SEATTLE — Investigators continued their probe of the deadly sinking of the fishing boat Katmai by testing a raft that could have been used by the ill-fated crew members.
Seven of the Katmai’s 11 crew members died when the 93-foot, Seattle-based boat sank last October during a storm in the Bering Sea off Alaska’s Aleutian Islands.
The raft — which was found after the sinking — partially inflated Tuesday during the test in Seattle.
But Coast Guard Cmdr. Rob McLellan says the test didn’t answer whether or not the raft actually was inflated, even partially, at the time of the sinking.
At least two crew members — among four who survived in another raft — have testified they saw the raft on the waves and that it appeared to have air in it.
But when it was found after the disaster, it did not appear to be inflated, and McLellan says it’s impossible to say for certain what condition the raft was in when those crew members spotted it.
Earlier testimony has indicated that just before the sinking, the ship lost steering and the engine room flooded.
The Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.
4 men charged with cheating casinos
Four men are facing federal charges that they cheated the roulette tables at tribal casinos in Washington state.
In a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle, prosecutors say the men bought certain chips for $1, and surreptitiously moved them to other tables, where they redeemed them for $25. In all they allegedly took more than $11,500 from the Emerald Queen Casino last October, and more than $1,400 from the Snoqualmie Casino, where two of them were finally caught.
One of the arrested men, 27-year-old Bronx, N.Y, resident Marcos A. Peynado, made an initial appearance in federal court Tuesday on two counts of theft from a tribal casino. The other posted bail and is being sought by law enforcement, as are the two remaining members of the group.
Olympia: New chief for utilities agency
Gov. Chris Gregoire has named a new chairman of the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission.
Jeffrey Goltz replaces Mark Sidran, who announced in December that he was stepping down.
Goltz, 59, has been a deputy state attorney general since 2001, and has worked at the attorney general’s office for 30 years.
The Utilities and Transportation Commission regulates investor-owned gas and electric utilities, along with telephone companies and other services.
Twisp: Ice dam could cause flooding
Okanogan County emergency officials may make another attempt to blow up an ice dam on Poorman Creek near Twisp.
The county’s emergency manager, Scott Miller, says if the dam continues to back up water and then suddenly bursts it could cause flooding about four miles downstream in Twisp.
Three attempts to blast a channel through the ice blocks Monday only cracked the dam, which is about 15 feet deep and 75 feet across. Some water is flowing around the sides of the dam on farm land.
Miller says officials will re-evaluate the dam today and decide whether to make another attempt to remove it with heavy equipment or more explosives.
Associated Press
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