News Digest

Sunday, August 12, 2007 2:49 AM PDT

OREGON - Smith backs Cheney on salmon kill controversy

PORTLAND (AP) — Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., is siding with Vice President Dick Cheney over a massive fish kill on the Klamath River in 2002, saying there is no evidence it was caused by water diversions to farmers.

Smith also defended Cheney’s role in intervening with federal officials to help farmers in the Klamath Basin and cast doubt that the salmon die-off caused sharp commercial costal fishing restrictions.

The House Natural Resources Committee is investigating whether Cheney exerted improper political influence to override scientifically based management of the water resources. See story, Page A12.

Rash of Republican

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retirements stir the

pot for 2008

SALEM (AP) — Republicans, already something of a threatened species in Oregon, are dropping like flies these days, particularly in the one place where the GOP can ill afford to lose their members: the state House of Representatives.

Barring an unforeseen scandal, or a massive voter revolt, the party has no chance of regaining control over the Oregon Senate in 2008, and the governor’s seat is in Democratic hands through 2010. But Republicans currently are down by just two seats in the state House, so in theory at least, control of that chamber is within their reach. See story Page A3.

THE NATION

Astronauts take spacewalk to install station beam; NASA scrutinizes shuttle gouge

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A pair of spacewalking astronauts installed a new beam to the international space station Saturday as engineers back on Earth scrutinized images of a disturbing gouge in shuttle Endeavour’s heat shield.

The 3-inch gash in the shuttle’s belly will be inspected in greater detail today, when the shuttle crew pulls out its 100-foot robotic arm and extension boom and probes the difficult-to-reach area with lasers.

Until then, NASA has only camera and radar images to examine. See story Page A10.