And now live, this is KIMA News at 11.
Tonight a local school district shows how it will make fundamental changes in the way
it teaches and grades its students.
Good evening and thank you for joining us for KIMA News at 11.
I'm Sten Wallstrom.
Grading on a number scale instead of using the traditional A through F method is just
one of the changes in store for the Yakima School District.
That new scale will be phased into middle and high school levels in the next couple
of years and is already in place in elementary schools.
The grading system is designed to give parents and students a more accurate representation
of how they're doing.
For example, if your student is a kindergarten student, we can indeed tell the parent that
the child knows the letters from A to the letter T at that reporting level.
So the parent should be able to check that.
The old report card didn't say that.
The report card simply would say something like, student is making good progress to learning
its alphabet.
And that could be the first three letters in the alphabet.
Teachers will also have new ways to evaluate whether or not students are actually learning
what's presented in class.
There will be more assessment tests, but they won't be as cumbersome.
When we're talking about assessment, we're not talking about formalized tests.
What we want to simply be able to ascertain on a weekly basis or every six or eight weeks,
indeed, what we try to teach the kids, do they have it?
Can they now build on that?
The district is also focused on identifying students who are running into problems much
earlier on with the goal of getting them on track by the time they reach third grade.
Victoria says remedial teaching in the higher grades is much more expensive and much less
effective.
Now, if you're a parent or student and you'd like to know more about these major changes
within the Yakima Public Schools, there will be two more forums like tonight's coming up,
or you can just call the district directly at 573-7007.
With one complete day of work now behind them, investigators are still trying to figure out
how American Airlines Flight 587 crashed after takeoff at JFK.
The flight data recorder has been found and National Transportation Safety Board officials
are analyzing the tape inside.
Investigators say that tape reveals pilots were struggling for control before the plane
went down.
They also say there are two rattling sounds and comments made by the captain about encountering
what he believed to be turbulence from a Japan Airlines jet that had taken off in front of
them.
Investigators hope to know more by tomorrow morning.
Meantime, a security breach at Seattle SeaTac Airport forced thousands of passengers to
go back through security screening again, causing long lines and some delays.
The breach happened at about 10 a.m. this morning when a vendor employee went ahead
past a security checkpoint after being ordered to have a wand search.
She disappeared for about 10 minutes but eventually was found.
No word on why she dashed.
An airport spokesman says he doubts there was ever a real security problem, but with
the recent events, airport officials decided not to take any chances at SeaTac today.
In Afghanistan, the Red Cross says it has been burying hundreds of Taliban soldiers.
Jennifer Miller has the latest from Washington, D.C.
This Taliban soldier is already dead, but that won't stop the crowd in Kabul from
beating him.
It's a show of power that many say has gone too far.
We will continue to work with our Northern Alliance, with the Northern Alliance commanders
to make sure they respect the human rights of the people that they're liberating.
And liberation is exactly what the people in Kabul have waited for for so long.
The Taliban's retreat from Afghanistan's capital city brought music to everyone's ears, literally.
Citizens did what they couldn't do for years.
Men shaved off their beards, women unveiled their faces, children flew kites.
People are very happy about this situation.
But the hunt goes on for the man who started it all, Osama bin Laden.
Military sources say the chances of finding him sooner rather than later are growing.
To the extent that there are more opponents of the al-Qaeda and Taliban in more parts
of the country, one would think more information will ultimately become available.
If captured alive, bin Laden will face a unique form of justice.
President Bush signed an executive order late today allowing the trials of accused terrorists
to take place in front of a special military commission.
It could put them on trial faster and in greater secrecy than an ordinary criminal court.
But first, the U.S. will have to find bin Laden and members of al-Qaeda who are believed
to be hiding in the caves of southern Afghanistan.
It's a region that will likely require more U.S. ground forces to flush the enemy out.
Jennifer Miller, CBS News, Washington.
Back in our region tonight, a 24-year-old Mabston man was killed in a single car wreck
on Glade Road just outside of Mabton this morning.
Jose Perez was a passenger in that car.
He died instantly after the vehicle crossed the southbound lane and left the road and
struck a telephone pole.
Evidence indicates that the driver, a 20-year-old Grandview man, was driving too fast through
the winding curves.
That driver was booked into the Sunnyside jail for investigation of vehicular homicide
after being treated and released from the hospital.
Two other passengers were also treated and released.
Firefighters from Buena, Sawyer and Wapato battled a Lower Valley house fire today.
Flames broke out in a mobile home on the Yakima Valley Highway at about 10 o'clock.
Neighbors called 911 when they saw smoke and about 20 firefighters rushed to that scene.
Yakima County fire officials say nobody was hurt, but they had to help one person leave
the home.
The fire was put out in about 45 minutes after the initial call.
Fire officials estimate damage at about $70,000.
A Senate hearing on the 30-mile fire, postponed due to terror attacks, is on the calendar
once again set for tomorrow.
Senator Maria Cantwell is going to chair that hearing.
The point is to examine the Forest Service report on the fire last July near Winthrop
that killed four local firefighters.
Among those scheduled to testify tomorrow are Congressman Doc Hastings and Ken Weaver,
whose son Devin was one of those killed.
It is a reality check for Yakima County employees.
Today commissioners approved a lean 2002 budget and as Craig Galbraith reports, they don't
expect it to get any fatter next year.
The good news, no layoffs this time, but county departments are going to deal with thinner
wallets next year.
For the first time, commissioners cut into criminal justice, which makes up nearly 80%
of the total budget.
This is the first budget where we did have to go into the criminal justice arena to make
some cuts.
It's not going to be the last time, I'm afraid.
The most significant cuts are in courts, corrections and the sheriff's office.
Two vacant positions will remain that way in under-sheriff Steve Robertson's department,
creating headaches for him and his staff.
I think we're at the bottom of the cuts that are quote unquote transparent.
I think the public may start feeling some of the bites that are going to come from these
cuts and the reapportionment of our budgets.
The county hopes to make up some of the money with an increase in bed rentals at the Yakima
County Jail, but the future doesn't bode well.
There's our declining economy, but more importantly, commissioners believe the state cannot afford
to continue reimbursing local governments for money lost due to the CARTAB initiative,
695.
Right now they get 57 percent of it back per year.
Commissioner Jesse Palacios told department heads it's simply time to grit their teeth
and prepare for some tough times.
It's a tough budget.
I think it's just an indication of the budgets that are going to be facing us in the future
as well.
In Yakima, I'm Craig Gallagher, reporting.
And one additional note, animal control is only funded for the first six months of next
year.
They will deal with the funding at that point.
We'll reevaluate that program this spring.
Stu is here.
This fall, is it kind of weather we're getting?
It's kind of fall weather now.
This is real fall weather.
It should be a little bit cooler, but hey, we'll take it mild.
We've got a warm front moving across the area tonight, so that's been the source of rain
on and off, and that's what we can expect for the rest of the night.
Should be tapering off tomorrow.
And late tomorrow night, not into Thursday, we have a cold front sweeping across the area,
and that'll be another source for a pretty good chance of some rain.
It's still 51 degrees in Yakima.
Humidity 77%.
Dew points at 44 degrees.
We have a light variable breeze.
Barometers falling off, and our precipitation now up to 507 inch.
They've got 407 inch at Ellensburg, also 407 inch at Pasco.
And Doppler radar showing these bands of moisture moving on across the area.
We have another one that's off the picture that now is just moving into northwestern
Washington, northwestern Oregon, southwestern Washington.
It'll be pushing our way for the night, so expect on and off, mainly light rain for the
rest of the night.
Should be tapering off tomorrow, and just a chance of some showers by tomorrow afternoon.
47 at Ellensburg, 45 at Natchez, 53 at Toppenish, 51 at Settyside, 54 degrees over at Grand
View.
Across the state, 46 at Spokane, 38 up in the Cascades at Stampede Pass, 52 at Seattle,
and yes, the snow levels are high with this system.
They're up at about 7,000 feet, will remain so through tomorrow, and only snow up in the
high country.
But rain at pass levels could be a little bit heavy at times through tomorrow, because
future cash shows moisture beginning to come in by later tomorrow night, not into Thursday
for us.
That'll mean it'll be coming in a little bit earlier in the day, about midday, over on
the west side of the mountains, and that'll be coming in with the next cold front.
Ahead of that front, it'll be a little bit rainy and also windy.
It was blustery over parts of the coast again today.
66 was the highest wind gust, and that was reported at knee tarts on the Oregon coast.
So warm front sweeping across the area tonight.
Cold front follows sweeping on across the Cascades by later tomorrow night, then affecting
us Thursday too, with a pretty good bet for some rain.
Rain at times tonight, overnight low temperature at 42, for tomorrow some areas of rain, mainly
in the morning, 45 degrees at 8 at noon up to 54, and tapering off to just a chance of
showers by the afternoon with a high temperature of 58.
Then tomorrow night, an increasing chance of rain late, with the overnight low temperature
at 41.
Pretty good bet for some rain and clouds on Thursday.
Friday it starts to clear out.
May get a light shower, but it doesn't look like anything heavy, and the weekend looks
great.
It'll be partly cloudy, both sides of the Cascades, maybe some night and morning fog,
but shouldn't last all that long.
High temperatures will be a little bit cooler.
It'll be a drier, but cooler northwesterly airflow, but still for us, it ought to be
in the low 50s anyway.
Another reason to look forward to the weekend already.
Yeah, and that football game too.
Exactly, there's some football game going on.
I'm sure Alan will talk about it.
Coming up in tomorrow's Yakima Herald Republic, a chaplain at Providence Yakima Medical Center
has gained her citizenship 26 years after leaving her native Philippines.
Also in the Herald, former WSU coach Jim Walden, vivid memories still of that 1982 UW WSU football
game when his underdog Cougs overcame an 18 point, now it was an 18 point upset against
the number five ranked Huskies.
All right, the paper will sort that out.
Anyway, much of what we put on our tables at Thanksgiving can be traced to the American
Indian.
Those stories are much more coming up in tomorrow's Herald Republic.
And much more still ahead here at 11.
Fat Albert and the gang are preparing for the big screen.
We'll tell you about that when we come back.
Hilarious.
All right.
For the location nearest you, visit us at TireFactory.com.
The way that you walk, it's just the way that you talk.
Like it ain't no thing, and every single day is just a freak.
Hungry for something different?
Try the DQ Chicken Strip Basket, served with crispy fries and Texas toast
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When it's time for a treat, you still can't beat the original Blizzard.
Getting hungry?
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Years ago there was a big push in the media and elsewhere encouraging people to recycle.
You don't see that much anymore, but county officials say that doesn't mean you should forget about the important message.
Thursday is America Recycles Day.
The county is encouraging everyone to remember this environmentally significant process.
More and more businesses are using recycled materials to build, create and shape.
Participating in American Recycles Day is one way citizens can help raise awareness about the need to reduce waste by reusing, recycling and buying recycled products.
And an interesting statistic, Americans produce 230 million tons of garbage each year.
That's about 4.6 pounds per person per day.
Americans recycle about 28% of that garbage they create.
One of the great cartoons from the 70s, Fat Albert and the Gang, is going to become a live action motion picture.
Also the new Harry Potter movie will not only be big in the US, but in its homeland as well.
It's all part of the Hollywood Minute.
This is Lauren Hunter with the Hollywood Minute.
Malcolm in the Middle is suiting up for post-Super Bowl duty.
Fox will air a one-hour special immediately following its coverage of the big game February 3rd.
Malcolm producers are lining up major guest stars for the episode, which revolves around Dad Howl's company picnic.
The director of Waiting to Exhale isn't ready for a breather.
Forrest Whitaker may go behind the lens again for a live action version of Fat Albert, the Bill Cosby cartoon.
Daily Variety says he's in line to direct the film for 20th Century Fox.
Aside from Exhale, Whitaker also directed Hope Floats.
Harry Potter is doing magical business in his native Britain.
Sneak previews of the new movie earned a remarkable $5 million, a single-day box office record in the UK.
Harry opens in wide release on Friday, both in Britain and the United States.
This is Lauren Hunter with the Hollywood Minute.
You don't see much Fat Albert. I guess it's not in reruns, but coming up on the big screen.
Sonic's kind of retro with that look on the floor this year. What is that, the old logo they started out with?
The old logo, the old colors. Same old.
Same old.
We've got the highlights tonight. We've got Portland, the garden party, and are we going to do any more Michael Jackson?
Maybe. Lots of excitement to come. Have a good time out.
Leading the way, Ford's leading the way
Your Ford Store wants to drive America with absolutely no interest loans on Ford cars, trucks, and SUVs.
For the first time ever, pay no interest for the life of your loan on Ford vehicles.
That's interest-free financing on cars like Focus and Taurus, trucks like Ranger and F-Series, and no interest on Ford SUVs.
Interest-free financing from your Northwest Ford Store to help drive America.
Recently at this quiet, unassuming little Pizza Hut, an interesting pizza discovery took place.
Whoa! We've created the new Ultimate Lovers' Pizzas from Pizza Hut.
Our Lovers' Pizzas now with cheese once, twice, three, four, five, six kinds of luscious cheese.
And six kinds of seriously satisfying meat toppings.
Or five garden veggies. Or two layers of zesty pepperoni.
And you'll discover it's not $12.99, it's only $8.99. $8.99.
The new Ultimate Lovers' Pizzas, only from Pizza Hut.
Hi ma'am, you want a jelly donut?
Mr. Claus, your applicants are here.
Oh, goody! So much to do! So much to do!
Oh no! Not again! Oh no! What did they do?
I said elves. E-L-V-E-S. He'll do.
Rock, shop and roll at Broadmoor Park Outlet Mall with holiday savings every day in the Tri-Cities Exit 7 Road 100 I-182.
On the next Sally.
Why were you having unprotected sex?
Because she wanted it.
First these careless teens cheated and lied.
You thought the Leslie had me in the game, not...
Because I noticed without...
You missed me, he what?