Woman was girlfriend of man killed by bomb

A woman whose nude body was found in a house this week was the girlfriend of the man killed in the same house when a pipe bomb exploded in August.

Moses Lake police found the body of Heather Smith, 30, on Tuesday. Authorities say power had been turned off to the house the day before, and her death is being investigated as suspicious.

The woman’s boyfriend, Javier Martinez Adame, 53, died at the house Aug. 3 when a pipe bomb exploded. That case is being investigated as a homicide.

Seattle

City officials approve strip club near stadium

City officials in Seattle say a strip club may operate near Safeco Field, even though children and families often go to events at the stadium.

The Seattle Mariners and other businesses in the area just south of downtown had asked the city to designate the ballpark for an 800-foot buffer zone in which strip clubs would be banned.

City codes prohibit nude dance establishments from operating within 800 feet of community centers, public parks or other facilities, such as schools or child care centers.

But city planner Andrew McKim wrote in the decision to issue a business permit for the club on Thursday that Safeco Field does not qualify as a community center or park. As a spectator sports facility, the stadium is subject to different standards than community centers or parks, he wrote.

The decision means strip club owner Roger Forbes can move forward with plans to locate another one of his Deja Vu clubs on First Avenue South, about 400 feet south of the stadium’s main entrance.

Mariners spokeswoman Rebecca Hale said the ball club is reviewing the city’s decision.

Opponents have 21 days to sue to try to stop the project.

Billings

Judge asked to undo ruling on snowmobiles

An environmental group wants a federal judge in Wyoming to dismiss his November order allowing up to 720 snowmobiles daily into Yellowstone National Park.

The National Parks Conservation Association said U.S. District Judge Clarence Brimmer lacked jurisdiction in the case because a federal judge in Washington, D.C., had already ruled on the issue.

The association’s Tim Stevens said he doesn’t expect a ruling in time for the 2008-09 winter season. “We know the wheels of justice turn slowly,” he said. “Our bottom line is we want to make sure visitors and the park service know what to do next year.”

In September, Judge Emmet Sullivan in Washington, D.C., rejected a plan to allow 540 snowmobiles daily into Yellowstone. Ruling in favor of environmental groups who had sued over the plan, Sullivan said many machines would cause too much noise and disturb the park’s wildlife.

Less than two months later Brimmer handed down his order in a separate lawsuit filed by snowmobile advocates. He said that until the park comes up with a new plan, 720 should be allowed because that’s what the park permitted for the last several years.

Sullivan’s ruling has since been appealed. On Thursday, National Parks Conservation Association attorneys filed court documents asking that the case be returned to Sullivan so he can clarify what the park must do to meet his concerns.