In brief: Military to get more unpaid leave
Military families will have more unpaid leave under a measure signed into law by Gov. Chris Gregoire.
Also, during periods of military conflict, employees are entitled to up to 15 days of unpaid leave before their spouse is deployed or while their spouse is on leave from deployment.
The measure increases from 15 to 21 the number of days each year a state or local officer or employee who is a member of the Washington National Guard or Reserves is entitled to a military leave of absence from employment.
Gregoire also signed into law a measure to issue a special license plate to the parents of military who have died while in service.
Seattle
Hiker’s body found on Mount Rainier
The body of a missing hiker has been found on Mount Rainier.
National park spokesman Kevin Bacher said Devin Ossman appears to have died from exposure.
Search teams found the body of the 45-year-old Mukilteo man Wednesday off the Kautz Creek trail near the 3,000-foot level.
Bacher said Ossman appears to have lost the trail near the 4,200-foot level and tried to make his way down.
Ranger Lee Taylor said Ossman had arrived at the park Monday for a day hike. His wife reported him missing. He was not prepared to camp overnight.
About 20 searchers and two dogs had searched for Ossman in snow more than 3 feet deep.
Boise
Election reform proposal withdrawn
Major legislation to consolidate all Idaho elections under the state’s 44 county clerks was withdrawn Wednesday, with sponsors asking lawmakers to wait for a new version next year.
Lobbyist John Watts said, “There’s a lot of ragged ends that need to be tied up. … There was no agenda to try to force this on anybody. We really want to create a good, solid election reform bill. We’ll get everyone at the table over the summer.”
HB 637 was so complex that it was 93 pages long and its title alone ran for six pages.
“This is good news,” said Kootenai County Clerk Dan English. “Election consolidation is a very valid and important issue that deserves more thought and study, but this was too massive of a change to do quickly.”
Redmond, Wash.
Woman sentenced for false rape claim
A woman who made a false rape accusation against a college professor pleaded guilty in King County District Court in Redmond to making false statements.
The judge sentenced 22-year-old Katherine Clifton on Tuesday to eight days in jail and ordered her to pay the professor’s attorney fees. The former Woodinville woman now lives in Ellensburg.
Judge Peter Nault said her case will make it harder for real victims to seek help.
The professor spent nine days in jail and was suspended from his job during the rape investigation.
King County sheriff’s spokesman John Urquhart said Clifton appeared to be credible when she reported she had been raped last July at the professor’s home in Woodinville. The investigation led to the charge against him being dismissed.
Tacoma
Murder suspect found incompetent
A man accused of stabbing his girlfriend to death in 2004 in Parkland was found mentally incompetent to stand trial.
A Pierce County judge dismissed the murder charge last week against the 28-year-old man, Thomas Shane O’Hagan.
Now prosecutors are seeking to have him committed at Western State Hospital. He’s being held at the county jail in Tacoma, pending a hearing.
A deputy prosecutor, Patrick Oishi, said the murder charge in the death of Maria Flesher could be refiled if O’Hagan becomes competent.
Billings
Some bison will be returned to park
The approach of spring could slow the slaughter of bison leaving Yellowstone National Park. Officials said Wednesday they would hold some of the animals for release back into the park when the snow melts.
A record 1,100 bison have been killed so far this winter, primarily through a controversial disease management program meant to prevent bison from coming into contact with surrounding cattle ranches.
The bison were captured as they left the park in search of food. In the middle of winter, captured animals typically are not returned to the park because there is nothing there for them to eat.
With spring weather just a few weeks away, most bison captured on the north side of the park will now be held for release, said Yellowstone spokesman Al Nash. Animals captured on the west side of the park, where there has been more snow, will continue to be slaughtered.
Calves captured on the north side also will be eligible for a disease research program that had been suspended when the government could not find land to keep them on. Those calves will be tested for brucellosis and put into the program if the results are negative. Animals testing positive will be slaughtered. About 40 calves are now being held, Nash said.
Brucellosis can cause pregnant cattle, bison and elk to abort their young.
Big Timber, Mont.
Moccasin Lake wolf pack killed
The four wolves that made up the Moccasin Lake pack were shot by federal wildlife officials Wednesday after more livestock kills were confirmed south of Big Timber.
The wolves killed a calf in the area on Saturday and harassed livestock on Sunday. On Wednesday, a landowner reported a lamb and ewe had been killed.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services officials confirmed the livestock kills, tracked the wolves through the snow and killed two of them.
After further investigation at the sheep kill site, they called the state Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks and got permission to shoot the other two.
State wolf coordinator Carolyn Sime said the pack had a previous history of livestock depredations. One wolf was killed last year after the pack killed a calf.