| Health chief Neale Fong blocked search for emails
In an extraordinary move, they were given to the media almost three hours before the Opposition, which had requested them under Freedom of Information. Mr McGinty said he had made everything public to "take away the opportunity for the Opposition to milk the emails for more than they are worth". The Opposition, which was charged $300 for its FOI search, was left fuming. Three weeks ago, Opposition Leader Troy Buswell used an earlier batch of FOI documents to embarrass Mr McGinty by showing he rewrote a media statement for Dr Fong to play down his contact with Mr Burke. One of the emails released yesterday from Colin Xanthis, who was co-ordinating the department's FOI search, asked Dr Fong for approval to search his personal email files "to satisfy the current FOI request". Dr Fong replied 16 minutes later: "No." Another email between two officers, whose names were deleted, showed the lax approach initially taken by the department.
New technology can seal ductwork with aerosol
This being the Christmas season, I am going to write about a part of the government that works to make life better and actually saves you money. This part of the government produced Aeroseal, a technology that cuts residential and commercial heating and cooling bills by about 30 percent. In doing so, it saves a vast amount of energy and could dramatically cut down on greenhouse gases. The technology was developed by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Many of the lab's research activities are fairly arcane, but have practical applications that are licensed to corporations. Recently, they licensed a gene therapy for Parkinson's disease; ion mobility analysis technology for cardiovascular disease indicators; and technology for the cost-effective removal of mercury from coal-fired power plant emissions.
Death Toll from Southern Tornadoes Climbs to 50
LAFAYETTE, Tenn. (AP) -- Residents in five Southern states tried to salvage what they could Wednesday from homes reduced to piles of debris, a day after the deadliest cluster of tornadoes in nearly a decade tore through the region, snapping trees and crumpling homes. At least 50 people were dead.
Rescue crews, some with the help of the National Guard, went door-to-door looking for more victims. Dozens of twisters were reported as the storms swept through Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas and Alabama.
Seavia Dixon, whose Atkins, Ark., home was shattered, stood Wednesday morning in her yard, holding muddy baby pictures of her son, who is now a 20-year-old soldier in Iraq. Only a concrete slab was left from the home.
The family's brand new white pickup truck was upside-down, about 150 yards from where it was parked before the storm.
Northern Lights' engines power fishing boats, yachts
The most important attribute of a boat is its ability to keep the water on the opposite side of the hull from its occupants. Achieving that is the job of the designers and builders. But once that's accomplished, perhaps you might like a way to move the boat. Or have some electricity for radios, navigation systems, lights, even air conditioning. That's the job of Northern Lights. Northern Lights may be a small company -- just 70 employees in five buildings tucked along the north side of the Ship Canal just east of the Ballard Bridge. Being a privately held company in a niche market doesn't make for a high profile. But within that niche, Northern Lights is huge, known throughout the global yacht-building business as the company to turn to for the modified diesel engines that power a boat's electrical systems.
The Talleys get their lift
This is an updated version of a story posted earlier on Thursday. GRANDVIEW — Robert Talley could not believe it. By about 3 p.m. on Thursday, he had the lift that he and his wife, Ann, had been waiting for, a gift from the Barstow Senior Center. "I just felt, well, if we had that, why not?" said Ethel Bussman, the office manager at the senior center. Ethel said after reading about the struggle Robert and Ann have been through to try to get a lift so Robert could be set upright and clear the mucus and fluid from his lungs, she wanted to be able to help. The senior center often accepts donations of equipment to help ailing senior citizens in the area, and Ethel felt certain they had a lift for Robert. She found one and made arrangements for her husband, Larry, to deliver it. The Talleys, she said, were in tears.
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