In brief: Wintry weather may affect drivers

PORTLAND – Thanksgiving travelers planning to drive on Northwest freeways Sunday night may want to consider returning earlier.

The National Weather Service in Portland says “weather is expected to rapidly deteriorate across the Pacific Northwest.” Forecasters predict heavy snow on Cascades highway passes in Oregon and Washington Sunday evening, with accumulating snow also possible in the Oregon Coast Range.

Forecasters expect very cold arctic air to follow, though details are uncertain. The weather service says there could be rain and snow at low elevations during the Monday evening commute in Portland, followed by even colder air that would likely bring the lowest temperatures since November 2010.

Killer wants parole prohibition lifted

SANDPOINT – A 28-year-old Priest River man continues his efforts to remove the parole prohibition from his life sentence for killing his wife and unborn daughter.

Attorneys for Jeremy Keith Swanson filed notice on Nov. 20 that he intends to appeal the sentence to the Idaho Supreme Court, the Bonner County Daily Bee reported.

Swanson pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for the Dec. 18, 2012, death of 27-year-old Jennifer Bosch Swanson and to second-degree murder for the death of their unborn child.

Earlier this month, District Judge Benjamin Simpson declined to reconsider the sentence.

Defense attorneys have argued that the sentence is excessive because Swanson was diagnosed as having a major depressive disorder with psychotic features.

Bonner County prosecutors have argued Swanson was shown leniency when the death penalty was taken off the table.

Police dog detects money in package

MEDFORD, Ore. – The smell of money helped land a southern Oregon man in jail.

Mark Hill, 28, of Phoenix, faces drug charges after a police dog sniffed out $12,000 in cash, authorities said. The money is the proceeds of drug sales, police said. Hill was lodged in jail on Monday and remained on $50,000 bail, the Medford Mail-Tribune reported.

They began investigating when a dog zeroed in on a FedEx package sent to Hill’s address from Austin, Texas, police said. Medford Area Drug and Gang Enforcement investigators got a warrant and found the cash inside.

Hill’s home is an Oregon Medical Marijuana Program grow site, but police say they found more marijuana there than is allowed for medical marijuana growers.

Sheriff’s department fined for old vests

TACOMA – State regulators have fined the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department for equipping jail deputies with outdated protective vests.

The Washington state Department of Labor and Industries issued a “serious” violation and levied a $3,600 fine Monday, the News Tribune reported.

Corrections deputies have been using 46 ballistic body armor vests that exceeded the manufacturer’s five-year warranty in May, regulators said. The vests have an expiration date because materials in them break down over time.

The citation says the outdated vests could result in disability or death from a gunshot wound.