In brief: Kayak protesters near oil rig detained
SEATTLE – The U.S. Coast Guard detained two dozen protesters who formed a blockade with kayaks and other vessels Monday to try to stop Royal Dutch Shell’s drill rig as it left Seattle on its way to explore for oil in the Arctic Ocean.
The protesters were scooped up from the water because they were violating the safety zone around the Polar Pioneer, which departed around 6 a.m., Coast Guard Lt. Dana Warr said. They would be released after receiving violation notices that carry a $500 penalty, he said.
About a dozen “kayaktivists” paddled out around 4 a.m. to try to prevent the 400-foot-long rig from leaving, said Cassady Sharp, a Greenpeace spokeswoman. Several dozen supporters in kayaks and canoes lined up behind them, she said. Seattle Councilman Mike O’Brien was among those detained. He and others in kayaks paddled into Seattle’s Elliott Bay before dawn to oppose Shell’s plans to open a new frontier of fossil fuel exploration off Alaska’s coast.
Shell spokesman Curtis Smith said Monday that the vessels are on the way to Alaska.
Activists say they are concerned about the risks of an oil spill in the remote Arctic waters and the effects that tapping new oil and gas reserves will have on global warming.
Union Pacific proposes North Idaho siding
Union Pacific Railroad is seeking state and federal permits to build a 2-mile-long siding in North Idaho’s scenic Moyie River valley.
As many as 20 trains travel daily on the route between the Canadian border at Eastport and Spokane. The proposed siding would ease congestion by allowing trains to pass each other, said Francisco Castillo, the railroad’s western regional director.
The route carries a mix of freight, including grains, fertilizer and crude oil from Alberta’s tar sands. UP does not ship any crude oil from North Dakota’s Bakken formation through Idaho, Castillo said.
The siding project has drawn opposition from property owners in the Moyie Valley, who have cabins or second homes near the proposed siding.
“Most people like the trains, but they’ll dominate this valley if they put the second track in,” said Fred “Gabe” Gabourie, a retired Coeur d’Alene attorney who owns one of the properties.
Boy charged after prostitution probe
A 14-year-old boy has been implicated in a suspected prostitution ring run from inside the Spokane County juvenile detention center.
In March officers searched his phone, computer and Facebook account and found sexually explicit images of a girl, according to court documents. The boy has been charged in juvenile court with two counts of second-degree promotion of prostitution and conspiracy, however police have been unable to find and arrest him.
Police accuse the boy of working with 17-year-old Thaishaun Hunter, who was charged as an adult this month for allegedly leading organized crime, second-degree promotion of prostitution and promoting commercial sex abuse of a minor.
A domestic argument grew into an arson June 9 when Jose Edwin Hernandez lit a mattress on fire, according to court documents.
Hernandez is accused of becoming angry after his girlfriend told him she was leaving him, with plans to sell their mobile home.
Police say Hernandez smashed her cellphone, grabbed a can of gasoline and lit a mattress on fire. Firefighters found a smoldering mattress, apparently put out by a garden hose. Hernandez is facing charges of arson.
Motorcyclist injured in I-90 ramp crash
A motorcyclist was in the hospital Monday after crashing down an embankment along Interstate 90.
The Washington State Patrol said Danny Harman, 40, traveled too fast on the westbound Sprague Avenue on-ramp when he lost control of his 2008 Hyosung GT250 motorcycle.
Medics delivered him to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center. He was wearing a helmet, authorities said.