Elizabeth Backstrom

House representatives voted down the controversial 2013 Farm Bill Thursday afternoon. President Obama has threatened to veto the massive bill in its current state, based on its cuts to what he considers vital social programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, also known as food stamps, saying they are a "cornerstone of our nation's food assistance safety net."

So far it looks like Gap and Walmart are the major holdouts.

I was happy to see many of my favorite retailers, including H&M, sign on to the agreement.

To the outside observer, the US Highway 26 project was innocuous, if a bit of a traffic impediment. The 2008 construction project, intended to widen a dangerously narrow 1.5 mile section of the Mt. Hood highway in Oregon, would provide improved passage for cars turning left.

Hereditary Chief Wilbur Slockish, however, says the project has destroyed his freedom of religion, and is suing for damages.

It’s a warm spring evening in Browne’s Addition, and Coeur d’Alene Park is filled with people walking dogs and playing Frisbee. A few of them wander into All Saints Lutheran Church across the street, where doors are propped open in preparation for Tuesday night’s weekly meal hosted by the Rev. Alan Eschenbacher and a group of dedicated local volunteers.