OLYMPIA – Thurston County sheriff’s officers are investigating the death of a woman whose body was found in a van parked outside a tavern in west Olympia as suspicious.
There were no obvious signs of trauma, and investigators were not sure exactly how the woman died, Lt. Dave Johnson said Saturday.
An autopsy was scheduled for today.
The body was found late Friday night outside Buzz’s Tavern on Mud Bay Road. The van was not registered to the woman found inside.
Spokane
City looks at deep cuts to staff: Like many of his counterparts throughout Washington state, Spokane Mayor John Powers is looking for ways to trim the city’s budget amid an economic slowdown. His idea: to cut $6 million from the general fund, which primarily pays employee wages and benefits. Powers estimates the cuts could affect 4 percent to 5 percent of 1,030 workers paid from the general fund – or about 50 jobs.
Ellensburg
Fund-raiser a cash cow: Call Ellensburg a cow town, and it’s unlikely anyone here will complain. Next week, 15 life-size bovine beauties, each decorated by a local artist, will go on display for the “Cows Around Town” summer outdoor exhibition. The fiberglass cows were as plain and white as a glass of milk when they arrived. Now they’re covered in quotations and landscapes. One looks a giraffe. Another serves as a war memorial. “Cows Around Town,” which will be on display through Labor Day weekend in September, is expected to be a raise money for 13 local charities and a $1.2 million restoration project at the historic Stewart Building. The cows will be auctioned off Labor Day weekend, with bids starting at $2,000 apiece.
Alaska
Father pleads no contest to abuse charge: A Fairbanks father accused of cramming a wad of toilet paper down his infant daughter’s throat has pleaded no contest to a reduced charge, according to prosecutors. Kimo Petitt, 32, had been charged with felony assault. He pleaded no contest Friday in Superior Court in Fairbanks to second-degree assault. Under the plea agreement, he will likely serve no more than four years in prison. He will be sentenced July 10.
Oregon
Woman claims sexual abuse by monk: A Southern Oregon woman has filed a lawsuit against Marist Catholic High School and the Archdiocese of Portland, claiming she was sexually abused by a monk over a four-year period. The lawsuit, filed Friday in Multnomah County Court, alleges that “J.A.” was abused by her math tutor, Lawrence M. Halsey, starting when she was 14. The suit asks for more than $3 million in damages for emotional suffering and medical bills. The alleged abuse occurred between 1968 and 1972.
Duck decoy ban considered: Concerned that decoys cheapen hunting, the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission will decide this fall whether to ban them. The commission agreed Friday to look into the matter because some people believe the increasingly popular electronic “robo-duck” decoys are making a mockery of waterfowl hunting. Robo-ducks are duck decoys with electric motors that attempt to attract waterfowl by spinning their wings, swimming or diving.
Couple convicted of robbery in bid to reunite family: Brian and Ruth Christine, who sought to reunite their family with the help of a gun, will remain apart after a Douglas County jury convicted them Friday of robbery, custodial interference and unlawful use of a state vehicle when they took their three daughters from state social workers and fled to Montana. The Christines were acquitted of felony kidnapping charges. The Christines, both 29, face minimum prison sentences of 7 1/2years on the robbery charges. Brian Christine will face an additional five years for using a firearm during the crime. The state assumed custody of the children in 2000, believing the girls – Bethany, now 6; Lydia, 3; and Miriam, 2 – had been abused and denied food.
From Herald news services
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