Washington news

• Traffic snarls coming this weekend to I-90 and I-5 in Seattle

  12-01-2017 22:51
  
  Another weekend construction closure will force traffic on eastbound I-90 to squeeze into the express lanes at Rainier Avenue in Seattle, adding congestion to nearby I-5 in Sodo.
  
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• Lawmakers in Olympia seek new campaign-disclosure and ethics rules

  12-01-2017 21:35
  
  A handful of Washington lawmakers are pushing to strengthen the state’s campaign-finance and lobbying laws. Can the proposals push through the entrenched interests in Olympia?
  
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• Sketch released of possible suspect in deadly attempted purse snatching

  12-01-2017 21:32
  
  The victim was fatally shot Dec. 15 during an attempted purse snatching when she was a few feet from her Rainier Valley home.
  
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• State court rules against plans for big Grays Harbor oil terminal

  12-01-2017 21:09
  
  The Washington Supreme Court threw a major wrench Thursday in plans for a big oil terminal on the coast, saying the proposal must be reviewed under a 1989 state law designed to protect marine life after the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska.
  
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• Court throws wrench in plans for big Washington oil terminal

  12-01-2017 21:09
  
  The Washington Supreme Court threw a major wrench Thursday in plans for a big oil terminal on the coast, saying the proposal must be reviewed under a 1989 state law designed to protect marine life following the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska.
  
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• Love ’em or not? Here’s how to have your say about grizzly bears in the North Cascades

  12-01-2017 21:07
  
  National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife slate open houses, webinars in February.
  
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• Love ’em or not? Here’s how to have your say about grizzly bears in North Cascades

  12-01-2017 21:07
  
  National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife slate open houses, webinars in February.
  
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• Region’s school districts ask legislators to fix $228M ‘levy cliff’

  12-01-2017 21:02
  
  Leaders from the Puget Sound region’s 35 school districts called for lawmakers to come up with a solution to the “levy cliff,” which could cause a $228 million shortfall starting next year.
  
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• Puget Sound educators ask legislators to fix $228M ‘levy cliff’

  12-01-2017 21:02
  
  Leaders from the Puget Sound region’s 35 school districts called for lawmakers to come up with a bipartisan solution to the “levy cliff,” which could cause a $228 million shortfall starting next year.
  
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• Testing wearable sensors as ‘check engine’ light for health

  12-01-2017 20:52
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — A next step for smart watches and fitness trackers? Wearable gadgets gave a Stanford University professor an early warning that he was getting sick before he ever felt any symptoms of Lyme disease. Geneticist Michael Snyder never had Lyme’s characteristic bulls-eye rash. But a smart watch and other sensors charted changes in […]
  
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• Washington measure seeks expansion of wine growler law

  12-01-2017 19:58
  
  Two years ago, the Washington state Legislature began allowing wine lovers to fill growlers at their favorite wineries. Now, a new measure would allow refills at grocery stores, wine boutiques and other places licensed to sell wine in the state.
  
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• Seattle feared a WWII air raid, but it was a giant, out-of-control Army balloon

  12-01-2017 19:56
  
  Sometimes, the balloons would break lose from their tethers and wreak havoc on the city.
  
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• Check out these giant Army balloons that were meant to thwart Seattle air raids in WWII

  12-01-2017 19:56
  
  Sometimes, the balloons would break lose from their tethers and wreak havoc on the city.
  
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• Lessened role of Seattle homeless camp-cleanup monitors is questioned by human-rights group

  12-01-2017 19:45
  
  The Seattle Office of Civil Rights will maintain a “high-level,” though diminished, role in monitoring the cleanups of unauthorized homeless encampments.
  
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• Lessened role of homeless camp-cleanup monitors is questioned by human-rights group

  12-01-2017 19:45
  
  The Seattle Office of Civil Rights will maintain a “high-level,” though diminished, role in monitoring the cleanups of unauthorized homeless encampments.
  
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• Celebrate redheads on Kiss a Ginger Day

  12-01-2017 19:03
  
  Jan. 12 is a day to show redheads some love -- but get permission first.
  
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• Great ski conditions could get washed away with a possibility of rain by early next week

  12-01-2017 19:01
  
  The winter weather in the Cascades has been very kind with plenty of snowfall, and ski areas are relishing in some of the deepest snow coverage seen in recent years. A series of disturbances moved across the state earlier this week and brought more snow, which has now switched back to mostly sunny skies and […]
  
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• Why Portland and not Seattle gets pummeled with snow

  12-01-2017 18:14
  
  The Rose City was hit with nearly a foot of snow; Seattle’s forecast is for temperatures in the mid-40s and rain showers.
  
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• Local student a semi-finalist in STEM contest inspired by ‘Hidden Figures’

  12-01-2017 18:07
  
  17-year-old Seattle student Geneva Feist is a semi-finalist in a contest honoring women in STEM fields, inspired by the movie “Hidden Figures.”
  
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• Bothell student wins grand prize in STEM contest inspired by ‘Hidden Figures’

  12-01-2017 18:07
  
  Bothell student Yuna Shin, 17, won a $50,000 scholarship for her work studying and teaching science and math in a contest honoring women in STEM fields, inspired by the movie “Hidden Figures.”
  
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• Grizzly bears in the North Cascades? Feds release plan to restore population

  12-01-2017 18:01
  
  Few grizzlies have been seen in Washington in recent decades, but federal officials want to restore the bear population.
  
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• Chargers announce they’re moving to Los Angeles

  12-01-2017 17:28
  
  The San Diego Chargers are moving to Los Angeles, where they will join the recently relocated Rams in giving the nation’s second-largest media market two NFL teams for the first time in decades.
  
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• Watch: Oregon Zoo animals — even an elephant — frolic in Portland snow

  12-01-2017 17:13
  
  The snowstorm that hammered Portland was welcomed by the animals at the Oregon Zoo.
  
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• What Trump means for legal weed here in Washington: We ask a pot pioneer

  12-01-2017 15:49
  
  One of the most influential people in the world of legal weed, Ricardo Baca, has left his pioneering job at The Denver Post for a new gig. We caught up with him to ask about the status of pot in America.
  
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• What Donald Trump means for legal weed in Washington state: We ask a pot pioneer

  12-01-2017 15:49
  
  One of the most influential people in the world of legal weed, Ricardo Baca, has left his pioneering job at The Denver Post for a new gig. We caught up with him to ask about the status of pot in America.
  
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• Officials: More than 40 percent of California out of drought

  12-01-2017 15:40
  
  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Federal monitors announced Thursday that 42 percent of California has emerged from a five-year drought after some of the heaviest rain and snow in decades. The finding marks a dramatic turnaround from this time last year when 97 percent of California was locked in drought. The U.S. Drought Monitor says half […]
  
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• Allen Ivanov to get life in prison for killing 3 at Mukilteo party

  12-01-2017 15:13
  
  The sentence was preordained after Allen Ivanov pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated first-degree murder. By doing so, he avoided a possible death sentence.
  
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• Allen Ivanov apologizes as he is sentenced to life for killing 3 at Mukilteo party

  12-01-2017 15:13
  
  The sentence was preordained after Allen Ivanov pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated first-degree murder. By doing so, he avoided a possible death sentence.
  
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• WSU’s online bachelor’s degree program earns high ranking

  12-01-2017 15:01
  
  Washington State University’s online bachelor’s degree program has gotten a top ranking from U.S. News & World Report.
  
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• Seattle climate scientists spread word on warming, skip politics

  12-01-2017 15:00
  
  For years now, climate scientists have seen explaining their work as a way to help the public make good decisions in response to global warming — without politics.
  
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• Dismantling of state’s health reforms in 1993 may offer lessons for Obamacare repeal

  12-01-2017 15:00
  
  As Republicans in Congress move to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Washington state’s experience in 1990s with health-care reform may offer a lesson. Repealing unpopular parts of the state’s health-care law led to the collapse of the insurance market.
  
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• This is likely how that ‘utterly gorgeous’ spinning ice circle formed

  12-01-2017 14:30
  
  The ice circle might have been formed by a "corkscrew motion" caused by melting ice and a slow current.
  
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• Roma struggle to keep warm in Hungary’s deadly cold snap

  12-01-2017 14:00
  
  ALSOZSOLCA, Hungary (AP) — When there’s firewood to be chopped, Ferenc Vadasz cuts class. It may not sound like a good reason to skip school, but the ninth grader says a well-stocked woodpile is the only thing that keeps families from freezing in Alsozsolca, an impoverished village in northeast Hungary, during a vicious cold spell […]
  
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• Poor Roma in Hungary struggle to keep warm in cold spell

  12-01-2017 14:00
  
  ALSOZSOLCA, Hungary (AP) — When there’s firewood to be chopped, Ferenc Vadasz cuts class. It may not sound like a good reason to skip school, but the ninth grader says a well-stocked woodpile is the only thing that keeps families from freezing in Alsozsolca, an impoverished village in northeast Hungary, during a vicious cold spell […]
  
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• Heathrow Airport cancels flights amid snow forecasts in UK

  12-01-2017 12:38
  
  LONDON (AP) — London’s Heathrow Airport says dozens of flights have been cancelled amid forecasts of snow and strong winds in Britain. Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport, said 80 out of about 1,350 flights scheduled Thursday have been cancelled pre-emptively because of the wintry weather. Britain’s weather forecasters have issued warnings for snow for much of […]
  
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• 1 Japanese, 2 Americans win Crafoord science prize

  12-01-2017 10:06
  
  COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A Japanese and two American scientists have been awarded the 2017 Crafoord Prize for fundamental discoveries in immune regulation. The prize committee says Shimon Sakaguchi of Osaka University, Fred Ramsdell from the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy in San Francisco, and Alexander Rudensky of the New-York-based Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center […]
  
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• Scientists hear voice of ancient humans in baboon calls

  12-01-2017 09:22
  
  PARIS (AP) — Baboon grunts and mating calls may hold secrets about human speech, according to a new study suggesting that the origins of human language could reach back as much as 25 million years. The barks, yacks and wa-hoos of the Guinea baboons reveal distinct human-like vowel sounds, according to the study published Wednesday […]
  
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• Ex-workers at Microsoft claim jobs monitoring child porn, abuse caused PTSD

  12-01-2017 05:58
  
  The former employees say they didn’t receive proper mental-health support as they suffered from the psychological impact resulting from their work.
  
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• Activists who oppose new youth jail in Seattle file appeal

  12-01-2017 05:49
  
  Seattle activists who oppose King County’s plan to build a new youth courthouse and jail are appealing a city-permitting decision.
  
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• Pink sunset on Cascade peaks

  12-01-2017 05:42
  
  The Cascade Mountains loom in the distance at sunset after another clear, crisp day in the Pacific Northwest.
  
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• New Washington lands commissioner sworn in

  12-01-2017 04:23
  
  Hilary Franz was sworn in Wednesday in Olympia as commissioner of public lands and said she will focus on protection of the 5.6 million acres owned by the people of Washington.
  
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• Retired Gen. James Mattis cancels appearance before House Armed Services Committee

  12-01-2017 03:35
  
  The U.S. House committee is considering a waiver required for him to serve as defense secretary.
  
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• British Columbia approves oil pipeline to coast from Alberta

  12-01-2017 02:29
  
  VICTORIA, British Columbia (AP) — Canada’s Pacific Coast province of British Columbia on Wednesday approved the expansion of Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline from the Alberta oil sands that would allow oil exports to Asia. British Columbia Premier Christy Clark announced the conditions her government placed on the project have been met with a deal […]
  
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• Would-be robber on Queen Anne left a lot of clues for cops

  12-01-2017 01:54
  
  If police are right, a teen didn’t think things out when he allegedly tried to rob a Queen Anne convenience store and then concocted a story about a late-night burglary his family’s home.
  
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• Metro Transit offers reserved park-ride stalls to carpools

  12-01-2017 01:51
  
  Carpools of two or more people can register for space at six major park-and-ride stations, starting Feb. 1, to be assured a morning slot.
  
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• Warrant issued for man suspected of drug-related killing in Kirkland

  12-01-2017 01:40
  
  King County prosecutors say the suspect killed a reputed drug dealer who owed him money and was suspected of being a federal informant.
  
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• From Beatles to Sonics to Storm: Timeline of Seattle Center Coliseum and KeyArena

  12-01-2017 01:37
  
  In the building's 55-year-history, KeyArena has had many names and many purposes. Here's a timeline of the venue's history from the 1960s to the present.
  
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• Chinese immigrant who bought Eastside home with laundered money pleads guilty to EB-5 visa fraud

  12-01-2017 01:20
  
  Shilan Zhao and her ex-husband laundered funds from fraudulent transactions in China to buy a house in Newcastle that is now worth $900,000, federal authorities say.
  
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