Washington news

• Big switch: Health-exchange customers to pay insurers now

  22-09-2015 23:58
  
  Starting Thursday, the 164,000 people enrolled in the Washington Health Benefit Exchange must pay their insurers directly, a change aimed at simplifying a payment system previous plagued with problems.
  
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• A mix of Chinese flags and protest signs welcome President Xi Jinping downtown

  22-09-2015 22:43
  
  Sketched Sept. 22, 2015 Mr. Xi Jinping’s visit messed a bit with my commute this morning. How did yours go? My bus dropped me farther away than usual because of the street closures. But the inconvenience had a bright side: I ran into a sketch-worthy scene across the Westin Hotel, where groups of pro- and […]
  
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• Clinton opposes construction of Keystone XL pipeline

  22-09-2015 22:38
  
  DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton broke her longstanding silence over the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, telling voters at a campaign stop in Iowa on Tuesday that she opposes the project assailed by environmentalists. The Democratic presidential candidate said the project had become an impediment to efforts to fight climate change. […]
  
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• Clinton breaks Keystone silence, says she opposes pipeline

  22-09-2015 22:38
  DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday she opposes construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, breaking her longstanding silence over a project criticized by environmentalists as a threat to the planet’s climate. The Democratic presidential candidate said she decided to speak out after concluding the ongoing debate over whether the pipeline should […]
  
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• In Washington, ranchers and sage grouse have coexisted for years

  22-09-2015 21:22
  
  Efforts have been under way for years to conserve sage grouse, which number fewer than 1,000 here.
  
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• Felony pot charges for teens being reduced in Asotin County

  22-09-2015 21:18
  
  The Asotin County prosecutor is reducing felony marijuana charges he filed against three teenagers because his office misinterpreted recent changes in state law.
  
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• State prisons head leaving for private corrections job

  22-09-2015 21:05
  
  Bernie Warner, the head of the state Department of Corrections, is stepping down for a job in the private sector.
  
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• Attorney: Father of Marysville school shooter believed he could legally possess guns

  22-09-2015 20:25
  
  A federal prosecutor says Raymond Lee Fryberg Jr. “slipped under the screen” when he purchased firearms despite a court order barring him from gun ownership. One of the weapons was used in the shootings at Marysville-Pilchuck High School.
  
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• 2 half-brothers shot by Olympia officer plead not guilty

  22-09-2015 19:59
  
  Two half-brothers shot by an Olympia police officer after a suspected robbery have pleaded not guilty.
  
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• Man sets fire to Seattle patrol car, several other vehicles

  22-09-2015 19:46
  
  Seattle police say a man used some type of flammable liquid to set fire to a patrol car and several other vehicles Monday night.
  
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• New duck-billed dinosaur found in Alaska, researchers say

  22-09-2015 18:45
  
  ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Researchers have uncovered a new species of plant-eating dinosaur in Alaska, according to a report published Tuesday. The animal was a variety of hadrosaur, a duck-billed dinosaur that roamed in herds, said Pat Druckenmiller, earth sciences curator at the University of Alaska Museum in Fairbanks. Northern Alaska likely was once covered […]
  
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• Study: Diagnosis wrong too often, urgent improvement needed

  22-09-2015 18:28
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Most people will experience at least one wrong or delayed diagnosis at some point in their lives, a blind spot in modern medicine that can have devastating consequences, says a new report that calls for urgent changes across health care. Getting the right diagnosis, at the right time, is crucial, but Tuesday’s […]
  
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• Study: Diagnoses wrong too often, urgent improvement needed

  22-09-2015 18:28
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Most people will experience at least one wrong or delayed diagnosis over their lifetime, a report predicts, calling diagnostic errors a blind spot in modern medicine that sometimes causes devastating consequences. Getting the right diagnosis, at the right time, is key to good health care. But despite lots of focus on health […]
  
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• Rachel Zoe: Seattle fashion ‘classic and traditional yet bohemian’

  22-09-2015 18:00
  
  The designer will be in Bellevue for fashion week.
  
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• Clinton adds details to plans on prescription drug costs

  22-09-2015 17:56
  
  DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Vowing to build upon President Barack Obama’s signature health law, Hillary Rodham Clinton is unveiling a sweeping plan to hold down the rising cost of prescription drugs and target pharmaceutical companies that flood the airwaves with ads. The Democratic presidential candidate’s proposal would place a monthly cap of $250 on […]
  
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• Lynnwood death ruled homicide

  22-09-2015 17:10
  
  Medical Examiner says Lynnwood man's death a homicide
  
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• Study shows employers shifting more medical costs to workers

  22-09-2015 17:04
  
  Employers are leaving a bigger chunk of the bill for care to workers who use their health insurance, and benefits experts see few signs of this trend slowing. Most companies now offer health coverage that requires employees to pay an annual deductible before insurance kicks in, and the size of that deductible has soared in […]
  
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• 17-year-old hiker rescued after fall in North Cascades

  22-09-2015 15:41
  
  A personal locator beam helped crews find the girl near the White Chuck Glacier.
  
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• Arlington adopts tethering restrictions over well-known dog

  22-09-2015 15:39
  
  The new rules were prompted by what many believe is the mistreatment of a black Labrador named Blaze.
  
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• Arlington adopts tethering restrictions aimed at Blaze the black Lab

  22-09-2015 15:39
  The new rules were prompted by what many believe is the mistreatment of a black Labrador named Blaze.
  
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• Man gets 5 years for having sex with teen runaway in Tumwater

  22-09-2015 15:38
  
  Prosecutors say the man also was having the girl solicit other men for sex.
  
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• U.S. rejects protections for greater sage grouse across West

  22-09-2015 15:37
  
  BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The Interior Department said Tuesday that the greater sage grouse, a ground-dwelling bird whose vast range spans 11 Western states, does not need federal protections following a costly effort to reverse the species’ decline without reshaping the region’s economy. The fight over whether to list the bird as endangered or threatened […]
  
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• Scientists identify new duck-billed dinosaur species in Alaska

  22-09-2015 15:26
  
  The species, dubbed Ugrunaaluk kuukpikensis, was a variety of hadrosaur, a plant-eater that roamed in herds.
  
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• 5 years after Facebook pledge, Newark schools struggle

  22-09-2015 15:24
  
  NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — When Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg appeared on Oprah Winfrey’s show five years ago this week to announce a $100 million donation to remake education in Newark, it was presented as an effort to make a struggling city a national model for turning around urban schools. Advocates see success in the most […]
  
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• How it feels to be a ‘tween, as told by Seattle fifth-graders

  22-09-2015 14:03
  
  “Before,” a documentary about children on the cusp of adolescence, is growing up. It is graduating from its online home on Vimeo to a screening at the Northwest Film Forum. The half-hour film by Seattle filmmaker Terence Brown features interviews with students from Loyal Heights Elementary School in Ballard in the final days of fifth grade. […]
  
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• Police, protesters prepare for Xi’s visit

  22-09-2015 14:00
  
  The scene around Westin Hotel in downtown Seattle this morning ahead of President Xi’s arrival: .@SeattlePD Lt. Garth Green said pedestrians can access local businesses, but must keep walking in exclusionary zone. #ChinesePresident — Evan Bush (@evanbush) September 22, 2015 At 5th and Virginia, a police bus barricade has been built ahead of the #ChinesePresident […]
  
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• China’s President Xi arriving this morning, with a delegation of up to 1,000

  22-09-2015 14:00
  
  President Xi Jinping of China arrives this morning in China’s equivalent of Air Force One — also a Boeing 747, by the way — for a two-day whirlwind of political and business meetings, accompanied by a massive delegation of Chinese officials and top corporate executives. He’ll land at Paine Field in Everett after 9 a.m. […]
  
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• At least one person injured in Seattle apartment fire late Monday

  22-09-2015 07:18
  
  Medics have sent one woman to receive medical help for inhaling smoke, according to tweets from the department.
  
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• Seattle IRS agent charged with bribing pot-shop owner

  22-09-2015 06:56
  
  The offenses are punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office.
  
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• Wolf-petting wildlife attraction fights state restrictions

  22-09-2015 06:03
  Wolf People’s owner is asking the Idaho Supreme Court for the right to operate her visitor facility as she sees fit.
  
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• Explore this: Where do King County’s Chinese-born residents live?

  22-09-2015 06:00
  
  An interactive map by census tract.
  
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• Seattle seeks authority to enact rent laws

  22-09-2015 05:56
  
  The Seattle City Council on Monday passed a resolution to ask the state to end its ban on cities regulating rents.
  
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• Xi’s visit to ‘Sleepless’ Seattle may update city’s profile in China

  22-09-2015 05:54
  Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Seattle this week gives officials opportunity to shore up business relations and Chinese citizens a chance to learn more about the city and region.
  
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• Reston, Virginia, founder Robert E. Simon dies at 101

  22-09-2015 05:42
  
  RESTON, Va. (AP) — Robert E. Simon Jr., who lent his initials to the northern Virginia community he founded more than 50 years ago, has died. He was 101. The Reston Association reported Simon died Monday in his home. A cause of death was not given. Simon, who ran his family’s real estate business in […]
  
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• Local Chinese feeling pride, also misgivings over Xi visit

  22-09-2015 05:32
  
  Many Chinese Americans and immigrants see President Xi as a new kind of leader, both strong and modern. But some also worry about where his consolidation of power is headed.
  
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• Tacoma students prepare to welcome China’s president

  22-09-2015 05:08
  
  With nervous anticipation students at Lincoln High gear up for a quick visit by Xi Jinping, leader of China’s 1.4 billion people.
  
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• Critics want to put plan for Ore. water-bottling plant on ballot

  22-09-2015 04:52
  
  Critics want voters to decide whether a bottled-water plant in Cascade Locks should be built.
  
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• Restriping behind, but 405 toll lanes expected to open as planned

  22-09-2015 04:49
  
  Rain and a mechanical breakdown slowed the Interstate 405 re-striping project, but the state still intends to open its new Express Toll Lanes by noon Sunday.
  
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• Plenty of transit changes for Xi’s visit

  22-09-2015 04:28
  
  Cars and pedestrians will be allowed inside the eight-block security perimeter, but buses will detour several blocks away to avoid getting caught in congestion.
  
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• Boy withdraws from school that suspended him over clock

  22-09-2015 04:27
  
  DALLAS (AP) — The family of a 14-year-old Muslim student who got in trouble over a homemade clock mistaken for a possible bomb withdrew the boy Monday from his suburban Dallas high school. Ahmed Mohamed’s father, Mohamed El-Hassan Mohamed, said he has pulled all of his children from their Irving Independent School District schools. Mohamed […]
  
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• From playing scales to Mozart at the Seattle Symphony opener

  22-09-2015 04:17
  
  Musical director Ludovic Morlot welcomed longtime friend and this year’s artist-in-residence Jean-Yves Thibaudet. And the gala raised $785,000.
  
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• Feds award SPD $600K to expand body-camera program

  22-09-2015 04:09
  
  The U.S. Department of Justice selected 73 agencies across the country to get help with buying equipment and growing training.
  
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• Tacoma educator named state’s teacher of the year

  22-09-2015 04:01
  
  The educator grew up in the Tacoma community where he teaches and was honored last year, too, with a $25,000 prize from the Milken Family Foundation.
  
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• Parents threaten to sue WIAA over alleged religious discrimination

  22-09-2015 03:30
  Parents representing students at three schools in Washington that observe the Sabbath on Saturday say they will sue the organization that administers high-school sports in the state if it doesn’t alter its Class 1A/2B/1A state volleyball tournament.
  
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• State moves to limit greenhouse gases

  22-09-2015 02:43
  State Ecology officials want to reduce over time the amount of heat-trapping gases from the state’s largest industrial facilities.
  
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• Clinton says she won’t let GOP ‘tear up’ health care law

  22-09-2015 02:28
  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton on Monday hailed President Barack Obama’s health care law for reducing the rate of uninsured Americans and vowed to defend it against Republican opposition if she wins the White House. The Democratic presidential candidate kicked off a series of health care events with an embrace of the […]
  
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• Driver charged with murder in fatal police chase near Tacoma

  22-09-2015 00:51
  
  A man has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with a high-speed chase that killed a woman who was ejected from his vehicle near Tacoma.
  
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