Chinook

Their name conjures up the most celebrated moment of America's post-Sept. 11 military campaigns. Now the Navy SEALs belong to a grimmer chapter in history: the most deadly incident for U.S. forces in the 10-year Afghanistan war. Three months after they killed Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in neighboring Pakistan and cemented their place in military legend, the SEALs suffered a devastating loss when nearly two dozen of the elite troops were among...

Six of seven Sutter brothers played in the NHL. The seventh brother, Gary, had the opportunity but did not pursue a hockey career. How the brothers fared in the NHL: Brent: Played for the New York Islanders and Chicago Blackhawks during his 18-year career and recorded 829 points. Won Stanley Cup titles with the Islanders in 1982 and 1983, along with his brother Duane. Coached the New Jersey Devils from 2007 to 2009 and has been the Calgary Flames' coach since 2009. Brian: Played 12 seasons, all with the St. Louis Blues, appearing in three All-Star games before becoming a head coach with the Blues, Boston Bruins, Calgary and Chicago.

Less than a year after getting federal recognition, the American Indian tribe that welcomed the Lewis and Clark expedition to the mouth of the Columbia River is in danger of losing its status. Interior Secretary Gale A. Norton told the Bureau of Indian Affairs on Tuesday to review the Chinook Indian tribe's federal recognition.

The giant transport helicopter played a key role in Sunday's air assault into Iraq, the largest helicopter-led operation in military history. Chinooks ferried ammunition, aviation fuel, field artillery and even trucks to newly established allied fueling stations in Iraq. Chinooks have also been used to transport Iraqi POWs from the front to rear holding areas. Crew: 2 pilots, 1 crew chief Length: 51 feet Payload: 15,873 pounds or 33 troops Maximum speed: 188 m.p.h.

Even among those who seek to protect wildlife above all, there are moments of great conflict. One of those moments is playing out near Portland, Ore., as sea lions gorge on endangered chinook salmon that gather at the base of the Bonneville Dam, preparing to make their way up the fish ladders to spawn. Last week and this, wildlife officials have killed six of the most incorrigible of the animals, which have refused to be dissuaded by noise, rubber bullets or other harassing techniques.

This is not a year when you would expect to find a monster chinook salmon in California waters. The salmon runs have been so bad that the commercial and recreational chinook catch was canceled off the California and Oregon coast in spring. But when state Department of Fish and Game biologists conducted their survey of fall-run chinook last month, they came across the carcass of one of the largest chinook ever recorded in California.

California is a thirsty state. You don't mess with its water, even in a good year, unless you have an excellent reason. Which is why many Californians are shaking their heads in dismay over a federal judge's recent decision to cut by as much as 30% the water sent south from the San Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta this winter. The judge's reason: to save a French-fry-sized fish called the delta smelt. The delta smelt makes no heroic journey across the ocean or up river rapids to reproduce.

Faced with an "unprecedented collapse" of California's Central Valley salmon population, federal regulators warned Tuesday that the West Coast fishing industry is on course toward steep restrictions this year. The number of chinook salmon returning to the Sacramento River plummeted to near historic lows last year, and fishery experts are predicting similarly light returns this year.

Frank Nicolas Piasecki, an aviation pioneer who invented the twin-rotor technology that led to development of the widely flown Chinook heavy-lift helicopter, has died. He was 88. Piasecki, who had recently suffered a stroke, died Monday at his home in Haverford, Pa., his family said in a statement. He is believed to have died of cardiac arrest.