Two men struck, killed by train

Steilacoom, Wash. Two young men were struck by a train and killed Sunday while walking on or near the Burlington Northern tracks south of Tacoma, railroad officials said.

A Union Pacific freight train traveling from Tacoma to Portland struck the men, who were estimated to be between 18 and 20 years old, said Gus Melonas, a Burlington Northern spokesman.

One man was walking on and the other was next to the tracks, he said. The train, which had been traveling at 40 mph, sounded its horn repeatedly before attempting an emergency stop.

“This is an unfortunate situation for everyone involved,” Melonas said.

The accident occurred on the railroad’s double main line, which was closed to all traffic at about 4:10 p.m., about 12 1/2 miles south of Tacoma and 4 miles north of Steilacoom.

The train was carrying three locomotives and 73 cars, Melonas said.

No cars derailed as a result of the emergency breaking, and no railroad employees were injured. Melonas said there are no crossings in the area.

Railroad authorities and local police were investigating. Other information, including the identities of the men, was not immediately available.

Two people arrested in teen strangulation

Yakima The roommate of a teenager, who was strangled and set on fire, and the roommate’s boyfriend have been arrested for investigation of murder and kidnapping, police said.

A disagreement over a car apparently led to the dispute that ended in the death of Aracely Alvarez-Lopez, 18, of Yakima, whose body was found bound and burned near an abandoned rock quarry southeast of Toppenish, police said Sunday.

On Saturday, two people – the dead woman’s 25-year-old roommate and the roommate’s 22-year-old boyfriend – were arrested at a home in Yakima, police Capt. Jeffrey Schneider said.

A dispute arose over a car none of the three owned, and the roommate and boyfriend bound Alvarez-Lopez and held her for a time in an apartment before she was strangled Nov. 12, investigators said in a news release.

Her body was then set on fire at a remote rock quarry about five miles southeast of Toppenish, where a ranch hand found the body last Tuesday, according to the news release.

Others might have had some part of the episode, but “we have no indication that there’s anyone else involved in the actual murder,” Schneider said.

Cowlitz County jail near completion

Longview, Wash. Construction of the new Cowlitz County jail is several months overdue but construction officials say the facility is nearing completion.

Staff could start training at the new jail by mid-January or early February, project manager Nelson Graham said.

The jail was supposed to be complete by the end of September.

Work was delayed after defects were discovered in prefabricated exterior walls. The contractor for the $10.3 million project, Woodburn Construction Co. of Woodburn, Ore., is paying the county $500 per day because of the delays.

The new 240-bed jail will replace a lockup on the third floor of the Cowlitz County Hall of Justice. The new facility is located across the street from the Hall of Justice.

Western a top buyer of renewable energy

Bellingham Western Washington University has become one of the nation’s top 25 buyers of renewable energy, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

On Oct. 1, the EPA recognized Western as 22nd among the top 25 buyers of so-called green power.

Among colleges and universities, Western ranks second behind the University of Pennsylvania.

In the spring of 2004, WSU’s 13,000 students voted to assess themselves a per-quarter fee of $1.05 a credit, up to $10.50 for 10 or more credits, to make up for the cost difference between conventional power and green power.

Facilities management director Tim Wynn said paying for renewable energy will increase the university’s electric bill about $350,000 this academic year. During 2004-05, the cost to provide power for the university was about $1.7 million.

The wind, biomass, landfill gas and solar power is purchased from Puget Sound Energy’s Green Power Program. Western is the power company’s biggest green power customer, said Mike Richardson, manager of Puget Sound Energy’s renewable energy customer programs.

The university is expected to buy about 35 million kilowatt hours of power in the 2005-06 school year.

Idaho patrols will stress seat belt use

Idaho law enforcement will run emphasis patrols through Dec. 5 as part of the “Click It, Don’t Risk It!” campaign.

State law requires drivers and passengers to buckle up, and violations can cost $10 to $69 for each person not properly strapped in, according to a news release from the Coeur d’Alene Police Department.

In addition to seat belt violations, officers will be on the lookout for children who aren’t properly restrained. Idaho law requires children to be in child safety seats until age 7.

Highway to get new interchanges Thornton, Idaho A highway popular with tourists visiting Yellowstone National Park will get two new interchanges as part of the state’s 20-year plan to make roads safer.

Officials with the Idaho Transportation Department have announced the location of two interchanges to be built on U.S. 20 in eastern Idaho.

They replace intersections that have led to five serious accidents between 1996 and 2000.

The Thornton interchange will complement the commercial corridor in the area, said Madison County Commissioner Brooke Passey.

With the decisions, the Transportation Department can move forward with design plans for the interchanges.

Cathy Koon, a Transportation Department spokeswoman, said a record number of people, more than 200, offered comments on the proposed interchanges.

For some, the location could make or break their businesses.