LYNNWOOD — A 28-year-old Seattle man died at the hospital Saturday after an apparent alcohol-related accident in Snohomish County early in the morning.
Michael J. Lee was thrown from a pickup truck that crashed into a dumpster in the rain at 2 a.m. Saturday after veering off Highway 524 near the I-405 overpass.
All lanes of Highway 524 were closed for five hours.
Lee, who was not wearing a seat belt, died at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle of head injuries Saturday afternoon.
The driver of the 1997 Chevy pickup, a 27-year-old Seattle man, was arrested at the accident scene on investigation of driving under the influence, said Washington State Patrol Trooper Lance Ramsay. Now that the passenger has died, the man could face more serious charges, he said.
He is not being named because he has not been charged.
Darrington
House fire: A fire that started in a children’s bedroom in a Darrington rambler Friday afternoon did about $60,000 in damage by the time it was put out.
A woman who rented the house in the 500 block of S. Commercial Street was home with her children when the smoke detectors went off around 2:25 p.m. They found flames in the bedroom and fled the house, said Gary Bontrager, fire investigator for Snohomish County.
Firefighters from the Darrington Fire Department were able to contain the fire to the children’s bedroom, where it started near a baseboard heater. The exact cause hadn’t been determined, but it appeared to be accidental, Bontrager said.
The fire and smoke damage did about $35,000 in damage to the house and destroyed $25,000 in belongings. The family, which did not have insurance, is being assisted by the Red Cross, he said.
Gold Bar
Budget meeting: City council members are anticipating a status quo budget next year.
Council members met Wednesday to iron out budget details, which will be the subject of a public hearing at 7 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 107 Fifth St. Preliminary figures show that the 2002 budget will be about the same as the 2001 budget of $2.9 million.
The city anticipates a 1 percent increase in property taxes.
City clerk Hester Ihrig said spending in 2002 will be much the same as in the past year, and the city plans no new major capital projects or equipment purchases. A 3.5 percent cost-of-living raise is planned. No layoffs or elimination of services are anticipated.
Ihrig said copies of the proposed budget can be viewed at City Hall prior to the public hearing.
From Herald staff reports
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