Foes of tobacco tax to mount legal challenge

OLYMPIA — Opponents of the new increase in Washington’s tobacco tax will challenge the voter-approved law in court, a spokesman said Wednesday.

Initiative 773 increased the tax on a pack of cigarettes 60 cents to $1.425, the highest in the nation. The initiative also earmarked the money to expand state-paid health care for the poor.

Critics of the new tax say that violates the Washington Constitution’s single-subject rule, which confines initiatives to one idea.

A group of opponents including the Washington Association of Neighborhood Stores plans to file a lawsuit today in Thurston County Superior Court, said T.K. Bentler, a spokesman for the group of about 300 convenience stores.

The American Lung Association of Washington, the chief backer of I-773, said the measure was crafted carefully to avoid constitutional problems.

Auburn

Skull found near Green River: A human skull was found at Mill Creek on Wednesday, near where the remains of a Green River murder victim were found years ago. King County sheriff’s divers probed the waters of Mill Creek late Wednesday to see if more remains could be recovered. State transportation crews were dredging the creek near Highway 18, Auburn police said. As they were unloading one of the dump trucks, they found a skull. The site was two miles from the home of Gary Ridgway, charged with aggravated first-degree murder in four of the slayings attributed to the Green River serial killer.

Oregon

Teacher apologies for "slave" remark: A middle school teacher apologized to her class for telling a black student that she was the "master" and he was the "slave." Eugene teacher Junko Toll said Tuesday she does not recall making the remark to Jefferson eighth-grader Greg Castanedez. Principal Paul Jorgensen said enough students corroborated the boy’s account to persuade him. The boy’s mother, Venisa Williams, wasn’t satisfied with the apology and filed a formal complaint with the school district on Tuesday, saying she would like to see Toll fired or suspended.

Death penalty sought: A Lincoln County prosecutor said Wednesday she will seek the death penalty against Christian Longo, who is accused of murdering his wife and three children and dumping their bodies into coastal waters near Newport. Longo, who turned 28 on Wednesday, showed no emotion as the decision was announced at a hearing in the Lincoln County Courthouse. Meanwhile, new details have emerged about Longo’s stay in a Mexican resort town while the FBI sought him. The Oregonian newspaper reported that Longo went disco dancing, partied late, went snorkeling and struck up a relationship with a German woman before he was finally nabbed.

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