Today's hits from the big national dailies:

New York Times
Small Trade Pact Becomes a Big Political Deal
President Bush will make a trip to Capitol Hill on Wednesday in an attempt to prevent Republican defections and a possible defeat of CAFTA. There's no direct reference to Oregon here, but there's been so much pressure on the issue within the state I thought I'd plug this in. BTW did you see that Reublican Congressman Greg Walden now says he'll vote for CAFTA? Word has it he was personally lobbied by the President. Check out the Post and Hood River News articles below for more insider trash on the vote.

Two Exercises Help Older People Stay on Their Feet
This is an interesting follow-up to the cobblestone study you saw here a few weeks ago. This one measures how tai chi exercises help the elderly maintain balance and fitness.

Washington Post
House Republicans Predict CAFTA's Passage Tonight

CAFTA's Upshot More Political Than Economic
This is a pretty informative explainer.

Vintners Vow to Protect Naming Rights
"Representatives of Napa and vintners in Oregon and Washington as well the European wine-growing regions of Champagne, Port and Sherry signed a pact on Tuesday to address mislabeling and the lack of legal protection for geographically based names in the United States."

XM, Samsung and Napster Form Download Alliance
This looks big...XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. said yesterday that they will introduce a satellite radio receiver and digital music player that will let subscribers buy and download songs through Napster.

Los Angeles Times

Seattle Times
Ressam sentenced to 22 years in prison
Man accused of the Millenium Plot was sentenced this morning in Seattle.

...and from the Northwest's regional papers.

Salem Statesman Journal
Reworked bill favors utility ratepayer
Remember that bill that was designed to prevent Oregon's big utilities from skivving out on their taxes? Looks like there's been some monkey business designed to gut the bill. Didn't work. But one state rep predicts the whole thing's going to end up in court anyway.

Bend Bulletin
Report: Bend must increase housing
"City planners calculate that population growth over the next 25 years will require 23,228 new housing units, almost twice the 2004 inventory."

Sen. Westlund proposes task force on health care
Former Gov. John Kitzhaber is among those who have agreed help.

Eugene Register Guard-posted at noon

Eugene Weekly

LaGrande Observer

RENOWNED PRCA ACT PLAYS HOMETOWN RODEO FOR FIRST TIME

For me, the thing that really makes this profile of a rodeo clown & dog trainer who's playing the Chief Joseph Days this weekend is the very last line, which notes his day job teaching high school history & geography. Wow.

Lake County Examiner (weekly)

East Oregonian (subscription only)
Proposed power plant clears another hurdle
"The Bureau of Reclamation has given its OK to the Wanapa Energy Center, a proposed natural gas-fired power plant planned four miles east of Umatilla. Still more hoops to jump through, including EPA approval.... Because the plant will be on tribal land, it will not be subject to state or local taxes. That’s been a major criticism raised by critics, who contend the plant will provide few direct benefits to the public."

Hermiston Herald
NEW PROGRAMS SEEK TO MAKE COLLEGE
Eastern Oregon University is moving ahead with plans to establish a full-service distance education center in Hermiston

Tri City Herald
For the future
This is a really interesting project...the new longhouse at Celilo, which is just part of a larger rebuilding project.

Umatilla cuts ties to CSEPP committee
Umatilla County has pulled out of the governing board that has overseen chemical emergency preparations for the past five years in Northeastern Oregon. This appears rather... errrrr.. problematic since Umatilla's home to the Army's Chemical Weapons Depot that is the board's raison d'etre.

Sisters Nugget

the Source (Bend's alternative weekly)
Showdown in Tumalo
One of the last parcels of rural land in Deschutes County slated for resort.

Central Oregonian (Prineville)

Madras Pioneer

Baker City Herald

Wallowa County Chieftain

Blue Mountain Eagle

Argus Observer (Ontario)

Corvallis Gazette Times

Albany Democrat-Herald

Lebanon Express updated late morning

The Columbian (Vancouver) updated late morning
Amid casino debate, an olive branch
The spokesman for the Cowlitz Tribe extended an olive branch Tuesday to a group that recently formed to defeat the tribe's plans for a casino west of La Center. But the tribe's not backing down....

Downtown Burgerville sets sights on larger location
Company plans call for Burgerville's 1960s icon store in downtown Vancouver could be demolished and a larger restaurant built across the street now the site of Denny's restaurant.

The Dalles Chronicle
White Salmon River gains wild, scenic status in Senate bill

Hood River News
Growers applaud trade plan
The Hood River Grower Shipper Association is praising CAFTA--and presumably Greg Walden for getting on board. Mind you, this is a different stance than sugar beet growers in the Eastern part of the state are taking. They are emphatically NOT CAFTA Fans.

The Daily Astorian (most stories subscription only)
Pact between Washington officials, Chinook
It won't be ready in time for the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial in November, but construction of a new park at Station Camp honoring the Corps of Discovery's arrival at the Pacific will go forward, thanks to an agreement between Washington State officials and the Chinook Indian tribe.

Tillamook Headlight Herald

theworldlink (South Coast)

Quick links to nearly every daily in the state
http://www.usnpl.com/ornews.html
http://www.cascadelink.org/ritnet/news.html