several hundred stores today crescendoed to a bit of a yelp. Starbucks announced today its first-ever quarterly loss: $6.7 million in its third quarter of 2008.

But, don’t go crying in your double, tall, half-decaf mocha with no whip just yet. In the same report, Starbucks also reported an increase in net revenue. It still begs the question, though. Are the glory days over for Starbucks?

I’ve been known to drop some serious cash at my neighborhood Starbucks (and, probably your neighborhood Starbucks, too). My recent favorite was a sugar-free cinnamon dolce soy latte. Definitely good, but definitely not cheap. I have cut back drastically on my Starbucks consumption (which may explain why their profits are down - sorry). My husband wanted me to boycott Starbucks altogether because of the Sonics fiasco, but he quickly learned that was not a battle worth fighting. It’s not the gas prices driving me away, but I can see how that has a lot of customers steering their cars away from the nearest Starbucks. What may have been a daily fix for some people has probably turned into a weekly treat instead.

What I don’t understand, though, is those reveling in the latest Starbucks troubles. Some people see Starbucks as the ultimate evil corporation. People don’t like that Starbucks could put smaller, independent stores out of business. But, if the insane numbers of drive-through espresso stands in Spokane are any indication, that doesn’t really seem to be a problem. The stories I’ve seen on Starbucks seem to show the realization of the American dream more than anything. Yes, they’re a giant. Yes, they’re wildly successful and infiltrating our lives. But, it’s an American company - a Northwest company - built from the ground up. It has reached nearly every corner of the world and taught most of us that coffee is more than just black with a little cream and two sugars. I was elated to walk into a Starbucks down the street from my hotel in Athens, Greece. It was nice to get a little taste of home. If anything, it has helped the independents thrive by increasing the knowledge and desire for designer coffee.

I’m interested to see what Starbucks does now to try and change the game in its favor again. I’m also interested in what you think. Do you feel bad for Starbucks and the economic issues now facing the coffee giant? Have you cut back on getting your Starbucks fix? As for me… I’m just upset they eliminated the decaf Frapuccinos. Until the six Starbucks stores I pass on my way to work close, you won’t see me crying in my coffee.

The government says the number of homeless in the United States decreased about 12 percent between 2005 and 2007. According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the number of people who are chronically homeless has fallen off even more dramatically.

Many homeless advocates say HUD’s report on homelessness is a bit too rosy. They claim the report fails to take into account the effects of the foreclosure crisis and the slowing economy. They say these events alone are likely to add to the number of homeless families.

I’m surprised that the media reported the story about the improved homeless situation. Most in the mainstream press believe that Bush economic policies are the reason so many people live on the streets. Like failed Democratic presidential hopeful, John Edwards, the media thinks that there are homeless people living under every bridge overpass in the country, and most of them a veterans.

This was the same message that they spread during the Bush ‘41 presidency, but when Bill Clinton occupied the White House, the mainstream press hardly ever talked about homelessness in America. That all ended when George W. Bush was elected. Even before he took the oath of office, the mainstream press was blaming his policies for causing an increase in homelessness.

The media almost deliberately ignores the fact that mental illness and drug abuse account for most of the homelessness in the country. Economic conditions have an intermittent effect on the homeless population, but the economy isn’t even close to a prime cause.

Watch, if Barack Obama is elected, how the whole subject vanishes once more.

As seen on KXLY4 News at 5 Wednesday

Cut Heating and Cooling Costs (additional suggestions here)

Got this in the e-mail today from Amanda Webb. Last year we profiled Amanda and her family’s slough, which hosted a Sprint Boat Race which turned out to be kind of a big thing for the small town of St. John. You can check out Keith Osso’s story on last year’s sprint boat racing over on video.kxly.com.

You can also get more information about the 2008 Racing in Webb’s Slough by checking out their website here.

Not that I need to tell anyone in this area that this has been a difficult fire season. We’ve seen our share of devastating fires in our region. Now, I’m fixated on another major fire - burning in an area I just returned from a few weeks ago.

The above picture is from the Billings Gazette and is of a fire burning just outside the town of Red Lodge, Montana. My family was just there for a family reunion at the end of June. It’s a beautiful little resort town, surrounded by mountains. I’ve spent a decent amount of time there over the years and it’s hard to hear about that land burning. The fire is burning out of control and even expanded in size by 100 acres just last night. It’s threatening the town’s ski resort and if the winds shift, it could force hundreds more evacuations. It’s just one of dozens of major fires burning in the country right now, but when it happens in a place you know well, it’s a lot harder to watch.

This isn’t the first time a fire has burned in an area close to my heart. A few years ago, I covered the major wildfire burning at Glacier National Park. A photographer and I stood just up the road from the incredible Lake McDonald, while the fire raged just up the hill. Those were mountains I spent time in - and, it was extremely difficult to watch the majestic views obstructed by smoke and flames.

My heart goes out to anyone affected by wildfires, both here in Spokane and across the country. And, I wish the best to every firefighter out battling the horrendous conditions.

While all of us struggle to pay bills, higher gas prices, and higher Avista bills in this struggling economy, Avista Utilities seems to be enjoying itself. The company today reported its 2nd quarter profit for this year is 69% higher than last, and its yearly profit this year so far is 72% higher than last.

All of this, while Avista is warning customers its going to ask for another natural gas rate hike later this year. Avista says it has to ask for the hike, to pass its costs onto customers. (Avista claims in its news release its net profit was primarily due to a rate increase it got approved at the beginning of this year)

Avista says another reason for the increase this year compared with last is because Avista delt with a net loss from Avista Energy last year. The company also claims its profits could have been higher, saying it has absorbed $7,400,000 in costs so far this year.

The question is, how can Avista with a straight-face, ask for a huge natural gas increase (which it plans to do this fall), when its obviously not limping along. Don’t get me wrong, I want companies to be successful and earn a profit. But when you’re talking about nearly doubling your year-to-year profits, that’s where I draw the line. I don’t want to take money from Avista, but I also don’t want the company telling me it needs more money, when in reality, it doesn’t.

What do you think?