news: May 2008
7:09 PM Wed, May 28, 2008 | Permalink
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The shrieks and shouts of terror were chilling. The fake blood and injuries were grotesque.
The re-enactment of a head-on collision at Kentwood High School was meant to shock students into realizing that drunk or drugged driving is NOT okay.
Kent Fire and Police officers covered the dead, treated the injured and cuffed the impaired perpetrator.
The intent of this "Gift of Life" exercise is to keep young people from driving un...
5:26 PM Wed, May 28, 2008 | Permalink
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As a Red Sox fan of the past 20 years, I was both excited and a bit nervous about approaching the family of Jon Lester to do an interview.
Jon Lester, of Puyallup, is the darling of Major League Baseball these days, after surviving lymphoma and coming back to win the deciding game for the Red Sox in last year's World Series and then throwing a no-hitter just last week.
But then the horrible news broke -- Lester's father John (same ...
5:21 PM Thu, May 22, 2008 | Permalink
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I reported on this story Saturday, and since then, I have not been able to get it out of my head.
Friday the State Department of Health revoked the motel owner's license because of unsanitary conditions. Based on the photos provided by the Department of Health, the conditions were pretty deplorable.
What I was most touched by, however, were the tenants who live in the "apartments" behind the motel. These people are living there ...
10:33 PM Wed, May 21, 2008 | Permalink
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In putting together our story about lawmakers calling for action after seeing our stories on the sex offender housing crisis in this state, we also checked in with Gov. Chris Gregoire and her opponent, Republican Dino Rossi. Here are their responses:
Governor Gregoire:
"As a mother, former attorney general and now governor, protecting Washingtonians from sex offenders has been a public safety priority of mine.
"Housing is ...
4:58 PM Tue, May 20, 2008 | Permalink
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This is one of those days when I want to ditch the photographer and the camera, the deadline and the job, and just tag along with the subjects of my story.
I have had chances to climb Mount Rainier in the past and I have always said no. For some reason this morning, in the freeezing, wind-whipped gullies of the lower reaches of the mountain, it seemed like a good idea. Maybe next time...
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11:13 AM Tue, May 20, 2008 | Permalink
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The neighbor with the hygiene problem forced some residents to pack up and move out.
I'm told that's how some homeowners responded after foul odors started wafting through the neighborhood surrounding the Ocean Protein plant, which opened in 2005.
I caught a good whiff of the intense odor coming from the plant while covering our original story in Hoquiam nearly three years ago. I can understand why it would drive some people out.<...
9:31 PM Wed, May 14, 2008 | Permalink
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We met John Mack at a trial for a convicted sex offender named Toney Bates. Mack was testifying before a jury, telling them that if Bates got out of prison he'd have a place to live, at what's called the Mack House in Snohomish County.
We looked into Mack's past and found he's a convicted sex offender himself. Some of the details of his sex crimes were particularly disturbing. The idea of him running homes for sex offenders didn't seem r...
7:03 PM Wed, May 14, 2008 | Permalink
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Sub Pop Records is making money. But instead of pocketing it all, the company gives away $37,500 each quarter - with a twist! They pull a couple employee names out of the hat and let THEM decide which organizations get the money.
I asked Sub Pop President Jonathan Poneman, "Why not keep the money and enrich yourselves?"
He replied, "We ARE enriching ourselves, by enriching our community."
As you might expect, the employees gi...
6:47 PM Wed, May 14, 2008 | Permalink
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"It is the right thing to do." That's the conclusion of UW Professor Tetsuden Kashima about the school's decision to give honorary baccalaureate degrees to 440 students whose education was interrupted by World War II.
The students were among the 120,000 Japanese Americans forced into government internment camps in 1942. They could avoid camp if they enrolled in colleges further inland.
UW President Lee Paul Sieg wrote passionate le...
5:49 PM Tue, May 13, 2008 | Permalink
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There's one alarming fact that stands out in our recent story on plumbing contractors with felony records. No matter how serious or recent their crime, no matter how likely they are to re-offend, no one in this state can keep them from holding a plumbing or electrical license.
That seems like a recipe for trouble, given that some of these licensees are going into private homes everyday.
...
11:43 AM Mon, May 12, 2008 | Permalink
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Our story about how the Department of Corrections (DOC) is forced to assign hundreds of sex offenders in our state bridges, tents, and parking lots to live surprised many people.
How could the DOC do that?
Simple. They have no other options.
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5:34 PM Tue, May 06, 2008 | Permalink
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Part of our story about a kennel in Tacoma is that staff members didn't tell dog owners that during busy holidays and some three-day weekends, many of their pets would be crated for the majority of the day and would be out in runs for several short stints through the day as well.
Crates aren't the problem. Not letting customers know about them is.
Some of the kennel's customers were urged by kennel management to call us to give us...
