SEATTLE – A group representing more than 20 neighborhood organizations is pressing the University of Washington to withdraw its bid for federal money to build a high-security biodefense lab as part of a proposed national network.
“The UW has already experienced ecoterrorist attacks, and this facility would present both a high-profile and a high-risk target,” the Northeast District Council said Friday in a letter to UW President Mark Emmert seeking withdrawal of a $25 million grant request to the National Institutes of Health.
Neighborhood groups also worry that accidents at the proposed lab might be hushed up.
The UW’s request for money to build a 57,000-square-foot lab near Portage Bay at the south end of the Seattle campus was disclosed in January.
The facility would be part of a planned network of regional biodefense labs studying anthrax, the plague and other deadly pathogens, plus emerging infectious diseases, such as avian flu and SARS. Eleven of the so-called Level 3 labs are already in place. The one proposed for the UW would be the first on the West Coast.
Associated Press
Renton man admits guilt in $1 million fraud
A Renton man pleaded guilty in federal court Friday to 97 felony counts for his role in a scheme that defrauded more than 50 state investors of more than $1 million. Richard Thomas Zieske, 42, entered guilty pleas to multiple counts of mail fraud, wire fraud and securities fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced July 15, and could face up to 20 years in prison. In August, a federal grand jury accused Zieske of posing as a day trader who claimed he could generate significant returns in short periods of time to gain money from investors. In all, he took in about $2.3 million and used much of the money to pay off other investors and for his personal expenses, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
King County Journal
Port Townsend: New marine lab opens
Nearly 100 enthusiasts filled the Port Townsend Marine Science Center dock to celebrate the opening of its new Discovery Lab on Saturday. Located at the southern end of the center’s Marine Exhibit at Fort Worden State Park, the new Foss Maritime lab is intended for all age groups, providing research, environmental monitoring and cultural projects.
Peninsula Daily News
Bainbridge: Mom, boy found in New Zealand
After three years on the lam in New Zealand, authorities caught up with a Bainbridge Island mother who had fled the U.S. with her young son. New Zealand police arrested 37-year-old Juliette Gilbert around Friday in Rotorua. Her son, 9-year-old Sky Gilbert, was with her and is in the care of New Zealand’s Child, Youth and Family Services. In April 2002, Gilbert disappeared from Bainbridge Island with the boy after she failed to return him to his father, Roby Gilbert.
The Sun
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