LEAVENWORTH — Fire has damaged the Alps candy store, a landmark on U.S. 2 along the Wenatchee River in the Tumwater Canyon west of Leavenworth.
Owner Archie Marlin told The Wenatchee World he smelled smoke Friday morning after arriving to find the power out. Smoke and fire forced him out of the building until firefighters doused the flames.
Marlin says he lost 600 recipes in the office part of the building. He says he’ll have to re-create 35 years of work from memory.
The retail area had smoke and some fire damage.
Marlin says the building is insured and he hopes to reopen as soon as possible.
Bremerton: Fake bills bought cookies
Police found Girl Scout cookies in the trunk of a car belonging to a fifth suspect in a Bremerton counterfeiting ring that used fake $20s to buy cookies.
The Kitsap Sun reports that police believe the 21-year-old Bremerton woman arrested Thursday printed the phony bills at her home.
Four people have been charged with forgery in the case.
Police have cell phone video of one of the suspects pulling a fake $20 from a printer and checking its quality.
The fake bills showed up last weekend in Girl Scout cookie sales. A store clerk who recognized a fake bill Sunday gave police information about a suspect’s car that led to the arrests.
Lakewood: Boater could be charged
Police have found the boater who hit a kayaker Sunday on American Lake, leaving the 14-year-old critically injured.
After interviewing the boater, police said Friday the collision was not intentional, negligent or reckless. Lt. Heidi Hoffman says it will be up to the Pierce County prosecutor to decide whether to file charges.
The 14-year-old, David Kenny “DK” Ross, suffered severe head injuries and doctors had to remove his ruptured spleen.
He’s reported in critical condition Friday at Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital in Tacoma.
Olympia: 141 dams will be inspected
The state Ecology Department is starting a second round of inspections at 141 dams that were built without permits, mostly on farms.
The dams were identified from aerial photos and are upstream from one or two homes. Inspectors hope to prevent catastrophic dam failures. They inspected 95 dams in the first round and found 11 in need of immediate repair.
The department says the counties with the most unpermitted dams are Yakima with 20, Grant 15, Franklin 8 and Clark, Pierce and Whatcom with six each.
Seattle: Vehicular assault charged
King County Assessor Scott Noble was charged Friday with vehicular assault in a January crash in which investigators allege he was intoxicated when he drove his SUV the wrong way on Interstate 5 and collided with another vehicle, injuring two women.
The state attorney general’s office filed the two counts of vehicular assault in King County Superior Court. Noble’s arraignment has been set for March 19.
According to charging documents, on Jan. 18 at around 2:15 a.m., Noble, 58, was driving northbound on I-5 south of Seattle when he pulled over to the shoulder and did a U-turn. Soon after, Noble’s Toyota Highlander collided with a Jeep Liberty with two women passengers. The impact spun both vehicles on the freeway.
Court documents say toxicology results found Noble’s blood-alcohol level at the time of the crash was 0.22, well above the state’s legal limit of 0.08.
Tumwater: State could close 40 parks
People who went to a Parks and Recreation Commission meeting to protest plans to close 13 state parks heard the state may have to close or transfer as many as 40 parks.
State Parks Director Rex Derr told Thursday’s meeting in Tumwater that agency has been asked to prepare for a 23 percent cut. The Olympian reports the news stunned people waiting to comment. Washington has 121 state parks.
The state Parks Commission will make a final decision on closures after the Legislature passes the budget for the 2009-2011 period.
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