OLYMPIA — Washington is among 26 states seeking to jam cell-phone signals inside state prisons.
A petition was signed by corrections chiefs in 26 states and three cities asking the Federal Communications Commission to OK jamming cell-phone signals inside prisons.
Proponents of the petition say contraband cell phones allow inmates unfettered opportunities to communicate and plan other crimes. But under current law, the FCC can only allow federal agencies — not state or local authorities — permission to jam cell-phone signals.
DOC spokesman Chad Lewis said Washington currently uses dogs to sniff out cell phones, a contraband item in prisons. Lewis said about a dozen cell phones have been found inside state prisons in the last two years.
Issaquah: Paraglider rescued from tree near
Firefighters and search and rescue crews have rescued a 47-year-old paraglider who got stuck in a tree on Tiger Mountain near Issaquah.
Rescuers responding to a Tuesday afternoon cell phone call for help found Gene Beaver of Spanaway stuck about 50 feet above the ground.
Several hours later, they managed to free the dangling man from the heavily forested area. KOMO-TV said he was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with possible rib and back injuries.
A representative of Tiger Mountain Paragliding said the man is one of their veteran members.
Spokane: Second wolf pack confirmed
State biologists have confirmed a second wolf pack in Washington state, this time in a remote area of Pend Oreille County.
The Spokesman-Review reported biologists were able to confirm the presence of at least one adult wolf and three pups by playing digital recordings of howling. The wolves, then, howled back.
Motion-detection cameras had captured photos of the pack earlier this year, but biologists needed confirmation of their presence.
Gray wolves were nearly hunted to extinction in the 1930s but have lately had a population resurgence in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. Last summer, adult wolves were confirmed in Okanogan County.
State department of Fish and Wildlife biologist Dana Base said the next step is to put GPS collars on the adults.
Tacoma: 13-year term in heroin case
A 32-year-old Mexican man faces 13 years in federal prison in a case involving Tacoma’s biggest heroin raid.
The sentence issued Monday for Alfonso Ibanez Martinez, also known as Alejandro Barragan Lopez, is three years more than the minimum, but he could have faced a lot more.
A federal undercover investigation led to the discovery of more than 48 pounds of heroin in Ibanez Martinez’s home on March 1, 2007. Two years later he was convicted of conspiracy to distribute heroin, distribution and possession with intent to distribute.
Ibanez was convicted under another name of drug dealing in Pierce County Superior Court in 1998. Government lawyers say that if that prior conviction had been known before he went to trial, he would have faced at least 20 years in prison.
Longview: Garbage will come from Hawaii
The Port of Longview will process garbage from Hawaii heading to Washington landfills under an agreement recently reached with a shipping company.
Port officials say the deal reached with Daybreak Transportation and Rail Transfer will create more hours for local longshoremen and more work for the port’s little-used crane.
The Longview Daily News reported the garbage, shrink-wrapped in plastic and stored in shipping containers, will be unloaded at the port to trucks or trains.
From Herald news services
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