Jake Putnam interviews Governor Dirk Kempthorne at the INEL, the day the first shipment of low level TRU left the site for Carlsbad, New Mexico. Dirk Arthur Kempthorne (born October 29, 1951 in San Diego, California), is the current U.S. Secretary of the Interior, serving since May 2006. A Republican, Kempthorne previously served as Governor and as a U.S. Senator from Idaho. Kempthorne was first elected to public office as mayor of Boise in 1985, where he served for seven years. According to the New York Times, over the course of his career in public service, Kempthorne established a reputation as "a personable leader with a strong understanding of issues."[1] Kempthorne is notable for his conservative views, particularly on economic issues. Kempthorne was raised in San Bernardino, California. Kempthorne attended and graduated from San Gorgonio High School in San Bernardino, California. He graduated from the University of Idaho in 1975 with a degree in political science, serving a term as student body president. Upon graduation Kempthorne served as an assistant to the director of the Idaho Department of Lands and then as executive vice president of the Idaho Home Builders Association. In 1982, Kempthorne managed the gubernatorial campaign for Lt. Gov. Phil Batt, who lost to the incumbent Democrat, Governor John V. Evans.[2] In 1983 Kempthorne became state public affairs manager for FMC Corporation. Kempthorne and his wife, Patricia Kempthorne who are both University of Idaho graduates, have two adult children, Heather and Jeff. Political career Service for Idaho Senator KempthorneKempthorne's first major political victory was in 1985 when he was elected mayor of Boise. As mayor Kempthorne became very popular and was unopposed for reelection in 1989. In 1992, U.S. Senator Steve Symms decided not to seek a third term and Kempthorne pursued the Republican nomination for the seat. In the general election, Kempthorne defeated Democratic Congressman Richard H. Stallings. In the Senate, Kempthorne sponsored and helped pass a bill meant to prohibit Congress from imposing unfunded federal mandates on states. During his six years in the Senate, Kempthorne scored a "0" on the League of Conservation Voters' legislative scorecards every year except 1993, when he scored 6 percent on the basis of one vote against funding a rocket booster for the space program that environmentalists judged harmful to the environment. His overall LCV score for that period was less than 1%.[3] Kempthorne was expected to run for reelection in 1998, but instead decided to run for the open seat for governor. The incumbent, Phil Batt, finally elected in 1994, shocked the state by announcing his retirement after only one term in office. Kempthorne's Senate seat would be won by Republican Mike Crapo. Kempthorne won the gubernatorial election in a landslide, receiving 68 percent of the vote while his Democratic opponent, Robert C. Huntley, received only 29 percent. He was reelected in 2002 with 56 percent of the vote, compared to his Democratic opponent, Jerry Brady, who polled 42 percent. Kempthorne's campaign spent nearly $200,000 more than it had received in contributions prior to the election; he spent the next two years raising funds to pay off the campaign debt. [4] Secretary of the Interior Kempthorne is sworn in as Secretary of the Interior on June 7, 2006.On March 16, 2006, Kempthorne was nominated by President George W. Bush to replace Gale Norton as the 49th Secretary of the Interior. On May 10, 2006, Kempthorne's nomination was approved by voice vote by the United States Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. He was confirmed by the full Senate on May 26 and resigned as governor to accept the position the same day. Lieutenant Governor Jim Risch succeeded Kempthorne as governor, filling out remaining months of the term. Kempthorne is the second Idahoan to hold the Cabinet post. Former Governor Cecil Andrus was the Secretary of the Interior under President Jimmy Carter, serving from 1977 to 1981. Upon Kempthorne's appointment as Secretary of the Interior, environmental groups characterized him as someone who has "almost always favored changing laws like the Endangered Species Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act to make them more favorable to commercial interests."[1] As Secretary of the Interior, Kempthorne has come under criticism for not placing any plants or animals on the federal endangered species list since his confirmation on May 26, 2006. As of September 2007, Kempthorne holds the record for protecting fewer species over his tenure than any Interior Secretary in United States history, a record previously held by James G. Watt for over 20 years.[5] In late 2007, Kempthorne was sued for not taking action to approve or disapprove the St. Regis Mohawks' planned casino in Monticello, NY. In January 2008 Kempthorne's office denied an application for the Mohawks' opening of a ca

Ken Griffey Sr., seated at center, with the Donora High School Dragons 1967 basketball section champions. By Scott Beveridge, Staff writer sbeveridge@observer-reporter.com DONORA – Donora High School’s basketball team hit the courts in the 1968-69 season looking grim after being undefeated the previous year in its section. Senior Ken Griffey Sr. was the only returning player, and he showed up with a broken nose. In a jiffy, the school’s industrial arts students built him a mask to protect his injured nose in hopes that he might be able to play out the season, said Fran LaMendola of Donora, who coached the team. “He played with that the rest of the year and broke the rebounding record at Donora,” LaMendola said of the 6-foot-tall athlete who would go on to make professional baseball history. “And also, he was the one who led us when we upset Monongahela for the section title,” he said of Griffey, 56, who will be making a rare public appearance in his hometown area this weekend to be honored by his alma mater. “That was 1969. One thing about him, he was a tremendous competitor,” LaMendola said. Griffey was drafted in the 29th round in the 1969 amateur draft by the Cincinnati Reds. The left-handed right-fielder made his career debut Aug. 25, 1973. Griffey and his son, Ken Jr., made history in 1989 by becoming the first father and son to play in the Major Leagues at the same time. The younger Griffey, at age 19, became the youngest player in professional baseball when he was drafted as the No. 1 pick straight out of high school by the Seattle Mariners. A year later, the elder Griffey joined the Mariners and they became the first father and son to appear in the same starting lineup. That same year, the father and son made history again by hitting back-to-back homers in a first inning. George Kenneth Griffey Sr. was born April 10, 1950, into a large, poor family in what then was a booming steel town along the Monongahela River. Like many borough streets, McKean Avenue Extension, where he grew up, has become lined with rundown houses and empty lots three decades after the mill closed. Donora became part of Ringgold School District in a 1964 merger with Monongahela and other neighboring municipalities. The school, which has no shortage of graduates who have played professional sports, will induct Griffey Saturday into its sports booster club’s hall of fame. Joining him for the same award will be Joe Montana and Fred Cox. Ringgold also will honor Stan Musial, a baseball hall of famer, whose poor health will not allow him to be present at the ceremony. Montana, a Monongahela native who graduated in 1974, was quarterback for the world championship San Francisco 49ers, and Cox, a Carroll Township native and 1957 graduate, is the all-time leading scorer as a field goal kicker for the Minnesota Vikings. Cox also invented the Nerf football. The former athletes will speak to Ringgold students today in a series of assemblies. The Griffey family lived directly behind Loretta Manus, and Manus said Griffey has long considered her to be his “adopted mother.” “He’s one of the most humble, low-key men I know,” said Manus, 74, who now runs a program that helps to keep teenagers in trouble with the law off the streets. Many of Griffey’s relatives followed him to Cincinnati at the start of his career. But he often quietly returns to his hometown when his son, who now plays for the Reds, plays in Pittsburgh, said Karen Polkabla, who was a year ahead of Griffey in school and now works as principal of Donora Elementary Center. He also plays in a local golf tournament every year, Manus said, and attends the Cook family reunion each summer in the Mon Valley. But, she said, his last public appearance in Donora was in the late 1970s or early 1980s when the borough dedicated a new baseball field in his name. Recently diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer, Griffey has had a long reputation for being shy. “He’s not about fanfare,” Manus said. “He is just Kenny, the sweet, lovable man who went off to Cincinnati.” Neither money or fame tarnished his character, she said. “This leopard never changed his spots.”