Judge revives suit against McDermott

WASHINGTON — An Ohio congressman’s wiretapping lawsuit against Rep. James McDermott, D-Wash., has new life. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has decided to allow Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, to amend his lawsuit against McDermott and argue it again. Boehner sued after a Florida couple used a scanner to record a December 1996 conference phone call in which Boehner, then-Speaker Newt Gingrich and other House leaders discussed strategy involving announcement of an ethics committee finding against Gingrich. The couple gave the tape to McDermott, and the contents soon surfaced in news stories. A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit in 1998.

Seattle

Greg Nickels sworn in as Seattle mayor: Greg Nickels, a light-rail advocate and liberal who campaigned as a consensus builder, has been sworn in as mayor after one of the closest elections in city history. Nickels, 46, vowed at his inauguration Monday to make good on his campaign promises and to emphasize such basics as transportation and public safety. He said he would offer more specifics in a State of the City speech Jan. 28.

Board OKs proposed monorail routes: The board for a company designing an expanded monorail system has approved a package of proposed routes for further study and aims by late summer to have a detailed system designed that can go to voters in November. The system may cost as much as $1.7 billion, the public company designing it said Monday. The system could be running in seven years and, as currently envisioned, may cost less per mile than the controversial Sound Transit light rail system that would run from downtown Seattle to just north of Sea-Tac Airport,.

Spokane

Drug charges filed against former Spokane medical examiner: Felony drug charges were filed Tuesday against former Spokane County Medical Examiner George Lindholm, who resigned amid allegations he grew marijuana in his home and stole prescription medications from corpses. Charges alleging two counts of drug possession were filed in Spokane County Superior Court by the state Attorney General’s Office, which is handling the case. Lindholm’s arrest in August threw complications into numerous criminal cases, including the upcoming trial of serial killer Robert L. Yates Jr., in Tacoma.

Olympia

State hires new aviation division director: John Sibold will be the state’s new aviation division director. His duties will include providing pilot safety and education, managing the statewide rial search and rescue program, managing pilot and aircraft registration, granting money for airport infrastructure and helping cities and counties with land-use planning around airports. There are 129 airports used by the public in Washington.

British Columbia

Storms blamed for two escapes of Atlantic salmon: Thousands of Atlantic salmon escaped from two fish farms operated by Pacific National Aquaculture last week, both apparently because of storm damage, officials said. The number of fish that got away Friday at McIntyre Bay in the Clayoquot Sound area remained undetermined Monday. Two days earlier, 8,000 escaped from a pen near Tofino after containment nets were swept onto rocks and torn in a storm. Environmentalists have often criticized the fish farm industry, saying escaped Atlantic salmon could endanger wild Pacific salmon stocks.

From Herald staff reports

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