Oregon

Former Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) was named Friday to lead the National Assn. of Broadcasters. Smith, 57, represented Oregon for two terms before losing his Senate seat to Democrat Jeff Merkley last year. He served on the Senate Commerce Committee, which handles broadcast-related legislation. He will start as president and CEO of the broadcasting trade group Nov. 1, replacing David Rehr, who stepped down last spring after three years in the post, the association said. The group represents about 7,500 local TV and radio stations, as well as the major broadcast networks.

Crews in the central part of the state fought a fast-moving wildfire that burned through four miles in under an hour, sending a plume of smoke 35,000 feet into the air and raining embers and ash. The fire, estimated at 80,000 acres, flared late Thursday after firefighters had worked for weeks to contain it. The flare-up forced the evacuation of about 300 residents from the alpine resort town of Camp Sherman. Many had been evacuated before and were allowed back into their homes four days earlier.

IN the glass, Pinot Gris is anything but "gray" -- it's sort of a golden green, pea-tendril-shot-with-sunlight color -- but when you bring it to your nose, you might feel a little lost at first. In the best Pinot Gris there is often an evocative, between-the-cracks quality to the aromatics that makes them hard to grasp. Is it pear you smell? Not quite. Apple? Yes -- and no. Does it smell sweet? Maybe, but only the way freshly baked bread does, which is almost savory.

UCLA basketball: An article in Sports on Sunday about UCLA's game against Oregon incorrectly stated that Oregon forward Maarty Leunen is a junior; he is a senior. The article also said that Oregon took a 49-48 lead with 13:55 to play; the team was ahead 48-37 at that point.

Government fishery managers took steps Friday toward an unprecedented total ban on salmon fishing this year off the California and Oregon coasts, a move that would hammer beleaguered harbors and deprive the West of a culinary and cultural prize. A ban would cut deeply into a $150-million industry already suffering hard times, hitting not just commercial fishing but also the state's recreational angling industry.

Help wanted: public servants willing to disclose major sources of income, business interests, real estate holdings and the names of their adult relatives. Sayonara and good luck with that, said some 150 elected and appointed Oregon officeholders who walked away from their public service gigs this month rather than disclose personal data. Many said they were particularly disturbed by the new requirement -- apparently unique to Oregon -- that they name so many family members.

Barack Obama declared Tuesday night that he has now secured a majority of the elected delegates in his pursuit of the Democratic presidential nomination. But just as important as reaching that landmark is the symbolism of where he chose to celebrate it -- in Iowa -- and where he will campaign today -- in Florida.

The governors of New York and Oregon are doing fine after each underwent surgery. New York Gov. David Paterson had a successful cataract surgery, spokeswoman Erin Duggan said, and planned to resume his normal schedule today. Paterson, 54, is legally blind. The cataract was discovered during a procedure last month to relieve pain from acute glaucoma. Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski, 68, planned to leave Salem Hospital today after having his gall bladder removed, said spokeswoman Anna Richter Taylor.

Blame the volcanoes of the Northwest that sent so much lava roaring through this valley about 16 million years ago and set the stage. Or blame the glaciers of Montana for forcing floods, about 14,000 years ago, that carried in so many tons of rich dirt. Or you could just blame David Lett. He was the 25-year-old who rolled in from California 43 years ago with a trailer full of vine cuttings and a crazy dream about something called Pinot.