Governors rip Bush disaster help idea

Helena

Several governors are fuming over a Bush administration suggestion that the active military take a greater role in disaster response, calling it an attempt to usurp state authority over National Guard units.

Governors in Washington, Mississippi, Michigan, Arkansas, West Virginia, Delaware and Alabama are among those who have panned the idea, questioning whether it would even be constitutional.

Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, among the harshest critics, said the issue promises to be a major topic at the Western Governors Association meeting in Phoenix next week.

“I’m going to stand up among a bunch of elected governors and say, ‘Are we going to allow the military, without a shot being fired, to effectively do an end-run coup on civilian government? Are we going to allow that?’ ” Schweitzer said. “We’re going to have a little civics lesson for some leaders who are apparently out of touch in the military.”

President Bush first suggested in September that the active military ought to have a greater role in responding to disasters. He said the military’s training, command structure and resources put it in a better position to lead recovery efforts. Adm. Timothy J. Keating, commander at U.S. Northern Command, endorsed the idea as well.

Schweitzer said he became even more irate after seeing a copy of an e-mail circulating among National Guard commanders this week that contends active duty military leaders are suggesting taking federal control even further.

The e-mail, written by Washington National Guard Maj. Gen. Timothy Lowenberg, contends that Keating has been telling military officers that National Guard officers are not capable of handling “command and control.”

Resource officer finds drug paraphernalia

A high school resource officer was surprised to be greeted by the smell of burnt marijuana when he opened the door to his office at Coeur d’Alene High on Thursday.

Officer Scott TenEyck said in a police report that he was surprised by the smell and quickly began to search his office, finding two grocery bags full of drug paraphernalia under his desk.

TenEyck said the school’s assistant principal told him that a student’s mother had confiscated the items from her son’s bedroom and brought them to the school. According to the report, TenEyck contacted the student, who explained how he used the items in the bag to smoke marijuana.

The report is being forwarded to the prosecutor’s office, TenEyck said.

Rescuers pull SUV driver from river

Snohomish, Wash.

The driver of an SUV that crashed into the Pilchuck River on Friday was plucked out of his vehicle by rescuers after waiting nearly two hours as the vehicle slipped deeper into the fast-moving, cold water, fire officials said. Water was up to the window when a Snohomish County sheriff’s boat arrived.

Battalion Chief Craig Heike of Fire District 4 said the driver, a 32-year-old man from Snohomish whose name was not immediately released, apparently suffered a medical problem that caused him to drive into the river. The car left South Machias Road, drove across a field, through thick brush and across a bike trail before splashing into the water.

The accident was witnessed and phoned in about 6:15 a.m. by another driver. Responding emergency workers found the SUV stuck in the middle of the shallow river about a half-mile downstream from where it went in.

Rich Niebush, spokesman for the Snohomish County sheriff, said that at its deepest the Pilchuck River is only 4 or 5 feet deep, at the beginning of Washington’s rainy season.

Neibush said the trickiest part of the rescue was persuading the man to stay in his vehicle until rescuers could get to him. Their main concern was that he would leave his car and get caught in the current, which was so swift it prevented rescuers from walking into the river to help him.

Gregoire taps new fish, wildlife commissioner

Olympia

Gov. Christine Gregoire on Friday appointed Conrad Mahnken, a retired fisheries biologist from Bainbridge Island, to the state Fish and Wildlife Commission.

The governor has sought to recast the commission, which oversees hunting and fishing regulations and appoints the state fish and wildlife director. With the latest appointment, she now has a majority of her own appointees on the nine-member panel.

Mahnken replaces Commissioner Clyde McBrayer of Olympia, who resigned in August. Mahnken will serve a term that expires at the end of 2010. State Senate confirmation is required.

“Connie Mahnken shares my strong commitment to the sustainable use of our natural resources,” the governor said in announcing the appointment. “The direction set by FWC affects the economic stability of many important industries, as well as the environmental quality of our state.”

Judge upholds Oregon’s gay marriage ban

Salem

Oregon’s voter-approved ban on gay marriage was upheld Friday by a judge who turned aside arguments from gay rights supporters that the measure is flawed and should not have been put to a statewide vote.

The state’s largest gay rights organization later said it would appeal the ruling while continuing its political fight in the Legislature to gain more rights and benefits for gay and lesbian couples.

But the group that sponsored the gay marriage ban said the ruling honored the will of the voters and protected Oregonians’ right to enact constitutional changes via the ballot.

In his ruling, Marion County Circuit Judge Joseph Guimond rejected opponents’ arguments that Measure 36 contained too many changes that should have been voted on as separate amendments.