View full sizeThe Oregonian front page for March 4, 2012.Good morning and welcome to a Sunday edition of Northwest News, a daily roundup of what's going on in this corner of the world.
We kick things off with a look at presidential election politics. Saturday was the first chance for the Pacific Northwest to have a say in the GOP primary. A record number of Washington voters -- 50,000 -- took part in Saturday's Republican presidential causes, reports Jeff Mapes, a political writer for The Oregonian.
The caucus results are largely symbolic because the state's delegates will be chosen later.
But for Romney, the victory was his third in less than a week, following wins in Michigan and Arizona. And the Romney campaign hopes it signals a growing strength in his candidacy as voters prepare to vote in 10 states on Tuesday.
"The voters of Washington have sent a signal that they do not want a Washington insider in the White House," said Romney, referring obliquely to his GOP rivals. "They want a conservative businessman who understands the private sector."
Romney also said he was "heartened" to win the caucuses, a recognition that his win here was no sure thing.
And now for some news out of Alaska, where the 2012 Iditarod began Saturday, reports this morning's Anchorage Daily News. The annual race will last 10 days and cover 975 miles. Sixty-six mushers are taking part in this year's epic event.
John Baker of Kotzebue will return to defend his title after breaking the Iditarod speed record, finishing just under eight days and 19 hours in 2011. He plans to travel with much of the same team, his big huskies Snickers and Velvet once again running lead.
"I don't feel any pressure that I need to win," Baker said, his dogs waiting silently beside his truck as thousands of onlookers pressed the Fourth Avenue fences. "I've trained hard this year, and I want to go out and do the best that the dogs can do."
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-- The Oregonian