Report finds big boost in secrecy by government

WASHINGTON – Government secrecy has increased sharply in the past few years – keeping Americans in the dark about information they should have access to, says a report released Thursday by watchdog groups. It found the federal government created 14 million new classified documents in fiscal year 2003 – a 26 percent increase over the number of documents stamped secret in 2002, and a 60 percent increase over 2001. Those numbers cover over 40 agencies, but exclude the CIA. “There are secrets that are necessary, but there are a heck of a lot of secrets that are being kept secret that the public would benefit from, with their disclosure,” said the coordinator for OpenTheGovernment.org, which released the report.

Air Force Two, the military plane carrying Vice President Dick Cheney, was forced to make an evasive maneuver to avoid another aircraft over Bridgeport, Conn., earlier this month, federal officials said Thursday. As Cheney headed to White Plains, N.Y., Aug. 7, a collision-avoidance system in the Gulfstream jet designated Air Force Two sounded an alarm and commanded the pilot to climb to avoid another plane, officials said. The two planes came within 0.44 miles horizontally and 700 feet vertically, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Massachusetts: New MIT chief

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology Thursday named Yale provost Susan Hockfield as its new president – the first woman to hold the job at the prestigious university where men overwhelmingly dominate the faculty and student body. While the appointment of a female university president is no longer exceptional, it is significant at MIT, which in 1999 acknowledged past discrimination and has made significant efforts to improve prospects for women. Despite those efforts, women comprise just 42 percent of undergraduates, 29 percent of graduate students, and 17 percent of the faculty at MIT.

The nation’s supply of vaccine for the impending flu season took a big hit Thursday when Chiron Corp. announced it had found tainted doses in its factory. The company said it will hold up shipment of about 50 million shots – about half the supply U.S. health officials had hoped to have on hand this year – while it investigates what went wrong and determines whether the vaccine is safe to use. Vaccinations usually begin in September and continue through the flu season, with demand usually peaking in October and November.

Anti-missile weapon misses target

An anti-ballistic missile under development by Israel and the United States missed its target Thursday in its latest test off the California coast, a spokesman said. A test last month off California was a success. The Arrow missile failed to intercept an air-launched missile over the Pacific and both fell into the water, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency spokesman said. It was the 13th Arrow intercept test and the eighth test of the complete system. Officials have not said how many of the tests have been successful.

A swarm of bees that attacked a work crew in Tipton earlier this month may be of the Africanized variety, which would mark the furthest north the so-called “killer” bees have traveled in the United States, scientists said. Seven members of the work crew were treated at a hospital. DNA tests show the bees have Africanized traits, said the head of the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology at Oklahoma State University. “They certainly are more Africanized than European,” he said.

A federal judge declared the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act unconstitutional Thursday in the second such ruling in three months – even though he called the procedure “gruesome, brutal, barbaric and uncivilized.” The U.S. District judge – one of three federal judges across the country to hear simultaneous challenges to the law earlier this year – faulted the ban for not containing an exception to protect a woman’s health, something the Supreme Court has made clear is required in laws prohibiting particular types of abortion.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Customers enter and exit the Costco on Dec. 2, 2022, in Lake Stevens. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Costco stores could be impacted by looming truck driver strike threat

Truck drivers who deliver groceries and produce to Costco warehouses… Continue reading

Two Washington State ferries pass along the route between Mukilteo and Clinton as scuba divers swim near the shore Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Ferry system increases ridership by a half million in 2024

Edmonds-Kingston route remains second-busiest route in the system.

Pharmacist Nisha Mathew prepares a Pfizer COVID booster shot for a patient at Bartell Drugs on Broadway on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett lawmakers back universal health care bill, introduced in Olympia

Proponents say providing health care for all is a “fundamental human right.” Opponents worry about the cost of implementing it.

Outside of the updated section of Lake Stevens High School on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020 in Lake Stevens, Wa. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lake Stevens, Arlington school measures on Feb. 11 ballot

A bond in Lake Stevens and a levy in Arlington would be used to build new schools.

Lake Stevens Sewer District wastewater treatment plant. (Lake Stevens Sewer District)
Lake Stevens sewer district trial delayed until April

The dispute began in 2021 and centers around when the city can take over the district.

Robin Cain with 50 of her marathon medals hanging on a display board she made with her father on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Running a marathon is hard. She ran one in every state.

Robin Cain, of Lake Stevens, is one of only a few thousand people to ever achieve the feat.

People line up to grab food at the Everett Recovery Cafe on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Coffee, meals and compassion are free at the Everett Recovery Cafe

The free, membership-based day center offers free coffee and meals and more importantly, camaraderie and recovery support.

Devani Padron, left, Daisy Ramos perform during dance class at Mari's Place Monday afternoon in Everett on July 13, 2016. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
Mari’s Place helps children build confidence and design a better future

The Everett-based nonprofit offers free and low-cost classes in art, music, theater and dance for children ages 5 to 14.

The Everett Wastewater Treatment Plant along the Snohomish River on Thursday, June 16, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett water, sewer rates could jump 43% by 2028

The rate hikes would pay for improvements to the city’s sewer infrastructure.

The bond funded new track and field at Northshore Middle School on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 in Bothell, Washington. (Courtesy of Northshore School District)
Northshore School District bond improvements underway

The $425 million bond is funding new track and field complexes, playgrounds and phase one of two school replacements.

A salmon carcass lays across willow branches in Edgecomb Creek on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025 in Arlington, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Tribes: State fish passage projects knock down barriers for local efforts

Court-ordered projects have sparked collaboration for salmon habitat restoration

The Everett Municipal Building on Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Everett council approves $111 million construction of sewer project

The Port Gardner Storage Facility, in the works for more than a decade, will help prevent overflows of the city sewer system.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.