Local news:
▪  In today's Seattle P-I -- Strike at Oak Harbor Freight Lines enters 7th week -- A strike by hundreds of workers at Auburn-based trucking firm has no resolution in sight. "I like to be optimistic, but I don't see an end to this," said Al Hobart of the Teamsters union. "I don't think the company is serious about doing something. They're just trying to wear the union down, period."
▪  In the Daily News -- Temporary Longview Fibre shutdowns to begin Nov. 10 -- The plant will suspend production on its five paper machines during a six-week “rolling shutdown” in November and December, fueling concerns about the long-term future of the company’s pulp mill operations.
▪  In the Wenatchee World -- Alcoa layoffs coming amid soft metal prices, demand -- Its Wenatchee Works smelter will lay off 29 of approximately 400 workers as part of a national effort to cut costs.
▪  In today's Everett Herald -- 20 Snohomish County workers' jobs spared -- The Public Works Department has enough work to replace its consultants with planners facing layoffs.
▪  In today's Kitsap Sun -- Fears of worker fatigue prompt changes in ferry schedule -- The Coast Guard, worried about tired workers on state ferry runs, is restricting deck staff to no more than 12 hours of work in a 24-hour period. The mandate will eliminate "touring watches."

Election news:
▪  In today's Seattle Times -- Ten reasons to reject Initiative 985 -- Initiative 985, Tim Eyman's Reduce Traffic Congestion Act, is a dog's breakfast. In a noisy campaign season, the many arguments against this flawed proposal are often overlooked.
▪  In today's Seattle Times -- Tuesday's election a huge test for King County after 2004 mistakes --  Oversight panels and outside auditors weighed in on the problems and made recommendations, and the county followed many of them. Observers say the office has made significant progress. Still, with huge voter participation levels predicted, this election will serve as a major test of whether voters can trust the elections office.
▪  In today's NY Times -- Colorado agrees to restore voters to rolls -- Tens of thousands removed from voter rolls will be allowed to vote and given extra protections so their ballots are counted, under an agreement reached in federal court.
▪  In today's NY Times -- In tight race, victors may be Ohio lawyers -- If the outcome of next week’s presidential election is close, this precariously balanced state could be the place where the two parties begin filing the inevitable lawsuits over voting irregularities.

Presidential election news:
▪  In today's NY Times -- For incomes below $100,000, a better tax break under Obama's plan -- Independent analyses show that those who make less than $250,000 a year would not see their taxes raised under Obama’s plans. Further, Obama would generally cut taxes more than McCain would for households with incomes less than $100,000 a year.
▪  In today's Washington Post -- Obama is the clear favorite among federal workers -- "Our members have witnessed first-hand the devastating impact of the Bush administration's misguided policies, but with Senator Obama, we can right the direction of this country," says AFGE's John Gage.
▪  In today's NY Times -- Growing doubts on Palin could take a toll, poll finds -- A growing number of voters have concluded that Sen. John McCain's running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, is not qualified to be vice president.
▪  In today's Washington Post -- An "idiot wind" (editorial) -- McCain's latest attempt to link Obama to extremism is the sometimes controversial but widely respected Middle East scholar Rashid Khalidi. Asked whether he wanted to respond to McCain's charges against him, Khalidi said, "I will stick to my policy of letting this idiot wind blow over." That's good advice for anyone still listening to the McCain campaign's increasingly reckless ad hominem attacks. Sadly, that wind is likely to keep blowing for four more days. 

National news:
▪  In today's Washington Post -- A last push by Bush to deregulate -- The White House plans to enact a wide array of regulations, weakening rules aimed at protecting consumers, workers and the environment, before Bush leaves office. As many as 90 new regulations are in the works, including new rules governing employees who take family- and medical-related leaves, and easing or lifting constraints on private industry, including power plants, mines and farms. Once such rules take effect, they can be undone only through a laborious new regulatory proceeding, including lengthy periods of public comment, drafting and mandated reanalysis.
▪  In today's NY Times -- Former CEO of Iowa kosher meatpacking plant arrested -- The former chief executive at the site of a massive immigration raid in May is arrested on conspiracy charges involving harboring illegal immigrants for financial gain and aiding and abetting document fraud.
▪  Today from AP -- Neil Young refuses to cross picket line, cancels concert in LA -- The singer-songwriter cancels his Thursday night show at The Forum rather than cross an IATSE picket line scheduled to form there during the show. Young and his wife are honorary lifetime members of the union. He says he is "extremely disappointed to have to choose between satisfying my fans or backing my brothers and sisters of the IATSE."