Weighing waylaid

Published 6:20 pm Sunday, March 13, 2016

Honest weight, no springs: Along with providing more pay for troopers, an increase in funding for the Washington State Patrol should also keep highway truck weigh stations open more often.

That’s probably disappointing news for many truckers, who were avoiding the extra time and hassle of stopping for the weight checks. But there’s an upside for them; new equipment tells your fortune along with your weight.

—

A bad year for blimps: Two U.S. senators are seeking to cancel a Pentagon program that has spent $2.7 billion to build radar-carrying blimps that would search for enemy missiles. One of the blimps broke free of its moorings last fall and clipped power lines, causing a extensive power outage.

And the program showed so much promise, too. Just look at how well Goodyear blimps are able to locate football games from the air.

—

Don’t know much about history: On this day in 1794, Eli Whitney received a patent for his cotton gin, which revolutionized the cotton industry.

The bartending industry lagged behind, however, as it took Whitney years to perfect his cotton vermouth.

—