BELLINGHAM — Alcohol is believed to be involved in a fatal head-on crash on I-5 in Bellingham.
State troopers report that 22-year-old Mateo S. Gaspar Alonzo of Bellingham died in the collision at 9:30 p.m. Saturday.
Alonzo was driving a 1998 Nissan Sentra north in the southbound lanes and collided head-on with a southbound 1999 Ford Ranger. The pickup driver, Jose A. Perez Lopez, was taken to St. Joseph Hospital in Bellingham.
According to a patrol report, alcohol was involved in the crash.
Woodinville: Deputy shoots man
A King County sheriff’s deputy has shot a man to death while responding to a domestic violence call in Woodinville.
Sheriff’s Sgt. John Urquhart says the shooting occurred shortly after 9 p.m. Saturday and the man died at the scene. As of midday Sunday he said he did not have further details.
Seattle: More challenge tax bills
Challenges to the assessed values of property in the Seattle area are soaring.
The Seattle Times reports that challenges in King and Snohomish counties went from fewer than 4,500 in 2007 to more than 15,500 last year.
The appeals brought reduced assessments meaning lower tax bills about half the time in King County and about a third of the time in Snohomish County.
The Times reports that the last time there were so many appeals was 1991, when a sluggish real-estate market followed years of escalating home values.
Assessors in both counties say the long rise in home values followed by a sudden decline this time has made it unusually tough to appraise property. Acting King County Assessor Rich Medved says, “We’re in uncharted territory.”
Spokane: Police dog recovered
Spokane police may not always get their man, but they did get their dog.
J.J., a drug-sniffing black Labrador retriever, made his getaway late Saturday, apparently after being spooked by Fourth of July fireworks. The 80-pound, 4-year-old dog was found not far away Sunday morning by Cpl. Tom Lee and was returned to his handler.
Police say the dog pulled the kennel door so hard he bent a metal clasp a couple of inches, opened the door and leaped over a 6-foot fence.
Bremerton: Bicyclist fatally hit
A bicycle rider has been fatally injured in a collision at a rural intersection northwest of Bremerton.
Kitsap County sheriff’s deputies say 69-year-old James McClurkan was wearing a helmet when he was hit by a 2003 Nissan Murano at 1 p.m. Saturday near Wildcat Lake. He flew onto the hood and windshield, rolled off on the driver’s side and landed in a drainage ditch.
A nursing supervisor at Tacoma General Hospital says McClurkan died early Sunday.
Deputies say there are no signs that McClurkan or the SUV driver, a 47-year-old woman who lives in the area, had consumed alcohol or other drugs. Deputies also say excessive speed was not a factor.
Harrah: Man dies in vehicle rollover
A 20-year-old Harrah man has died in vehicle rollover on the Yakama Indian Reservation. Barrett Bettle died at the scene of the accident Sunday morning at Barkes Road.
Washington State Police say Bettle was a passenger in a car that had been reported stolen.
Police say the driver, a 15-year-old boy, sustained non life-threatening injuries but ran off. He was later found at a nearby home.
Police say both occupants were ejected in the rollover.
Oregon: Heat advisory issued
The National Weather Service is warning of hot weather on both sides of the Columbia River from the Tri-Cities westward.
A heat advisory for the lower Columbia basin in Washington and Oregon was issued through 8 p.m. Sunday. Highs were forecast to reach 100 degrees or more in the Tri-Cities of Pasco, Kennewick and Richland, Wash., and in Arlington, Boardman and Hermiston, Ore.
West of the Cascades, slightly lower temperatures were forecast for northwest Oregon and southwest Washington. A heat advisory remained in effect with highs forecast to reach 85 to 90 in the inland valleys and Cascade foothills. Highs in the 80s are expected in the Coast Range.
Portland weighs bike sharing again
Once again Portland, Ore., is considering a bicycle sharing program, this time with user fees and better bikes.
Transportation officials are reviewing about 100 bike-sharing systems worldwide. The idea is that citizens swipe a credit or membership card at a kiosk to receive a bicycle. The two-wheeler could be returned to any bicycle kiosk in town, much like a a Zipcar or a luggage cart at the airport.
Portland’s free bicycle sharing program in the 1990s collapsed because of theft and vandalism — and the bikes were clunkers. This time, the bikes would be of higher quality.
Alaska: Search ends for man overboard
The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands for a man reported overboard from a commercial fishing vessel.
The search for 38-year-old Nhial Opiew was called off early Sunday.
The Coast Guard says it got a call from the Seattle-based trawler Rebecca Irene Saturday morning that the man fell overboard 24 miles southeast of Umnak Island.
Searchers say they were hampered by low visibility.
The crew of the Rebecca Irene and two other vessels also searched. The combined efforts covered more than 100 square miles.
Associated Press
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