The Energy Department says the cuts would postpone work at the department's highest-risk sites, including the Hanford Nuclear Reservation near Richland, Wash.

NPR: How Budget Cuts Could Affect You

It found a litany of problems, including a shortage of nurses so dire that staff did not have the time to wash their hands between patients and on some occasions even told those in their care to "go in their beds".

BBC: NEWS | Health | Bug blunders 'known for months'

Filaree Farm in Okanogan, Wash. (509-422-6940, www.filareefarm.com), sells some of the spiciest stuff available, including the red-tipped Persian Star from Uzbekistan and Russian Inferno from, interestingly enough, Spokane, Wash.

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