Washington news

• Oregon governor forgives boy for swiping hazelnut, pen

  18-05-2017 23:25
  
  SALEM, Ore. — The governor of Oregon has pardoned a fourth-grade boy who swiped a hazelnut and a pen during a recent tour of the state Capitol. Gov. Kate Brown on Thursday tweeted out a photo of the boy’s apology letter along with the hashtag #cutestmailever and the caption, ‘I think we can forgive Samuel, […]
  
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• T-Mobile CFO calls Sprint most logical partner as deal speculation heats up

  18-05-2017 22:02
  
  Bellevue-based T-Mobile US is gearing up for consolidation and figures to be a key player in potential deals involving Sprint, a cable TV company or even a multiplayer coalition with Dish Network, company executives said at a New York conference.
  
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• 2 men found guilty of assaulting Olympia officer who shot, wounded them

  18-05-2017 21:47
  
  The shooting set off a series of protests in Olympia because the men are black, and the officer is white.
  
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• How Chris Cornell and Soundgarden shaped Seattle’s music scene — and ‘destroyed the ’80s music’

  18-05-2017 21:11
  
  Soundgarden and Chris Cornell were among the first to define grunge and the Seattle sound.
  
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• Early heat wave breaking records in Northeast US cities

  18-05-2017 21:08
  
  BOSTON (AP) — Heat records were burning up Thursday in cities in the Northeast as the region gets a summer preview. The mercury reached 92 degrees in Boston shortly after noon Thursday, breaking the old record of 91 degrees for May 18 set in 1936, according to the National Weather Service. The 81-year-old record for […]
  
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• US forecasters: Here comes another hotter than normal summer

  18-05-2017 20:44
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. forecasters are predicting another warmer than normal summer for most of the country along with wetter weather in a swath of states stretching from Texas to Montana. The National Weather Service’s summer outlook issued Thursday predicts greater chances for hot weather in Alaska and pretty much everywhere else. The exceptions are […]
  
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• New Olympic National Park sign welcomes in language you might not recognize

  18-05-2017 20:22
  
  “ʔənʔá č’ə́yəxʷ Olympic National Park.” That’s part of the message you’ll see on a new welcome sign that’s under construction near the park’s main visitor center in Port Angeles. And no, though it looks somewhat Cyrillic, it’s not Russian. The first part of that message is in Klallam, the language of local indigenous people on […]
  
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• Seattle cop indicted in large coast-to-coast pot-smuggling operation

  18-05-2017 20:12
  
  Alex Chapackdee, a 17-year department veteran, is accused of helping his brother-in-law and others smuggle at least hundreds of pounds of marijuana to the East Coast.
  
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• ‘Deadliest Catch’ star Sig Hansen arrested after alleged assault of Uber driver

  18-05-2017 18:54
  
  Police said Sig Hansen appeared to be drunk when he was arrested early Thursday following the dispute with an Uber driver over payment.
  
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• Canada tests lower age — 18 — for pot legalization

  18-05-2017 18:42
  
  The most controversial thing about Canada's move to legalize marijuana nationwide may be setting the minimum age at 18 — three years lower than in U.S. states that have embraced legalization — a move that is being closely watched across the continent.
  
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• Plan dropped for Oregon-Washington power transmission line

  18-05-2017 18:32
  
  PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Plans for a $700 million high-voltage electrical transmission line between Oregon and Washington state have been canceled after the cost doubled over the last eight years, The Bonneville Power Administration said Thursday. The 80-mile (130-kilometer), 500-kilovolt line proposed in 2009 would have run from Castle Rock, Washington, to Troutdale, Oregon. The […]
  
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• BPA drops plan for Oregon-Washington transmission line

  18-05-2017 18:32
  
  PORTLAND, Ore. — The Bonneville Power Administration has scrapped its controversial plan to build a high-voltage transmission line near Portland. BPA Administrator Elliot Mainzer announced the decision Thursday, citing the increasing cost and other factors. The 80-mile-long, 500-kilovolt line would have run from Castle Rock, Washington, to Troutdale, Oregon. The BPA said the line, first […]
  
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• Watch: What 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens looked like from space

  18-05-2017 18:06
  
  The National Weather Service tweeted satellite imagery of what the massive eruption 37 years ago looked like, both in visible light and in infrared.
  
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• Siberian tiger that terrified Vladivostok gets new wild home

  18-05-2017 17:38
  
  MOSCOW (AP) — A Siberian tiger that terrorized Russia’s Far East city of Vladivostok by prowling its suburbs has been relocated to a vast Russian national park where officials hope he will thrive. The tiger, nicknamed Vladik, was captured in October on the edge of Vladivostok. He flown by helicopter Monday to Bikin National Park, […]
  
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• The death of Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell is a terrible loss for music — and Seattle

  18-05-2017 17:00
  
  Chris Cornell was an important and beloved musician who helped change rock music. Share with us your memories about Chris Cornell and Soundgarden.
  
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• Remembering Chris Cornell, 1964-2017

  18-05-2017 16:59
  
  Chris Cornell, leading voice for Soundgarden and Seattle grunge, dies at 52.
  
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• Dry weather means more lane closures on I-90 this weekend

  18-05-2017 16:54
  
  An I-90 restriping project will slow weekend traffic westbound at Bellevue Way, after the work was rained out.
  
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• Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, Gov. Jay Inslee to talk trade, high-speed rail

  18-05-2017 15:56
  
  From climate change to business, trade and transportation, Gov. Jay Inslee and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have much to talk about in their meeting in Seattle.
  
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• Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, Gov. Jay Inslee talk trade, climate change, refugees

  18-05-2017 15:56
  
  From climate change to business, trade and transportation, Gov. Jay Inslee and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have much to talk about at their meeting Thursday in Seattle.
  
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• Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, Gov. Jay Inslee talk trade, climate change, orcas

  18-05-2017 15:56
  
  From climate change, to trade and transportation and the health of orca whales, Gov. Jay Inslee and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had much to talk about at their meeting Thursday in Seattle.
  
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• What drivers can and cannot do under new distracted-driving law (goes into effect in July)

  18-05-2017 15:30
  
  Drivers have two months to adapt to the new distracted-driving law, after Gov. Jay Inslee accelerated the start date to July 23, instead of January 2019.
  
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• What drivers can and cannot do under new distracted-driving law

  18-05-2017 15:30
  
  Drivers have two months to adapt to the new distracted-driving law, after Gov. Jay Inslee accelerated the start date to July 23, instead of January 2019.
  
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• The city of Seattle wants us to put down that soda — and, boy, is that complicated

  18-05-2017 15:30
  
  The City Council has been gathering input on the mayor’s controversial soda-pop-tax proposal. When you hear from the business and health communities, you start to see how messy the situation is.
  
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• Port of Seattle commissioner with clout, cash also attracts controversy

  18-05-2017 15:00
  
  John Creighton, the longest-serving and best-funded port commissioner now seeking re-election, has been a staunch advocate of several minority businesses that are also campaign contributors — a relationship at the heart of a lawsuit against the Port by two former employees.
  
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• Calling all Seattle-area bicyclists, pedestrians: What’s your roadway pet peeve?

  18-05-2017 15:00
  
  Maybe a particular intersection on your commute is hazardous, or perhaps you notice other bicyclists or pedestrians disobeying rules of the road. Whatever the complaint, let us know.
  
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• Analysis offers ammunition for advocates of bike commuting

  18-05-2017 15:00
  
  Just 3 percent of workers in Seattle’s center city ride a bike to work. But a new analysis suggests that being near to a protected bike lane can lead to much higher rates of bike commuting, potentially taking cars off the road.
  
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• Chris Cornell, leading voice for Soundgarden and Seattle grunge, dies in suicide

  18-05-2017 13:45
  
  Chris Cornell, the Seattle native who gained fame as the lead singer of the bands Soundgarden and later Audioslave, has died at age 52 after performing in Detroit. The medical examiner's office determined it was suicide.
  
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• Chris Cornell, leading voice for Soundgarden and Seattle grunge, dies at 52

  18-05-2017 13:45
  
  Chris Cornell, who gained fame as the lead singer of the bands Soundgarden and later Audioslave, has died at age 52, and police said his death is being investigated as a possible suicide.
  
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• Why a retired Anacortes teacher kept a piece of paper for more than 60 years

  18-05-2017 13:00
  
  After reading stories from Teacher Appreciation Week, one former teacher sent us a gift from his students that he’s kept for more than half a century. Here’s his story of student appreciation.
  
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• Chair Fiji determined to make progress at climate summit

  18-05-2017 12:56
  
  BERLIN (AP) — Fiji says uncertainty over whether the United States will pull out of the Paris Agreement won’t stop the rest of the international community from trying to make progress at this year’s international climate summit. The Pacific island nation will chair the talks in Bonn, Germany, from Nov. 6-17. Asked about the looming […]
  
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• Orcas prey on great white sharks in South African waters

  18-05-2017 12:12
  
  JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The great white shark is one of the ocean’s most powerful predators, yet it is sometimes prey for orcas that killed several of the formidable creatures off South Africa’s coast this month. Rare autopsies conducted on carcasses that washed ashore show how orcas dominate the marine food chain at the expense of […]
  
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• Pierce Murphy, Seattle police’s civilian watchdog, stepping down

  18-05-2017 03:58
  
  Pierce Murphy, who was appointed director of the Seattle Police Department’s Office of Professional Accountability in 2013, was seen as boosting public trust in the department’s internal investigations and discipline during his tenure.
  
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• Kenmore bank robber had no escape plan, no ride and no luck

  18-05-2017 03:13
  
  The man couldn’t convince two people to be his getaway driver following a bank robbery Wednesday in Kenmore, despite offering some of his loot. “He didn’t have an escape plan,” a King County sheriff’s spokeswoman says.
  
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• A master of calligraphy at work

  18-05-2017 02:57
  
  Jin Bao Shu began learning the art at age 9 from his father in Tianjin, China.
  
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• Think you paid your taxes? Some property-tax payments not recorded by King County

  18-05-2017 02:28
  
  Several dozen homeowners have complained their payments made around April 26 were never recorded with the county. Officials are investigating.
  
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• Citizen panel gives Inslee, Ferguson 2% pay hike; more for Washington state lawmakers

  18-05-2017 01:20
  
  The raises approved by the independent commission Wednesday range from 2 to 4 percent over two years. That’s much less than the 11.2 percent pay raise legislators received in 2015.
  
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• Citizen commission pushing for more power in Seattle police oversight

  18-05-2017 00:48
  
  The Community Police Commission and its allies are pushing for more power under proposed police-accountability legislation, but Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes is arguing the opposite view.
  
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• Ex-deputy sues, accuses King County sheriff of discriminating against female officers

  18-05-2017 00:05
  
  King County Sheriff John Urquhart defended the deputy’s firing, noting an arbitrator agreed she committed the misconduct. “She was subsequently fired for dishonesty,” he said.
  
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