In brief: Same-sex couples were 20 percent of marriages

About one Washington state wedding in five between early December and the end of March involved a same-sex couple, state figures show.

The state Department of Health said nearly 2,500 same-sex couples were married in Washington between Dec. 6, when a voter-approved law took effect, and March 31. That’s about 20 percent of the 11,661 marriages performed and reported to county officials.

More than half of them took place in King County, the state’s most populous. Spokane County recorded 504 couples married during that period, with 88 or 17.5 percent of them involving same sex couples, the department said. 

Four counties – Asotin, Ferry, Garfield and Wahkiakum – had no same-sex marriages on file.

Female couples were almost twice as likely as male couples to get married, comprising some 63 percent of the same-sex marriages during that period. Same-sex couples were also more likely to travel to Washington to get married than heterosexual couples, the department said; 14 percent of the same-sex marriages had both couples from out of state, compared to 4 percent of heterosexual couples both being from out of state.

Washington became the seventh state in the nation to legalize same-sex marriage when voters approved Referendum 74 in November.

For a county-by-county breakdown, go to www. spokesman.com/spincontrol.

Deputies use stun gun on alleged intruder

Deputies used a stun gun to subdue a man who was behaving strangely at a south Spokane gym Thursday evening.

Witnesses said a man was yelling and throwing weights at Oz Fitness, 5501 S. Regal St. Authorities were called around 7:40 p.m.

After deputies arrived, the man fled the gym but was subdued in a parking lot across the street. No shots were fired, according to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office.

The man was unresponsive at first but was revived when medics performed CPR, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Regal Street was closed between 55th and 57th avenues for several hours as authorities investigated.

Motorcyclist injured after crash on Maple St.

A motorcyclist suffered serious injuries after crashing into a car at North Maple Street and West Mission Avenue in Spokane Wednesday night.

Police Detective Lydia Taylor said a man was headed north on Maple around 10 p.m. when a car pulled out from Mission. Taylor said the man on the motorcycle was speeding when he hit the car.

The man was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries.