Local & State News

The Port of Shelton Commission made an official annoucement that this week May 14 through May 18, 2012 is Small Business Week. This proclamation followed the City’s similar proclamation earlier this

Now Under Investigation As Vehicular Homicide.  The Mason County Sheriff's Office was notified just four minutes after midnight on Tuesday morning, May 15, 2012, of a traffic accident on E. Mikkelsen Road, just north of Shelton.  Responding Deputies, Firefighters

About 300 people filled the Little Creek Casino’s Event Center Tuesday night to listen to former NBA star Chris Herren’s message of substance abuse and recovery. Oakland Bay Junior High principal, Bracken Budge, started the

The Bonneville Power Administration says this is an important year in its partnership with the Columbia River. For 75 years, the river has been used to generate clean power. Most of Mason County PUD No. 3’s daily dose of clean

Today and tomorrow, Joint Base Lewis McChord is running live fire exercises using big 155 mm howitzers. Base spokesman Joe Kubistek says these exercises are important for the soldiers, “This is a regularly scheduled training and it's to prepare soldiers for

The Mason County Coroner has released the name of a Shelton woman killed in a one car crash on E Mikkelsen Road just after midnight on Tuesday. Mason County Coroner Wes Stockwell identified the dead woman as Terra Kathleen Dittmer,

Boat Ramp Closed
Latimers Landing Boat Ramp is scheduled to be closed on Monday, May 21 and Tuesday May, 22 for paving of the new parking area. The site should be open again on Wednesday, May 23. Anyone with questions should call Mason County Parks.  KNR
 
Tumwater Beer Maker's Bronze Grave Marker Stolen
Thieves have stolen two bronze urns that marked the graves of Olympia Brewing Company founder Leopold Schmidt and his son in Tumwater.
The urns weigh about 75 pounds each and held fresh flowers as requested by Schmidt before his death in 1914.
The Olympian reports the theft was discovered Monday by a steward for the estate near the closed brewery.
Tumwater Foundation Director John Freedman hopes a scrap metal dealer returns them if a thief tries to sell them. AP
 
Ecology Awards
The Washington Ecology Department and the state and provincial organization coordinating oil spill prevention and response efforts in the Pacific region will honor “People For Puget Sound” founder Kathy Fletcher and “Washington Sea Grant” oil spill prevention education specialist Eric Olsson for their efforts to protect state waters from oil spills. Fletcher and Olsson will receive special Legacy Award at the Pacific States-British Columbia Oil Spill Task Force conference May 16th in Long Beach, California. KNR
 
Seatbelt Enforcement
The month of May marks 10 years since Washington passed the primary seatbelt law. State officials say since that time it is estimated that 1,010 lives have been saved. Target Zero Thurston Task Force is partnering with the Prosecuting Attorney’s office for seatbelt patrols May 21 through June 3rd. Law enforcement from all agencies in Thurston County will be out looking for unbuckled drivers and passengers.  KNR
 
Faith Healing Trial
A faith-healing Washington couple accused of being criminally responsible for their teenage son’s death for failing to call a doctor have been acquitted of second-degree murder charges. The Wenatchee World reports that the Okanogan County Superior Court jury also acquitted JaLea Swezey of first-degree manslaughter but couldn’t reach a verdict for Greg Swezey on that count. After nine hours of deliberation, the jury could not reach a decision about either parent on a second-degree manslaughter count. Zachery Swezey was 17 when he died at his Carlton home of a ruptured appendix in March 2009. Jurors were told the couple belong to the Church of the First Born.  KNR
 
Man Caught Taking Upskirt Photos At Lynnwood Store
A convicted sex offender was arrested at a Lynnwood store where he was caught trying to take pictures up a woman's skirt with a camera hidden in his shoe.
The Daily Herald reports the man was noticed Monday by the woman's husband who saw him standing close behind her in an aisle and moving his foot between her feet.
The husband and another customer held him until police arrived. They found a camera in his tennis shoe and a wire to a recorder in his pocket.
The 47-year-old man was convicted in 2006 of child molestation. AP
 
BP Restarting Cherry Point Refinery
BP is in the process of restarting its Cherry Point refinery near Blaine.
Spokesman Michael Abendhoff told The Bellingham Herald it should be fully operational by the end of May.
The refinery was hit by a fire Feb. 17 and the company decided to move up scheduled maintenance during the outage. The work used more than 3,000 contract workers.
The outages at BP Cherry Point and some other refineries on the West Coast have been cited as possible reasons for a regional gasoline price hike, while gas prices are going down elsewhere.
The Cherry Point refinery is third-largest on the West Coast. It produces 20 percent of Washington's gasoline needs and it supplies the majority of jet fuel for SEA-TAC, Portland and Vancouver, British Columbia, airports.  AP
 
Whatcom Deputy's Fatal Shooting Justified
The Whatcom County sheriff's office says a deputy was justified in fatally shooting a man who struck another deputy in the head with a hammer in February 2011 at a home near Lynden.
The Bellingham Herald reports the sheriff's review follows a report from the Washington State Patrol, county medical examiner and prosecutor who also found the shooting of 30-year-old Alejandro P. Martinez was lawful.
Officers had responded to a report of a man with mental health issues damaging the home. An attempt to use a Taser failed.
The deputy who was hit with the hammer was not seriously injured. AP
 
 
Malnourished Moses Lake Boy In Critical Condition
search warrant obtained by a Grant County sheriff's detective provides a little more information about a 2-year-old Moses Lake boy who was so malnourished he weighed less than 10 pounds.
The search warrant released Tuesday says the boy had no hair or muscle tone and had a body temperature of only 89 degrees.
His mother was giving him CPR when emergency responders arrived at the home last week. He was airlifted to Spokane in critical condition.
KXLY reports the parents are cooperating with the investigation. Four other children from the home are now in the care of Child Protective Services.
KHQ reports the mother told a detective she had consulted a naturalist and a Chinese herbal provider for treatment. AP
 
2 Teens Shot At Shoreline; 1 Dies
Two teens were shot early Wednesday in Shoreline in the Richmond Beach area.
A 17-year-old girl has died and an 18-year-old boy is reportedly in critical condition at a Seattle hospital.
The shooting was reported shortly after midnight by one of the victims who said they were driving to a hospital. Deputies stopped the car and rushed them to Harborview Medical Center.
There's no suspect or apparent motive in the shooting.
Deputy Travis DeFries says investigators don't know if the teens were targeted or if it was a random shooting.  He says shootings are rare in the Richmond Beach neighborhood.  AP

One hun­dred and sixty law enforce­ment lead­ers from across Wash­ing­ton, includ­ing six from Mason and Kit­sap Coun­ties, have signed a nation­wide let­ter call­ing on Con­gress to pro­vide fund­ing