In brief: State Route 26 collision kills one
One person died Friday as a result of a head-on collision on eastbound State Route 26 near LaCrosse, Wash., according to the Washington State Patrol.
Four other people were injured in that accident, which occurred about 5:30 p.m., the State Patrol said. A sixth person was also involved in the accident, but that person’s status wasn’t immediately available, the State Patrol said.
News reports said the driver of one of the vehicles fell asleep at the wheel and veered into oncoming traffic.
Video shows police taking woman down
SEATTLE – A video has surfaced on YouTube showing police taking down a woman at Seattle’s May Day demonstrations Tuesday.
The largely peaceful protests turned ugly when a group of anarchists broke off and began vandalizing downtown businesses.
In the video, Seattle police officers in riot gear can be seen setting up a perimeter with bicycles and ordering bystanders to “move back.”
At about the 15-second mark, a female bicycle officer reaches off frame and grabs a woman by her head, pulls her over a bike and takes her to the ground as other officers rush in.
The woman was out of view of the camera leading up to the takedown, so it is not clear what she may have done to provoke the officer.
The videographer is obstructed by police after the incident so it is also unclear if the woman was resisting or not.
In all, eight people were arrested Tuesday, and vandals caused thousands of dollars in damage.
Seattle police Chief John Diaz and Mayor Mike McGinn said Wednesday that they were satisfied with the city’s response to the demonstrations. They have yet to comment on the specific video.
Montana slogan gets U.S. protection
HELENA – Sen. Max Baucus says the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has agreed to permanently deny any trademark application for the well-known Montana slogan “Last Best Place.”
The phrase was first popularized as the title of a 1988 anthology co-edited by writers William Kittredge and Annick Smith.
About a decade ago, Las Vegas businessman David Lipson sought exclusive rights to the term for his Resort at Paws Up in Montana’s Blackfoot Valley, and for other businesses and products.
Current and former members of Montana’s congressional delegation included language in appropriation bills each year to prohibit the Commerce Department from spending any money to approve a trademark. Each request was only effective for a year.
Baucus said Friday’s announcement is a permanent ruling that will keep the phrase from being used commercially.
No death penalty for woman in spree
EVERETT – A Snohomish County prosecutor won’t seek the death penalty against Holly Grigsby, who along with her boyfriend is charged with going on a killing spree that left four people dead in Washington, Oregon and California.
In a statement Friday, Snohomish County Prosecutor Mark Roe said the killing spree was led by David “Joey” Pedersen. He said that while Grigsby’s alleged crimes “almost defy description” she didn’t have a prior criminal history.
Roe will seek life in prison for two first-degree murder charges.
Grigsby and Pedersen, who have expressed white supremacist beliefs, are suspected of killing Pedersen’s father, David “Red” Pedersen, and his wife, Leslie, last year in Everett, and of later killing two other people, including a 19-year-old man they believed was Jewish.
Lewiston couple win $1 million
BOISE – Idaho Lottery officials say a Lewiston couple have claimed their $1 million prize from the April 21 Powerball drawing.
Richard and Lorraine Hallisy, who have been married for 56 years, claimed their winnings Thursday at Idaho Lottery headquarters in Boise.
Richard worked as a forester for the Idaho Department of Lands District Office in St. Maries in the 1960s before a long tenure at Potlach in Lewiston. He retired 18 years ago.
The Hallisys are still contemplating what to do with their winnings, but they plan to help immediate family members and take a couple of nice vacations.
They bought their winning ticket at Zip Trip in Lewiston.
Saudi teen faces charges in Oregon
ASHLAND, Ore. – A 19-year-old from Saudi Arabia who caused a ruckus aboard a jetliner in February has been released from jail in Portland and is headed to Jackson County to face charges of drunken driving and ramming two police cars.
The Medford Mail Tribune reported Friday that Yazeed Mohammed Abunayyan pleaded guilty Monday to interfering with a flight crew and was sentenced to the time he’s served since Feb. 21, when a Continental flight to Houston returned to Portland because of the disturbance he caused after being asked to stop smoking an electronic cigarette.
In Ashland, two days before the plane incident, a slow-speed police chase resulted in multiple charges against Abunayyan, described by a relative as troubled and on medications.
He was released Friday from the Multnomah County Jail.
Raptor trafficker must pay restitution
BILLINGS – A Crow Agency, Mont., man who pleaded guilty to trafficking in eagles and hawks has been ordered to pay $98,500 in restitution.
The U.S. attorney’s office said 23-year-old William Esley Hugs Jr. was sentenced Wednesday to 360 days in prison and given credit for already serving that time.
Hugs pleaded guilty in January to selling golden eagle wings and carcass; a bald eagle carcass, wings and tail; and hawk tails to an informant.
Hugs, his father, his uncle and three other Crow tribal members have pleaded guilty to violating federal eagle and migratory bird protection laws.
Spokane squad destroys pipe bomb
TONASKET, Wash. – A live pipe bomb found by a fisherman at the edge of Fancher Lake northeast of Tonasket was detonated by a bomb disposal unit from the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday afternoon.
The bomb was discovered at about 9 p.m. Wednesday. To protect the public, an Okanogan County sheriff’s deputy stayed with the device through the night until about noon on Thursday, when the bomb unit arrived, said Okanogan County Sheriff Frank Rogers.
He said the bomb was discovered wedged between two rocks.
Rogers said it didn’t appear to be an attempt to sabotage anyone. The fuse needed to be lit in order for it to go off, he said.
“We don’t know if they were going to light it and try doing something and it didn’t work or what,” he said. “It could be anything.”