JAL ends Moses Lake stay
A driver on Interstate 90 would not guess that this Eastern Washington farm community has formed strong bonds with Japan.

Outdoors report: Lawmakers seek pheasant solution
Iowa DNR is asked to reverse declining gamebird population.

Be careful: Bedbugs are biting in hotels
You could find them in your hotel in Hong Kong, motel in Mexico, inn in Ireland or B&B in Bulgaria. Heck, bedbugs could be at your home in your king-size mattress! Bill Kolbe, 56, is a board-certified entomologist with BASF the Chemical Company. BASF manufactures Phantom, a termiticide-insecticide for pest-management professionals. Kolbe lives in Denville, N.J.

Tourism reports vary
With gas prices soaring in June, Orr AmericInn manager Tammy Nandrasy feared a catastrophic summer. But she and many others at area lodges, motels and resorts were pleasantly surprised.

Officials: Occupancy fee would help promote city
WATERTOWN, S.D. (AP) - Some city leaders are proposing a hotel occupancy tax that could raise $200,000 more each year for marketing Watertown and increasing visitor spending.

Shawano sect still veiled in secrecy
SHAWANO This is the epitome of small-town Wisconsin.

Shoals bucking the trend
Wrapping up third-quarter figures and heading into the last quarter of the year, housing and revenue numbers for the Shoals indicate that the economic woes being experienced elsewhere in the country have yet to take as strong a hold locally.

NH police charge 6 men with selling cocaine
Nashua, N.H., police have charged six men with selling cocaine and crack cocaine out of city motels.

Mount Bachelor celebrates 50th anniversary
During the spring I spent the weekend with a nearly 50-year-old bachelor, balding on top, who was hiding out in the wilds of central Oregon. It seemed like a long way to go, but I heard this old guy is still full of fun. As I bounced through ice and gravel on...

Road trip: One 72-year-old, 1 bike, 3 days, 174.1 miles
An old chum offered to say a prayer for Dave Priest three weeks ago on the night before he embarked on a bicycle trip alone from his home in Bloomington to Chicago on the Old Route 66 Trail.

Bankers survey: Little confidence in rural economy
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - A survey of bankers suggests the rural economy is still faltering and that there is little confidence things will look much brighter in six months.

Winter shift checks in
Economic headwinds and tailwinds are pushing at snowbirds this winter.

Wild river: Neches Scenic River initiative aimed at increasing tourism
The Neches River has played an important role in the history of Texas.

Views are free in wild Northwest
Published: Sunday, November 23, 2008 at 3:15 a.m. Last Modified: Sunday, November 23, 2008 at 1:36 a.m. SEATTLE - When the economy gets tough, it's time to get going on cheap trips.

Council opts not to allow hotel near neighborhood
Holiday Inn Express will need to find a new site for its proposed hotel.

Out in the cold
CHEYENNE -- When bad luck and "bad decisions" left Michael Kays penniless and without a place to call home, he started looking for a job in industrial construction, where he has worked most of his adult life.

Corvallis man a ?trail blazer?
Envisions 60-mile hiking path to sea CORVALLIS - A national organization that promotes recreational trails has recognized the chairman of the Corvallis to the Sea Trail Partnership with the 2008 Trail Advocacy Award for Oregon.

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Two months into the recovery effort, more than $765 million has been approved to help storm-struck Texas residents, businesses and communities that suffered disaster damage from Hurricane Ike.

Fire and Ice
When I embarked on the story of walking volcanic fire and Alpine ice, I didn't know that Mark Twain could have been my ghostwriter. In 1866, Twain went to Hawaii and wrote about his travels to Volcanoes National Park.

Corvallis man a ?trail blazer?
Envisions 60-mile hiking path to sea A national organization that promotes recreational trails has recognized the chairman of the Corvallis to the Sea Trail Partnership with the 2008 Trail Advocacy Award for Oregon.