BOTHELL – The state has traced a “purple cloud” of chemicals that killed fish in Horse Creek and the Sammamish Slough to cleanup of a shuttered dry-cleaning operation.

A number of dead cutthroat trout, sculpin and aquatic worms were found Tuesday afternoon after residents spotted the purple substance in the water, state Ecology Department spokeswoman Sandy Howard said Wednesday.

It appeared the chemical had dissipated by Wednesday morning.

The Ecology Department investigation was focusing on the old dry-cleaning operation, where chemical cleanup is under way. Wells were dug in a parking lot to inject potassium permanganate into ground water to dissipate solvents such as perchloroethelyne, used in dry-cleaning operations.

Hacker convicted: A federal jury has convicted a Russian man of running a computer hacking scheme that defrauded dozens of Internet service providers and other businesses, Acting U.S. Attorney Francis Diskin said Wednesday. Vasily Gorshkov, 26, of Chelyabinsk, Russia, faces a maximum 100 years in prison and large fines when he is sentenced Jan. 4 by U.S District Judge John Coughenour. Gorshkov was convicted Tuesday of 20 counts of conspiracy, various computer crimes and fraud. According to court records, more than 40 businesses in 10 states were targeted in the hacking scheme, including Speakeasy Network, a Seattle-based Internet service provider. Prosecutors said Gorshkov and a business partner hacked into business e-mail systems, then contacted the companies posing as security consultants.

State marks Sept. 11: In Tacoma, people planned to light candles at a bronze memorial to fallen firefighters. In Seattle, some professors and students decided to talk about historical and emotional perspective. For others in the state, the day marking one month since Sept. 11 will be met only with quiet recognition. “We wanted to provide a public space for people to talk about their response,” said Ratnesh Nagda, a University of Washington professor who will take part in discussions today about the attacks. “This has had a huge personal impact on a lot of people.” Western Washington University in Bellingham has scheduled a panel discussion and a workshop focusing on the attacks. In Tacoma, firefighters, police and members of the public planned a candlelight vigil at the Fallen Firefighters Memorial. The Seattle Fire Department also will raise its flags.

Gov. Locke at ground zero: Governors from states used to dealing with disasters such as floods, tornadoes and blizzards were stunned Wednesday as they viewed the wreckage wrought Sept. 11 when hijacked airliners smashed into the World Trade Center’s twin towers. Gov. Gary Locke walked to the site from his nearby hotel room shortly after midnight Monday. His return Wednesday provided a sobering look. “It was just hard to comprehend seeing the site at night with the shadows of buildings – the sides of some of these buildings peeled away as if they were tin cans,” he said. “But to see it here in daylight from this perspective, I mean, it just took my breath away. I just can’t imagine the incredible devastation of what’s left of two towers over a hundred stories high. Where did all that material go?”

Airport expansion affected: Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is not curtailing its expansion efforts, but the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks have forced some plans to be put on hold. A second terminal at the north end of the airport has been taken off the drawing board, but may be considered again in 10 to 15 years, airport spokeswoman Rachel Garson said Wednesday. A rental car facility, a parking garage and bus terminal east of the airport and a restroom renovation project have also been mothballed. The airport has been operating at about 85 percent of normal capacity for the last few weeks, which has cut revenue projections for this year from $210 million to $170 million.

Why a duck?: Vandals have hit a Kamloops petting zoo, spray-painting two emus, a goat and a duck. “Whoever did this must think it’s pretty funny,” owner Al Threatful said Tuesday. “I think it’s disgusting. Why hold down a duck and spray paint it?” Threatful said the animals don’t appear to have suffered any ill effects from the bright yellow paint, although the emus may have licked some of it from their plumage.

From Herald news services