OLYMPIA — A consultant said the Washington state ferry system could save money if ferries slowed down on their routes and didn’t run their engines at the terminals.
The consultant said the fuel savings could amount to millions of dollars.
The study was presented Wednesday by Kathy Scanlan of the Cedar River Group to members of the Joint Transportation Committee in Olympia.
Scanlan said ferries could reduce fuel use considerably if they stop the practice of running engines to push into slips while cars are loading and unloading. She said the engines could be shut off if the ferries tied up securely.
@3. Headline News Briefs 14 no:State halts divorce company’s services
The state attorney general’s office has stopped an Internet company from offering divorce services in Washington.
The Delaware-based Divorce Online charged $249 to help customers fill out forms.
The attorney general’s office found it was offering paralegal services without the oversight of an state-licensed lawyer, in violation of the law.
In Thurston County Superior Court on Wednesday the company agreed to stop offering legal advice in Washington.
An assistant attorney general, Paula Selis, said Divorce Online could resume operating in Washington under the direction of a lawyer.
Renton: X-ray tech accused of groping
An X-ray technician at Valley Medical Center in Renton has been accused of groping a 14-year-old girl who went to the hospital in July with a leg injury.
The 56-year-old Kent man, Jang Bahdor Singh, is scheduled to be arraigned Sept. 22 in Seattle on an indecent liberties charge.
Seattle: Mayor plans to fight gang violence
Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels has announced a plan to curb gang violence.
It would coordinate community agencies to focus on about 800 young people who have been victims of gang violence or frequently arrested. The majority of the crimes are in the Central District, Rainier Valley and southwest neighborhoods in the city.
The 800 juveniles would be offered services such as mentoring, anger management and job development.
The mayor also wants to hire “violence interrupters” — probably former gang members — who learn about attack plans and head them off.
The mayor is asking the city council to approve or redirect about $9 million in spending for his anti-gang plan.
@3. Headline News Briefs 14 no:Man shot to death in transient ‘Jungle’
Police are investigating a shooting death in a brushy area of transient camps known as the Jungle near a freeway interchange in Seattle.
Spokesman Mark Jamieson said an officer on patrol about 1 a.m. Thursday was flagged down by a witness and led to the area just off an access road east of I-5 and south of I-90.
The officer found a dead man with a gunshot wound to the chest.
Police searched the area but found no suspect. Investigators believe the shooting took place several hours earlier.
@3. Headline News Briefs 14 no:70 astronauts and cosmonauts to meet
About 70 astronauts and cosmonauts will gather next week in Seattle for a meeting of the Association of Space Explorers.
They’ll visit more than 50 schools in the state Wednesday as part of the event.
Astronaut Bonnie Dunbar, who heads the Museum of Flight, said one of the goals of the association is to interest more young people in careers in science and engineering.
Bellingham: Measles reported in county
The Whatcom County Health Department said the county has its first case of measles in 13 years.
A 48-year-old woman was diagnosed with the disease this month and most of her contacts have been identified. Investigators are looking for possible sources of the infection.
Earlier this year 16 measles cases were reported in Moses Lake.
Symptoms include a runny nose, cough, fever and rash that can lead to more serious complications.
McChord: C-17 makes Antarctica medevac
A C-17 cargo plane from McChord Air Force Base conducted an emergency medical evacuation in Antarctica.
The Air Force said a 56-year-old man with heart trouble was flown Wednesday from McMurdo Station to receive medical care in Christchurch, New Zealand.
The McChord plane and crew is operating out of Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, in support of the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Antarctic Program.
Oregon: Ship scrap may reach 1,700 tons
Scrap metal recovered from the wreckage of the New Carissa could total about 1,700 tons — or about 600 tons more than salvage crews were expecting.
The wood chip freighter ran aground in February 1999 and broke apart, leaving about half stuck in the sand on a beach near Coos Bay.
Florida-based Titan Salvage is cleaning up the last of the wreckage and will sell the scrap metal to help recover some of the cost.
But scrap metal prices have fallen from about $325 per ton at the start of the job to about $160 per ton.
Even with the decline, salvage managers said the rusting steel could net more than $330,000.
Associated Press
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