More on the mayor and from Iraq

Attorneys for Mayor Jim West responded today to a deposition given by one of the men who alleges the mayor molested him about 25 years ago. It was an opportunity for West’s side of the story to be told, so we’re planning to give the story top play on the front page.

One wild card, though, is the news that a U.S. helicopter was shot down in Iraq. If there are multiple fatalities, that could push the story to the top of the page. Meanwhile, Iraqi troops and U.S. soldiers will attempt to blockade roads leading into and out of Iraq, then sweep through the capital.

In Idaho, law enforcement officers sifted through the Kootenai County landfill looking for clues in the homicide of three Wolf Lodge Bay residents and the disappearance of two children. DNA results show that no blood from the missing children was present at the homicide scene.

Also locally, two plaintiff’s attorneys in the diocese bankruptcy says the diocese vastly overstated the number of potential sex abuse victims who might file lawsuits. That affected the structure of the creditor’s committee and could color the outcome of the bankruptcy.

One story that didn’t make the cut for Page 1 will lead the Region section. A federal judge ruled today that the plan for balancing the needs of salmon against hydroelectric dams violates the Endangered Species Act. The Bush administration had issued a biological opinion that dams are a part of the ecosystem and cannot be removed. The judge rejected that idea.

In sports, a Cougar football player was sentenced to 75 days in jail; the Mariners are playing today; and columnist John Blanchette writes about an Eastern Washington University runner who has overcome great odds to become a top competitor in the steeplechase.