Washington news

• Senate panel kills bill allowing use of marijuana derivative

  05-03-2018 23:56
  BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A proposal to legalize oil extracted from cannabis plants is likely dead for the year after a group of lawmakers on Monday broke out in turmoil during a last-minute attempt to advance the bill. Republican Sen. Tony Potts asked the Senate Health and Welfare Committee to give HB 577 a hearing […]
  
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• Idaho state Senate panel kills bill allowing use of marijuana derivative

  05-03-2018 23:56
  BOISE, Idaho — A proposal to legalize oil extracted from cannabis plants is likely dead for the year after a group of lawmakers broke out in turmoil during a last-minute attempt to advance the bill. Republican Sen. Tony Potts on Monday asked the Senate Health and Welfare Committee to give HB 577 a hearing. However, […]
  
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• Founder of transformative Tower Records chain dies at 92

  05-03-2018 23:27
  Russell Solomon, who founded the Tower Records chain that changed the way people bought music, has died in Sacramento, Calif. He was 92.
  
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• Plan to open drilling off Pacific Northwest draws opponents in hazmat suits

  05-03-2018 23:24
  SEATTLE (AP) — The Trump administration’s proposal to expand offshore drilling off the Pacific Northwest coast is drawing vocal opposition in a region where multimillion-dollar fossil fuel projects have been blocked in recent years. The governors of Washington and Oregon, many in the state’s congressional delegation and other top state officials have criticized Interior Secretary […]
  
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• Woman found dead near hillside bunker on Camano Island

  05-03-2018 23:12
  Authorities said they're still working to confirm the victim's identity as well as the cause of death.
  
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• Idaho House spikes victims’ rights amendment

  05-03-2018 22:52
  BOISE, Idaho — Idaho lawmakers have once again spiked a proposal seeking to expand the rights of crime victims, after opponents argued the change could lead to costly unintended consequences. House members failed to give the proposal a two-thirds majority support on Monday. The proposal would have changed Idaho’s 1994 Victim Rights Amendment by requiring […]
  
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• Man sentenced for beating, sexually assaulting homeless woman in White Center

  05-03-2018 22:38
  The victim tried to fight off the attack by Robert German but was beaten and stomped unconscious, her face left unrecognizable. She suffered numerous injuries, including fractures to her orbital, nasal and jaw bones.
  
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• Monarch butterfly numbers off for 2nd year in Mexico

  05-03-2018 22:34
  MEXICO CITY (AP) — A Mexican government report says the number of monarch butterflies wintering in Mexican forests has declined for a second consecutive year. Alejandro Del Mazo is Mexico’s commissioner for protected areas and he says the monarchs clumped in trees covering about 6.12 acres (2.48 hectares) this winter. That is down about 14.7 […]
  
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• Court of Appeals upholds $1.25M verdict against BNSF for terminating whistleblower

  05-03-2018 21:54
  9th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the 2015 jury verdict awarding $1.25 million to a railroad whistleblower who claimed he was fired after reporting safety concerns.
  
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• Sheriff: Skier killed in Methow Valley avalanche

  05-03-2018 21:42
  Six people have been killed by avalanches in Washington state since Feb. 25.
  
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• Oregon high school students back gun control in rally

  05-03-2018 21:06
  SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Hundreds of high school students, carrying signs and clamoring for gun control, traveled to Oregon’s state capitol as they joined a welling tide of activism in the wake of the deadly Florida school shootings. Gov. Kate Brown met with the students Monday and urged the 18-year-old among them to register to […]
  
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• Oregon governor signs first gun law since Florida massacre

  05-03-2018 21:06
  SALEM, Ore. (AP) — A bill prohibiting domestic abusers and people under restraining orders from owning firearms became America’s first new gun control law since the Feb. 14 Florida high school massacre. “Well done Oregon,” Democratic Gov. Kate Brown exclaimed Monday after signing the law on the steps of the state Capitol as some 200 […]
  
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• Flu, crowded shelters create perfect storm for nation’s homeless

  05-03-2018 20:38
  For the healthy, the flu represents a serious health concern. But for the homeless — who deal with higher rates of chronic illness, fewer resources and crowded conditions in shelters — catching the flu can be a matter of life or death.
  
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• Student arrested after bringing gun to Tyee High School in SeaTac

  05-03-2018 20:29
  The school was placed under temporary lockdown after a gun was recovered from the student, the King County Sheriff's Office said.
  
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• Student, 14, arrested after bringing gun to Tyee High School in SeaTac

  05-03-2018 20:29
  The school was placed under temporary lockdown after a gun was recovered from the student, the King County Sheriff's Office said.
  
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• 5 types of apples, once thought extinct, are rediscovered

  05-03-2018 20:14
  LEWISTON, Idaho (AP) — Five types of apples, once thought to be extinct, have been rediscovered in northern Idaho and eastern Washington. The Lewiston Tribune newspaper reported Monday that “apple detective” David Benscoter located the trees growing near Steptoe Butte on the rolling hills of the Palouse. Benscoter worked with apple experts at the Temperate […]
  
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• Oregon Legislature approves bonds to expand OSU campus in Bend

  05-03-2018 19:30
  BEND, Ore. (AP) — The Oregon Legislature approved $39 million in bonds for construction of a second academic building at the Oregon State University campus in Bend. The House and Senate both overwhelmingly approved the measure and Gov. Kate Brown has said she will sign it into law. Republican Sen. Tim Knopp of Bend thanked […]
  
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• Man survives as plane breaks up in Enumclaw crash

  05-03-2018 18:45
  ENUMCLAW — Authorities say a man survived when his single-engine plane broke into several pieces upon crashing in a wooded gully near Enumclaw. Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority Capt. Kyle Ohashi says the first reports came in at about 4 p.m. Sunday of a plane having trouble or crashing. Firefighters and sheriff’s deputies responded but […]
  
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• Powerful nor’easter uncovers shipwreck off Maine coast

  05-03-2018 18:44
  YORK, Maine (AP) — The nor’easter that battered the New England coast has once again revealed a shipwreck’s remains on Short Sands Beach in York, Maine. The York Police Department posted photos Monday that show the skeleton of a ship that’s believed to be a sloop more than 160 years old. The Maine Historic Preservation […]
  
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• Dead Steller sea lion washes ashore in Cannon Beach

  05-03-2018 18:38
  CANNON BEACH (AP) — People gathered this weekend to watch researchers perform a necropsy on a Steller sea lion that was found dead near Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach. The Daily Astorian reports the sea lion that washed ashore Feb. 26 was moved to south to a more remote section of beach. Stranded animals are […]
  
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• Oregon county scales back curbside recycling because China won’t take our stuff

  05-03-2018 17:51
  SALEM (AP) — Marion County has joined other Oregon communities in scaling back its curbside recycling program. Starting Monday, residents should throw shredded paper, egg cartons and most plastic containers in the trash instead of the blue bins. The move is in response to China’s refusal to take most recyclable materials from the West. Brian […]
  
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• Suspect killed, 2 officers wounded in shootout in Idaho resort town

  05-03-2018 16:56
  Both officers are expected to survive. The suspect has not been identified.
  
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• Study: Arizona has highest rate of pedestrian deaths in U.S.

  05-03-2018 15:51
  TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — A new study says Arizona has the highest rate of pedestrian deaths per residents in the U.S. KVOA-TV in Tucson, Arizona, reports a Governors Highway Safety Association study found that Arizona had 1.61 pedestrian deaths per 100,000 people for the first half of 2017. That’s the highest rate in the country […]
  
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• Winds of change: What will power the Northwest’s future?

  05-03-2018 15:00
  As our region turns away from coal, entrepreneurs are exploring wind, water and a pine-fringed Montana butte.
  
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• ‘Free-for-all’? What is the etiquette when driving on two-lane express toll lanes?

  05-03-2018 15:00
  High occupancy lanes, high occupancy toll lanes and express toll lanes can be confusing. Here's a run down on some of the rules of the road.
  
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• ‘A blessing and a curse’: What to know about telecommuting from those who’ve tried it

  05-03-2018 15:00
  Dozens of readers responded when Traffic Lab invited readers to tell us their experiences telecommuting. Here's what some had to say.
  
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• Push is on to restore power with a 2nd storm on the way

  05-03-2018 14:01
  BOSTON (AP) — Power is slowly being restored in the hardest-hit areas of the East Coast, days after a destructive nor’easter downed trees and power lines, flooded coastal towns and forced a number of school districts to cancel classes — with another storm forecast for midweek. Residents from Virginia to Massachusetts faced a massive cleanup […]
  
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• Southern New England storm recovery continues

  05-03-2018 13:47
  BOSTON (AP) — Southern New England continues to recover from last week’s nor’easter. Nearly 100,000 utility customers in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island remain without electricity Monday, some schools remain closed, and the commuter trains continue to experience delays. Dozens of Massachusetts schools remained closed Monday, most of them in coastal areas south of Boston, […]
  
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• Schools in Minnesota get ahead of conditions, cancel classes

  05-03-2018 13:46
  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — School districts from the Twin Cities to St. Cloud are canceling classes in anticipation for a winter storm that could bring up to 8 inches of snow to the region. Minneapolis, St. Paul, Anoka-Hennepin and St. Cloud are among school districts that are closed Monday because of dangerous road conditions expected later […]
  
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• Thousands still without power in New Jersey after nor’easter

  05-03-2018 13:24
  TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — More than 75,000 utility customers in New Jersey are still without power following a destructive nor’easter that has shuttered some schools and left some residents unsure about when they can return home. Hundreds of crews continued to work Monday to clear trees and repair power lines damaged by the storm that […]
  
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• Blizzard warning issued for northeast Nebraska

  05-03-2018 13:10
  The National Weather Service says Cedar and Knox counties in northeast Nebraska are included in a blizzard warning. Wind gusts of up to 50 mph (80 kph) and 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 centimeters) of snow overnight Monday into Tuesday will make travel hazardous because of the additional potential for whiteouts. Conditions are […]
  
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• States mull ‘sanctuary’ status for marijuana businesses

  05-03-2018 09:01
  JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Taking a cue from the fight over immigration, some states that have legalized marijuana are considering providing so-called sanctuary status for licensed pot businesses, hoping to protect the fledgling industry from a shift in federal enforcement policy. Just hours after U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced on Jan. 4 that federal […]
  
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• In Washington, there’s a low-cost alternative to hiring (or becoming) a lawyer

  05-03-2018 09:00
  Washington lawyers are trying to get the word out about a new type of legal license that has begun to give non-lawyers the ability to practice certain types of law in this state.
  
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• Welcome snow slows California’s plunge back to drought

  05-03-2018 08:55
  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Welcome drifts of fresh snow await California’s water managers on their late-winter survey of the vital Sierra Nevada snowpack Monday after a massive winter storm slowed the state’s plunge back into drought. The storm piled snow by the foot in the mountains, forcing Department of Water Resources officials to postpone the […]
  
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• Judge weighs science behind Monsanto Roundup cancer claim

  05-03-2018 08:49
  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Claims that the active ingredient in the widely used weed killer Roundup can cause cancer have been evaluated by international agencies, U.S. and foreign regulators and the product’s manufacturer — agribusiness giant Monsanto. Now, a federal judge in San Francisco will conduct his own review during an unusual set of court […]
  
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• Cancer claims on Monsanto’s Roundup set for court review

  05-03-2018 08:49
  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Claims that the active ingredient in the widely used weed killer Roundup can cause cancer have been evaluated by international agencies, U.S. and foreign regulators and the product’s manufacturer — agribusiness giant Monsanto. Now, a federal judge in San Francisco will conduct his own review during an unusual set of court […]
  
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• Dino Days offers a chance to schmooze with a T-rex

  05-03-2018 03:52
  Dino Days is one of the most popular and biggest draws of the year for the Burke Museum on the University of Washington campus.
  
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• 5 deaths in a week: spike in avalanches in the Cascade Mountains

  05-03-2018 03:12
  Three avalanches during a seven-day span in the Cascade Mountains killed five people from Western Washington.
  
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• David Ogden Stiers, ‘M*A*S*H’ actor who became voice of Disney movies, dies at 75

  05-03-2018 01:16
  David Ogden Stiers, who played the snobbish but sympathetic surgeon Winchester on television’s “M*A*S*H” and later delighted a generation of children with voice roles in Disney movies, including as the clock Cogsworth in “Beauty and the Beast,” died March 3 at his home in Newport, Oregon. He was 75. He had bladder cancer, his agent […]
  
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• ‘Mr. Rainbow’ brings Yakamas’ native language alive for youngsters

  05-03-2018 00:23
  A teacher of the native Yakama language hopes to keep culture alive in young people through its words.
  
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• ‘Mr. Rainbow’ brings native language of Yakamas to life for youngsters

  05-03-2018 00:23
  A teacher of the native Yakama language hopes to keep culture alive in young people through its words.
  
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