CORRESPONDENTS

Rob Hotakainen

U.S. flower growers fight to survive amid flood of imports

As she took a break on Monday from picking dahlias, zinnias and amaranths on her Jello Mold Farm in Mount Vernon, Wash., Diane Szukovathy wondered why, in her opinion, the federal government is working so hard to put other flower growers and her out of business by helping competitors thousands of miles away in the temperate regions of Colombia. | 08/30/12 15:57:47 By - By Rob Hotakainen

Tribes want new powers to prosecute non-Indians

In 1973, the Suquamish Indian Tribe of Washington state accused a non-Indian man of assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest and ordered him to appear in tribal court. In 1978, the U.S. Supreme Court threw out the charges, saying the tribe had no authority to try or punish the man. | 08/12/12 00:00:00 By - By Rob Hotakainen

Tribes fear that legalizing online poker would hurt casinos

Online poker, which is already legal in 85 countries, has the potential to change the rules of gambling forever, much as online shopping reshaped the retail industry. The president of the Seneca Nation of Indians said that if Congress insisted on approving it, lawmakers at least must allow tribes to help write the rules and take the lead in running the enterprise. | 07/30/12 06:00:00 By - By Rob Hotakainen

Small tribes get locked out in Indian casino wars

As the great-great-grandniece of Chief Seattle, Cecile Hansen got a $64 check in 1971, her share of a long-delayed settlement after the Duwamish Tribe ceded nearly 55,000 acres of land to the federal government more than a century earlier. | 07/08/12 00:00:00 By - By Rob Hotakainen

Even with relaxed casino rules, tribes could face many pitfalls

It’s unlikely that anyone will ever accuse the Bureau of Indian Affairs of acting in haste. | 07/05/12 18:16:55 By - By Rob Hotakainen

In a new twist, Indian tribes are moving to open more casinos far from home

After buying a new chunk of land 50 miles north of San Francisco, the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria just broke ground on a new, Las Vegas-style casino. It will be the largest in the Bay Area, with 3,000 slot machines, 200 hotel rooms, a spa, bars, restaurants and parking for more than 5,000 cars. | 07/05/12 17:01:50 By - By Rob Hotakainen

Why did suspicions about Jerry Sandusky yield no action for so long?

The boy, only 11 in 1998, said he felt uncomfortable when Jerry Sandusky, then a powerful assistant football coach from Penn State, first wrestled with him on the carpet and then invited him to undress so the two of them could take a shower together. | 06/15/12 18:48:41 By - Rob Hotakainen

Gregoire: Partisan wrangling threatens state’s roads, finances

Gov. Chris Gregoire of Washington state has a message for members of Congress who are so paralyzed they can’t even pass a basic highway bill: Take a look at the Columbia River bridge on Interstate 5 that connects Washington and Oregon, with its northbound lanes now 95 years old, built on wood pilings to accommodate horse-and-buggy traffic. | 05/25/12 12:28:26 By - By Rob Hotakainen

Predicting job growth, U.S. businesses covet easier trade with Russia

After getting Congress to pass new trade deals with South Korea, Colombia and Panama six months ago, free-trade proponents have set their sights on Russia, eager to cash in on one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing economies. | 04/20/12 17:01:17 By - By Rob Hotakainen

Campaign dollars flow in Washington state

Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell has $4.6 million in the bank as she seeks to win a third term in November, while President Barack Obama has raised more than three times as much as his Republican challenger Mitt Romney in Washington state. | 04/17/12 16:32:23 By - By Rob Hotakainen McClatchy Newspapers

Spending hike sought to help end veterans' homelessness

Darren Spencer, a 39-year-old Army veteran from Tacoma, Wash., found himself homeless after losing his $15.45-an-hour job as a furniture mover a year ago. He takes pills for his depression and has trouble hearing. He has no car, and his unemployment benefits ran out in December. | 04/05/12 14:28:00 By - Rob Hotakainen

Senate begins probe of Army's handling of PTSD cases

Fearing that the Army may be mishandling the matter, the top senator on the veterans affairs panel said Wednesday that she has begun an investigation into whether military hospitals across the country are denying treatment to service members with post-traumatic stress disorder because of cost considerations. | 03/28/12 18:02:00 By - Rob Hotakainen

Environmentalists take aim at toxic lead in ammunition

In a move opposed by many hunters, environmentalists want the Environmental Protection Agency to ban or severely limit the use of toxic lead in hunting ammunition. In a petition filed with the agency last week, the groups said that up to 20 million birds in the United States die each year after nibbling on bullet fragments, including swans, golden and bald eagles, mourning doves, California condors and more than 70 other species. | 03/25/12 13:16:00 By - Rob Hotakainen

Congress airs differences on when to exit from Afghanistan

Leaders of the House Armed Services Committee differed Tuesday on how quickly to remove U.S. troops from Afghanistan, while the top commander of forces there said the U.S. campaign remains "on track" despite a spate of recent setbacks. | 03/20/12 16:44:00 By - Rob Hotakainen