NW today: At Oregon gym, burn calories, move electrons
What’s news in the Northwest today:
PORTLAND, Ore. — In one Oregon fitness center, the whirring of stationary bikes is the sound of power. Exercise machines in Portland’s Green Microgym have been fitted with generators that can light the business, turn fans or power TVs. It’s one of the few places in America to adopt the technology. Industry observers say only a few thousand machines have been hooked up, out of millions that could be — mainly because the investment takes so long to pay off. But the owner of the Green Microgym, Adam Boesel, says that’s not the point. He says generating electricity from the center’s exercise machines is part of a package of environmentally sound practices that reflect the values of the members who put a premium on green and local enterprise.
Budget-focused WA special session begins today
OLYMPIA — Lawmakers are returning to Olympia today to begin a special session with the aim of finishing work on the state budget. Regular session wrapped up last Friday, and lawmakers were given a long weekend off before being called back by Gov. Chris Gregoire. The entire Senate is expected to be in Olympia for at least the next two weeks, pushing bills necessary to implement the budget forward. In special sessions, all bills lawmakers had advanced to the opposite chamber go back to their House of origin. House leadership says top budget leaders will be in town, but most members will remain at home until budget negotiations are nearly completed. Lawmakers need to pass a budget that slashes about $5 billion in spending in the next 30 days.
Washington Marine killed in Afghanistan
YAKIMA, Wash. — The foster father of a Marine lance corporal who grew up mainly in White Swan, Wash., says Joe Jackson was fatally injured last weekend in Afghanistan when an improvised explosive device detonated. Talking about Jackson on Monday, Shawn Marceau called the 22-year-old “a stellar Marine son” and “my best friend.” Jackson was a Gila River tribal member who was mostly raised on the Yakama reservation. The Yakima Herald-Republic says military officials say Jackson was following another Marine who was carrying a mine detector on a steep slope when the young man’s foot slipped outside the detected area and a bomb exploded. He was the only one struck. He was pronounced dead an hour later at a hospital.
Transient assaulted with hatchet in Billings
BILLINGS, Mont. — Police say a 23-year-old man was assaulted with a hatchet at a Billings motel and three men have been arrested. Billings police say officers found the victim, identified as a transient, a block away from the Vegas Motel bleeding from the head at about 8:20 p.m. Monday. Police say it appears three men assaulted the victim by hitting him in the head with the blunt edge of a hatchet. The man was taken to the hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. Officials have not released the names of the men who were arrested.
Idaho state workers sue over layoffs
LEWISTON — The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is being sued by five former workers who say they were laid off because they were closer to retirement and had higher wages than their colleagues. The workers, all from north-central Idaho and eastern Washington, filed the age discrimination lawsuit in Lewiston, Idaho’s 2nd District Court. The Lewiston Tribune reports that the workers say they were among 126 employees laid off last year amid budget cuts and office closures around the state, and that the department selected older employees for the layoffs. Juanita Hatke, Judi Lupinacci and Candace Maurer of Lewiston, Patricia Wilkinson of Kamiah and Barbara Swearingen of Clarkston, Wash. are asking for damages in an amount to be proven at trial. They are represented by Lewiston attorney Scott Chapman.
Oregon National Guard Sgt. pleads guilty to theft
PORTLAND — An Oregon Army National Guard sergeant accused of stealing and reselling military body armor pleaded guilty Monday in Portland to theft of government property. The Oregonian reports 30-year-old Jason Michael Weisenburg of Gresham will be sentenced Aug. 1 in federal court. Investigators with the Defense Department and FBI estimated the value of military equipment stolen from the Gresham armory at more than $15,000. An informant said the body armor was destined for an outlaw motorcycle gang in California.
Governors: Build a truss bridge to replace I-5 span
PORTLAND – Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire and Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber announced Monday that they have chosen the flat, less expensive deck truss style bridge to replace the aging Interstate 5 bridge over the Columbia River. In a joint press conference on Hayden Island, the governors said that while the flat-deck style bridge is less aesthetically pleasing than the taller cable stay bridge design that was also under consideration, choosing the simpler design will help the project stay on time and on budget. The state leaders said that obtaining a federal Record of Decision approving the bridge plan by the end of the year keeps the $3.2 billion Columbia River Crossing project in the queue for $1.3 billion in federal highway and transit money. Both said again that their main goal is to break ground in 2013 on a project that includes five miles of interchange improvements and a bridge that has both light rail and tolling.
Bend mother responsible for killing daughter, self
BEND, Ore. — A police investigation into a shooting at a Bend home concludes that 39-year-old Julie Still killed her 5-year-old daughter, tried to kill her 2-year-old son and then took her own life. The shooting was discovered Dec. 15 when Charles Still returned from work to find his family with gunshot wounds. Investigators say Julie Still left journal entries with insight into her state of mind. KTVZ reports the Oregon State Police crime lab confirmed she used a .22-caliber pistol that was found at the home. The 2-year-old boy has recovered from his physical wounds.
2 bodies found in submerged car at Oregon coast
SEASIDE, Ore. — Police in Seaside say two bodies have been found inside a vehicle submerged in the Necanicum River in the downtown area. KPTV reports that police and firefighters were called to the boat launch at Quatat Park at 10:18 p.m. Monday, when someone called 911 saying there was a car in the river. Emergency crews found the car, submerged, just north of a boat ramp near the docks. A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter was called in to search the area around the river for any survivors, but none were found. Members of the Clatsop County Dive Team found the bodies of a man and a woman inside the car. Both were recovered early this morning. Police were waiting to release the names of the victims after family members could be notified.
Idaho woman sentenced for injury to a child
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — A 32-year-old woman has been sentenced to six years of probation and 90 days in jail for felony injury to her 1-year-old daughter. Sixth District Judge Dane Watkins Jr. sentenced Tia Loriellen McMurtrey on Monday, giving her credit for 60 days in jail and ordering her to participate in a special problem-solving court. If she fails, she faces two to four years in prison. The Post Register reports that prosecutors say McMurtrey locked herself in a bedroom and cut her toddler with a razor blade during an argument with her boyfriend’s teen daughter. A police report claimed the child had a half-inch cut above her right ear. McMurtrey told the court that prescription drug abuse affected her actions and she didn’t mean to harm her daughter.
Epileptic Everett man sentenced for fatal crash
EVERETT, Wash. — A 70-year-old Everett man with a history of epileptic seizure accidents was sentenced Monday to three months home detention for vehicle homicide. Ben Garnet Holt pleaded guilty in March for the November 2009 rear-end collision in Edmonds that killed 62-year-old John Spudich. Prosecutors say Holt was driving with disregard for the safety of others because of his history of crashes. The Daily Herald reports Holt had surrendered his license after a 2009 accident but state licensing officials reinstated it a month later on a doctor’s recommendation.