Pacific NW News Service

Pacific NW NEWS Service

 Ron Rattray

Ron Rattray is a working man. Every time we speak he is working a different shift. I have no idea of how he gets us the headlines and pictures as beautiful as the one above. I take this Holiday time to thank him so much for all he has done for this news for so many years. Rons "beat" is in the Grand Forks area....not as much serious crime, so his pictures are docile, quiet and in this case...very geological in nature. GREAT JOB Ron. We all love your work.

.AIR STAGNATION CONDITIONS THROUGH THE WEEK.

.LIGHT WINDS ARE EXPECTED AS STRONG HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS
OVER THE INLAND NORTHWEST. WINDS WILL BE GENERALLY LESS THAN 5 MPH
OVER CNTL & EASTERN WA AS WELL AS N. ID.
STRONG TEMP INVERSIONS DURING THE MORNING & NIGHT TIME
HRS WILL CAUSE AIR STAGNATION & HEIGHTEN THE POTENTIAL FOR THE
BUILD UP OF POLLUTANTS. BURN BANS ARE IN EFFECT FOR MANY COUNTIES.

France to triple troops in Central African Republic as country 'descends into chaos' 

 A family friend says Republican State Sen. Bob Nonini of Coeur d'Alene has been hospitalized. Lorna Finman tells the Coeur d'Alene Press (http://bit.ly/1iHUyLm) that Nonini was admitted last week to Kootenai Health in Coeur d'Alene due to complications from the flu. Finman says Nonini is getting better and plans to be in Boise to take part in the 2014 session in January. 

Here is an updated look at the visible solar disk on Tuesday. Solar activity is at very low levels this morning with X-Ray background levels below C-Class. None of the visible Earth facing regions are a threat for strong solar flares at this time. A new sunspot appears to be forming to the west of plage region 1906 in the southern hemisphere. Flux emergence is also being observed near the southeast limb. Stay tuned to to SolarHam.com for the latest solar news and information.

Foster Fanning Here's the latest I've received from AT&T, came in around 2:30:PM 11/26/13:
Chief Fanning,
Thank you for speaking with me tonight regarding the lost fiber outage in the above mentioned zip codes. As I mentioned in our conversation, the cause of the outage is a destroyed fiber link that supports the cell service in that area. I have spoken to our engineers and they informed me that one of the circuits is being rerouted this evening and we will have some coverage resume this evening by 9PM PT. They are working on the other circuits and will send you another update tomorrow (November 27th). Thank you for your understanding while we continue to work diligently on this issue. We understand the hardship that this outage is causing and will work hard to resume the service shortly.
Thank you
Randy Shackelford
Director, AT&T
Consumer Mobility Office of the President

Winter Storm Boreas brought heavy snow to parts of the southern Rockies and Four Corners, and is now spreading its wintry mess of snow, sleet and freezing rain into parts of the South and East.
According to winter weather expert Tom Niziol, Boreas' grip of snow and ice will have affected roughly 58 million people over an area of at least 2.5 million square miles by the time it departs on Thanksgiving.
The storm already has affected much of the Western U.S., causing hundreds of rollover accidents and prompting officials to cancel events and close roads. So far, Boreas has caused at least 14 storm-related deaths from California to Oklahoma.
(MORE: Latest News | Why Boreas Was Named | The Story So Far)