Stories for Sept. 23, 2008

Hood Canal: It's not always greener over the septic tank

Tue, Sep 23, 5 p.m.

There are many contributing factors to explain Hood Canal's dead zone, and not all of them stem from human activity. Septic tanks have often been singled out as a main culprit, but it's not clear whether cleaning them up would clean up Puget Sound. Still, building more sewers might help, and it certainly won't hurt.

Carless and carefree: Vancouver to Victoria on Vancouver Island

Tue, Sep 23, 4 p.m.

By Sue Frause

I prefer road trips that don't include me as the driver. And now with the gas gods scowling down on us, even folks who would never leave their beloved vehicles at home are opting for alternative ways to roam. Plus, lots can happen when you're not behind the wheel. You can read. Listen to tunes. Eavesdrop. Take a snooze. Or see familiar sights with fresh eyes. My favorite way to travel to British Columbia is a combination of trains, buses, boats, and planes. This is the third in a series on my carless, carefree getaway to BC. Depending on your time and budget, cut and clip as necessary.

Sausage Links, abandon ship edition

Tue, Sep 23, 1:54 p.m.

By Clark Fredricksen

Liberal bloggers gotta love this. Some of the elite conservative pundits are growing skeptical about the McCain campaign's performance in the past weeks. Others are jumping ship altogether. The latest to leave the GOP stable is Washington Post columnist George Will, who says the Republican presidential candidate "is behaving like a flustered rookie playing in a league too high." Last week, the editorial board at the traditionally conservative The Wall Street Journal wrote that "McCain has made it clear this week he doesn't understand what's happening on Wall Street any better than Barack Obama does," adding that the Arizona senator was acting "un-presidential."