Lower Rates & Gun Control Initiative

Lower Rates & Gun Control Initiative plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

A new Washington State ballot initiative has been introduced by advocates seeking to expand the use of background checks on gun sales. Lawmakers had considered a similar measure earlier this year, but it didn't pass either the House or the Senate. The plan would require background checks for online sales and private transactions, such as those that occur at gun shows.

The average U.S. household is expected to pay $395 for electricity this summer. That’s down 2.5% from last year and the lowest residential summer power bill in four years, according to the new forecast from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Jonathan Cogan with the Energy Information Administration.

COGAN: Lower electricity use to meet cooling demand this summer because of forecasted milder temperatures compared with last summer is expected to more than offset higher electricity prices. The result is lower power bills for most U.S. households during the June, July, and August period. However electricity use and prices vary by region. EIA expects residential power bills will be lower in all areas of the country… except for the West South Central region, which includes Texas and in the Rocky Mountain states.

Now with today’s Food Forethought, here’s Lacy Gray.

Next week is National Pollinator Week. Bees are normally the first that come to mind when thinking about nature’s pollinators, but birds, butterflies, bats, beetles, and other beneficial insects provide this valuable service. While there are a number of National Pollinator Week events being held around the country, one of the best things you can do is to educate yourself on the different pollinators, and what you can do to make their “job” easier. The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service pollinator webpage is a great source of information about pollinators. You don’t have to be a landowner to help with the plight of pollinators. Practically anything can be grown in a container nowadays. And if you happen to be one of those people who forget to water your plants, or find it difficult to make time to water there are many attractive styles of self-watering planters on the market. Interestingly, a recent study found that bees prefer to keep things simple. In other words, bees like working class gardens as opposed to fancy plants. That’s because many of the fancier plants often contain less pollen and more petals that can make foraging harder for the bees.

Thanks Lacy. That’s today’s Northwest Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.