SEATTLE — King County officials say about 10 million gallons of raw sewage spilled into the Seattle’s waterfront after a switch at a treatment plant malfunctioned Monday night.
Plant manager Pam Elardo said the spill lasted three hours, ending at about 1 a.m. Tuesday.
The Seattle Times reported the spill happened after a switch in a tank malfunctioned, opening a gate that diverted all arriving untreated sewage directly into the Puget Sound.
Elardo says it took three hours to repair the switch.
County officials say a nearby beach has been closed and water samples are being collected. The plant treats about 130 million gallons of wastewater a day from Seattle and other communities.
Green fuel for jets will come from Anacortes refinery
A renewable jet fuel company says it has agreements from 14 airlines to buy fuel derived from the oil of camelina plant seeds.
Seattle-based AltAir Fuels said Tuesday that camelina oil from Bozeman, Mont.-based Sustainable Oils will be blended with petroleum-based jet fuel and diesel at the Tesoro refinery at Anacortes. It will be transported to Sea-Tac Airport through an existing pipeline.
AltAir says it could replace about 10 percent of the petroleum fuel used each year at Sea-Tac, reducing carbon emissions. Participating airlines include United and Alaska Airlines. Boeing is leading a task force to win approval of bio-fuels for aviation. AltAir expects to begin production at Anacortes in 2012.
Burlington: State Patrol, drug dog find 132 pounds of cocaine
The Washington State Patrol trooper thought the driver and passenger in a pickup truck stopped for a traffic infraction near Burlington seemed extremely nervous. And the trooper’s narcotic detection dog seemed extremely interested in the luggage in the truck bed.
Based on the dog’s reaction, State Patrol spokesman Trooper Keith Leary said the trooper seized the luggage, applied for a search warrant and found 132 pounds of cocaine. The estimated street value is $1.5 million.
Leary said the truck was stopped last weekend for driving on the shoulder of Highway 20 and making an illegal left turn.
Port Townsend: Water repairs done; water safe
Port Townsend’s public works director says city water customers no longer need to boil their drinking water.
Ken Clow said Tuesday a broken water main has been fixed, the water lines have been flushed and water quality sampling shows the water to be safe.
A boil water advisory was issued Monday after a water main broke, causing a water outage that extended for three city blocks.
Kalama: Water back to normal; boil order ends
Kalama officials say safe water service has been restored to city customers and a boil water order has been lifted.
Schools were closed Tuesday and the boil order had been in effect earlier in the day while health officials checked to make sure the water was safe to drink.
A ruptured water main drained the city’s primary reservoir early Monday.
Kalama public works director Carl McCrary says repairs have been completed, there is once again water in the reservoir and water quality sampling shows the water is safe.
Walla Walla: Cop busts thumb getting dragged by pickup truck
A Walla Walla police officer who was dragged more than 200 feet by a pickup truck suffered a broken thumb before the driver was stopped and arrested.
Police said another officer fired a shot into the pickup Monday night, but no one was hit. After the driver stopped, officers used a stun gun to take him into custody.
It began when an officer attempted to pull over the truck for traveling too fast on an ice- and snow-covered road and following another vehicle too closely.
An officer was attempting to turn off the pickup’s ignition switch when the driver took off, dragging him in the oncoming traffic lane.
Police said 38-year-old Jason K. Spencer of Walla Walla was booked in the county jail for investigation of drunken driving and assault.
Oregon: Man pleads not guilty to kidnapping Good Samaritan
A Benton County man has pleaded not guilty to accusations he kidnapped a Good Samaritan.
Police say David Wilson of Waldport was driving home last week when he saw a pickup off the road. Smoke billowed from the engine and the driver, Christopher Hewitt, appeared unconscious.
When Hewitt woke up, Wilson informed him that help was on the way. Hewitt reportedly punched Wilson in the face and ordered him to drive him to Alsea. Hewitt also allegedly threatened to hit Wilson with a fifth of rum or sic his Rottweiler dog on him.
Wilson drove Hewitt to Alsea.
Hewitt, 51, was arraigned Monday on charges of kidnapping, coercion, criminal mischief and distribution of a controlled substance. Bail was set at $185,000.
Bomb threat evacuates Baker City High School
A bomb threat emptied Baker High School shortly after classes started Tuesday morning.
Students were sent to a vacant building while police and school employees searched the school for explosives.
Police declared the school safe at 10:10 a.m. and students returned to the gymnasium, where they were dismissed for the day.
Trucker killed while chaining up on I-84
State police say one truck driver died and another was injured when they were struck by a truck while applying chains on a freeway offramp in Eastern Oregon.
Lt. Gregg Hastings said it was snowing heavily when a truck driven by Francisco Lecaro of Perris, Calif., hit 49-year-old Milton Belton of Colville, Wash., and 45-year-old Miguel Victorio-Alvarez of Nampa, Idaho. Belton died at the scene Tuesday and Victorio-Alvarez was taken to an Ontario hospital with injuries not considered life-threatening.
Hastings said Lecaro left the scene and was later found by Ontario police at a truck stop.
Reward offered for arrest of rape suspect
Crime Stoppers is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a Portland man wanted on warrants linked to rape, sodomy, sex abuse and forcing prostitution.
Portland police said all of Jammie Smith’s alleged victims were girls.
Smith, 33, is 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 240 pounds. Police said he is sometimes called “Punch,” which is tattooed on his stomach. He also has a tattoo on his back with the words “Piru Gang.”
From Herald news services
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