Holiday Travel & Sea Lion Halt

Holiday Travel & Sea Lion Halt plus Food Forethought. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report. By now most of the Northwest is in the process of digging out from one of the largest winter storm in recent history. Blowing and drifting snow coupled with icy roads has created a traveling nightmare. Cassie Devaney with AAA takes a look. DEVANEY: AAA is predicting the number of Americans traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday will increase 11.4% from 2009 with approximately 42.2 million travelers taking a trip of at least 50 miles away from home. She says 94% of all travelers will be driving a car so please drive careful. A federal appeals court has halted the killing of sea lions who make fast food of endangered salmon and steelhead at Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled today that federal agencies haven't adequately explained how they reached inconsistent conclusions about the issue. The court questioned how the agencies can say hungry sea lions are a threat to fish survival, but not target human fishing that takes many more salmon and steelhead. In 2008, the federal government allowed the states of Oregon, Washington and Idaho to kill the hungriest of the sea lions. So far, two dozen have been captured and given lethal injections. Now with today's Food Forethought, here's Lacy Gray. Just when you thought the world of politics couldn't possibly get any more bizarre up steps Congresswoman elect from Florida, Frederica Wilson. Her first priority doesn't concern the economy, unemployment, national defense, health care, or immigration; she's worried about hats. Wilson claims the no hat rule on the House floor is sexist, which in and of itself doesn't carry much weight since it's a century old rule directed at men. Florida voters right about now are probably thinking why, oh why does it always seem to happen to us. Good question. An even better question would be what in the world possessed this woman that she's not only made Congress yet another target for late night talk show hosts, but set women's reputation in politics back forty or fifty years; all so she can show off her massive hat collection. Perhaps we, like our British cousins of the past, should have House and Senate members wear long black robes and white wigs, much like school children's uniforms, so these people can get back to what they are supposed to be doing; represent, protect, and uphold the will of the American people. Thanks Lacy. That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.