Killer whales missing; officials fear the worst
Seven killer whales are missing and presumed dead in what could be the biggest decline among the Puget Sound’s orcas in nearly a decade, scientists say.
“This is a disaster,” Ken Balcomb, a senior scientist at the Center for Whale Research on San Juan Island, said Friday.
While the official census won’t be completed until December, the total number of live “southern resident” orcas now stands at 83.
Among those missing since last year’s count are the nearly century-old leader of one of the three southern resident pods and two young females who recently bore calves. The loss of the seven whales, Balcomb said, would be the biggest decline among the Sound’s orcas since 1999.
Low numbers of chinook salmon, a prime food for the whales, may be a factor in the deaths, Balcomb said.
malo, Wash.
Suspect in fatal shooting identified
The suspect in a fatal shooting Wednesday in Malo, Wash., has been identified as Corey James Monaghan, 35, of Renton, according to the Washington State Patrol.
Monaghan, who faces a first-degree murder charge, is being guarded at a Spokane hospital. A Ferry County Superior Court judge set his Friday bail at $750,000, according to WSP.
The victim, who authorities say is from the Seattle area, has not been identified.
Spokane
Noted AIDS activist to speak at Gonzaga
A nationally recognized advocate for a more effective global response to HIV and AIDS will speak Monday at the Gonzaga University School of Law.
Stephen Lewis, co-director of AIDS-Free World, will participate in the school’s Luvera Lecture Series, which has featured speakers including former House Speaker Tom Foley and former vice presidential candidate John Edwards.
Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan named Lewis the first special envoy for AIDS in Africa in 2001. He runs his international advocacy organization in Boston.
The free lecture will start at 5 p.m. in Gonzaga’s Barbieri Courtroom. RSVP to Liz Bowen at (509) 313-3738.
Firefighters quickly douse blaze at house
Firefighters extinguished a blaze at a home in the 2200 block of East Longfellow Street in Spokane Friday night.
No one was home at the time, but the home’s two residents will be without a place to live for a while “because of the nasty, stinky smell,” said Bob Green, a Spokane Fire Department battalion chief.
The fire was contained within 15 minutes. Smoke damaged much of the home, Green said.
A neighbor reported the blaze about 7:15 p.m. Neighbors thought the two residents were home, but firefighters searched three times and found no one, Green said.