MEDICAL LAKE — State prison officials want to shut down a portion of the Pine Lodge Corrections Center for Women, the only women’s prison east of the Cascades.
The 359-woman prison in Medical Lake will shrink to 187 inmates. The rest will be transferred to Western Washington facilities.
About 30 of Pine Lodge’s roughly 100 staffers will lose their jobs. But the Department of Corrections said it will try to find new jobs for them in the state prison system.
Spokane: Wildfire brings no charges
A Spokane County deputy prosecutor says no criminal charges will be filed against a woman and a teenage boy blamed for a massive wildfire last summer that destroyed 11 homes and cost $3.5 million to fight.
Tracy Berg and a teen friend of her son face lawsuits related to the July 10 Valley View fire. The state Department of Natural Resources said the 1,000-acre blaze began with a fire Berg allowed the boy to start three days earlier.
Deputy prosecutor Brian O’Brien said Wednesday he consulted with the state DNR and local fire agencies before making his decision.
Richland: Hanford Fast Flux Test Facility is closed
Workers at the Hanford nuclear reservation have completed work to shut down a research reactor known as the Fast Flux Test Facility.
The 400-megawatt reactor produced a variety of medical and industrial isotopes and provided research and testing of components and systems for advanced nuclear power systems. It has not operated since 1992.
A decision still must be made on whether to dismantle the test reactor.
Seattle: Man, 50, convicted in 34-year-old murder
A 50-year-old man who stabbed a neighbor girl to death 34 years ago when they were both 16 has been convicted in Seattle of second-degree murder.
The Seattle Times reported King County jurors deliberated three days before returning the verdict Tuesday against James Groth.
Cold case detectives arrested him two years ago for killing Diana Peterson at Richmond Beach.
Ephrata: Quincy attorney guilty of witness tampering
A Quincy attorney has been found guilty of witness tampering in Grant County Superior Court.
A jury found Mark Stansfield, 56, guilty of two counts of tampering with a witness. Sentencing has not been scheduled yet.
The case involved a December 2006 trial where a man was charged with driving under the influence, hit and run and negligent driving. Stansfield contacted the man’s girlfriend and told her not to come to court to testify, and later alerted her that police were on their way to her home.
Associated Press
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