Washington news

• Dominican agency: 2 new deaths from Zika-related syndrome

  19-05-2016 22:50
  
  SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — The Dominican Republic on Thursday reported two new deaths from a paralyzing disorder linked to the mosquito-borne Zika virus that is spreading through the hemisphere. In its latest weekly update, the health ministry’s epidemiological office added to the four previously reported deaths from Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare illness of […]
  
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• Pronto offering free rides Friday in attempt to boost membership

  19-05-2016 22:48
  
  Pronto is offering free rides this Friday, hoping to get more people to use the bike-sharing program after the city took it over last month.
  
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• Suspect spends 7 hours in tree to avoid arrest, gets hosed down

  19-05-2016 21:42
  
  A Snohomish man trying to avoid arrest on suspicion of domestic violence spent seven hours perched in a tree.
  
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• Carbon dioxide levels jump by record amount due to El Nino

  19-05-2016 21:29
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The amount of heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the air jumped by the biggest amount on record last month, a rise amplified by El Nino, scientists say. Carbon dioxide levels increased by 4.16 parts per million in April compared to a year earlier, according to readings at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s […]
  
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• UW’s refugee honeybees find temporary homes

  19-05-2016 21:28
  
  Volunteers have offered up their backyards to keep the popular UW beekeeping program buzzing for at least another year.
  
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• Seattle Pride president quits after flap over airline sponsorship

  19-05-2016 21:06
  
  The president of Seattle Pride resigned after acknowledging he misrepresented the sponsorship agreement with Delta Air Lines, a new sponsor of the Pride Parade, telling Alaska Airlines employees they could not wear Alaska T-shirts or any branding.
  
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• Seattle Pride president quits after airline-sponsorship flap

  19-05-2016 21:06
  
  The president of Seattle Pride resigned after acknowledging he misrepresented the sponsorship agreement with Delta Air Lines, a new sponsor of the Pride Parade, telling Alaska Airlines employees they could not wear Alaska T-shirts or any branding at the parade.
  
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• Killer Nile crocodiles in Florida? Experts say it’s possible

  19-05-2016 20:56
  
  FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The Burmese python might have to step aside: It’s possible the animal is no longer Florida’s scariest invasive species. Researchers have confirmed that three Nile crocodiles were captured near Miami, and they more of the man-eating reptiles could still be out there, although no one can say for sure. The […]
  
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• Sea-Tac Airport to hire 90 contractors to help shrink security lines

  19-05-2016 20:24
  
  The extra staffing at the airport comes amid pressure from frustrated travelers across the country to shorten security lines that cause hours of delays.
  
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• Oregon high school student accused of sexting girl, 14

  19-05-2016 20:23
  
  An Oregon high school senior has been arrested on allegations that he sent sexually explicit photos of himself to a 14-year-old student.
  
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• Human remains found in Snohomish County identified

  19-05-2016 19:10
  
  The remains are those of a 28-year-old Portland man who disappeared in 1988, the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office said.
  
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• US regulators to detail cause of California oil spill

  19-05-2016 19:03
  
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Federal regulators say they have concluded an investigation into a pipeline break that spilled more than 140,000 gallons of crude oil on the California coast a year ago. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration plans to issue a final report Thursday afternoon detailing the cause of the spill that closed […]
  
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• Feds: Pipeline company failed to detect California oil spill

  19-05-2016 19:03
  
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — An oil pipeline company responsible for a massive spill on the California coast a year ago didn’t do enough to prevent corrosion and its operators didn’t detect and react to the spill quickly enough, federal regulators said Thursday. Plains All American Pipeline also didn’t have adequate systems in place to signal […]
  
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• Morley Safer, ‘60 Minutes’ newsman, dies a week after retirement

  19-05-2016 18:53
  
  Morley Safer, who once claimed “there is no such thing as the common man; if there were, there would be no need for journalists,” has died. “60 Minutes” aired a tribute to him on Sunday after he announced his retirement last week.
  
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• Tacoma woman accused of shooting ex-husband

  19-05-2016 18:41
  
  A Tacoma woman is being jailed on $500,000 bail for allegations that she shot her ex-husband after confronting him and his girlfriend.
  
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• 17-year-old boy shot in chest in Burien

  19-05-2016 17:29
  
  A teen boy was shot in Burien just after midnight and taken to Harborview Medical Center, according to the King County Sheriff’s Office.
  
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• (Highway) 99 Shades Darker: Movie shoot will slow viaduct traffic

  19-05-2016 17:19
  
  The Alaskan Way Viaduct will be slowed for “a major motion picture” shoot, the Seattle Department of Transportation says.
  
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• Microsoft commits to cleaning up its cloud

  19-05-2016 17:10
  
  The company says its network of data centers will use renewable energy for 50 percent of its needs by the end of 2018, among other sustainability pledges.
  
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• UW geneticist receives nation’s top honor for scientific work

  19-05-2016 17:00
  
  Dr. Mary-Claire King, the University of Washington geneticist who discovered the BRCA1 gene linked to increased breast-cancer risk, has been awarded the National Medal of Science, the top honor for scientific achievement.
  
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• Mars, Earth, sun line up perfectly in sky this weekend

  19-05-2016 16:10
  
  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Last week, Mercury stole the show. Now it’s Mars’ turn. On Sunday morning, Mars, Earth and the sun will line up perfectly in the sky. This once-every-two-years event is called Mars opposition. That’s because Mars and the sun will be on opposite sides of Earth. Right now, Mars is about […]
  
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• Three decades after ‘Streetwise’ documentary, ‘Tiny’ struggles and dreams on

  19-05-2016 15:58
  
  The story of Erin Blackwell, a 13-year-old street kid and prostitute known as “Tiny,” was captured in the 1984 Oscar-nominated documentary “Streetwise.” With a follow-up film showing to SIFF audiences this month, her tale is sadly relevant in Seattle today.
  
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• Student voices: Traditional school didn’t work for me, so I enrolled in an online school

  19-05-2016 15:05
  
  Students need to know about all the options they have for completing high school, says Rahima Ali, a Running Start student who attends Insight School of Washington and Shoreline Community College.
  
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• U.S. Census: Seattle now fourth for growth among 50 biggest U.S. cities

  19-05-2016 15:00
  
  The latest numbers show the population increased by 2.3 percent between July 1, 2014, and July 1, 2015.
  
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• UN appoints Mexican diplomat as new climate chief

  19-05-2016 11:31
  
  STOCKHOLM (AP) — The United Nations has appointed a Mexican diplomat as the top U.N. official leading the fight against global warming. Patricia Espinosa said in a statement Thursday that she is “grateful and honored” to be named executive secretary of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change. The appointment was announced by U.N. Secretary-General […]
  
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• Apartment fire in Everett displaces ten people; authorities investigating

  19-05-2016 07:25
  
  It’s unclear how the fire in a second-floor unit started.
  
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• Apartment fire in Everett displaces 10 people; authorities investigating

  19-05-2016 07:25
  
  It’s unclear how the fire in a second-floor unit started.
  
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• NASA’s Valkyrie robots set the table for human life on Mars

  19-05-2016 07:13
  
  LOWELL, Mass. (AP) — Four sister robots built by NASA could be pioneers in the colonization of Mars, part of an advance construction team that sets up a habitat for more fragile human explorers. But first they’re finding new homes on Earth and engineers to hone their skills. The space agency has kept one Valkyrie […]
  
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• 520 bridge expansion-joint noise drives hundreds of complaints

  19-05-2016 05:45
  
  Medina and Clyde Hill neighbors complain that noise from the new 520 bridge expansion joints is wrecking their lives and their sleep. WSDOT is investigating.
  
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• ‘Barefoot Bandit’ says his mother has died

  19-05-2016 04:54
  
  Colton Harris-Moore, now in prison, got his moniker as a result of a series of car, boat and plane thefts, some of which he committed while barefoot.
  
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• Uncaged: Prisoners’ artwork on display at UW

  19-05-2016 04:31
  
  The University of Washington’s grassy Quad features work by current and former prisoners in the state. The exhibit is organized by Huskies for Opportunities in Prison Education and includes a 6-by-9-foot spatial representation of a cell for two inmates.
  
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• Jeff Bezos fires back at Trump for criticisms about Amazon, Washington Post ownership

  19-05-2016 04:23
  
  While conceding that Amazon deserves to be “scrutinized and criticized,” Jeff Bezos said that Donald Trump’s criticisms were inappropriate for a presidential candidate.
  
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• Neighbors seek city help to reduce gun violence

  19-05-2016 03:39
  
  Neighbors engage public officials in a conversation about making Rainier Beach safer.
  
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• Summer annuals planted at Volunteer Park

  19-05-2016 03:31
  
  Seattle Parks and Recreation staffers and volunteers worked on a display Wednesday, May 18, 2016, of thousands of summer annuals outside Volunteer Park Conservatory. Another annual display, winter annuals and spring bulbs, is planted in October.
  
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• Seattle Pride asks Alaska Air back to the parade

  19-05-2016 03:26
  
  Seattle Pride apologized to the airline after its gay and lesbian employee group was told they couldn’t march wearing company gear.
  
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• More families now challenging doctors’ brain-death diagnoses

  19-05-2016 02:23
  
  Experts say there is an increase in the number of families fighting brain-death diagnoses since an Oakland, Calif., family won the legal right to move their daughter to a facility in New Jersey, where she now resides on a feeding tube and ventilator.
  
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• Bertha’s back at work after short break

  19-05-2016 01:52
  
  Tunnel machine Bertha has resumed digging in downtown Seattle, near Columbia Street, after its work underneath the Alaskan Way Viaduct and rest break.
  
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• Bertha’s back at work after a short break

  19-05-2016 01:52
  
  Tunnel machine Bertha has resumed digging in downtown Seattle, near Columbia Street, after its work underneath the Alaskan Way Viaduct and a rest break.
  
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• Johns Hopkins ends use of live animals to train med students

  19-05-2016 01:42
  
  BALTIMORE (AP) — One of the country’s premier medical schools will no longer use live animals to train its students. Effective next month, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore will eliminate a popular but controversial course in which students operate on live, anesthetized pigs. After their surgeries, the pigs are euthanized. Medical school spokeswoman […]
  
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• Hawaii scholars study chances of giant Alaska quake, tsunami

  19-05-2016 01:27
  
  HONOLULU (AP) — University of Hawaii researchers say there’s a 9 percent chance that an earthquake measuring magnitude 9 or greater will strike Alaska’s Aleutian Islands within the next 50 years and send large tsunami waves to Hawaii. Geophysicist Rhett Butler said Wednesday he thought to do the study after a magnitude 9 earthquake struck […]
  
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• Mount Vernon police arrest inmate for trying to have child victim killed

  19-05-2016 01:26
  
  A Sedro-Woolley man in jail on child molestation charges tried to arrange for another inmate to kill his alleged victim
  
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• Clash over a number foils agreement on state budget outlook

  19-05-2016 01:15
  
  State budget forecasters couldn’t get the votes needed to approve Washington’s future budget outlook. The reason? A disagreement over court-ordered K-12 education funding.
  
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• Spokane County will not retry Police Guild president

  19-05-2016 00:53
  
  Spokane County’s prosecutor will not retry the former Spokane Police Guild president on a charge of obstructing a law enforcement officer.
  
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• Prosecutor: Woman, 72, begged attacker, ‘Please don’t do this. I’m a mother.’

  19-05-2016 00:41
  
  A 45-year-old Seattle man was charged with assault, attempted rape and burglary in connection with the Capitol Hill attack.
  
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• Kittitas County prosecutor running for state Supreme Court

  19-05-2016 00:29
  
  The Kittitas County prosecutor has announced that he’s running against incumbent state Supreme Court Chief Justice Barbara Madsen.
  
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