In brief: WSP identifies flagger killed on road
The Washington State Patrol says a highway flagger who was killed on U.S. Highway 101 along Hood Canal was a 49-year-old woman from Beaver, Wash.
Lynette Anderson was killed Monday when a dump truck backed over her at a paving project near Brinnon.
The state Department of Transportation says the victim is believed to have worked for Lakeside Industries, based in Issaquah.
Trooper Krista Hedstrom says investigators are trying to determine how the accident occurred. Troopers are questioning witnesses and checking safety equipment on the truck, such as the alarm that beeps when the truck is in reverse.
Moscow, Idaho
Teen sentenced to prison for murder
A Troy, Idaho, teenager accused of fatally shooting a man before turning the gun on himself has been sentenced to between five and 20 years in prison.
Zachary Fredrickson, then 17, was sentenced Monday for the June 2007 murder of Jeremiah Johnson. Fredrickson pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in April as part of a plea deal, just days before his trial was to begin.
Prosecutors say Fredrickson placed a .22-caliber rifle under his chin and shot himself after Johnson, 23, was shot once in the head.
Witnesses say the violence erupted after Johnson teased Fredrickson about his brother’s football skills. Fredrickson survived the shooting and was taken into police custody days after being released from the hospital.
Spokane County
Police seek man with 17-year record
Crime Stoppers is offering a reward for information that leads to the arrest of a fugitive with a 17-year criminal history.
Bobby Gene Mason, 43, is wanted on three warrants: second-degree possession of stolen property, violating a court order and making threatening phone calls, said Spokane County Sheriff’s Sgt. Dave Reagan.
Mason has previous convictions that include assault, possession of stolen property, making threatening phone calls, refusal to cooperate, probation violations, resisting arrest and escape.
Anyone with information regarding Mason’s whereabouts should call (509) 327-5111 or (800) 222-TIPS. Callers do not have to give their name to collect a reward but should provide a code name or number.
Shoshone, Idaho
Wildfire fighters see busy weekend
Southern Idaho wildland firefighters got their first taste of action over the weekend, responding to several fires that consumed a total of about 150 acres.
North of Shoshone, a fire on private land consumed 27 acres on Sunday but was largely out by 3 p.m.
Brief winds a day earlier pushed the Hunt fire in the Magic Valley near Twin Falls to 102 acres before the blaze was controlled by 9 p.m.
Fire officials in Twin Falls say the recent spate of hot weather has quickly dried out fuels.
They’re warning residents not to park or drive over dry grass and brush, to put out their campfires and remember that fireworks are illegal on public land.
Jackson, Wyo.
Snake River runoff hits 9-year peak
More water has been flowing down the Snake River than at any point in the last nine years, thanks to warm weather that’s melting last winter’s heavy snowfall.
On Sunday, flows in Snake River Canyon above Alpine reached 19,600 cubic feet per second. That’s the most on record since flows reached 23,400 cubic feet per second in 1999.
Whitewater outfitters welcomed the high flows and said business is booming.
The outfitters have agreed to a series of guidelines and safety procedures because of the high water. The rules include launching larger rafts – ones that can accommodate as many as 12 people – when river levels top 14,000 cubic feet per second.
Most whitewater outfitters also have agreed to increase the minimum age for participants to 10 when flows top 18,000 cubic feet per second.
“Those are all guidelines we’ve set so we have safety as our primary concern down there,” said Heather Ewing, owner of Barker-Ewing Whitewater.
“It’s nice because it’s been a constant flow recently, so everyone’s had the opportunity to learn the river at these levels, and everyone’s having a blast.”
Jackson Lake in Grand Teton National Park was 94 percent full. The high flows have prompted the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to release water from Jackson Lake earlier than usual.
Downstream in eastern Idaho, Palisades Reservoir was 66 percent full.
Billings
Group requests big-game reduction
A nationwide cattlemen’s group is calling on Yellowstone National Park to reduce bison and elk numbers as part of efforts to eradicate the livestock disease brucellosis.
After being nearly eliminated elsewhere in the country over the last several decades, brucellosis still lingers in the park’s wildlife.
The disease, first brought to the area by early European settlers, causes pregnant cows to abort their calves.
Infections in cows surfaced in recent weeks on two ranches in the Greater Yellowstone area – in Daniel, Wyo. and Pray, Mont. The source of infection is under investigation.
To guard against future transmissions, the California-based U.S. Cattlemen’s Association says the federal government should reduce Yellowstone’s elk and bison populations to help contain the animals within the park.
Silverdale, Wash.
Harley owners plan 15th annual rally
More than 400 Harley-Davidson motorcycles are expected to rumble through Silverdale on Friday night for the 15th annual HOG (Harley Owners Group) state rally.
The ride starts Thursday in Wenatchee and proceeds on a 350-mile scenic route, ending at the Clearwater Casino Resort in Suquamish.
Olympia
State will pay airline baggage fee
When a state employee flies on official business, Washington will pay the $15 that some airlines charge to check a single bag.
A spokesman for the Office of Financial Management, Glenn Kuper, says the state is following the federal practice.
He says a single bag is not a luxury, and there’s only so much that can be stuffed into a carry-on bag.
But the state will not pay the toll for solo employees who are driving on Highway 167 south of Seattle to use the car pool lane. Kuper says state employees can get their job done in the regular lanes.
Issaquah, Wash.
Judge accused of rudeness, again
A lawyer representing a King County District Court judge accused for a second time of rude behavior says Judge Judith Eiler is simply a tough, no-nonsense jurist.
Attorney Anne Bremner says Eiler is a leader among judges, is deservedly well-respected and denies the allegations.
Last Friday, the Washington state Commission on Judicial Conduct charged Eiler with “rude, impatient, undignified and intimidating treatment” of attorneys and people representing themselves.
Eiler was reprimanded for the same thing in 2005, and the commission director says she carried out sensitivity training as ordered.
Eiler works in a court in Issaquah.
She has 21 days to file a response to the charges.