In brief: Utah woman accused of kidnapping son arrested in Spokane
A 20-year-old Utah woman accused of kidnapping her young son during a supervised visitation has been arrested in Spokane.
The U.S. Marshals Service said federal agents arrested Lady Ashley Marks in Spokane on Saturday.
KUTV reported she’s accused of kidnapping 15-month-old Giovanni Marks last month during a supervised visit at a home in Murray, Utah.
Investigators said the toddler’s father had been awarded legal custody of the boy. The mother is in the custody of the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office awaiting extradition back to Salt Lake County.
Startup Weekend winners named
The winning teams from Startup Weekend Spokane included a sister-act proposal developing a silicon-infused earbud.
About 115 people took part in the event, the fourth Startup Weekend held in Spokane since early 2012.
The top two teams were Sili, which proposed developing noise-canceling earbuds made with silicon technology; and StrongerLove, which would create a Web app that provides users with daily tips to improve a relationship with a loved one.
Coming up with Sili were twin sisters Sara and Megan Fristoe, who said the idea derived from long hours they spent traveling with roommates and wishing they had a better set of earbuds for noise cancellation.
The two top teams are invited to take part in a business pitch in Seattle.
Third place went to a team pitching an idea called CrowdFundamental. The Web tool helps individuals or groups improve success in finding investments through crowdfunding.
All three teams earned the right to free downtown shared office space to get their ideas off the ground.
Grand Coulee Dam fire injures worker
GRAND COULEE, Wash. – The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation said an employee was injured in a fire at Grand Coulee Dam in north-central Washington.
KHQ-TV reported that the unidentified worker was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. No condition report was immediately available. A second employee was being treated locally for smoke inhalation.
The bureau said the fire started Monday in the John W. Keys III Pump-Generating Plant. Employees were evacuated.
A statement from the Reclamation Bureau said the cause is believed to be a switch gear failure.
Rocks thrown on I-90 cause injury
ELLENSBURG – Washington State Patrol troopers are trying to locate those responsible for a weekend incident in which rocks were hurled at vehicles traveling on Interstate 90 near Ellensburg. One rock went through a windshield and injured a person.
Troopers said several other cars were damaged.
The State Patrol said the rocks were thrown from the side of the freeway late Saturday night or early Sunday morning.
WSP says trooper’s death was accident
OLYMPIA – Multiple factors led to the death of a Washington State Patrol trooper whose motorcycle collided with a commercial truck near Mount Vernon last May, an official said.
Sean O’Connell was killed May 31 while he was directing traffic along a detour set up after the Skagit River bridge collapsed.
Capt. Charles LeBlanc said Monday that detectives determined it was a tragic accident. The patrol said no citations have been issued and no charges are being sought against the truck driver. Speed was not a factor in the collision, and the truck driver was not impaired.
O’Connell was passing on the right of the truck when the truck turned right, and the two vehicles collided. A guard rail cut off a potential escape route for the trooper.
The new Skagit River bridge has been renamed in the trooper’s honor.
Hanford manager files new complaint
RICHLAND – A nuclear safety manager at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation has filed a new complaint alleging she has suffered retaliation since filing her original complaint in 2011.
Donna Busche filed her new complaint Monday, alleging retaliation by her employer, URS Energy and Construction Inc. and Bechtel National Inc. She filed the new complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor.
Busche alleges that she has experienced continued harassment, isolation, exclusion and unwarranted criticism as she tries to ensure that one of the largest environmental cleanup efforts in the world is completed safely.
In a statement Monday, Bechtel National said it “has reviewed Ms. Busche’s new complaint and, as with her original complaint, has found no merit in it.”
Busche works at the construction site of a plant intended to turn Hanford’s radioactive wastes into a glasslike substance.