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Gay & Lesbian Students Want New Type Of Housing At University Of Washington

2010-11-30T22:02:00.000-08:00

Gay and lesbian groups at the University of Washington are pushing for a new type of dorm on campus. It's called Gender-Neutral Housing. They believe the new living arrangements could stop homophbia in residence halls.

About 5,600 University of Washington students rely on campus housing to get them through four years of college. But, for some students like Emily Juhre who she lives with can make all the difference.

"You know I'm gender variant right, OK, so I'm a female but I dress as a male so I was very scared about rooming my first year," said Juhre.

The University of Washington Residence Hall Student Association is gathering information to see if Gender-Neutral Housing, which is supported by many gay and lesbian student organizations, could work here.

Jennifer Gibbons who is ASUW Director of Gay, Bisexual, Lesbian, and Transgender Commission says the UW needs to start this type of housing.

"There's a lot of students who don't necessarily want to live in gender segregated housing that includes a lot of the queer community especially Trans students on campus, but also students that don't conform to typical gender norms," said Gibbons.

Sexual orientation would not be on the applications for a Gender-Neutral dorm, instead once students request that kind of housing, they can pick roommates of either sex that share interests. Gibbons says the hope is the plan would make for more harmonious living arrangements.

"They get into a room with their roommate and the roommate can often be homophobic or sometimes hostile and they have a lot of issues, but with gender neutral housing they'd have more of an idea of who they're going into with," said Gibbons.

The students believe one of the best places to start Gender-Neutral housing at the UW would be in one of the new dorms along Northeast Campus Parkway that are scheduled to open next fall.

RHSA President Emma Tessier says whether they're in new or older buildings, certain floors could be designated as Gender-Neutral.

"We really don't know which residence Halls we would be looking at, putting it if any depending again on how students feel about it," said Tessier.

Delaney Tognolini who is Director of Programming and Diversity says Gender-Neutral residence housing is extremely important for campus life.

"We want everyone this is their home so, this is just another effort we're trying to make everyone feel safe and welcome," said Tognolini.

Right now, the RHSA is getting input from students, UW's Administration hasn't signed off of on the idea. But, Emily Juhre says it would make her and her friends feel more comfortable.

"Living with people who you know are going to be more accepting and not judge you based on your gender or how you present yourself that can't be really good," said Juhre.

The Residence Hall Student Association is still going over data they collected from the survey they did on Gender-Neutral Housing. The body could vote on passing a resolution for it during winter quarter.

Afternoon Walk Turns Deadly For Seattle Woman & Her Dog

2010-11-28T19:54:00.001-08:00

SEATTLE —
A local dog owner speaks out after the love of her life is shocked to death on a Seattle sidewalk. Lisa McKibbin has a warning for animal owners, also parents and their kids about the potential dangers lurking below their feet.

“Sammy was the best boy in the world he was my baby he loved to go on walks,” said McKibbin.

But, a walk on Thanksgiving afternoon on Queen Anne turned out to be their last together.

“I couldn't tell because he was just convulsing so much and just screeching I didn't know what was happening and I was screaming for someone to help me,” said McKibbin.

Lisa says Sammy was killed after stepping on a metal power plate at the base of a light pole outside Bricco’s Wine Bar.

“I put my hand in Sam's mouth and I felt a shock of the electric waves coming from his mouth and he said your dog has been electrocuted,” said McKibbin.

Lisa believes stray voltage killed him and she wants Seattle City Light to now inspect all of its plates and light poles.

“It is so painful to watch your dog die of such a horrific thing,” said McKibbin.

On Sunday Q13 Fox News talked with a bunch of dog owners on Queen Anne who say they’re now avoiding power plates because of what happened to Sammy.

Quyen Chan says City Light should make those inspections.

“This could probably happen anywhere else, they need to check this everywhere,” said Chan.

The power company calls this a tragic and freak accident. And, in a statement to Q13 Fox News Wrote:

“Seattle City Light extends our sympathy to the Bostdorff and McKibbin families in the loss of their dog Sammy. The electrical circuit feeding the streetlight has been disconnected. Safety is our highest priority. A Seattle City Light crew will be working on it Monday.”

The company says people should not worry about this happening again.

Lisa isn’t so sure she urges dog owners and people with children to avoid these power plates.

“I just don't want anybody else to go through this,” said McKibbin.

Lisa has filed a Police report and plans to talk with Seattle City Light about Sammy’s death. She’s even started a blog that talks about the dangers of stray voltage for people and animals. Lisa says her vet is even going to talk with other vets about this deadly hazard.

Navy Mom Helps Ship Holiday Cheer To Sailors All Around The Globe

2010-11-20T19:16:00.001-08:00

BOTHELL —

It began as an ambitious dream from a Navy Mom, gather the best things from home and ship them to hundreds of sailors serving overseas. On Saturday a community rallied for her cause to make the holidays bright for sailors thousands of miles from home.

There was no time for chit chat in one Bothell home on Saturday volunteers had some serious packing to do. They were grabbing a few snacks and stuffing them in a box to make sure Navy sailors serving overseas felt appreciated.

This is the second year Navy mom Mary Jo Bader has gathered goodies for sailors around the globe.

“That's wonderful you can never have too many letters and cards. So, beef jerky, trail mix, cookies, we have home-made cookies this year which is awesome,” said Bader.

This year’s goal, get enough stuff for 230 boxes and the community came through.

“We just thank so much to Q13 for that, they've been wonderful in helping us get the word out.”

But, the boxes aren’t done until Mary Jo drops in a few words of praise.

“Enjoy this small gift as our way of saying thank you and merry Christmas,” said Bader.

Now, that they’re done they’re ready to be shipped to sailors all over the world.

Volunteer Liz Cummings says the care packages mean a lot to the sailors.

“You know just how thankful they are that they get something for Christmas it's a big deal to them stuff that we would take for granted,” said Cummings.

Mary Jo is grateful to everyone who helped in bringing a little bit of holiday joy to the men and women who protect our country.

“You know I'm amazed at the response we had this year,” said Bader.

Mary Jo says as this project continues to grow she expects to pack and ship even more boxes next year, which means the volunteers will have to find a bigger place to do their work.

Feds Arrest Man For Allegedly Selling Rifle To Accused Cop Killer

2010-11-19T19:59:00.000-08:00

TACOMA —

A major development in the case of accused Cop killer Christopher Monfort. Feds arrested the man they say sold Monfort the rifle used to gun down Seattle Police Officer Timothy Brenton and wound his partner Britt Sweeney.

Federal Prosecutors say David Devenny admitted to undercover ATF Agents that he sold the rifle Monfort is accused of using to kill Officer Brenton. They say he bought it just seven days before the murder.

A rural neighborhood in Olympia woke up this morning to a swarm of Federal Agents descending on David Devenny’s house. ATF Special Agent in Charge Kelvin Crenshaw says they found 42 guns and $32,000 in cash.

“ATF's investigation revealed that Mr. Devenny was illegally selling firearms without a license,” said Crenshaw.

Devenny’s arrest is the result of an 18 month investigation. He’s charged with selling guns to people who aren’t legally allowed to own them. Crenshaw says Devenny also sold a rifle last fall that became the most sought after weapon in the City of Seattle.

“Statements made by Mr. Devenny to undercover agents indicate he was in fact the seller of the firearm on October 24, 2009 at the Puyallup Gun Show,” said Crenshaw.

Seven days later Crenshaw says the buyer Christopher Monfort used it to shoot and kill Seattle Police Officer Tim Brenton.

“This morning's arrest is but a small piece of the tragedy that marked an unspeakable act of murder,” said Crenshaw.

Selling that rifle to Monfort actually wasn’t illegal anyone can sell weapons at a gun show even if they’re not a licensed dealer. Crenshaw says was got Devenny busted was the number of guns he was peddling.

“He's engaged in the business of selling firearms for a profit and that it's no longer a private issue, he is actually engaged in the business for a profit,” said Devenny.

Still, the ATF says Devenny’s arrest was a bit emotional because of the connection to Brenton’s murder and because of who it was who took him into custody.

“On our Task Force Team we had one of our Task Force Officers who is a Seattle Police Officer and he is the one that actually was able to put the handcuffs on Mr. Devenny,” said Crenshaw.

Devenny remains locked up tonight he’ll be back in Court on Wednesday afternoon for his detention hearing in Tacoma. Meanwhile, Christopher Monfort returns to court early next month.

High Winds Hammer Seattle Area Causing Damage

2010-11-15T20:34:00.000-08:00

The high winds that whipped through our area left a path of destruction on both sides of Lake Washington. Trees and phone lines were toppled and scaffolding collapsed at a construction site.

The punishing winds caught a lot of people off guard around the Sound, stop lights were singing, trees bending, one reached its breaking point on Mercer Island and came crashing down into a home. The one person who was inside at the time wasn’t hurt. But, the family will have to stay somewhere else tonight because their house is no longer safe.

In the Phinney Ridge area of North Seattle the wind undid someone’s hard work ripping apart the scaffolding outside this apartment building. Keith Brondson says he knew something bad was about to happen when he heard the wind.

“I live on the 3rd floor I heard the wind buffering through and making the tarps billow and they were causing the whole scaffolding to bang against the building,” said Brondson.

Brondson says it came down so hard it took some bricks from the side of the building with it.

“So, it was really noisy with the tarps flapping it was worse and when I came down I was going on an errand I called the contractor cause I was concerned,” said Brondson.

No one was hurt and crews had it cleaned up by dark. It was a blustery interruption to the start of the work week and perhaps a sign of the wild weather to come.

Sammamish Wants Stiffer Penalties For Illegal Hunting

2010-11-14T20:16:00.000-08:00

Two animals illegally hunted and killed in East King County, a community outraged and City Officials concerned for neighbors safety. Now, hunters that break the law in Sammamish could be facing penalties as severe as driving under the influence.

Steve Bentler is still steamed about the bow hunter that illegally bagged a buck on his family’s property last month.

“They were actually coming out to visit the chickens when the guy shot across and apparently in that direction, I mean it could have been deadly,” said Bentler.

He thinks the current no hunting law isn’t tough enough.

“This guy should be thrown in jail and left to rot, he risked my nieces and nephews just to go after this buck,” said Bentler.

Sammamish made it a misdemeanor to hunt inside the City limits after a deer was shot and killed back in 2004. Now, two recent incident involving bow hunters have city leaders considering a strict change to the ordinance.

If the hunting law is changed in Sammamish it would be raised from a misdemeanor to a gross misdemeanor which is punishable by up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine.

City Councilman John Curley says it would be a fairly strict penalty.

“But, I wouldn't want to go to prison telling everybody I shot a deer in Sammamish that's why I'm doing hard time,” said Curley.

A stiff penalty makes neighbors like John Miller believe it could stop the bullets and arrows from flying around the subdivisions.

“We've got kids out here running around doesn't make sense to me to be shooting bows or shooting a gun or anything like that in a neighborhood,” said Miller.

Steve Bentler knows the proposed changes won’t affect the hunter that took down the deer at his family’s house. But, he hopes the punishment he does get teaches him not to come near his family again.

“What a worthless slime bucket I think he should be thrown in jail,” said Bentler.

Coming up on Tuesday night the Sammamish City Council will vote on whether to adopt this tougher no hunting ordinance.

Husband Of Missing Utah Mother Finally Breaks His Silence

2010-11-07T20:47:00.001-08:00

For the first time in months the husband of a missing Utah mother has broken his silence. Josh Powell who now lives in Puyallup talked with a Utah newspaper, and the comments he made about Susan Cox Powell are drawing criticism from the woman’s family.

Josh Powell and his father Steve Powell spoke with the Salt Lake Tribune. The men claim Susan is still alive and the mother of two ditched her family because she was having an affair. But, those close to Susan like Shelby Gifford say that’s completely false.

“It's a shame that instead of shouting from the mountain tops where did Susan go and where do we find her he's out here spewing this garbage,” said Gifford.

Harsh words from loved ones of Susan Cox Powell, after her husband spoke for the first time to the Salt Lake Tribune Newspaper. Powell said Susan wasn’t the victim of foul play, but instead went missing because of mental problems saying: “My wife is extremely unstable.”

Shelby Gifford calls that ridiculous.

“She absolutely did not have a mental illness, no history of mental illness even in the family. In terms of her being unstable that's just so inaccurate,” said Gifford.

Q13 Fox News went to the Powell’s Puyallup home Sunday afternoon to talk with Josh, but his father Steve shut the door on our crew.

Josh has avoided the media but told a Salt Lake City reporter Susan would sometimes yell at him while chasing him around the dining room table. Another time, Susan ran down their street in her underwear to yell at him.

Gifford says she highly doubts either incident ever happened.

“I think that from our perspective Josh can say whatever he wants to say it doesn't make it true it doesn't make it accurate,” said Gifford.

Josh became a person of interest but not a suspect in Susan’s disappearance. He told Police he took his two young sons camping in frigid conditions and when he came home Susan was gone. Gifford says there’s no way she left on her own.

“I think that Josh's claims that Susan voluntarily left her children are absolutely preposterous if you knew the first thing about her you knew she was a mom everything else was second in her world to her boys,” said Gifford.

Steve Powell believes his daughter in law skipped town with another man. He also talked with the newspaper saying: “We don’t believe she was abducted. We don’t believe she was murdered. Susan’s very sexually motivated, and she’s very financially motivated.”

Josh Powell claims to be the real victim in his wife’s disappearance. He says the Cox family is making him look like the bag guy on their Facebook page. But, the family says they’re not anti-Josh, they just want to find Susan.

Washington State Raising Pheasants So Hunters Can Bag Their Birds

2010-11-06T18:53:00.000-07:00

Pheasant hunting is big business in Western Washington. Every year thousands of hunters hit the marshes and grassy fields to bag those birds. But, if it wasn’t for the State’s Fish and Wildlife Department pheasant season wouldn’t get off the ground.

For the last 50 years the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife has been raising and releasing pheasants at Bob Oke Game Farm in Centralia. This massive operation provides local hunters with wild game and it doesn’t cost taxpayers a dime.

There are many familiar sights and sounds at the Game Farm. Farmer Chris White says the state is raising pheasants so hunters in Western Washington get a chance to bag them later.

“Put forth quite a bit of funding and money into this facility that has helped out in the propagation of raising pheasants and releasing them throughout Western Washington where they don't reproduce naturally,” said White.

White says a lack of agriculture on this side of the Cascades is what keeps the birds from reproducing.

“I raise around 40 to 42,000 and 40,000 of those will go out to Western Washington for the hunters,” said White.

So, after the pheasants are hatched on the 167 acre game farm they’re released for 5,000 hunters to track down.

“We're providing the opportunity for pheasant farmers to hunt on the Westside who maybe don't have the time or monies to make it over to the east side,” said White.

The birds also provide an economic boost to local businesses like gun and ammo stores and restaurants and hotels.

“The purpose is to help the hunters, the hunting population of pheasants in Western Washington in the fall months,” said White.

According to White hunters not taxpayers are shelling out the money to raise the birds.

“We have a pheasant card that's a $90 pheasant license that all pheasant hunters in Western Washington purchase and that money goes directly towards the operational costs of this farm,” said White.

To make sure the population continues to grow 2,000 pheasants will be kept as breeders to lay eggs in the springtime.

Chris says some of the birds that stay in the wild are repopulating. Pheasant season is the third week of September. The Department of Fish and Wildlife releases pheasants until Thanksgiving Day, but you can still hunt until the second week of December.

Political Website Helps Voters Find Candidates That Reflect Their Values

2010-11-01T20:26:00.000-07:00

If you still haven’t made up your mind about how you’ll vote there’s a new website that can help you choose your candidates. A Q13 Fox News viewer told us about the site started by a Gig Harbor man.

It’s called Vote IQ and it’s the country’s first major non-partisan site meant to connect voters to their candidates and to each other.

Rick Shenkman helped launch the site 3 months ago. It’s sort of like a political “E-Harmony,” but instead of helping you find Mr. or Mrs. Right, it hooks you up with your perfect candidate.

“Taxes should or should not be raised on the wealthy in this country to reduce the federal budget deficit?”

Have you got three minutes before you fill out that ballot? That’s all the time Rick Shenkman says he needs to make sure you choose the candidates who best reflect your values.

“So, you go to this platform and you can find out who you should vote for, for instance in this state we have a quiz that allows you to figure out who you align with Patty Murray or Dino Rossi,” said Shenkman.

Vote IQ is designed to take out the guesswork by asking you 12 basic questions.

“The United States should or should not keep its troops in Iraq?”

Then, it compiles each candidate’s position on those issues. The site tracks 70 thousand politicians and their records to keep them honest ahead of Election Day.

“We research it thoroughly we find out from the public record, if they ever made a public statement, we see if they ever voted on the issue in the legislature. They don't have the time to do this work, we do and that's how we're going to make politics simpler for people, there's no reason for politics to be confusing as it appears,” said Shenkman.

Rick says after Tuesday’s Election his group will begin work on sprucing up Vote IQ for the 2012 Presidential Election.

Crystal Mt. Could Have Earliest Opening In 30 Years

2010-10-26T19:38:00.001-07:00

Great news for skiers and snow boarders, one local ski area could have its earliest opening day in 30 years. The snow is really coming down at Crystal Mountain, and this year the resort has some exciting new features.

The calendar may say October, but Sales and Marketing Director for Crystal Mountain Tiana Enger says winter has already arrived at the resort.

“With the early snowfall we're looking at a possible early opening, the earlier we can get open obviously the better,” said Enger.

According to Enger it has skiers and snowboarders anxious to hit the slopes.

“They're getting their bags packed already cause here things can happen really quickly in a matter of 24 to 48 hours you can go from having no snow to having enough snow to open,” said Enger.

Enger says the ski area could open in a matter of days, if Mother Nature picks up the pace. There’s about a foot and a half of snow up top right now, but just a few inches at the bottom.

“It looks like the forecast is calling for more snow which could mean a really early opening,” said Enger.

Work crews are hoping for a break in the weather, they’re still trying to complete the brand new Mt. Rainier Gondola the first of its kind in Washington State.

“In the final stages of completing the gondola construction we've got a Chinook helicopter scheduled to arrive November 1st we will fly towers into place when we get a weather window next week,” said Enger.

The gondola will take 8 passengers from the bottom of the mountain directly to the summit in just 9 minutes. Enger says something else that’s new this year a radio frequency identification system allowing skiers to swipe and go.

“It's a great way to save it's also a nice convenience to be able to preload that at home and bypass the ticket windows when you arrive here and go directly to the lifts. We can't wait to get the lifts open and I think a lot of people are really excited,” said Enger.

If Crystal is to open by the end of the month the base of the mountain will need another 3 feet of snow, on top another two feet. The new gondola is schedule to open the first week of December.

City Pulls Controversial Nude Artwork From City Hall

2010-10-24T21:17:00.000-07:00

A piece of art deemed inappropriate by Gig Harbor City Leaders has been pulled from a South Sound art show. The piece in question is a photograph of a partially nude woman.

The Mayor of Gig Harbor and other City Officials became concerned since it was going to be displayed at City Hall. However, the show’s organizers feel the City overreacted to a tasteful piece of artwork.

For the last few years local artists have put their best work on display at the Gig Harbor Civic Center. But, at this year’s Peninsula Art League Show City Administrator Rob Karlinsey says things were a bit different.

“So, that's a kind of a new piece that the City hasn't had in City Hall before,” said Karlinsey

Karlinsey says the City had to remove the photo taken by a Seattle artist.

“Given the amount of traffic from the public that we get of all age groups we determined it wouldn't be appropriate to have it hung in City Hall when the public comes in,” said Karlinsey.

Instead, the photo is now on display at a local gallery. But, the President of The Peninsula Art League Anne Knapp says it belongs with the rest of the artwork.

“There is some buttocks showing, it's the back, it's nothing I would have a problem with,” said Knapp.

Karlinsey says the City feared children would see the partially nude photo.

“We didn't think it was appropriate for folks who aren't coming here to view art, they're coming here to conduct City business and other things,” said Karlinsey.

Anne Knapp disagrees.

“And, if the kids indeed saw it it's a teachable moment, a wonderful thing to say to children you know art is all about just expressing beauty,” said Knapp.

City Administrator Rob Karlinsey says the City wants to keep the annual art show at City Hall, but clothing isn’t optional.

“We could do that or we could just say no more art shows in City Hall if we're going to continue to have pieces like that are going to come in we may just say no more art in City Hall,” said Karlinsey.

PAL President Anne Knapp says it will comply as long as something is put in writing.

“The City doesn't have a written standard of what would be allowed or not allowed, so we felt a little blind-sided that it was suddenly pulled,” said Knapp.

The City says it’s working on criteria for future art shows. The current one will run until mid November at the Gig Harbor Civic Center. If you want see the partially nude photo it’s on display at the For Art Sake Gallery in Gig Harbor.

La Nina Means Good News For Skiers And Boarders This Winter In Cascades

2010-10-23T20:03:00.001-07:00

Last year’s El Nino brought more rain than snow to the mountains and kept the skiers and boarders off the slopes. But, with record snowfall expected this winter from La Nina ski shops and local ski areas are banking on Mother Nature for a huge winter season.

Up high and down low crews at Snoqualmie Summit East are putting the finishing touches on two new chairlifts. They’re replacing the ones that got wiped out by a slide two years ago.

Summit Marketing Director Guy Lawrence says it’s a race to finish for them to get ready for what’s expected to be a cold and wet winter because of La Nina.

“The fact that we’re opening up new terrain, putting in these two new lifts and it's time for the La Nina season, for a marketing director you can't get much better than that,” said Lawrence.

Last winter El Nino was a big dud for local ski areas, warm conditions meant no snow.

In North Bend, Martin Volken with Pro Ski Service says his shop got wiped out by the lousy winter also.

“You know if it's a really bad season coupled with a bad economy maybe that all resulted in a 20 percent reduction in sales,” said Volken.

But, forecasters say this year’s ski season could be off the charts. Guy Lawrence says at Snoqualmie Summit skiers and boarders could be looking at a major snow pack.

“People have been paying attention to the fact that it is going to be a La Nina year and historically it's always favored us to a certain degree sometimes a lot,” said Lawrence.

Martin Volken says all of the excitement for a great ski season has skiers and boarders spending money again too.

“I think the economy is getting a little bit better and people have obviously caught wind of the weather predictions,” said Volken.

It’s not winter yet but at the Summit they’re already thinking snow and with new lifts plus La Nina Guy Lawrence says the place is buzzing.

“We're expecting more snow and as a result not surprisingly pass sales are up so that's great,” said Lawrence.

So far the Summit at Snoqualmie has seen a 6 percent increase in season pass sales. The area hopes to complete those two new chair lifts at Summit East by December.

Children's Hospital Nurse Gives Fatal Dose Of Medicine To Baby

2010-09-27T22:22:00.000-07:00

Seattle - Only on Q13 Fox News a medical mistake that cost a family everything. Q13 Fox News has learned a nurse at Seattle Children's Hospital gave a baby ten times the intended dose of a commonly used medication killing that child. It's the second time in a little over a year that a patient at Children's has died of a drug overdose.

Children's Hospital would not speak with Q13 Fox News on camera Monday but instead issued us a letter which the CEO sent to hospital employees last week after this happened. In it he admits a nurse gave the child too much calcium chloride. It doesn't say and Children's Hospital wouldn't tell us why the child was getting the medication in the first place, or how the nurse could have gotten the dose so drastically wrong.

Children's CEO Doctor Tom Hanson says the infant who died was profoundly fragile. He says the hospital is investigating why its usual safety checks didn't prevent the overdose.

It was just last year that another patient at Children's suffered a similar fate. Tammy Jarbo-Blakenship lost her son Michael on day after a routine visit for dental work. The family's lawyer Chris Davis says the drug should have never been given to Michael.

"With respect to Michael who was given an overdose of a drug called Fentanyl pain patch that his dentist had prescribed for the first time in her career," said Davis.

Davis says after Michael's death Children's Hospital promised the Blakenships it would establish new guidelines to prevent accidental overdoses.

"We were assured at the beginning of the lawsuit that they had taken changes, implemented changes to make sure this type of thing wouldn't happen again. I'm absolutely shocked. It's very tragic of course and absolutely unfortunate," said Davis.

The nurse who caused this latest overdose death is on leave while the hospital investigates. The Blankenship's lawyer Chris Davis says he doesn't want to alarm the public, but after dealing with Michael's death he's learned getting to the truth in these types of cases may be difficult.

"The number of deaths and errors you see really hasn't declined in my experience because the hospitals and medical profession goes to great lengths to keep it confidential," said Davis.

The Blankenship Family just settled their lawsuit against Children's as part of the deal; they're not allowed to talk specifically about the settlement. As for changes the letter from the hospital says from now on only Pharmacists and Anesthesiologists can draw up doses of calcium chloride unless there's a life-threatening emergency.

Calcium chloride is used for a lot of different things including metabolism problems and dehydration. In this case we just don't know what the baby was being treated for.

What A Deal! You Can Own Your Own Coffee Shop And It Won't Cost You A Dime

2010-09-24T20:50:00.003-07:00

FREELAND - A Whidbey Island business owner has a sweet deal for you that won't make you jittery; she wants to sell you her coffee shop for a shocking price.

Talk about deal that'll give you a jolt. You can have Jessica Leon's coffee shop without having to pay a nickel for it. You heard right Jessica will give you the 1504 Coffee Bar in Freeland for zilch, zippo, nada.

Jessica has owned the shop since 2006. But, tough economic times forced her to put it up for sale last year.

"You know I lost about 20 to 25 percent of my business in that time," said Leon.

Since then, she's cut the price and still has gotten any nibbles then she got an idea.

"I just was working in here and I suddenly thought adopt a coffee shop it just came to me I thought might get somebody," said Leon.

Now, there are a couple of catches, the new owner must promise keep the coffee shop open and sign a new lease with the property owner.

In exchange the new owner gets the keys, coffee machines, and organic beans. So far, 55 people have offered to take over the business, though Jessica stresses they may have to partake in a lot of their own product to make it work.

"Are you prepared to do 70 to 80 hours a week in here and do all your own books, get up every morning 7 days a week at 4 AM," said Leon.

Soon, Jessica will be making her final double tall mocha and turning over the shop to a new owner she hopes will remember, this isn't about getting a freebie it's about serving the people of Whidbey Island.

"It's one of the oldest coffee shops on the island, it has such a legacy it was heartbreaking to think of looking at my customers in the eye and saying sorry this is your last coffee here," said Leon.

Jessica says she plans on making a final decision this weekend on who she will hand over the coffee house too. After that she plans on taking some time off to relax and get some sleep. Be the first to know. Sign up for Q13 FOX Mobile and E-mail Alerts >>>

Seattle Police Issue Arrest Warrants In Brutal Hate Crime Attack

2010-09-21T21:03:00.001-07:00

WEST SEATTLE - It was a crime that stunned a Seattle community, a teenager savagely beaten and burned for hours because the color of his skin. Now, arrest warrants have been issued for the men accused of the heinous attack.

For the first time in months there's some relief on Tim McClellan's face.

"Hopefully, it's just a matter of time until they get picked up. It's been a while, it's been real aggravating," said McClellan.

It was the end of May when two men assaulted his son Shane. They whipped him with his belt, burned him with a lit cigarette, urinated on him and threatened to cut his throat if he screamed.

Police say Shane was attacked for several hours on a dead end street in the 7700 block of 14th Avenue Southwest. It's a place that brings back bad memories, so much so that Tim has never been here.

"Every time I drive by the place I look up there, but, I haven't been physically able to walk up the stairs to the actual spot where it happened," said McClellan.

Then, just two weeks ago blood evidence collected from two men spotted in the area that night connected them to Shane's attack.

"I'm very happy that DNA came back and they got the results they know who it is positively and hopefully they'll be off the street very soon," said McClellan.

King County Prosecutors are doing their best to make that happen. They've charged 21 year old Jonathan Baquiring and 23 year old Ahmed Mohamed with malicious harassment a hate crime.

Court documents show why, revealing that during the attack the men shouted at Shane, "The white man has kept us down," and "This is for enslaving our people."

Police are tracking down leads on the two suspects for Tim McClellan and his family it can't happen soon enough.

"Once these guys are off the street, then we can start to have some closure and put it behind us," said McClellan.

Q13 Fox News went by Jonathan Baquiring's West Seattle home his grandfather told us he hasn't seen him in several days. When asked about the attack he said if Jonathan did it he should go to jail. Both Baquiring and Ahmed Mohamed's bond has been set at $500,000.

Seattle Firefighters Battle Massive Fire At Old Peanut Butter Plant

2010-09-20T22:15:00.000-07:00

The City of Seattle owns the old Sunny Jim Peanut Butter Plant in Sodo and was supposed to tear it down a few years back but ran out of money. Now, the demolition is well on its way thanks to a raging fire that darkened the skies over Seattle and delayed many people on their commute home.

On Monday Seattle Firefighters came face to face with flames that moved at will through the old Sunny Jim Peanut Butter Plant. Andy Kim was nearby when the fire started.
“We work next door and we saw the smoke coming by our building. So, we went over there and saw fire shooting out through the roof,” said Kim.

Nearby businesses had to evacuate as the wind fanned the flames threatening to take over other buildings too. Scott Macmillan was working next door and was overcome by smoke.

“Lots of smoke, somebody told us the fire started at the other end, went down there and got a bunch of video, flames just pouring out of the top of the building,” said Macmillan.

The plant backs up to I-5, soon the smoke from it all brought even the afternoon commute to a blinding halt. Because, the plant is abandoned firefighters fought the fire defensively keeping it in check from the outside.

Fire crews dumped a lot of water on the structure which turned the building into something that looked like an urban waterfall.

Fire Chief Gregory Dean says one of his firefighters got hurt when he tried opening a side door to shoot water on the flames.

“When you have siding coming down it means he probably got hit in the head, hit throughout the body, so, they'll take a look at him make a determination,” said Dean.

The firefighter is a 37 year veteran with the department. He suffered a broken ankle and is expected to be okay. Chief Dean says much of the north end of the building is gutted and there are charred remains where the roof and a sidewall used to stand.

“The north end of the building is pretty much written off and we’re just trying to contain it and see if we can save the south part of the building,” said Dean.

Andy Kim says the damage from the fire was shocking. He didn’t realize the old building had also burned back in 1997.

“We never really understood what went on in the building. Of course we were surprised we didn't think anybody was in there, but so definitely it was surprising, scared,” said Kim.

Community Mourns For Child Killed In Car Crash Cops Investigate Mom

2010-09-19T21:10:00.001-07:00

A community continues to grieve for a 7 year old boy that was killed in a tragic car crash in Arlington. Investigators say the boy's mother was driving yesterday afternoon with her children when she wrecked her truck.

On Sunday loved ones like Lisa Mosby came to the spot where Isaiah Forbes died to remember his spirit and wonderful smile.

"But, I have been crying for the last couple of hours because he was a very good little boy," said Mosby.

The pain of Isaiah's death hit Mosby the hardest when she walked to the place where the little boy she's known for years was killed.

"Always got hugs from him before and after, I'm gonna miss those hugs definitely," said Mosby.

Snohomish County Sheriff's Deputies say the 7 year olds mother hit a utility pole and flipped her truck on McRae Road Saturday afternoon. The crash happened right in front of Gene Connor's house.

"The lady was kind of running around panicking and asking people to get her kids out of the truck," said Connor.

The mother, her 5 year old son and 3 year old daughter suffered non-life threatening injuries. But, Isaiah was partially ejected from the truck and killed. Gene Connor said it was horrible to see.

"It wasn't anything I enjoyed watching, but it was just something I didn't really want to see here in my own front yard," said Connor.

Deputies are questioning whether the children were wearing seatbelts. They're also investigating if the mother was under the influence witness's smelled alcohol at the scene. She also fought with Deputies and paramedics who tried to take her to the hospital. Lisa Mosby believes her friend was in shock.

"I can't imagine being in her shoes sober or drunk I could have probably reacted exactly the same way. I don't know if she was drinking I hope she wasn't," said Mosby.

Lisa says Isaiah loved playing football and spending time with his family in the outdoors.

"They rode quads, motorcycles, horses, I mean there wasn't anything he didn't like he was just fun loving full of life," said Mosby.

Lisa says Isaiah's family is in pain and regardless of what Deputies determine caused the deadly crash she is sticking by them.

"I know that I'm going to try to be there for them for everything they need as much support as I can give that's what friends do," said Mosby.

No word as of yet what type of charges Isaiah's mother could face. Lisa says the family is grieving in private with other family members tonight.

Neighbors Are Divided Over Dozens Of Trees Being Chopped Down In Redmond

2010-09-14T20:24:00.001-07:00

REDMOND - A major construction project in Redmond is dividing tree lovers and bicyclists. The City is cutting down dozens of trees so crews can build a new sidewalk and bike lane. Many people are angry over the trees getting chopped up, but some environmentally friendly people say it's a worthy sacrifice for public safety.

Limb by limb, branch after branch, 50 years of history is getting chopped down and chewed up in Redmond and Charles Graves is pretty ticked off about it. He's losing the trees by his business on Northeast 90th Street.

"It's a very nice neighborhood I mean when you have all the foliage and birds and squirrels running around in these trees their homes are gone now," said Graves.

The City of Redmond is removing 33 large Maple Trees to make way for that new sidewalk and bike lane. The City says the project is about improving safety but, many people think ripping out these trees isn't worth it.

Mike Paul who is the Construction Division Manager for the City of Redmond says there was nothing the city could do to save the trees.

"And, unfortunately the way the ground is mounded in that location, proximity to the businesses we simply had to take the trees out to get the sidewalk in," said Paul.

This tree controversy is dividing "green" friendly people; even Victoria Cary who is working with the tree removal crew is getting hassled.

"Oh, they come by they slow down they yell out their windows are you really taking the trees down, really, they shake their heads at us give us dirty looks," said Cary.

While neighbors may be yelling some bicyclists like Seth Gray and pedestrians like Nancy Churchill say take the trees down.

"Having another lane might help give a little more room let you pass somebody that's always really nice it's frustrating getting stuck behind someone," said Gray.

"Well, I think it will improve safety for people that walk through this area," said Churchill.

The City says it was able to save 15 trees from being chain-sawed and it plans to plant another 23. That does make Seth Gray feel a bit better about the trees.

"You know you can always replace them with little trees, they always grow," said Gray.

But, Charles Graves says he doesn't have decades to see those little trees grow, he wishes the City would have left things alone.

"It's sad to see definitely doesn't have the same atmosphere as it did before," said Graves.

The City says the sidewalk and bike lane project should be completed by the end of the year. The last of those big maple trees on Northeast 90th Street will be cut down Wednesday.

Urban Coyotes Are Invading Seattle Area Neighbors Fear For Pets And Kids

2010-09-13T22:26:00.001-07:00

BURIEN - They're hungry wild animals looking for a place to hang out and not just around the Seattle area. Urban coyotes are becoming a growing problem in Bellevue too.

For the last two decades the number of coyotes moving into urban areas has been on the rise due to the animals having no predators in the suburbs and plenty of food sources.

But, some folks like Bryan Anderson are worried about the coyotes moving in, especially after he videotaped one in his backyard.

"We watched it, we saw it there got the camera out, started recording and called up the neighbors to make sure they didn't let their dogs out," said Anderson.

Bryan and his Mom couldn't believe the coyote was so relaxed making itself at home in their yard.

"We did notice it was eating something and that afternoon we noticed there was a carcass that had been well eaten that by that evening was gone," said Anderson.

State Wildlife Officials say the coyote population is booming in suburbia because they have wooded areas for their dens and plenty of rodents to snack on. But, Bryan worries what the animals could do to their pets and children.

"They walk back and forth up and down the street everyday to and from school. So, it's not a safe situation if that coyote gets hungry or scared," said Anderson.

Those fears are shared by neighbors in Bellevue where Derek Tighe came face to face with a coyote while playing with his 3 year old son.

"People don't know there's actually wild animals right here you never know what they'll do we're adults so we can handle a little coyote, children can't I'm worried about the kids right there and my son, everybody plays right here," said Tighe.

So, what do you do if you come face to face with a threatening coyote? Animal control experts say make noise, wave your arms, even throw a few rocks.

Bryan won't let his dog go out while the coyote is still around, and he was surprised to learn the State won't help evict his unwanted guest.

"They said they can't trap him, they can't cage him, nobody will come, no agencies will come out to do it because it's illegal," said Anderson.

State Wildlife Officials will remove a coyote from a neighborhood if it's threatening humans. The best ways to keep the coyotes out of your yard don't leave garbage, cat or dog food even bird seed out in the open.

Caught On Video Cops Make Dramatic Arrest In Sedro Woolley

2010-09-12T21:24:00.000-07:00

SEDRO WOOLLEY - A Spokane man whose violent arrest in Sedro Woolley was caught on tape, says he is the victim of excessive force after he was repeatedly punched and tasered while being taken into custody. The incident was caught on video by a guest at the Skagit Motel.

It was in the parking lot of the motel where Sedro Woolley Police responding to a 9-1-1 call say they were confronted by a man under the influence who refused to cooperate. Jeff Woods says he doesn't remember much of what happened in the early hours of Tuesday September 7th, but some things are clear.

"I can't remember a lot of that night my whole face was red, been smashed down into the asphalt," said Woods, who reports he was just trying to exchange his room key when all hell broke loose. "I got tased and then uh it scared the crap out of me cause I told them I didn't want any problems."

But, according to Sedro Woolley Police Chief Doug Wood what you see on this video is only part of a long and violent story.

"Prior to this he attempted to assault the officer. They used justified and reasonable force, using aerosol spray, taser and prior to this they physically fought with him," said Chief Wood.

Cops also say suspect was high on methamphetamine and out of control. Jeff Woods insists he never touched the stuff and the bag of drugs police found wasn't his.

Surveillance video from inside the motel shows how violent things got before that struggle on the ground. Chief Wood says it shows tasers had no effect. "See he crashed through the window and that's a taser probe there, that's hooked to his clothes, he's pulling on it," said the chief.

Later on the motel video you see Woods pick up a rock and threaten the officers. Eventually, the fight moves to the parking lot, Woods insists he did not resist arrest.

"I never took a swing at any of them to know my knowledge, never took a swing at any of those fellas," he said.

Chief Wood says as bad as it may look his officers did what they had to, to take Woods into custody. "What I would say to him is when the police show up cooperate and he would have been in the back of the car and there would have been no problem,"

Woods says he does plan on filing a complaint against the Sedro Woolley Police Department.

"And, I figure I'm lucky to be alive out of that situation," said Woods.

Chief Wood says the department will examine the officers use of force in this case as a matter of policy. Meanwhile, Woods is facing multiple drug, assault and burglary charges.

Husband Of Missing Utah Mom Stirs Controversy Over Joining PTA

2010-09-07T22:09:00.000-07:00

PUYALLUP - It's been 9 months since his wife disappeared under mysterious circumstances and questions still surround Josh Powell. But, it's what he plans to do at his son's school that has some parents concerned.

Powell's been surrounded in suspicion for the last nine months since his wife Susan Cox vanished from her Utah home. But, he seems to be moving on with his life. He's living in Puyallup sending his son to school and even signing up for the PTA, although that's not going over well with fellow parents.

David Quantrell is passionate about his kids and like most parents that includes being passionate about protecting them.

"I definitely don't want him around my kids," said Quantrell.

"Him" is Josh Powell, David's neighbor who he says informed the PTA at their kids' elementary school that he wants to get involved.

"It is a bit of a concern and fear for the kids. I mean if he would do something to his wife who knows if he would do something to someone he doesn't know or a kid he doesn't know," said Quantrell.

David says he's so upset about Josh Powell possibly volunteering his time at Carson Elementary that he's willing to start his own petition drive to get parents to sign it to keep Powell out of the school's PTA.

It was last December when Powell's wife Susan disappeared. He says he'd taken their two young sons camping that night around midnight in freezing cold temperatures near their Utah home. Investigators say he's their only person of interest in the case, though they've never gone so far as calling him a suspect.

The difference does nothing to reassure parents like Eric and Amanda Rouse

"I wouldn't want my kids to be around that you know, I just don't trust him just based on what we know," said Rouse.

That's why Amanda says they're thinking twice about joining the PTA.

"We're all interested in the safety of our children and what happens to them. I'm sorry it's just too weird of a situation to not be concerned about it," said Rouse.

Q13 Fox News went to Powell's house Tuesday evening to get his side of this story nobody would come to the door.

David Quantrell's words are passionate and so are his actions. He says he'll do whatever it takes to keep Powell away from his kids.

"I'd like for him to be able to bring his kids to school, I'd like the kids to be involved in the school as much as possible, but as for him I'd like him to stay away from the school," said Quantrell.

Though, ultimately that'll be up to the Carson Elementary PTA.

Carson Elementary PTA President Holly Mickel gave Q13 Fox News this statement on Tuesday about Powell's application.

"Our PTA membership is open to anyone who would like to join and is interested in helping the children of Carson Elementary reach their full potential. All of our volunteers are required to complete the background check through the School District before volunteering.

After So Many Cop Shootings Public Wonders If Non Lethal Alternatives Would Work Instead

2010-09-06T19:27:00.001-07:00

SEATTLE - Six Officer involved incidents that have left 5 people dead another injured in a week. Many people are asking can Police protect the public without using lethal force. Some believe new technology that doesn't require bullets or an electrical charge is the answer.

One of those options could be the Dazer Laser. Ryan Battis with Laser Energetics explains.

"They are non-lethal, less violent, visual impairment ocular distracters," said Battis.

According to Battis the crime fighting tool doesn't require bullets from a gun or an electrical jolt from a taser.

"What that means is that we use a green laser to impair the vision of a subject so they cannot judge distances, judge shadows or engage an Officer because he can't see," said Battis.

The Dazer Laser is designed to stun someone so an Officer can take them down. But, Veteran cops like Sergeant Frank Kampsen aren't sold just yet on laser beam law enforcement.

"You hit a guy with a light, the bright light and maybe he can't see he's still got a weapon in his hands, I'm not going to take him while he's still got it in his hand, it's just not going to happen," said Kampsen.

Seattle Police are looking into getting the Dazer Laser but the Department doesn't have the money for it right now.

Another high-tech gizmo that provides transparency and accountability for Officer's actions are portable cameras they can wear. One of those products is made by Vievu. The camera can be clipped to the Officer and records everything he or she does like handling traffic stops or dealing with armed suspects.

Seattle City Councilman Bruce Harrell pitched the idea for the cameras. The Council is considering having Officers wear them on the beat sometime in the future.

"It protects the rights of citizens, as well as rights of Officers, you'd be hard pressed to convince me this isn't the right way to go to improve public safety efforts for our city," said Harrell.

Right now, Officers in Orting are testing a camera much like the Vievu. Lake Forest Park and Blaine Police Departments have also tried out the cameras.

Frank Kampsen says these crime fighting gizmos may help but can't replace good old fashioned Police work. Especially when it comes to saving lives.

"But, we need the public to understand if we get into a situation, sometimes we have to use deadly force, what we mean by that, we have to stop that individual from doing us further harm or anybody else further harm," said Kampsen.

Getting Officers to wear those cameras in Seattle might take some work. They are expensive and the budget is tight. The ACLU has had problems with the cameras in the past, and the Seattle Police Officer's Guild is concerned the cameras might discourage people from giving tips.

Second Time In A Week Cops Use A Taser And The Suspect Dies

2010-09-04T18:57:00.000-07:00

GOLD BAR - For the second time in a week Police whip out their tasers shock a suspect that that person then dies. The latest incident happened early this morning in Gold Bar where Snohomish County Sheriff's Deputies used a stun gun on a 25 year old Sultan man.

The incident happened outside Sharon Williams's house.

"I think that two trained officers should have been able to subdue a 120 pound dude that was barefoot in my yard and not tase him right in the chest," said Williams.

For the last year and a half Adam Colliers has spent his weekends at Williams' home taking care of her quadriplegic brother. But, early this morning things were different.

"It was very obvious to my brother he was not in his right mind at the moment, whether or not he became threatening I don't know that," said Williams.

Sergeant Robert Goetz with the Everett Police Department says Colliers charged the Deputies and they had to use force.

"Almost immediately after the taser was deployed the man appeared to stop breathing, the Deputies at that point started CPR," said Goetz.

Colliers later died at the hospital. The Snohomish County multi-agency response team is heading up the investigation. Both Deputies involved in the incident have three years each on the job.

Today, outside the place in Downtown Sultan where he sometimes stayed with his Dad friends like Theresa Young stopped by to pay her respects.

"When you lose somebody that you love so much I know that pain too well, so I just came to honor Adam," said Young.

Friends say Colliers loved to play guitar and just picked up the game of golf. Young says Colliers was quite an athlete and was once on the track and wrestling teams at Sultan High School.

"Really a great kid it's a tragedy I don't know everything that happened all I know is he's dead, so that's really just devastating," said Young.

Investigators will determine if drugs or alcohol contributed to Colliers death. Sharon Williams says her family has lost a good friend and believes his death could have been avoided if a taser was never used.

"They're trained to take people down you know, why not that first, the guy didn't even have a weapon," said Williams.

The Snohomish County Coroner will determine Colliers exact cause of death. The two Deputies involved in the tasing incident have been placed on paid administrative leave which is standard procedure.

Burien Family Is Saddened After Sheriff's Deputies Shoot And Kill Their Dog

2010-09-03T17:18:00.001-07:00

BURIEN - A Burien family is grieving after their dog was shot and killed by a King County Sheriff's Deputy. Cops say they shot the dog when it charged them during a burglary call.

Russ Harper says his lovable pet never would have harmed anyone.

"We haven't slept for a few days you know it's just our dog was like our daughter," said Harper.

Harper says his 18 month old Rottweiler Nakita was a peaceful loving dog. That's why he asked a friend to let himself into their home earlier this week to fix a leaky pipe.

"Everybody that knew her knew she was the most non aggressive, beautiful heart-full dog," said Harper.

Sergeant John Urquhart with the King County Sheriff's Office says a neighbor thought Russ's friend was burglarizing the home and called the Cops.

"He opens the door wide enough, so the dog can go out a Rottweiler, the dog goes flying out of the house down the stairs across the yard and basically was in the process of trying to attack one of our deputies," said Urquhart.

"They told me they were forced to shoot my dog. You know I rushed home and got home there were Police everywhere and my dog is in a bloody bag at the bottom of the driveway," said Harper.

Russ's friend wasn't arrested for burglary but reckless endangerment. With his dog now dead Russ is left with bittersweet memories of where he used to take Nakita.

Russ's friends at Westcrest Dog Park like Clari Gomes say Nakita was sweet, and she was shocked to learn about her death.

"Nakita and Jack played together since she was a puppy and first started coming here, we just knew here as Nakita this very sweet, sweet dog, it's so sad," said Gomes.

Sergeant Urquhart says if Russ's friend would have controlled Nakita she'd still be alive.

"It's unfortunate because we don't like shooting dogs period, but sometimes it has to be done that's clearly what the case was here," said Urquhart.

Russ says he doesn't hold a grudge against the Deputies, but thinks they could have handled things differently.

"I don't feel the Police came to kill my dog it's not like that at all in my mind, I wish they could have waited an extra second to see what the dog was going to do," said Harper.

Russ says the reckless endangerment charge that was pending against his friend has been dropped.

Questions Raised Over Use Of Police Force After Two Deadly Incidents In Two Days In Seattle Area

2010-08-31T21:53:00.000-07:00

SEATTLE - With two people dead and another in bad shape after run-ins with Police, there are a lot of people talking about how Officers go about their use of force. Many people in the community are wondering if Police Officers are going too far and using too much force.

In Spanaway David Fidler says he witnessed Pierce County Sheriff's Deputies using extreme force to take down the man who refused to leave an apartment unit.

"I heard the taser go off, four five times they tased him," said Fidler.

The 27 year old Spanaway man later died at the hospital. But, Doctor Jonathan Wender who is a University of Washington Professor and former Police Officer says that short electrical burst might not be to blame for his death.

"Most of these cases the death is not caused by the taser itself, the taser is proximately involved, energy conducting weapon is proximately involved, but it's not the cause per se of the death," said Wender.

It wasn't a taser but four shots from Seattle Police Officer Ian Birk's gun that killed John Williams. Deputy Chief Nick Metz says Officer Birk told investigators he felt threatened when Williams did not drop his knife.

"This officer was not equipped with a taser so he did not have that available to him, however, if he had a taser available to him, we do not recommend our officers use a taser in a situation like that, a knife is considered a deadly weapon," said Metz.

Jonathan Wender says it's still too early to tell if Birk handled the situation correctly.

"Somebody with a knife can cover distance very quickly and somebody armed with a knife can literally be on top of you and stabbing you in 1 or 2 seconds in a distance of 21 feet," said Wender.

Seattle Police Chief John Diaz says Officers are learning peaceful resolutions.

"We are working on a whole variety of de-escalation training, we currently do de-escalation training," said Diaz.

Jonathan Wender says Cops have to think on their feet in the field and that's far from easy.

"Officers have to perform a balancing act that's tactical and legal and ethical about what is what the law calls reasonable and necessary, what's the least amount of force an Officer can use to get that person safely into custody," said Wender.

That seems to be especially true in Spanaway when you have people like David Fidler second guessing your actions.

"Evidently, someone overreacted because he's dead," said Fidler.

Q13 Fox News has learned John Williams the man shot and killed by a Seattle Police Officer used to sell his artwork to the Ye Old Curiosity Shop down on Seattle's waterfront. The owner says the Williams family has sold Indian artwork to the shop for the last 100 years.

She's 68 Years Old Mad As Hell And Headed To Jail

2010-08-30T22:51:00.000-07:00

Coupeville - She's 68 years old mad as hell and she's headed off to jail. A neighborly feud has landed Carol Magee in the big house. The Coupeville woman was convicted of destroying public property. Magee chose time behind bars to make her point.

"At first I put signs up going down Grateful Acres and then I said hell no, I'm going to put them out here where people can see it, they already know what they did," said Magee.

Carol Magee has some pretty strong opinions, and she wants the whole world to see them, especially now that she's a convicted felon.

"I thought a jury of my peers, little old ladies, but I didn't get a bunch of little old ladies," said Magee.

The whole hubbub is over Grateful Acres Place, the private road that runs on the edge of Magee's property. The private road she tried to keep private even though there's an easement that allows her neighbors to use it.

Carol used to have a gate on the road, but the neighbors tore it down. All that's left now is an old fence post that says liar's lane. Then, along came Puget Sound Energy to put a power box on it.

"This is the property line right here, that's where you can see the power comes up right here, why did they stick this over here it's in the middle of the road," said Magee.

Carol got so ticked off by the power box she ran it over. A neighbor shot video of her doing it.

"Yeah, I backed into it and pushed it off the pad, so, they figured it was worth 1,300 dollars and I said hell I could have put it back on for nothing. I don't want it here, it shouldn't be here," said Magee.

Carol acted as her own attorney in court against a charge of malicious mischief and lost.

"And, besides I wouldn't have gotten any jail time if I'd coped out to a felony, but I don't feel I committed a felony, not gonna do it," said Magee.

Carol's neighbors wouldn't go on camera but did tell me they've tried to explain to her several times where the property lines run and how the easement is divided up. But, they say she's having none of it, she's been combative even trying to block their driveways with her horse trailer.

It doesn't seem like Carol will be running out of strong words anytime soon even as she gets ready to go to jail. She says she doesn't regret her fight and still plans to sue some of her neighbors and PSE.

"It's just not right I'm not a felon, I'm just a personal property owner who's had enough," said Magee.

Carol will report Tuesday morning to the jail in Coupeville to begin her 30 day sentence. She'll also eventually have to pay over $2,000 in fines, court fees, and the cost of fixing that power box she hit.

Katrina Survivor Talks About Escaping Deadly Hurricane

2010-08-29T18:20:00.000-07:00

SEATTLE - Tens of thousands of people were forced to evacuate from Hurricane Katrina, many of them left the devastation and were never able to return home because the storm wiped them out. Some of those evacuees like Mary Rennekamp ended up thousands of miles from home right here in the Seattle area.

Mary and her friend made it out of New Orleans just two days before the massive hurricane slammed into the Crescent City. 5 years later and it's still difficult for Mary to talk about Katrina.

"Reports of bodies tied to fences, because they were floating," said Rennekamp.

It's those disturbing images from Katrina burned into Mary's mind that still brings her to tears.

"It wasn't until those stories started coming in that it really started to sink in, the gravity and the magnitude of what was happening," said Rennekamp.

Mary and her friend Erin were two of the lucky ones to get out of New Orleans alive.

"The scariest thing was we couldn't pull ourselves away from the TV, we were so desperate to catch a glimpse of anybody we knew, possibly," said Rennekamp.

Mary's mid-city New Orleans home was underwater everything she owned destroyed.

"So, we knew in that span of that 3 or 4 days that we weren't going to be able to go back to New Orleans for a long time," said Rennekamp.

Mary's father got her a plane ticket to come live with him, she's been in Seattle ever since.

"And, I saw my Dad and I just lost it and I dropped my one little bag and literally just collapsed, he held me and I was balling in the middle of the airport," said Rennekamp.

The Red Cross helped Mary out then, she now works for the organization to help others trying to restart their lives.

"Being on the other side of charity was just it was life changing for me," said Rennekamp.

Mary knows she's lucky, she also knows she may see devastation like this again in her lifetime.

"Know it can happen anywhere, it's really scary, it's the truth," said Rennekamp.

Mary says she loves living in Seattle but, she will always call New Orleans home.

Rape Survivor Helps Women Learn To Fight Back Against Sexual Predators

2010-08-28T19:42:00.001-07:00

AUBURN - Her accused attacker may be behind bars, but one woman from Des Moines knows there are more men like him out there. So, she's helping others learn to fight back, as well as teaching herself to move forward.

Rape survivor "Nancy" says her emotional scars are starting to heal with the help of friends. Today, they organized a special self defense course to empower women not to be victims.

It's easy to see Nancy is a fighter; she's been battling her demons ever since John Alan Carter attacked her last month.

"I've had some bumps in the road and I've had a few breakdowns, but, for the most part I'm doing quite well," said Nancy.

Detectives say on July 27th Carter lured Nancy to a Covington home beat her, put a knife to her throat and raped her.

"The very first time I went home I looked behind the shower curtains, I looked in every closet I was pretty fearful," said Nancy.

To help conquer those fears Nancy's good friend Cheri Campeau helped organized this self defense training course with Tiger Patrol Division.

"I think that's what's happening today is we're all, ever since it happened, we're all supporting her and around her and there for her, and this is part of it," said Campeau.

Trainer Abdul Mohamed volunteered his time to help keep these women and girls from becoming victims.

"When you're in that situation what's gonna save you is fighting back, not running away," said Mohamed.

So, Nancy fights on. She wishes she had some of the skills she learned in the course a month ago.

"I'm not sure if it would have helped in this situation, because he had a knife. But, I believe that there is more I could have done in this situation," said Nancy.

John Carter will be arraigned on Wednesday for rape and kidnapping charges. Nancy says she'll be in court for it.

Navy Mom On Mission To Send Care Packages Overseas

2010-08-27T21:09:00.001-07:00

BOTHELL - Stacks of snack crackers, boxes of toothpaste, mounds of cookies and massive bags of beef jerky, that's what MaryJo Bader's Bothell living room is stuffed full of. The Navy mom is busy collecting these items for care packages to ship to sailors overseas. It's a true grassroots effort started by a dedicated woman.

"We have the box we'd probably put in a magazine, a book," said Bader.

Seems simple enough you throw in a few basic necessities.

"But, we'd take a couple of ChapSticks, some toothpaste, toothbrush," said Bader.

Also, add some sugary treats.

"Candy might be a candy bar," said Bader.

Maybe even something a little silly like a stuffed animal.

"This is cute because it has a little flag on it," said Bader.

Then, top it all off with love.

"This is the most important part, is letters of encouragement, pictures," said Bader.

MaryJo Bader's gotten good at making care packages sending them to her sailor son overseas for the last couple of years. But, now MaryJo is branching out.

"I love being a mother, so I mothered a whole bunch of sailors," said Bader.

Her son Jonathan got her into the giving mood after he told her a sad story about his buddy.

"But, he said mom he never gets any mail, would you just send him some mail, show him some love, so I did and Ryan was ecstatic," said Bader.

She started asking for donations and before she knew it, one care package became 130. Now, she's hoping to make 198 more, one for each sailor in her son's squadron who won't be able to make it home for the holidays.

It'll cost MaryJo more than $2,000 to ship the boxes.

"We're not a well to do family, we're not rich, we manage we do fine, but we're certainly not rich," said Bader.

MaryJo's family is willing to pass on giving Christmas presents to each other if it'll cover the shipping costs.

So, while it may seem simple it's so much more. With each box MaryJo packs a sailor will get a little bit of home, something this Navy mom has made her mission.

"We should show them that we care, especially the ones that don't have support from home, they need to know somebody back here cares for them," said Bader.

It takes a lot of time to collect all the supplies that's why MaryJo needs donations now. The family will pack the boxes the weekend before Thanksgiving and ship them out for the first week of December. If you would like to help call 425-205-0668.

Scientists Use CO2 Sensors On Space Needle To Help Environment

2010-08-09T21:13:00.001-07:00

SEATTLE - You think carbon footprint and chances are the sign outside the Pacific Science Center comes to mind. It measures emissions from your car. But, when it comes to everything else, we might want to start looking up at the Space Needle.

Grab an elevator and head 600 feet straight to the top of the Space Needle and you'll find not just a beautiful view of the environment we live in, but also the latest tool to protect it.

Dr. Christopher Sabine with NOAA says the government agency installed a carbon dioxide detector and another one about 300 feet down back in February.

"So, every 5 minutes we get a new reading from both the upper and lower intakes. The idea here is to actually, specifically measure it in the city, where we're close to a lot of emissions, we have all the cars running around below us, all those things releasing CO2," said Sabine.

Sabine says NOAA decided to put that CO2 sensor on top of the Space Needle, so they could collect measurements throughout our area. And, at a height that gives scientist a bigger picture view of the problem.

"Rather than looking at each individual car, this is a more regional type measurement for trying to get an estimate of the CO2 over pretty much the whole downtown area," said Sabine.

According to Sabine the sensors send all that data from the Space Needle to NOAA and also to the Pacific Science Center.

"You see it goes up in the morning, typically we see CO2 higher in the morning during rush hour traffic and then in the afternoon it drops," said Sabine.

Ellen Lettvin with the Pacific Science Center says its exhibit educates the public about how many pollutants we're putting into the air and the simple things we can do to stop it.

"Just because people read about it all the time they don't necessarily understand what it means. If it helps them understand about what we're doing to our environment," said Lettvin.

For now Sabine says NOAA only has the two Space Needle sensors in town. But, soon scientists hope to have an entire network of them up high and down low, all working together to keep our views majestic.

"Then we can report on what are the CO2 emissions in Downtown Seattle versus Redmond or Kent or whatever," said Sabine.

NOAA, the Space Needle, and Pacific Science Center all helped fund the CO2 sensor project. You can check out those carbon dioxide numbers for yourself at the exhibit inside the Pacific Science Center at Seattle Center.

Parents Grieve For Their Child Killed In Tragic Ice Cave Accident

2010-08-07T20:45:00.001-07:00

LAKE STEVENS - She was only 11 years old and died in a tragic accident at the Big Four Ice Caves in Verlot. Grace Tam was killed when a large chunk of ice fell on her July 31st.

Her family says Grace had a smile that could melt your heart, but it was the words she wrote in her journals that defined her spirit for life and love of animals.

Grace's father John Tam says he is devastated about losing his daughter because she had so much to live for.

"She was saying daddy and I just broke out in tears, I'll never hear that again, I'll never hear my daughter," said Tam.

Grace's mother Tamami says the family was hiking near the ice caves when a freak accident took her daughter's life.

"Gracie was standing just right next to me, I was completely OK, just hit Grace," said Tam.

According to John the family wasn't even that close to the ice that broke free and hit Grace.

"We were 15 feet from the ice, beyond the ice, it should not have come down, bounce and then hit her," said Tam.

Tamami Tam feels robbed of all her hopes and dreams she had for her little girl.

"We planned, OK Grace you get married and you have a baby, I asked her can I live close to you, because I'd like to visit you and help with the baby," said Tam.

Her parents say Grace loved to write. Now, her father is trying to publish her journals to raise money to fulfill one of Grace's dreams of opening a shelter for dogs.

"All we really want to do is honor Grace and keep her memory alive that's the main reason," said Tam.

Now, that she's gone, her mother says she'll cherish every single moment she spent with Grace.

"She gave us a wonderful time, we just wish it was longer," said Tam.

But, they still have Grace's words on paper, something mom and dad will keep close to their hearts forever.

"You need to show it all, love is just like happiness and joy. Love is the feeling of a human being. Love is a person that cares for you and shows you they love you with all their heart. Love is like an animal caring and making us smile while hugging, and that is what love explains to me."

A celebration of Grace's life will be held tomorrow afternoon at the family's church in Marysville. John and Tamami say they will sing Amazing Grace as a tribute to their daughter.

Cops Search For Rapist That Terrorized Woman At Knifepoint

2010-08-06T20:42:00.001-07:00

COVINGTON - King County Sheriff's Deputies say he's armed, dangerous, and needs to be locked up before he attacks again. Investigators are looking for John Carter they say he brutally raped his latest victim at knifepoint. Carter is a convicted rapist with a history of violence against woman.

Deputies say Carter lured an acquaintance to a Covington home, tied her up, threatened to kill her and then raped her. The victim has asked Q13 Fox News to only identify her as "Nancy."

"Didn't have any clue that he was capable of what he did, so, sad that he did what he did," said Nancy.

According to Nancy she was only trying to give John Carter a ride back from a bus station in Kent to a recovery house in Covington.

"You've got to come in and see the house it's great where I'm staying," said Nancy.

She thought the man she'd met in substance abuse counseling was turning the corner on his troubles, until she turned her back on him for a split second.

"He sucker punched me in the stomach, punched me in the face, through me on the ground and started choking me," said Nancy.

Then she says Carter tied her hands and put duct tape over her mouth.

"He'd grab the knife and put it to my throat and kept saying I'll kill you," said Nancy.

She says he spent the next two hours raping her. She fought back, even tried to escape but couldn't.

"When he was choking me I thought I'm gonna die right now, I really did, this could be it," said Nancy.

Nancy says it was when Carter demanded money that she seized the opportunity to leave the house of horrors. She drove him to an ATM inside a 711 in Renton to get cash.

"I looked at him, we're done I'm in control now, give me my keys and I started fighting him for the keys. I yelled at the people call the Police this man has been beating me all night, call 911" said Nancy.

Not all Rape victims like to talk about their experiences, But, Nancy wants everyone to hear what she says John Carter did to her so that ne never gets the chance to rape again.

"I believe in my heart he will definitely do this again. I want justice served absolutely," said Nancy.

John Carter is 51 years old. He is 6' tall and weighs 200 pounds. He has reddish blonde hair and brown eyes. He has a mustache and is missing his upper teeth. He has multiple tattoos on both arms and the word "Robin" tattooed on one hand. He sometimes wears glasses and talks with a slight lisp. If you see Carter call 911 right away.

Rising Acid Levels In Puget Sound Threaten Oyster Industry

2010-08-02T21:27:00.000-07:00

DABOB BAY - It's a multi-million dollar business that depends on Puget Sound to help it thrive. But, those very waters could be killing the shellfish industry. Scientists say the Sound is becoming more acidic and oysters are dying because of it.

Deep inside big barrels of water at Taylor Shellfish Farms at Dabob Bay is a marine cash crop. Soon, the larvae inside them will grow into shelled oysters. But, Bill Dewey with Taylor Shellfish Farms says harvesting them hasn't been easy.

"Well, for the last few years it's become probably the most dominant issue for the West Coast Shellfish industry. If you don't have seed you don't have an industry, we've had a major problem producing it," said Dewey.

That's because the very waters that are supposed to be nurturing the tiny creatures are instead killing them. Richard Feely with NOAA says Puget Sound is becoming more acidic, more corrosive because the seawater has been absorbing so much man-made carbon dioxide over time.

"When you have the water incoming into the hatchery and it's very low PH waters it can kill off the larvae of many of our oyster species," said Feely.

It's a problem Bill Dewey has seen firsthand.

"When it gets that low the oyster shells on this young oyster larvae in the hatchery start to dissolve, essentially dissolving faster than they can grow a new shell," said Dewey.

NOAA and the University of Washington are studying the problem through a system of ocean buoys, dozens of them deployed off the Washington and Oregon Coasts.

UW professor Jan Newton says the buoys will collect valuable data for scientists.

"The first of its kind to make measurements off the coast of Washington not only for the Ocean acidification status, but also for oxygen and phytoplankton blooms," said Newton.

Scientists hope to use the data to figure out patterns in the PH level, so harvesters know the safest time to grow.

Bill Dewey says Taylor Shellfish Farms is using its own high-tech equipment to do the same. What they've found so far has been troubling.

"We started to see the PCO2 levels coming up PH dropping, and so we're worried that we're going to start to see affects on our production," said Dewey.

There is no easy fix. Scientists believe the high acid levels we're seeing right now has been building up in Puget Sound for decades. Bill Dewey believes the best way to protect future generations of oysters is stop polluting the environment right now.

"Even if we change carbon emissions, policies today, we still have got 50 more years of problems coming our way," said Dewey.

In the meantime with a lot of science and a little good luck these babies will grow into shelled oysters, and harvesters who depend on them can keep thriving too.

NOAA and UW researchers will continue to monitor the acid levels from the ocean buoys. Information will be collected from them over the next few months.

Vashon Islanders Pack Football Stadium To Honor Native Son Killed In Afghanistan

2010-08-01T20:49:00.001-07:00

VASHON ISLAND - He was a volunteer firefighter, football star, soldier, and Vashon Island son. Today, more than 1,000 people packed into a Vashon Island Stadium to remember Robert Bennedsen. He was killed by a roadside bomb two weeks ago in Afghanistan.

Evan Mattingly praised his best friend for serving his country.

"I just want to thank him for protecting our country, preserving our community and being out there when none of us were," said Mattingly.

Army First Lieutenant Robert Bennedsen was killed by a roadside bomb on July 18th in Afghanistan. In front of a huge crowd at Vashon High School the Army honored the 25 year olds sacrifice.

His college roommate First Lieutenant Dave Stone had kind words for his fallen friend.

"A true leader who cares for and gave his life to protect his brothers and sisters in arms," said Stone.

Besides serving in the Army, Robert was also an island volunteer firefighter. A picture of Robert will ride on the dash of his old fire truck and another one inside the helmet of Mike Kirk.

"It would be something that can keep him an inspiration to me," said Kirk.

There were many tears but also plenty of smiles as friends and family remembered a few stories. Evan Mattingly reminisced about his time on the water with Robert.

"Robert loved to fish, but was a terrible fisherman. No actually he was a good fisherman, but he was a bad catcher, couldn't catch anything," said Mattingly.

Robert graduated from Vashon High School in 2004. He was a state champion in wrestling and an all-state running back. He earned a full Army ROTC scholarship to Seattle University.

Friend Manu Samanna-Spagnoli says he'll certainly remember Robert's many accomplishments, but will miss his infectious grin the most.

"So, Robert take it easy until we meet again, do what you do best, just keep smiling," said Samanna-Spagnoli.

As a final tribute to Robert the Vashon High School football team will retire his number 32 this season, to honor his accomplishments on this field.

Robert is the first Vashon Island resident to be killed in the war in Afghanistan. The Army presented his family with a purple heart and bronze star for Robert's military service.

Construction Project Means Big Changes For Seattle Street

2010-07-25T20:54:00.001-07:00

SEATTLE - Big changes are headed to one busy Seattle Street. Starting tomorrow the Seattle Department of Transportation will downsize four lanes of Nickerson Street to three to make way for new bike lanes and crosswalks. But, this City project has divided people who live and work along that stretch of road.

Grabbing a cup of "Joe" from his favorite coffee house has always been a breeze for Noel Renggli. But, the possibility of a congested Nickerson Street has given him the "jitters."

"Easily for the next 5 or next 10 years it's just gonna be a bigger, bigger, headache. Fewer lanes, more cars, and more bikes," said Renggli.

Tomorrow, SDOT starts work on a new plan for Nickerson Street. It reduces the road from four lanes to one lane each direction, with a center left turn lane and a pair of bike lanes.

Robert Bismuth with the Magnolia Community Club predicts a traffic nightmare from the project.

"Well, from the motorist's point of view it's going to cause a gridlock on this road between the Ballard Bridge and Fremont Bridge," said Bismuth.

But, Seattle City Traffic Engineer Eric Widstrand doesn't believe drivers will get stuck.

"We're also providing wider travel lanes which will be a benefit for freight uses in the corridor and buses using the corridor," said Widstrand.

Cyclists like Michael Hoodes says those new bike lanes will make things better for him.

"It's safety and it's convenience it's both of them. Anytime there's bike lanes is a convenience for me as a biker," said Hoodes.

Neighbors argue there's no need for bike lanes on Nickerson Street when there is a perfectly good path just 50 yards from it along the ship canal.

Cyclists disagree and say the path doesn't work because it ends before the Ballard Bridge so riding on the street is a better option.

Over at Thai Fusion manager Montida Lert says more bikers will mean more money for the restaurant.

"We're going to build a rack for the bikes, so it will be good for them to stop and eat," said Lert.

Part of the Nickerson Street project also includes adding three new crosswalks. It's something Christina Bollow with Seattle's Pedestrian Advisory Board says will keep people safe.

"A marked crosswalk is a real signal to drivers they need to be looking out for someone crossing the street," said Bollow.

It will take the City two months to repave and restripe Nickerson Street. Noel Renggli wonders if the project will mean he'll have to grab his coffee somewhere else from now on.

"It's gonna be a few years of the problem getting a lot worse before it actually gets better," said Renggli.

Nickerson Street isn't the only road that's getting a makeover in Seattle. The City is also looking at changing Dexter Avenue. Tomorrow Northgate residents will get to hear about similar plans for Northeast 125th Street between Roosevelt Way Northeast and 35th Avenue Northeast. An open house is scheduled from 4 PM until 7 PM at the Lake City Library.

He's Only 10 & Needs Double Lung & Heart Transplant To Live

2010-07-12T20:45:00.000-07:00

AUBURN - He's a 10 year old boy full of hopes and dreams, but little Cullen Steele is in a race against time. Cullen suffers from a deadly high blood pressure disease. Now, the community has rallied around this little guy that needs a transplant.

Cullen Steele is at his happiest when he's playing video games with his little brother Aidan. But, behind that smile is one tough little guy taking on a disease that's weakening his heart and lungs. Cullen says the disease is making him very sick.

"You get migraines a lot, bad ones," said Steele.

Cullen's mom Colleen says the headaches and leg pains are nothing compared to what doctors tell her Cullen will face one day.

"He said not only does he have pulmonary hypertension, it's much worse than we thought and then he dropped the heart lung transplant bomb and to be honest I probably went into shock," said Steele.

There is no cure for pulmonary hypertension a transplant is the only thing that will save his life. In the meantime, doctors can only treat Cullen's symptoms. The 5th grader says that includes swallowing 14 pills a day.

"They're yucky old pills, yucky old pills," said Steele.

Cullen says he also has to wear a special backpack that pumps medicine directly into his heart.

"Only sometimes you can feel medicine most of the time you really don't feel it," said Steele.

Aidan says his big brother's disease has also taken an emotional toll.

"It's stressful when something goes wrong, it's scary when he's done he's happy,"

Now, in their darkest hour the community is rallying around the Steeles. Cullen's dad Brian says The Children's Organ Transplant Association is helping them raise $75,000 for medical expenses.

"And, people we don't even know are offering hundreds of dollars, thousands of dollars in some cases to donate to these organizations like Make A Wish and to COTA and other places it's just amazing," said Steele.

Just like he beats his enemies in video games Cullen plans on wiping out the disease that's ravaging his body. At 10 years old he's wise beyond his years and is grateful for everyone who's on his side.

"I wanna thank them all for helping me get through each day having this," said Steele.

On August 20th at 7:30 PM there will be a Buddy Holly benefit concert to help raise money for Cullen's transplant at the Auburn Avenue Theater.

Reward Offered To Find Missing Father Of Deadliest Catch TV Star

2010-07-11T20:49:00.001-07:00

ANACORTES - An Anacortes family continues to search for answers after their loved one disappeared under mysterious circumstances. 62 year old Keith Anderson vanished earlier this year. The family talked with Q13 Fox News on Sunday about their painful ordeal.

The last 7 months have been agonizing for Elizabeth Dixon and her family. Each day that passes hope fades for finding her father Keith Anderson alive.

"Huge void when he went missing, huge void miss him every day. It is awful it's a struggle, day to day struggle," said Dixon.

Keith was last seen on January 6th when he went to go buy Oxycontin on the street from a guy in Sultan. Keith's Nephew Kiel Anderson says he never made it home that night to have dinner with his son Jake who is a fisherman from the hit TV show The Deadliest Catch.

"That was something Keith would never have done, never miss Jake before he went on his trip," said Anderson.

Elizabeth says Keith was a well respected counselor at Anacortes High School known for having a great mind and an even bigger heart.

"Makes me so proud of my father, for all the good he's done for people," said Dixon.

The family says Keith had struggled with injuries and emotional pain and was using Oxycontin to cope. According to Elizabeth the day Keith went to buy the drugs he disappeared with only $500 cash.

"My Dad would never skip on his family, his family is the most important thing," said Dixon.

Cops found Keith's truck on a logging road in Darrington a week and half after he disappeared, Kiel says that's when the family feared the worse.

"Him driving that truck up into that remote area where the truck was found would not have been something Keith would have done, which is our first clue some kind of foul play going on," said Anderson.

For now Cops call it a missing person's case. Although, they say the guy that sold Keith the drugs is under investigation.

The family says all they want is closure, even if that means finding out Keith was killed. It's the words in a letter written by Keith's sister that keeps them strong.

"We keep searching and praying and fall on each other for strength and we take his caring soul with us in whatever we do each day now."

The family is offering a reward for information that will help them find Keith Anderson. The family says if the reward isn't claimed the money will go towards a scholarship in his name.

A memorial service for the former high school counselor will be held at Anacortes High School on August 14th.

Neighbors Want City To Tear Down Derelict House That's Attracting Squatters

2010-07-10T19:58:00.000-07:00

SEATTLE - Neighbors say they're sick and tired of it, a derelict house on their block that's become a magnet for criminal activity. The City of Seattle bought the property and is supposed to knock it down to expand Thornton Creek Park.

For the last four months Mike Sink has been busy patrolling outside and inside the abandoned house down the street from his home. "This door is still locked, but of course people are still throwing trash down there," said Sink.

According to Mike the old property has become a real eyesore.

"It's a great neighborhood, we love Maple Leaf and it's just unfortunate that we have this one house that's a problem," said Sink.

Mike says he's been spending his time looking for squatters that have taken over the property after the owner sold it to the City.

"I mean I think there's potential for arson, they've been using a camping stove inside with propane cylinders the potential for fire, the potential for someone to get hurt in the house, potential for drug use, nobody wants that in their neighborhood," said Sink.

The neighborhood activist says the Parks Departments is supposed to tear down the home and use the land for Thornton Creek Park. But, he says neighbors have heard that story before.

"There was a house sitting on that property the Park Service bought, it was about 2 years ago and it sat empty for almost 2 years before it was demolished," said Sink.

Neighbors say Seattle Police are keeping a constant watch on the house, looking for squatters and drug users. Officers were there on Saturday just before our Q13 Fox News crew arrived. The squatters were gone though. Mike believes they slip in and out during the night. He says the City needs to find a way to permanently kick them out.

"Have the property fenced off secured in some way until they're able to tear it down, more security patrols on a regular basis," said Sink.

So, while he waits for action from the City, Mike says he'll keep up his patrols. He's crossing his fingers that the City doesn't drag its feet with the new park addition.

"We're hopeful, but seeing what happened with the other property that sat empty for almost 2 years that's the real concern we don't want to go through that same thing again," said Sink.

Mike says he's contacted Mayor Mike McGinn's Office and the City Council to find out when the house could be demolished so far he hasn't gotten any details. We contacted the Mayor's Office and Parks Department too, and we're told new information could be available on Monday.

"Beaver Invasion" Furry Rodents Take Over Seattle Area Creek

2010-07-06T20:31:00.001-07:00

ISSAQUAH - They maybe furry and cute but a den of beavers are taking a big bite out of one Eastside Community. The little guys are damming and ripping up a creek that's vital for salmon at Lake Sammamish State Park, but they're also causing the potential for some big time flooding problems.

Kerry Ritland who is Surface Water Manager for the City of Issaquah says a group of busy beavers have figured out away to slow Tibbetts Creek down.

"Well, this is a beaver dam obviously, looks to be 3 or 4 feet tall. Yeah, this is a free flowing stream, now we have a lake," said Ritland.

According to Ritland the dam started to take shape in spring. The beavers have been piling on sticks, twigs, and mud ever since.

The beaver dam has backed up Tibbetts Creeks already about a quarter-mile. The big concern is, if the water continues to rise it could flood the parking lot at Swedish Hospital and flow over Northwest Sammamish Road.

The big rodents have also gnawed their way through the native vegetation the State spent thousands of dollars reintroducing to Tibbetts Creek. Kerry Ritland says that's not the worst of it.

"The fish can't possibly jump over that dam or make it through a hole. So, it's a full fish passage barrier for Coho salmon primarily, possibly Chinook salmon," said Ritland.

Ranger Rich Benson says the pesky buggers have even burrowed dens under the main road into Lake Sammamish State Park.

"It's just undermined the asphalt, so you know there's not a lot of support to where the rocks are and if we continue to let them go I don't know how far they'd go," said Benson.

To get the creek water to flow smoothly again, Kerry Ritland says The Department of Fish And Wildlife has to give the okay to tear down the dam.

"Spent a lot of money on restoration and flood control. It's not a good location for them to build a dam," said Ritland.

The beavers may have other plans, but, quick moving water is what Tibbetts Creek is supposed to have.

If Park Rangers get the green light they could begin trapping and relocating those beavers within the next 3 weeks. That's when they'd take down the dam too.

"Barefoot Bandit" Bolts For The Bahamas In Stolen Plane

2010-07-05T21:09:00.001-07:00

SEATTLE - Sheriff's Deputies in Bloomington, Indiana believe the teen bandit swiped a plane and flew it by himself some 1,200 miles to the Bahamas.

It was inside a hanger at the Monroe County Airport that cops say Colton Harris Moore lifted his latest set of wings from plane owner John Miller.

"Circumstances of luck for this guy that he was able to take mine, because I had to leave the key in it to have the oil changed, "said Miller.

Miller says Harris Moore used a crowbar to bust in and took off in his Cessna 400 and headed for the Bahamas.

"I'd just say the boy had good taste, it's a hell of a lot better than the other airplanes around there," said Miller.

Sheriff's Deputies in Indiana say Colton first popped up on their radar after they say he dumped a hot set of wheels in a church parking lot last week. Monroe County Airport Manager Bruce Payton says the church is only a mile from the airstrip.

"The Sheriff's Department had located a car stolen and found it not far from the Monroe County Airport," said Payton.

Cops believe he was casing the place and saw his chance late Saturday night. Miller says his plane is in a swamp now.

"I know this from the Bahamian Police, he is alive and he's on the go," said Miller.

Local bounty hunter Mike Rocha was hoping to get his chance to catch him, but he says Colton Harris Moore may have outsmarted everyone this time.

"It's a great move he's out of U.S. Jurisdiction probably not extraditable at this juncture. So, why wouldn't he go sit in the Bahamas for 7 years and come back after the statute of limitations runs out," said Rocha.

John Miller says his plane was destroyed but believe it or not, he's not angry.

"Hell, I don't want him to get hurt, I hope he makes it, I don't want him to steal anyone else's, but I don't want him to be hurt either," said Miller.

Q13 Fox News also talked with John Miller's son Joe today. He says Police in the Bahamas told him they were looking for someone that stole an SUV on the island where the plane was ditched. Cops believe Colton Harris Moore took it.

Authorities across Western Washington have been hoping to catch the alleged bandit since his escape from a halfway house in April 2008.

Last fall, after a stolen small plane crash-landed at an airport, Harris-Moore was caught on surveillance video breaking into a grocery store. A hardware store, bar, coffee-shop and bank were also hit at that time.

A few weeks later, a Cessna was stolen from a rural airport in Idaho and crash-landed near Granite Falls, Wash., when it ran out of fuel.

Colton Harris-Moore is believed to be connected to several home and business burglaries since his disappearance in 2008. Harris-Moore is also believed to have stolen several cars, boats, and three small airplanes.

Check these surveillance pictures taken from Spencer's Landing marina on Lopez Island on May 15th. It is believed the 'barefoot bandit' stole a boat from the private marina:

"Balcony Bandit" Burglar Busted By Cops While Using Ladder

2010-07-03T20:31:00.001-07:00

Puyallup Police say they caught him red handed, a prolific burglar that's accused of using a ladder to break into several apartments. The 28 year old is now locked up in the Pierce County jail facing multiple charges.

One of the burglar's victims was Norma Buck. You can imagine her surprise when she realized the "balcony bandit" had climbed into her home.

"I got up Wednesday morning and noticed footprints on my rug. So, the footprints came this way and my purse was here, cash was taken out of my purse and then that's when I assume he came into my bedroom," said Buck.

What shocked Norma more was realizing the bad guy was just inches from where she and grandson Tristen slept.

"He was in my room, he was in my room in the middle of the night. I didn't hear a thing," said Buck.

Last night, Puyallup Police were watching Norma's complex the Meridian Point Apartments and the nearby Clock Tower Apartments too. It was there investigators caught a break in the case.

Police say they spotted the burglar climbing down a ladder from a second story unit with a sack full of stolen stuff. Lieutenant Scott Engle with the Puyallup Police Department says that's when Officers moved in to arrest him

"They'd expected him to strike again, we were hoping we were in the right spot when he did it," said Engle.

Cops say in the six crimes the burglar used a stolen ladder and climbed into unlocked upper floor apartments and took cash and electronics. Lieutenant Engle says just like last night's burglary most of the victims were sleeping.

"Very dangerous crime, very bold for someone to enter someone's residence and victimize them that way, when they're inside sleeping," said Engle.

Investigators are now trying to figure out if the suspect lives in either of the apartment complexes he targeted.

Norma's glad the "balcony bandit" has been caught, but her grandson Tristen Sharp is still steaming mad about losing his hard earned piggy bank money.

"Very bad cause I don't like people stealing my money," said Sharp.

Police won't release the name of the 28 year old suspect until he's charged. He's scheduled to go before a judge on Tuesday.

Police say these burglaries are a good reminder for the summer to not leave your windows and doors unlocked both day and night.

Young Mother Raped In Home While Her Children Slept Nearby

2010-07-02T21:09:00.000-07:00

It’s a crime that’s shocked a neighborhood. A young mother brutally raped while her two small children slept nearby. It happened about a week ago in their Lakewood Apartment. Now, Police are hunting all over Pierce County for the man that committed this unspeakable crime.

The Lakewood Police Department released a composite sketch of the suspect on Friday.

Neighbors Stefka Covington and Christine Wiener just moved in to the Arbor Pointe Apartments, Christine says they were shocked to learn about the brazen sexual assault.

“I'm just surprised that the office didn't tell anybody around here what happened cause we're the first ones that should know,” said Wiener.

Police say the woman was raped in her bottom floor apartment just before 10 PM on June 25. Lieutenant Heidi Hoffman with the Lakewood Police Department says when the victim took out the trash and left the apartment unlocked the rapist was waiting for her when she got back.

“There was quite a struggle, he ended up grabbing a rather large book off of an end table hitting her in the head with that, they fought for some time,” said Hoffman.

The single mother eventually fought the man off, but not before he sexually assaulted her. He ran out a backdoor and she called 911.

Christine Wiener believes the mother was fortunate considering what happened.

“At least she was lucky, was able to get away from him, cause most of the time you don't get a chance to,” said Wiener.

The victim was taken to a local hospital for treatment. Her two young children were not harmed. Lt. Hoffman says Police are very concerned about this crime because it was random and involved a total stranger.

“Our fear of course is that if he gets away with it this time, he's more empowered to do it again and next time he could kill somebody who knows,” said Hoffman.

Investigators say they’re checking with the Department Of Corrections to see if the person in the sketch matches any sex offenders living in the area.

Christine and Stefka say it’s still hard to believe the violent attack happened so close to their new home, a place they thought was safe.

“Very surprised because we moved two months ago here, and they told us this, one of the safe places,” said Covington.

Lakewood Police say the rapist is about 25 years old. He’s about 5’10’’ with a medium build. He has red hair and a thin mustache.

If you have any information about the suspect call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS. If your information leads to an arrest and conviction you could be eligible for a cash reward.

Local Man's Invention Uses Polyester To Cleanup BP Oil Spill

2010-06-28T21:06:00.000-07:00

Sammamish Man's Invention Helps Cleanup BP Oil Spill In Gulf
SAMMAMISH - Since the environmental disaster happened in the Gulf of Mexico it seems like BP has tried just about any and everything to clean up the massive oil spill. A lot of those fixes have failed. Now, the oil giant hopes a Sammamish man's invention will save the day.

It started with a problem Jerry Brownstein noticed while running his vintage clothing shop 40 years ago in Los Angeles, what to do with old polyester that was filling up landfills.

"I said it's a resource this isn't waste, this is a resource and everybody looked at me and said it's garbage," said Brownstein.

But, Jerry was convinced he was onto something. He worked on his idea for years how to combine polyester scraps into sheets of materials that could help the environment instead of hurt it. Then, finally 10 years ago he and his partner hit pay dirt.

"That's when I heard him yelling from the back I thought he hurt himself or something and he comes running in and he says this absorbs 38 times its weight in oil nothing does that," said Brownstein.

They had figured out a way to interlock and strengthen the fibers X-tex was born and patented.

Jerry showed us how the fabric collects the oil and what's left is clean water. Now, BP is grabbing up all it can get of Jerry's goods to try to stop the oil on the shoreline.

"They put X-tex on the fences and the tide and the water can go back and forth through the X-tex it will take the oil out which ever direction it's coming in," said Brownstein.

According to Jerry crews are also using X-tex to clean the water too.

"Then, stuff this with X-tex, the loose form now. For the first time you have a boom that absorbs oil because these booms that are out there now are not designed to absorb oil, they're just designed to coral it," said Brownstein.

Jerry says it's also being used on the beaches too.

"That will trap the tar balls and they can just take the SOS up rather than trying to remove it one tar ball at a time with a kitty litter spoon," said Brownstein.

Now, all these years later BP is banking on Jerry's idea to solve the biggest environmental problem of our time. He's proud of his invention but the taste of success will be bittersweet.

"But, I don't like the disaster part of it I just don't. I wish there was some other way I'm just glad we're there to help though," said Brownstein.

Jerry says his factories here in U.S., Canada, and Mexico are working 24/7 to produce enough products for BP to ship to the gulf. He's even in talks with Officials in Italy right now to start making X-tex there to meet the oil company's demand to clean up the oil spill disaster.

"Field Of Greens" Local Food Bank Grows Its Own Fresh Organic Produce

2010-06-22T20:42:00.001-07:00

VASHON ISLAND - No family wants to go hungry, and now an unlikely place struggling to feed the community is thinking outside the box to solve the problem. It's a pretty novel idea, a "grow your own" food bank. Now, every week on Vashon and Maury Islands 200 families are getting fresh organic crops harvested year round for their dinner table from the Vashon Maury Community Food Bank.

Its harvest time at the Vashon Food Bank Farm and volunteers like Elizabeth Parrish and her daughter Aiden-Rees are busy picking crops for families that need a little extra help.

"A lot of people go up to the food bank just get kind of staple foods and it's really nice to have fresh fruits and vegetables," said Parrish.

This field of greens was made possible by thousands of dollars in grant money from the United Way and land donated by Chris and Amy Robison.

"Oh, yeah we felt great, really a win-win cause the land gets used and it's too a good cause and we're helping fellow island people and it gives people a place to donate their time," said Robison.

On Tuesday volunteers' harvested kale, chard, and radishes that will help feed 200 families this week at the Food Bank.

Food bank farmer Jen Coe says this program is giving families a healthy alternative to canned and processed produce.

"I think it's so important for people to have access to healthy food and food that's grown here fresh organic is as good as it gets and it's something traditionally food banks have not had access to," said Coe.

At the farm and the small garden behind the food bank Executive Director Yvonne Pitrof says folks will be growing 20 different crops year round for hundreds of families.

"When we can grow on a large scale at the farm we can often times grow enough of a crop that we can share our harvest with other food banks as well," said Pitrof.

Growing its own crops has made the food bank more self-sufficient. But, it'll take volunteers like the Parishes' to keep these crops flourishing.

"We're just trying to get more into service and just realizing how fortunate we are and help to give back to the community," said Parish

The Vashon Maury Community Food Bank still needs plenty of volunteers to help tend to the crops this summer. To sign up to volunteer call 206-463-6332.

Woman That Dragged Horse To Death Says It Was An Accident

2010-06-20T18:28:00.000-07:00

ARLINGTON - The driver who dragged a horse to its death is speaking out exclusively to Q13 Fox News. She says the trail of blood two miles along a rural Arlington road was a terrible accident.

We first told you about the incident a week ago, and since then neighbors have reacted with outrage over the animal's death. So, much anger the driver has asked us not to show her face or use her name.

"I think of him so many times during the day, I look for him out in the pasture and it just makes me sick."

The accident is still difficult to talk about. The woman was driving when she says the horse fell out of its trailer and was dragged to death on Grandview Road.

"It was just a horrible accident, the worst thing that can happen, the kind of thing you're always concerned about that a horse will go down in a trailer or come out of a trailer when you pull them."

The woman recently sold the horse to a friend and had borrowed it for a ride last Saturday. She says the horse named "Flash" and two other horses were properly tied up in the trailer.

"Got the horses loaded up, got everything ready to go, double checked everything and started up the road."

But, during the trip home the driver says the horse's back end fell out.

"As I drive I always check my mirrors frequently, I didn't see the door open, didn't see any sign of the horse, I didn't see anything amiss and I didn't feel anything."

The driver and her two passengers continued down the road not knowing the animal was dragging from the trailer.

"And, we pulled him quite a ways because we didn't feel any difference."

It was about 2 miles later that other drivers finally got her attention.

"They were honking at me and I didn't hear the honking even though we didn't have a radio on. But, as I turned a sharp corner I spotted a guy waving out of his window and I could hear him yelling, I could see him in my mirror."

It was much too late Flash was dead. The driver believes the horse broke its neck when it fell from the trailer and died instantly.

"It's just a horrible thing, just it stunned me and it devastated me."

Some people around Arlington have accused her of trying to harm or kill Flash on purpose. She calls those accusations outrageous.

"So, I would tell these people that I don't understand where anyone got that idea, it was just a horrific accident."

The Snohomish County Sheriff's Office says no charges will be filed in this case. Deputies believe it was an accident.

Tacoma Man Searches Woods For Green River Murder Victims

2010-06-12T19:06:00.000-07:00

ENUMCLAW - He terrorized the community for two decades and murdered dozens of women. Green River killer Gary Ridgway is locked up for his crimes. Earlier this week, we told you about a Tacoma man who believes some of the serial killer's victims have yet to be found, and that's why on Saturday he launched his own search.

In the thick wooded area about 5 miles east of Enumclaw, Rob Fitzgerald and his cadaver dog "Wendy" are retracing the steps of Green River killer Gary Ridgway.

"So, it was an area that would have fit that profile, it would have been OK for him to put a body here and get back to it for access, because, he did revisit them," said Fitzgerald.

For the last year Rob has studied this terrain and Ridgway's method of murder. He believes Ridgway dumped as many as 10 bodies somewhere in these woods in East King County in the 80's and 90's.

Rob has invested $10,000 of his own money and put together a search team with a Law Enforcement background to scour a 40 mile long area along State Route 410 to Greenwater. He wants to bring the victim's families some closure.

"It gave him plenty of room to stop. No one would notice what he was doing here, you can see there's cars, makes no big deal," said Fitzgerald.

Gary Ridgway escaped the death penalty 7 years ago when he confessed to killing 48 women. But, Cops always believed he murdered more victims he didn't fess up to.

Rob thinks with "Wendy's" trained nose and new high tech equipment that Cops didn't have two decades ago, he'll find human remains that went undiscovered.

"This is a soil density meter and what it does it can tell if the soil has ever been dug. You scan a huge area we set up a grid with ropes, and if there's ever been a grave dug on it it'll show up as a hot spot on there," said Fitzgerald.

Rob's team is working alone the King County Sheriff's Office is not involved in this search. That's why Rob wants to make sure what he turns over to the Cops is legitimate.

"This is called a comparative skeleton we use it for bone comparisons. So, we have every bone in the human body, so, if we find a bone there's lots of animal bones in the woods this gives us a way to compare it to an actual human bone," said Fitzgerald.

Rob and his team didn't make any major discoveries on Saturday, but, they have plenty of time to do so. They'll be searching the wooded area east of Enumclaw for the rest of the summer.

Start Your Engines! Let's Go Lawnmower Drag Racing

2010-06-11T21:01:00.000-07:00

"Mower Madness" In Maple Valley Drag Racing Lawn Machines Hit The Track
MAPLE VALLEY - They're the loudest, fastest hot rods that you've ever seen that used to cut grass. This weekend at Maple Valley Days huge crowds will be turning out for the lawnmower drag races. Q13 Fox News got a behind the scenes look at some of these special machines and the men that have the need for speed.

Some of them are monster trucks, others are motorcycles, but, at one time all of them used to cut grass!

For the last 10 years Clint Willaford and the rest of his Maple Valley Redneck Racers have been tearing it up on their supped up converted riding lawn mowers.

"It's just meeting good people, and a lot of help from friends, it's just a lot of good old fun," said Willaford.

Clint says getting these rigs to run real fast takes a lot of hard work and some special parts.

"We've got the hearty sprockets, golf cart front ends, Harley chains we all took a different design building our framework," said Willaford.

According to Clint the lawn mower races have become the must see event at Maple Valley Days.

"Cause in our competition you got side by side drag racing, then we do a sled pull, and then you gotta mud bog. So, you gotta compete in all 3 events then you got a winner," said Willaford.

And, Clint says it keeps the crowd on the edge of their seats.

"They really enjoy that drag racing, simply cause there is that fear factor of someone wrecking and getting hurt, that's just reality TV," said Willaford.

Winning is fun for sure, but it isn't everything. For racer Jeff Granlund fixing up the lawn mowers is also about friendship.

"Actually I enjoy the build more than the race day, just getting together with my friends and having a good time. It's a poor man's drag racer," said Granlund.

And, if your ride isn't fast enough, Dave Hasenwinkle says it's more about appearances then.

"Yeah, I'll look the best," said Hasenwinkle.

You can check out the lawn mower races for yourself on Saturday at Maple Valley Days at 1 PM at Lake Wilderness Park. The races are free for everyone.

New Park Honors Murdered Student

2010-06-08T22:23:00.000-07:00

TACOMA - It was a crime that shocked and horrified the community 3 years ago, 12 year old Zina Linnik snatched from outside her Tacoma home and later found murdered. Tomorrow, the community will break ground on a new playground to honor her near her family's home.

It started with a vision from the young minds at McCarver Elementary School like 4th grader Tristan Brouwer and 5th grader John'nay Nelson.

"There gonna have a big circle where you can sit and read, there's gonna be a poem to Zina," said Nelson.

"And, we're gonna have an aerial aquarium which is going to be fish on sticks," said Brouwer.

And, after three years of spent raising millions of dollars for it, it's finally time to build the tribute to their former classmate Zina Linnik.

5th grader Amber Tudela says it's the perfect memorial for Zina.

"It's just like a place to have people play safely and to remember Zina and know that she would always be remembered and not forgotten," said Tudela.

The Zina Linnik project started just 24-hours after the community learned the little girl had been murdered. Parents, students, and teachers decided right then and there to transform McCarver Park into something special, something she would have appreciated.

5th grader Cassie McDonnell says the community will be surprised by what they've done for Zina.

"I think they'll think it's pretty amazing, that all the kids did it and it's an amazing triumph," said McDonnell.

Of course, the park will have slides and other stuff kids like. But, more importantly its design is influenced by Zina' Ukrainian Heritage.

According to Tristan Brouwer that includes something the kids will tend to.

"We're gonna have a community garden, and school garden," said Brouwer.

All that work was done with some help from UW and UPS college students. Reading teacher Katie Thaut was amazed.

"To see all of a sudden these kids, they have math, they have science, but, now they have a park and it's become like a subject almost for them," said Thaut.

The kids are still selling t-shirts to help raise the final $600,000 they need. For Tristan Brouwer he says it's the best investment possible in making sure her spirit will live on.

"For Zina this park is going to bring her back to life. That's for sure," said Brouwer.

To protect the kids the park will have a new security gate and entryway. The groundbreaking ceremony is Wednesday afternoon at 2 at McCarver Park in Tacoma.

A new sprayground and playground will also be built in honor of Zina at nearby Wright Park another place Zina like to play. Both parks are expected to be done this fall.

Tacoma Man Launches His Own Search For 10 Or More Missing Green River Murder Victims

2010-06-07T22:00:00.001-07:00

TACOMA - In 2003 Green River Killer Gary Ridgway confessed to killing 48 women. But, many believe the cold blooded psychopath murdered even more victims that have yet to be found. Now, a man down in Tacoma is launching a massive new effort to find potential victims along State Route 410 near Enumclaw that the FBI and King County Sheriff's Office might have missed.

For the last year security consultant Rob Fitzgerald has been spending his free time training his cadaver dog Wendy, in the exact spots where Ridgway dumped his victims.

"And, that's where a body was recovered. So, she was able to take me directly to the spot where the body putrefied into the ground, she can go to it immediately," said Fitzgerald.

Rob grew up around here, as a young man he was captivated by the case and the fear it created in his community. To this day, he believes there are more victims yet to be found, so he and Wendy are starting a new search.

"I would say that there's probably in the neighborhood of 10 more out there in that area, could be higher than that we don't know," said Fitzgerald.

Rob has put together a team of ex law enforcement officers. He says unlike the original investigation when there was pressure to solve the case, this team will have unlimited time and better equipment to find the bodies.

"Magnetometers that can read if the soil was ever disturbed, resistance meters that archeologists use to tell if they've even dug a grave," said Fitzgerald.

To avoid the death penalty, Gary Ridgway confessed to killing dozens of women in the 80's and 90's, and agreed to lead Police to their bodies. But, there were 8 women he's suspected of murdering whose remains were never found.

Rob believes he can find closure for their families along Highway 410 between Enumclaw and Greenwater.

"He dumped them right off of it and that's how we put the profile together. We realized you had to be able to stop a car and leave it without anyone questioning it. So, that eliminates miles and miles of road where you just can't pull over," said Fitzgerald.

This is a solo operation Rob is not working with the King County Sheriff's Office. He says this is simply his way of helping.

"You drive down that highway and you think there's someone's daughter, girlfriend, wife, is buried or thrown right here, they're just there. It's not right they should be recovered if possible," said Fitzgerald.

And, so the 4 month search starts Saturday morning.

Rob named his dog Wendy after one of Ridgway's first victims Wendy Lee Coffield.

We checked with the King County Sheriff's Office and we're told it wasn't aware of this new search. But, spokesperson Sergeant John Urquhart told us, Rob should notify a case detective if his team is out somewhere specifically looking for a specific body.

Wild Rescue Caught On Video After Car Flips Into River

2010-06-06T21:29:00.001-07:00

SEATTLE - A car flips into a raging river, its driver trapped inside and rescuers are in a race against time to save him. Last night we showed you the amazing video from the Nisqually River at Mount Rainier National Park.

Tonight, the man who was saved by park rangers and bystanders spoke exclusively with Q13 Fox News about his harrowing ordeal.

Gerry Goit says he was trapped in a watery tomb.

"I just thought about different things about my kids. I didn't want them to have to bury their dad," said Goit.

Gerry Goit's drive home after a day of climbing at Mount Rainier became a fight for his life after he dozed off behind the wheel.

"I thought the trees would stop me, but, they didn't. So, I went through the trees and went down the bank and ended up in the river upside down," said Goit.

Second's later frigid water from the Nisqually River began pouring into his Nissan Pathfinder. Gerry's seatbelt wouldn't budge.

"When I first landed there I just thought I'm very likely going to die," said Goit.

Stuck upside down Gerry struggled to keep his head above water. He turned to his fait for help.

"And, so I started praying and I just asked God to help me, bring someone to help me," said Goit.

His prayers were answered when other drivers and eventually park rangers came to Gerry's rescue. They tied a rope to a tree and the SUV to stabilize it.

"The ranger told me I was a survivor, cause he said he could see me in the water just barely keeping it out of my mouth, he said you were fighting to survive," said Goit.

But, what happened next took Gerry by surprise.

"To get to the seat belt, he pushed me underwater and I actually passed out. I was under their fighting to get back up he was just holding me down to get to the belt," said Goit.

A rope was tied to Gerry and rescuers dragged him to shore. He was cold, wet, and appeared to be suffering from hypothermia.

"I had a dry pair of pants in a bag they put me in a sleeping bag. I knew I was cold, I was pretty confident at that point I was going to survive," said Goit.

A helicopter landed in the rocky-river bed and Gerry was flown to an awaiting ambulance that took him to a Puyallup Hospital.

"Yeah, my faith definitely gave me the strength to go on," said Goit.

It goes without saying that Gerry considers himself very lucky.

"And, thing is had I passed out, had I been unconscious when I hit I would have drowned," said Goit.

He's very thankful for the people who risked their lives jumping into the river to save him.

"Oh, most definitely they are heroes," said Goit.

Besides a few bumps and bruises Gerry says he feels absolutely fine. As far as his SUV it was towed from the river and will need some work. Gerry was up at the Park training for a summit of Mount Rainier later this summer. He still hopes to do that.

Climber Missing After Massive Avalanche On Mt. Rainier

2010-06-05T23:16:00.001-07:00

MT. RAINIER - There is still no sign of a missing climber on Mount Rainier. Helicopters searched the mountainside all day long, but the search was called off because of darkness late Saturday.

Park Officials say 11 climbers got caught in the avalanche about 4:45 AM Saturday.

The climbers were on the Ingraham Glacier direct route at 12,500 feet when a huge slab avalanche took them out. The massive snow slide was between 3 and 4,000 feet wide and rumbled some 1,200 feet down the mountain side.

All of the climbers were buried in the avalanche. Out of the 11 people that got trapped in the snow and ice ten of them made it out.

One person hiked down to Camp Muir for help. Two injured climbers along with 6 search and rescuers were removed by helicopter. The climbers were taken to a local hospital for cuts and bruises but are reported to be in stable condition.

Helicopters searched the slide area all day long. Mountaineer District Ranger Stefan Lofgren says the snow is unstable and the avalanche danger is extremely high, which made it too dangerous to have rescuers do a ground search.

"Our search efforts were about 1,500 to 1,000 feet above ground level. We were still able to get a good eyeball we did not see any evidence of anybody, the one person we'd like to find," said Lofgren.

Park Officials believe the missing climber is a foreign national that was climbing by themselves and didn't register before their climb.

Recently lots of snow fell on Mount Rainier and with the warm weather it might have softened the snow and ice and triggered the avalanche.

The search to find the missing climber could resume Sunday morning. Park Officials say their efforts could be delayed by bad weather moving into the area.

Bounty Hunters Say They Will Track Down Elusive "Barefoot Bandit"

2010-06-01T22:59:00.001-07:00

CAMANO ISLAND - Neighbors on Camano Island say he's a menace to their community. Law Enforcement believes he's responsible for dozens of burglaries and thefts. That's why people gathered at a meeting at Elger Bay Elementary School on the Island tonight with local "bounty hunters" to find ways to capture Colton Harris Moore.

Months of frustration came flooding out tonight at the meeting. Neighbors like Paul Easter are now turning to recovery specialists, "bounty hunters" to capture the barefoot bandit once and for all.

"I think it's a good idea what they heck might as well try it they probably have more time to commit looking for him or researching than police," said Easter.

Time is exactly what bounty hunter Ray Wilson says they have to start tracking down Harris-Moore.

"We're focusing on this case, so, that's what we plan on doing and I'll tell you one thing we won't quit until it's done," said Wilson.

Mike Rocha with Everett's All City Bail Bonds says he decided to search for Colton Harris-Moore after a local blogger reached out to him for help.

"So, we're going to ask them for any history that they have his friends, acquaintances, anybody that can help put this puzzle together," said Rocha.

Harris-Moore is accused of dozens of burglaries at Island homes and businesses, perhaps even the thefts of airplanes and a car. The Island County Sheriff's Department also thinks he ripped off two boats last month.

Paul Easter says he doesn't buy Harris-Moore's image as some kind of hero outlaw.

"I think it's kind of pathetic I think that what he's doing shouldn't be glorified," said Easter.

Rocha believes Harris-Moore is desperate and could be getting help from friends or family.

"If he continues on this rampage and hurts somebody in the process anybody that's helping him is going to be complicated in a bigger crime," said Rocha.

Rocha says whatever information his crew finds on Harris-Moore will go straight to the Sheriff's Department. And, Ray Wilson says he's confident the bounty hunters are just the guys to find the fugitive.

"There is an old saying you can run but you can't hide and one thing we don't do is give up. So, we're going to put closure to this one way or another," said Wilson.

Right now a $6,500 reward is being offered for information leading to the capture of Colton Harris-Moore. Plans are in the works to have another community meeting with the bounty hunters later this month on Orcas Island.

Watch Out For Angry Crows "Dive-Bombing" People In Seattle

2010-05-30T19:50:00.001-07:00

SEATTLE - They may look innocent enough but don't be fooled. Neighbors in Ballard say they're on high alert after a series of dive-bombing crow attacks over the last few days.

Ever since crows started nesting in Randy Borkowski's pine tree his front yard has become much like a scene from Alfred Hitchcock's thriller "The Birds."

"My son and I came out to get something from the van and they just were literally dive-bombing us," said Borkowski.

Randy says you can't turn your back on these crows or you might get pecked right between your eyes.

"Soon as I quit looking at them they would come down at least 2 or 3 times dive-bombed right over my hair, I could feel them moving my hair," said Borkowski.

Randy's problem is a familiar one in North Ballard where there are many reports of crows attacking people. Senait Brown has been dodging the crows too.

"I kind of have a little phobia now. It does seem weird that they are that aggressive," said Brown.

One of the most vicious attacks happened at the corner of Northwest 62nd Street and 32nd Avenue Northwest, where a crow dive-bombed the victim and actually scratched them twice in the head.

State Wildlife Officials say the crows are aggressive this time of year because they're protecting their babies and nests. Senait Brown walks right by some of those nests.

"I thought it was a little strange that there were so many crows. So, I made a conscious decision to stay away from them," said Brown.

University of Washington researchers determined crows can hold grudges and know exactly who they're dive-bombing. Randy can attest to that.

"They seem to particularly want to go after me. I would watch and try to walk in a different direction. I walked across the street first before I walked up to the bus and I was two houses away when one came after me," said Borkowski.

Wildlife Officials say once baby crows leave their nests the adults should play nice. Randy hopes they'd hurry up and leave his family alone.

"We've lived in here for some 20 years, I don't remember having that particular problem it's right in front of our house it's hard to avoid it all together," said Borkowski.

State Wildlife Officials say you can protect yourself from crows by waving your arms slowly overhead. Also, you can wear a hat or helmet and carry an umbrella to scare them off.

Seattle Area Doctor Helps Cops Find His Grandfather's Killer

2010-05-29T20:30:00.001-07:00

BELLEVUE - There is finally some closure to a case that saw a Bellevue man track down his grandfather's killer. It's a story we first told you about earlier this year.

Frank Dryman was sentenced for the 1951 murder of Clarence Pellett. He was on the run for decades since disappearing while on parole. Now, Dryman is back behind bars, sentenced again and the victim's grandson was there to see it through.

When Bellevue doctor Clem Pellett started looking for his grandfather's killer he wasn't sure he'd find him.

"We never ever thought he was alive never," said Pellett.

Clem's grandfather, Clarence Pellett picked up Frank Dryman while he was hitchhiking in a blizzard on a Montana country road in 1951.

"He missed with the first shot then in Dryman's words he dropped him with the second shot, ran up to the body and emptied the gun into him," said Pellett.

Dryman served 14 years in prison for the murder. He was paroled in 1969 but disappeared in 1972. After Clem found some old newspaper clippings about the murder he asked for help from the cops. Family friend Emily Andrews helped with hiring a private investigator to find Dryman.

"He was going by the name Victor Houston, but the officer noticed he had tattoos that matched the description we had on his knuckles that had been crossed out. He was sure at that point it was him," said Andrews.

Clem says Dryman was living in Arizona City, Arizona and was supposedly a man of God.

"He was a deacon so he could marry people he had the Cactus Rose Wedding Chapel," said Pellett.

Dryman was arrested and brought back to Prison in Montana. Clem got to see him for the first time yesterday at his parole board hearing.

"Yeah, I got a little chill. This is the man that actually did this," said Pellett.

Dryman's parole was revoked. The 78 year old will stay locked up for the next 5 years. He never apologized for killing Clarence Pellett in cold blood.

"He has zero remorse, zero," said Pellett.

Clem says he still has some unfinished business with Dryman. He'll soon have a face to face chat with the killer.

"There's the obvious questions, why, some of the obvious ones. Some I'm sure he'll avoid others he won't. For me to have complete closure I want to sit down and talk with him," said Pellett.

Seattle Teen Savagely Attacked Robbed In Possible Hate Crime

2010-05-28T20:11:00.001-07:00

WEST SEATTLE - A West Seattle teen is still recovering after a savage hate filled attack. It happened near 14th Avenue Southwest and Southwest Holden Street as the boy was walking home. The victim told Police he was beaten and robbed because of his color.

The teen's father Tim McClellan spoke exclusively with Q13 Fox News.

"He went to hand him a light and they attacked him, knocked him down right there," said McClellan.

Looking at the pictures of his son in a hospital bed isn't easy for Tim.

"Beat him for 4 hours, beat him, whipped him, burned him with cigarettes," said McClellan.

In pain and still fearful Tim's son Shane wasn't up for talking to us. But, his dad told us his story. Shane was walking home from a friend's house in Highland Park around 2 AM Tuesday when he was tortured along a trail.

According to Tim his son was beaten for well over an hour on a staircase near the trail. He says the thugs put Shane's face into the steps and put a gun to the back of his head.

"You know cocked the weapon and told him as they were burning him, if he made any noise they were going to blow his head off," said McClellan.

All of it might have been because of the color of his skin. The Seattle Police Department's Bias Crimes Unit is investigating the case as a possible hate crime, because, of what the men said to Shane.

"When they kept whipping him with the belt, they kept talking about you know whipping him because he was a white kid," said McClellan.

Police believe the teens that did this are African American and Filipino and may have gang ties. Tim wants them caught before they hurt someone else.

"Doubt it was the first time and be a fool to think it was the last time you know. Just don't want to be responsible for it happening to someone else. I'd like to see these guys off the street," said McClellan.

Despite how bad his injuries look, Tim says Shane is expected to make a full recovery.

If you have any information about this attack, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

Seattle Area Tow Truck Driver Gets The Nod For "Tow Truck Driver Hall Of Fame"

2010-05-24T20:21:00.001-07:00

CLINTON - A Clinton man that's been helping out stranded drivers for more than 60 years on Whidbey Island is headed to the hall of fame, the hall of fame of towing. Tow truck driver Gordon Simmons just hitched that honor for his service to the community.

If you've ever broken down or gotten stuck in a ditch on South Whidbey Island chances are Gordon Simmons was the guy who came to your rescue.

"Helped a lot of people, proud of it," said Simmons.

Gordon started his business way back in 1947, towing cars, trucks, buses, bulldozers, you name it he's towed it.

"We even had a beer truck that rolled over here down at the ferry dock one time, beer all over the place. We had to pick it all up. Of course they missed a few cases which they didn't care," said Simmons.

Then, there was the time that horse got stuck in a septic tank.

"The stuff was clear over his neck, we lifted him up and dropped him down and he started eating brush right away he was happy to get out of there," said Simmons.

For his tireless devotion to the community, AAA nominated Gordon to the 2010 class of the International Towing and Recovery Hall Of Fame in Tennessee. Yes, there's a tow truck driver hall of fame.

"Was I surprised? Yeah, I was surprised, you know me here in this little town of Clinton," said Simmons.

Even after 63 years of being in the tow truck business, Gordon says he has no plans of slowing down. He wants to keep driving his big rigs around the island.

"Oh, I love it, the tow trucks have been my hobby for all my life and I've enjoyed just what I'm doing," said Simmons.

Gordon says his new found fame won't go to his head. The next time you breakdown or say, your cow gets stranded on the beach Gordon will still be the guy who comes to the rescue.

It's a good thing Gordon doesn't plan on retiring just yet. He's in charge of two tow truck outfits, a garage, and auto parts store. But, he'll have to find someone to cover for him later this year. He'll be inducted into the towing hall of fame on September 18th in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Gray Whale Takes A Wrong Turn From Puget Sound And Ends Up In Seattle Area River

2010-05-22T19:41:00.001-07:00

EVERETT - It's not something you see every day in our local rivers, a massive gray whale swimming around. It was first spotted near the Everett Marina early this morning. Everett Police spent today trying to keep it from heading up the Snohomish River.

When Kimeley Hutchinson heard about the gray whale in the river she headed down to the Everett Marina to check it out for herself. "He's been coming up like every 10 minutes. You don't see a whole lot of him just his blowhole and the back of him," said Hutchinson.

But, the 30 foot gray whale isn't where it's supposed to be. Whale expert John Calambokidis with Cascadia Research says the whale is confused, in poor health, and time is running out for it.

"I'm not very optimistic about its chances, given that it's gotten to such a poor state," said Calambokidis.

Everett Police Marine Patrol protected the whale by keeping boats a safe distance from it. Sergeant Robert Goetz says Officers didn't try moving the whale, but tried herding it south towards Puget Sound.

"We've noticed today the whale's been traveling in a circular pattern from just around the marina to about a mile north of the marina near Jetty island," said Goetz.

John Calambokidis says the mammal was looking for food and wasn't too far off course.

"More than half dozen gray whales that show up every spring that feed around Camano and Whidbey Island and more often right off the jetty in Everett," said Calambokidis.

Whale researchers say it's common for dead gray whales to wash ashore on Washington beaches in the spring. Six have been found this year, four were in Puget Sound. Gray whales have a long and grueling migration and malnourished ones can wander into the wrong place like the Snohomish River.

Kimeley Hutchinson is holding out hope the whale will somehow be able to survive its river adventure.

"It was really cool. I'm just worried he's not going to be able to get back to the sound, if he hits the river," said Hutchinson.

Everett Police say the whale is still hanging out near the Everett Marina. Marine Patrol Units will be back out in the morning to give it some space from whale watchers. If the whale can't make it back to Puget Sound it could be a matter of days until it dies and washes ashore.

Former School Employee Accused Of "Doctoring" Phony Physicals And Inappropriately Touching Teen Athletes

2010-05-18T21:50:00.001-07:00

BURIEN - You can't be a student athlete without getting a physical, and you can't be the guy giving the physical if you're not a licensed doctor. Trouble is that's exactly what a former Highline School District Employee was doing. Now, he's lost his job and he could end up facing charges for taking some of those exams way too far.

The District says it fired Jayson Boehm when it learned about the bogus physicals. Then, came the allegations he'd been routinely asking boys to take off their clothes so he could touch their genitals. Now, parents are left to wonder how did this guy get access to their kids.

36 year old Jayson Boehm was a substitute stadium manager at Highline Memorial Field and also did first aid as a licensed EMT. Catherine Carbone Rogers with the Highline School District says it discovered he was doing much more. "There was a student who turned in a medical excuse and it was signed by Jayson Boehm. A nurse didn't think he had the credentials to sign off on a medical note," said Carbone Rogers.

The Washington State Department of Health got involved and discovered Boehm was illegally practicing medicine and doctoring athlete's paperwork. Department spokesperson Gordon MacCracken says investigators determined Boehm had fondled more than two dozen teenage boys.

"That's the other part of it that has nothing to do with sexual misconduct is the physical exams should only be conducted by someone that's qualified to do that," said MacCracken.

Parent Tonya Jackson was shocked to learn about the alleged abuse.

"The District needs to pay more close attention to the people they're letting manage our kids out here, that's not safe," said Jackson.

Administrators aren't saying too much due to the investigation, but Catherine Carbone Rogers says the District is trying to figure out who dropped the ball. They have put two District Athletic Directors on paid leave while they investigate.

"We don't know whether the coaches knew he was clearing the players, or thought that the signature on the form was valid that's part of the investigation,"

Q13 Fox News tried speaking with Boehm today but no one answered when we went to his home. The State has pulled his EMT, massage therapist, nursing assistant, and counselor licenses. But, that's the least of his problems. The King County Sheriff's Office is looking at whether to charge him with indecent liberties, child abuse, and assault.

Tonya Jackson says somebody needs to be held accountable for allegedly harming the kids.

"It's obscene, I think it's absurd there's no reason anyone should do that," said Jackson.

The Highline School District says it's asked the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association to do a full audit of its athletic programs. The District also contacted all of the parents of the kids Boehm examined and will pay for new physicals for them.

New Details About Double Murder Suicide Involving Sheriff's Deputy

2010-05-17T21:14:00.001-07:00

GIG HARBOR - It began with an argument and ended with three people killed. Tacoma Police now say a dispute between Pierce County Sheriff's Deputy Allen Myron and his in-laws led to the double murder suicide.

Still though, many questions remain unanswered about my Myron shot Monty and Susan Multanen and then turned the gun on himself.

The pain of three lives lost still shows on the face of Myron family friend Mary Broughton.

"It's just a shock. Beautiful family, loving, busy in the community," said Broughton.

Like most everyone else, Mary can't understand why a devoted husband and loving father would kill his in-laws. Even Detective Gretchen Aguirre with the Tacoma Police Department says investigators are struggling to answer that.

"It didn't appear to be a physical fight, just a verbal argument," said Aguirre.

Cops say while Allen Myron was having words with his father-in-law Monty Multanen, he told his 15-year-old daughter and her boyfriend to go to the basement. Detective Aguirre says that's when the shooting happened.

"The father-in-law was shot two times in the driveway of the residence, he died on the scene. He was actually found in the garage," said Aguirre.

Myron also shot his mother-in-law Susan Multanen in the chest, she died later at Harborview. Mary Broughton believes depression over a back injury might have driven Myron to kill.

"You know to where he could hardly cope and he flipped, he went bezerk," said Broughton.

Myron's wife Sara is a chef and runs her own catering business. Broughton says the couple didn't have a history of domestic violence but money was tight.

"With him not working and her trying to get her business started, I'm sure there were some struggles," said Broughton.

Family friends say Sara Myron and her 4 children are in private grieving. Their house still has Police tape around it. Some people have left flowers in the driveway in remembrance of the victims.

Myron's son Joshua posted this message on his Facebook page. "I love you Dad. I miss you and love you. I will see you someday up in heaven."

Cops say they haven't been able to talk with Deputy Myron's 15-year-old daughter about the double murder suicide yet, because, she is too traumatized. This week Gig Harbor High School enacted their crisis team to help students and staff cope with their grief over the violence.

Neighbors Concerned About Home That Would House Multiple Sex Offenders In Washington State

2010-05-11T21:51:00.000-07:00

EDGEWOOD - Neighbors in a Pierce County community say they're frightened for their children's safety, after they learned a home on their block could be used to house several sex offenders.

Cindy Higginbottom and her neighbors are worried about who's living down the street from them.

"This has nothing to do with race, nothing to do with sexual orientation it has everything to do with the protection of our children," said Higginbottom.

Tonight, they took their fears and frustration to the Edgewood City Council. Cindy says the owner was already letting the homeless live there. Then, she says things got worse.

Neighbors became even more concerned about the living arrangements inside the house, once they learned a convicted level 3 sex offender was living there.

Larry Beaumont says he opened his home to people who needed help, charging them only a small fee for rent.

"Every person deserves a home to go to where they can at least get some sleep, normal hygiene things like anybody would do everyday," said Beaumont.

The City of Edgewood decided Beaumont was running a business without a license and ordered him to shutdown. To avoid City codes he just sold the house to another man who plans to let a lot of people buy a stake in it.

"It's going to be offered as a full sale for the first 30 days, or $50 for everyone that wants to be on the deed and he's hoping a lot of homeless individuals, that's part of the criteria you have to be homeless for 90 days he has it in there," said Beaumont.

And, Beaumont admits some of them could be sex offenders. That worries Cindy Higginbottom and her neighbors.

"The thing is that there's also 2 daycares within a half mile of this home and some of the people that are living in this home are walking past these daycares," said Higginbottom.

That's why Cindy and her neighbors wants the City to put a stop to this thing now.

"I'm hoping the City Attorney will be able to draw up some sort of a draft ordinance that would not allow any type of housing of this sort, regardless of title issues within residential areas of Edgewood," said Higginbottom.

Tonight, the Edgewood City Council only heard public comment on the issue, so no action was taken. It could be placed on the Council's agenda at their next meeting. The City Manager's Office is looking into this new living arrangement to see if it's legal.

Bad Case Of Mistaken Identity Cops Pull Guns On Wrong Guy In Seattle Area Neighborhood

2010-05-10T20:55:00.000-07:00

SKYWAY - You're working on your car and the next minute you're surrounded by cops and you have a gun pointed at the back of your head. That's what a South Seattle man says happened to him.

38 year old Simon Robinson says he's filing a complaint against the King County Sheriff's Office because of it.

"He just got out with the gun immediately rushed me to the ground, then another came out kneed me in the back handcuffed me. I don't even know why I was handcuffed," said Robinson.

What a shock for Simon Robinson as he worked on his car in front of his friend's house in Skyway.

"It was pointed right at me I didn't have time to do anything. He said get on the ground or I'm going to shoot you," said Robinson.

And, he says it all went down in front of his pregnant wife and young sons.

"I'm lucky I wasn't dead to tell you the truth I was crying, my son says Daddy you were crying, my son has never seen me cry," said Robinson.

According to a Report from the King County Sheriff's Office, two Deputies were chasing an armed felon wanted for domestic violence. The suspect was African American, wearing shorts and slippers, so was Robinson.

Robinson's 8 year old son Anthony describes what he saw.

"Then, my mom came out, then the guy put the gun on her, then my Dad's friend came out, and they put the gun on him," said Robinson.

The friend is the family's pastor Damian Joseph. He witnessed the whole thing.

"I think that if Simon had made a move, a false move or something I believe he probably would have been shot," said Joseph.

King County Sheriff's Office spokesman Sergeant John Urquhart says in this situation the Deputies used force to protect themselves.

"Suspected dangerous felons are typically arrested at gunpoint and placed in a prone position on the ground for Officer safety reasons. If this was, in fact, a fleeing felon who was trying to resist arrest, wouldn't the kids be in more danger if he draws his gun before we have to," said Urquhart.

When the Deputies put Robinson face first on the ground he says they broke his glasses. After Deputies checked his ID they realized they had the wrong guy.

"And, then we pull off and they wave, we apologize. How you gonna apologize when you just had a gun at my head," said Robinson.

The 38 year old wonders if the Officers were on edge because there've been so many cop killings lately.

"He made a comment stating I want to get home to my family. So, that comment meant to me he wasn't taking any chances," said Robinson.

Sergeant Urquhart calls the situation unfortunate adding:

"It's regrettable and we apologize for that. He was in the wrong place, dressed the wrong way, at the wrong time. We were looking for a suspect with a history of guns. He looked like the suspect," said Urquhart.

Robinson and his family are still having a tough time understanding what happened. What they want most right now is for the Sheriff's Office to take another look at its policies.

Robinson says he's been in touch with the Sheriff's Office about filing a harassment complaint with Internal Affairs and plans to do so within the next couple of days. He also plans to ask the County to buy him another pair of glasses to replace the broken ones.

Seattle Sounders FC Season Ticket Holders Get Refund After Blowout Loss To LA Galaxy

2010-05-09T21:07:00.001-07:00

SEATTLE - Seattle sports fans are not so happy right now. Even today's Mariners win doesn't make up for the previous eight losses. And, the Sounders, they got stomped this weekend 4 to nothing. It was so bad the team's giving some of you your money back.

Sounders FC fans didn't have a whole lot to cheer about in yesterday's match with the LA Galaxy, 4 zip the team's worst loss ever at Qwest Field. It wasn't pretty to watch for fan Debi Davio.

"It was a little tough to watch but, I support our team, love our team," said Davio.

It's that kind of die-hard spirit that got the team to give their fans a little something for their effort a refund. Season ticket holder Wes Wood was thrilled to hear the good news.

"I think that's a great idea. I'm definitely a Sounders fan, and if I've got more money for next year just keep going to the games," said Wood.

The Sounders decided since the fans showed up loud and proud and the team didn't, over 32,000 season ticket holders will get their money back as a credit, one free game next year. But, if you bought a single game ticket sorry you're out of luck.

Just down the street from Qwest Field Mariner fans are singing the blues about their losing ways too. At least Andrew Stewart is keeping his sense of humor.

"The other day I left 2 Mariner tickets on my dashboard and my car got broken into and there was 4 tickets there so," said Stewart.

So far this season Mariner fans have watched some pretty brutal losses at Safeco Field and Stewart says the team should give him a refund, just like the Sounders did for their season ticket holders.

"We should get some free games, they've got 81 games at least some free tickets bring some family and some friends to a game," said Stewart.

We called representatives for the Mariners they didn't call back. So, there is no word yet if they'll consider the idea. But, for Sounders fans like Wes Wood that bleed green and blue it's not the refund he wants just wins from here on out.

"I think this season we're not getting out of the slump we're in, it's kind of sad," said Wood.

The team says they don't plan on giving fans their money back every time they have a bad game, but, they felt after the brutal Galaxy loss it was the right thing to do.

Hundreds Attend Memorial For Craigslist Murder Victim Including Father Of One Of The Suspects

2010-05-08T21:27:00.001-07:00

PUYALLUP - Today's memorial for murder victim Jim Sanders was overflowing with emotion and hundreds of people. But, one person who showed up was a bit of a surprise, the father of one of the suspects.

Alan Higashi's son Kiyoshi is one of four people accused of killing Sanders inside his Edgewood home late last month. Alan himself was jailed earlier this week, before his son's arrest, after Police suspected him of withholding information.

Higashi told Q13 Fox News he felt compelled to pay his respects to the Sanders family and what role his son might have played in Jim Sanders' death.

"It's all like it's not real, but, I know it's real I'd seen the video Jim was a good guy he didn't deserve to die," said Higashi.

When asked if his son is the man who killed Jim Sanders Higashi had this to say.

"He said he's not the trigger man but that's irrelevant, they're all guilty regardless he pulled the trigger or not, they're all guilty," said Higashi.

According to Higashi if his son was involved in Jim Sanders' murder he must be held accountable.

"Whatever happens with my son if he's found guilty and if Jesus and the court system feels they need to take his life then they need to take his life. But, it doesn't make anything better, it doesn't bring Jim back, Jim was a good guy," said Higashi.

Bethany Baptist Church was packed beyond capacity this afternoon for the memorial. There were plenty of hugs and tears as family and friends remembered Sanders as a good man who made a big impact in his community.

His father James talked about the pain of not having his son anymore.

"To lose a loved one a son especially now for me is tremendously heartbreaking, but, I'm gonna be with him in a short time," said Sanders.

Surrounded by loved ones and a church congregation of hundreds Jim Sanders' family said their final goodbyes to the Edgewood Husband and Father who was murdered in his home. His brother Derek remembered Sanders as a caring man.

"I can only hope to be the kind of man he was I deeply love and miss you and I always will Jimmy until we meet again in God's glory, I love you Jimmy," said Sanders.

A week and a half ago the Sanders family were the victims of a home invasion robbery while trying to sell a diamond ring on Craigslist. Sanders was shot and killed as he protected his family. His son Jimmy said his Dad made a big impact on his life.

"My Dad is my hero and his spirit will always live within me. Four evil people took my Dad from me, but he is now in heaven and has eternal peace," said Sanders.

Four suspects have now been charged with his murder. Today, his widow Charlene expressed sorrow over losing her best friend.

"Because I loved Jim so much, I'm going to go through this life by myself without him, my man at my side, but I'll never be alone," said Sanders.

Before today's memorial service a procession of trucks arrived from where Jim Sanders worked. His coworkers wanted to show their love and support for his family.

Out of such a horrific crime the family says they've turned to their faith for healing and to give forgiveness to the people that took Jim's life. It's something his father James says Jim talked about in bible study just days before his death.

"I can't forgive a murderer and he says you can forgive anybody, Jim would be the first person to forgive these people," said Sanders.

Former Seattle Biz That Was Known For "Tubing" Gets New Look

2010-05-07T21:29:00.001-07:00

SEATTLE - Is it art or is it a big fat nuisance? A former Seattle business that shutdown 3 years ago is now plastered with colorful graffiti. Nearby business owners are sick of looking at it, but, the building's owner has no plans to clean it up.

A jungle theme in the U-District is not something you see every day. Ever since graffiti artist "Joe" learned the old Tubs building at 47Th and Roosevelt was an open canvas he's been here.

"I love having this wall here whosoever building this is, thank you for letting me paint on it, I really love it," said Joe.

Tubs closed in 2007. The owners told neighbors they planned on selling it to make way for condos, but the bad economy scratched that. So, they decided to let graffiti artists have at it. Chris Brown works next door at University Volkswagen.

"It's free expression I guess and they've said they can use this building as a place for people to put this," said Brown.

Stephanie Ogle with Cinema Books says over the last year she's seen non-stop taggers too.

"It is getting pretty old for me, because this has been going on for months and months and months," said Ogle.

Neighboring businesses call the old Tubs building an eyesore because the graffiti covers not one side, but all four sides of the building. Sharon London who works on the block doesn't see it that way though.

"I think it's great I watch them change it all the time, I don't know how many layers are on there," said London.

Seattle's graffiti nuisance ordinance says property owners have to clean up graffiti within 10 days or face fines of up to $5,000. But, since these owners consider the graffiti on their building artwork the ordinance doesn't apply.

The City is considering making some changes to the graffiti law, but until "Joe" hears otherwise he says he'll keep using the walls as his canvas.

"I love it, it's really great to have it here," said Joe.

Seattle Man Invents New Cellphone App To Stop You From Texting & Driving

2010-05-03T21:43:00.000-07:00

SEATTLE - We all depend on our cell-phones to keep us in touch no matter where we are, but let's face it they are distracting. Now, a local man has figured out a way to simplify your phone when it comes to texting and it could just save a few lives along the way.

In a split second in a Queen Anne Alley near his family's home, Erik Wood saw his daughter's life flash before his eyes.

"Eve was in front of me, the car came right down through here and I pulled Eve back, from right here. The car she came about this far away. I looked up and I saw the driver had both thumbs on a keyboard, she was texting away," said Wood.

That's when Wood decided something had to be done to stop it. So, he developed an App called the "one touch text response," Otter for short.

"Here's the opening screen, there's the Otter icon, you open it up," said Wood.

Once you download the App your phone still gets incoming text messages, but Otter keeps it from vibrating or lighting up to distract you. Instead, it generates an automatic reply that lets senders know what you're doing and when you'll safely get back to them.

"I put in one today when I was talking to Q13 that says I am talking with Q13 Fox and I'll get back to you around 5 o'clock," said Wood.

The application also has something called Otter speed protection. If someone is driving over 10 miles per hour it was will send an auto-reply to let the person know the text can't be answered because the person is behind the wheel.

And, if you're thinking teens will just go in and disable it, Wood says there's this.

"For teen drivers, this is the parent going into parental controls, you enter a pass-code, and that's about it," said Wood.

Wood says he understands we're all busy and it can be difficult to put down the cell-phone and concentrate on what you're doing behind the wheel. But, he says not doing that is a life or death decision.

"She never saw us, she never even stopped to say I'm sorry," said Wood.

A decision he hopes his invention will make it easier to make.

So far, Otter only works on android phones, but could soon be available for the iPhone, Blackberry, and Win Mobile.

There are about a dozen other Apps out there meant to help you avoid the temptation of texting while driving. Some keep you from using the phone when the car is going more than 10 miles an hour, others lock the phone and won't let you text unless you match a password sequence that flashes on the screen, supposedly impossible to do while you're driving.

Search Intensifies For Edgewood Craigslist Home Invasion Killer

2010-05-02T21:35:00.001-07:00

PIERCE COUNTY - Pierce County Detectives are following up on more than two hundred tips they've received so far on the Edgewood home invasion murder. A team of investigators is following up on each lead they've gotten and are still processing evidence.

Investigators have released sketches of two of the suspects. One woman and one man.

Police say the family has given them two different descriptions of the female suspect. The wife says the woman had long hair, but her two sons say the woman had cornrows.

Detectives believe the wife's description is likely correct, in part, because she works in a hair salon.

They believe the boys imprinted on the male suspect's cornrows when they saw him shoot their father, and then described the female suspect in the same manner.

To be on safe side though, detectives are releasing sketches of the woman with both long hair 'and' with cornrows.

43-year-old Jim Sanders was shot and killed in front of his family Wednesday. The suspects gained access by saying they were interested in a ring he was advertising on Craigslist.

Cops are asking for anyone who can identify the suspects in the sketches or who have any information on the crime to call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-222-TIPS or call 911.

Also today a fundraiser for the Sanders family was held this afternoon at the Salon where Sanders' wife Charlene works. Friends and family gathered at Salon 10 & Day Spa in Milton for the event.

Jamie Rankin is one of the salon's owners. She can't believe someone would harm Charlene's husband.

"I don't know how you could live with yourself after doing something like that to a great family, just walking away with a ring it's just disgusting," said Rankin.

Mary Faber has been getting haircuts from Charlene Sanders for years. She felt compelled to sell bake goods at the fundraiser.

"We've had a phenomenal response just overwhelmed with food, people have been giving us $20 for a single plate of cookies, just really interested in helping out," said Faber.

All proceeds from the bake sale, haircuts, and raffle will go to the Sanders family.

Jim Sanders' brother Derek Sanders was at today's event. He spoke with Q13 Fox News about how the family is coping with their loss.

"Jim gave his life for his family. If he could see the videotape of what was going to happen and know he would die in the end and his family would be safe, I'm sure he would do it all over again," said Sanders.

Derek Sanders says he's touched by the community's support, but he wants them to do something else to help catch his brother's killer.

"Really try to help keep a look out for these people, whether your at coffee, if you're going somewhere in the airport or train station whatever, we just really want to catch these guys," said Sanders.

A memorial fund has been set up for the family. Anyone interested can donate to the "Jim Sanders Memorial Fund" at any Bank of America Branch.

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Thousands Of People Rally In Seattle Today Against Controversial Arizona Immigration Law

2010-05-01T21:31:00.000-07:00

SEATTLE - Right now, that controversial immigration bill that the state of Arizona just passed is still in place, but, if the millions who took to the streets across the Country today have it their way it will be gone forever. One of those huge protest rallies was held in Seattle.

All of the protesters marched from Judkins Park in the Central District all the way down to Memorial Stadium at Seattle Center for a huge rally to demand immigration reform.

Under gray skies on this Saturday the streets of Seattle came alive with color and passion as thousands of people marched for a single purpose.

"We want immigration reform to get the rights for all the people to work together."

Many carried signs and waved American flags as a show of solidarity for immigrant rights. But, it was anger over Arizona's controversial immigration law that made the most noise. It got Oscar Cea fired up.

"What they're doing in Arizona, they're being racist cause they're only stopping people that look Hispanic and there's lots of immigrants here," said Cea.

A new Arizona law would require authorities to stop and question people about their immigration status if they suspect they could be in the country illegally. Lawmakers say they need the law because the federal one isn't protecting their borders.

In May Day Rally's all across the nation for worker and immigrant rights protesters blasted the law calling it unconstitutional. In California, 100,000 people spoke out against it in the streets of Los Angeles.

"It's not enough to say it's broken we need action."

In Seattle, today's march ended with a rally at Memorial Stadium where church leaders, immigrant rights and labor groups, plus local politicians like Representative Jim McDermott and Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn denounced Arizona's new immigration rules.

"This new law not only permits racial profiling, but actually encourages it," said McDermott.

"In Seattle we will not stand for fear," said McGinn.

Ultimately, some people like Tracey Thompson with Teamsters Local 117 believe it's be up to our leaders in Washington D.C. to unite our country under a new immigration policy.

"What we need is national immigration reform and we need leadership on that issue, we need Obama to step forward on that," said Thompson.

Today's rally in Seattle was one of nine events taking place in our state. There were only a few counter protestors at the Seattle rally. Seattle Police say there were no reports of problems during the protest.
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Seattle Business Owner Faces Hefty Fine Over "Mystery" Sign

2010-04-30T21:19:00.001-07:00

SEATTLE - You see them up and down the sidewalks of Pioneer Square, those sandwich boards in front of stores and restaurants. Now, one local business owner is butting heads with the City over his sign that's been there for two decades.

For the last 20 years you could find the Seattle Mystery Bookshop sandwich board on the corner of First and Cherry. But, shop owner J.B. Dickey recently got a rude surprise.

"It was just our bad luck that the inspector was looking at a sidewalk café across the street and saw our signs," said Dickey.

Dickey got a letter from the City saying his sign was a pedestrian hazard and needed to be removed or else.

"A $97 impoundment fee and up to $500 in fines," said Dickey.

The small business owner did yank the sign even though he insists it was never blocking the sidewalk.

"They've never been in the middle of the crosswalks or the wheelchair ramps," said Dickey.

Just like other businesses struggling right now in Pioneer Square Dickey says he has to do whatever he can to get people to come inside, and he says his sign did just that.

"By having our sign board here you catch people coming north and south, people waiting to cross the street and without directing them up the street it's a huge hit," said Dickey.

And, apparently it works lots of businesses in Pioneer Square use the sandwich board strategy.

Dickey does have one sandwich board in front of his store which he says is legal under the city ordinance. But, he says it's not enough to generate sales.

"That's not the sign that's important. The important sign for us is the one that was down at the intersection, half a block away, kicks tourists and shoppers up from First Avenue," said Dickey.

Dickey has gone to Mayor McGinn's Office for help. He figured out pretty quickly that if you can fight City Hall, as the old saying goes it could take months to win, if you win at all. And, with tourism season starting time just isn't something he has.

"I hope someday, something will change and we'll be allowed to use it again, but for the foreseeable future I don't think that's going to happen," said Dickey.

This sign fiasco has people leaving some passionate posts on a pair of local blogs. You've got some people willing to wear the sandwich board to help out the bookshop, while others say it's an ugly nuisance that needs to go.

No Condos Or Strip Malls Donated Land Will Create One Of A Kind Seattle Area Park

2010-04-26T21:34:00.001-07:00

SAMMAMISH - Imagine a place where nature has been untouched that's home to 100 foot trees where plants and animals grow free and unfettered. Now, imagine that place in the middle of one of our area's fastest growing communities.

We're talking about 50 acres of the most pristine forest around in the heart of the city of Sammamish. While that community continues to grow with housing developments and strip malls, plans are in place to keep a major part of the Plateau the way nature intended wild.

Sammamish's new park was made possible by one woman's generous donation. For the last 38 years Mary Pigott has been blessed by all of the beauty in her backyard.

"To have enough of it so that you can actually kind of think you're in the middle of nowhere," said Pigott.

Now, she wants to share it with the community. This widow and grandma wants to make sure everyone gets to enjoy a true Pacific Northwest park.

"The idea of using this as a place to learn, all the different kinds of mosses, ferns, and mushrooms and fungi and how they all play a role in making a complete ecosystem," said Pigott.

This year Mary will give the city of Sammamish 15 acres for the park, then in 5 years another 20 acres and when she decides to move the final 15. But, there's a catch she says it has to stay just like it is, no strip malls or condos ever.

"Truly am delighted that this is going to stay the way it is and my grandkids and your grandkids all generations will be able to enjoy this the way I have," said Pigott.

Over the years Mary and her late husband bought 3 different pieces of property and built a 50 acre wooded wonderland complete with walking trails, streams and ponds, plenty of plants and animals and one big boulder.

"It was a rock that was pushed down here by glaciers during the last ice age," said Pigott.

Thanks to Mary it'll stay a true plateau treasure.

"I feel like it's a real privilege to be able to take part in making sure this stay sort of a natural area," said Pigott.

You'll get a chance to see the park for yourself when Mary and the city opens it to the public after the first of the year.

The last thing that's needed for this new park is a name. Mary says she hopes the city will form a committee so it can get suggestions from the community. But, Mary has some ideas on that too and she'll be involved in the process.

Family Escapes Burning Home After Car Goes Airborne Into It

2010-04-25T20:24:00.001-07:00

PUYALLUP - A car drove right into their house. A Ford Escort to be exact and didn't stop until it hit the living room. Now, there's a huge mess and one heck of a story to tell.

It was a rude awakening for C.J. Hegstad and his grandmother Helen this morning in Puyallup.

"Pretty much came in airborne and landed about over here in this area and then just hit the deck, just moved it," said Hegstad.

Now, Helen says family is left with an epic mess which looks like a bomb exploded in their backyard.

"I couldn't believe it, but you should see the inside of the house too, it's a total disaster," said Hegstad.

Cops say the 19 year old female driver was speeding down Fruitland Avenue just after 3 AM Sunday, when her vehicle left the road and smashed right through the family's fence and ended up in their backyard.

Helen says she and C.J. didn't realize what had happened until a neighbor called 911.

"They started banging on our windows and doors and by that time the fire department and police were here," Hegstad.

According to Helen seconds later the car burst into flames and the situation got much worse.

"I yelled at him and I came out and this was just a big flame here. I said the house is on fire let's get out of here," said Hegstad.

C.J. and Helen escaped unharmed, the woman behind the wheel also walked away with just a few injuries.

C.J. says the family's home is now unlivable because it sustained heavy smoke and water damage and will require months of work.

"It's kind of sickening actually it's hard to breathe in here," said Hegstad.

This accident is the last thing Helen says she needs right now since she's fighting breast and colon cancer.

"It's going to be bad because I have so many doctors' appointments and everything. It's just unbelievable you never think it's going to happen to you, but you never know," said Hegstad.

Thankfully Helen had insurance so the damage will be covered. But, she and C.J. will have to spend the next two months in a hotel. Cops are still trying to figure out what caused the driver to go into their home, but are looking into if she was drinking.

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Last Victim Of Refinery Explosion Dies Day Before Memorial Service

2010-04-24T21:19:00.000-07:00

ANACORTES - In less than 24 hours a community will remember the victims of the Tesoro refinery explosion in Anacortes, and sadly now all seven of them after the last survivor died early Saturday morning.

34 year old Matt Gumbel had been in the intensive care unit since he suffered serious burns in the refinery explosion. It wasn't the news Margaret Mordhorst wanted to learn.

"We're so sad to hear he didn't make it," said Mordhorst.

Overcome with grief friends of Matt Gumbel are remembering the Oak Harbor native as a wonderful and caring person. Jenny Watterson says he will be missed by the entire community.

"It's just heartbreaking the whole situation is tragic you never expect it to happen at home," said Watterson.

Gumbel was seriously burned in the April 2 refinery explosion. He underwent skin graft surgery at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle late yesterday but died early this morning.

Today, the Gumbel family reached out to the community through the social media site CaringBridge.org to express their sorrow over losing Matt. The message read: "Matt was a wonderful person, son, brother, uncle, grandson, friend, and co-worker. We will truly miss him and never forget him."

Jamie Mami went to school with Gumbel her heart goes out to his loved ones.

"I feel really sad for the family they've been through so much since this happened and they're such a strong family," said Mami.

At Anacortes High School the community is preparing for tomorrow's memorial service for now all of the victims. Jamie Mami expects a huge turnout.

"I think people are going to come from everywhere to come back to town to do what needs to be done to pay their respects to say a goodbye," said Mami.

Gumbel is the last of 7 people that have died as a result of the Tesoro refinery explosion. It was the deadliest accident at a U.S. refinery since 2005.

29 year old Kathryn Powell of Burlington was one of the victims. Today on Gumbel's CaringBridge site Powell's family offered their prayers and sympathy for their loss. That deep emotion is felt by others in the tight-knit community like Rawson Mordhorst.

"Empathize with the people, it's very sad," Mordhorst.

Tesoro Company Officials say the seven workers were injured while doing routine maintenance on a unit that processes highly flammable liquid. What sparked the deadly firewall is still under investigation.

Matt Gumbel had a daughter and was supposed to get married later this summer.

The memorial service for all of the refinery explosion victims is happening Sunday at Anacortes High School from 2 PM until 4 PM and is open to the public.

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Seattle Couple Swindled While Searching For Stolen Puppy

2010-04-23T21:38:00.001-07:00

SEATTLE - Getting your dog stolen is bad enough, but someone trying to use your loss for their gain is just plain mean. That's what Police say happened to a local couple when a teen tried scamming them to get their puppy back. While the accused robber's been busted, Honey the pup is still nowhere to be found.

The dog's owner Amelia Chavez says honey disappeared from her home on April 13. "She was in the backyard and she got out through a little hole in the fence and within 10 minutes someone said that they saw her in the street and a car picked her up," said Chavez.

Chavez is heartbroken over the loss of her little 17 month old blue nose pitbull. She says someone is a white Lexus grabbed the dog at the corner of 20th and Union.

"We ran around we just thought she'd be running around we didn't think anyone would pick her up and we ran around asking everyone we saw on the streets," said Chavez.

Amelia and her boyfriend Brandon put up flyers offering a reward all over their Capitol Hill neighborhood. That's when 17 year old Ceandrik Davis approached them and said he'd bought the dog from the person who took it.

"The entire time he was I have your dog. So, you give me the reward and I will give your dog back," said Chavez.

Brandon agreed to get into Davis' car with $800 in reward money. But, Amelia was suspicious and told a Seattle Police Officer that was patrolling the area. Even after the Officer warned Brandon he stayed in Davis' car.

"They had a selected area where the dog was, they went there and then when they got there said he was going to go get the dog and be right back," said Chavez.

According to Amelia, Davis and Brandon parked in front of a Central District home to get the dog. Prosecutors say that's when Davis threatened Brandon with a gun and walked off with the cash.

"Bad things happened and we never got the dog back," said Chavez.

Police eventually caught Davis in downtown Seattle the next day. They recovered a gun but the reward money was gone.

Amelia is worried sick about Honey. She says the puppy needs its shots but most of all needs to return to the people who care for her.

"She is loved, she does have a home, and we just want her back," said Chavez.

Ceandrik Davis will be formally arraigned in court on May 3 on charges of first degree robbery and unlawful possession of a firearm. King County Prosecutors have decided to charge the 17 year old who has a length rap sheet as an adult.

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People Baffled By Strange "Humming Noise" Coming From Seattle Area Island

2010-04-19T21:27:00.001-07:00

There's a new mystery in one local community. Dozens of people on Vashon Island are baffled by a strange humming noise. Neighbors can't figure out where it's coming from or what's causing it.

For the last four years Cindy and Jeff Hoyt have been hearing that strange sound around their island home. Cindy says it typically lasts for about 10 minutes at a time.

"It's all encompassing, you go outside and try to isolate it directionally and you just can't do it," said Hoyt.

Neighbors say the humming sound is pretty widespread on Vashon Island people hear it at the beach and in the woods too.

Jeep Brockway says the hum is irritating his family.

"But, my daughter it drives her nuts, drives my son in law nuts, so they hear it all the time," said Brockway.

While Q13 Fox News was interviewing Brockway our crew picked up some strange humming sounds from around the home.

Could it be coming from power lines, radio or cell-phone towers, airplanes, ferry traffic? People are baffled.

University of Washington Oceanographer Jim Thomson says it's not the water.

Cindy Hoyt says the hum isn't something you hear every day.

"Definitely doesn't sound like wind or a freighter or a plane or anything like that," said Hoyt.

Puget Sound Energy says it's not their equipment either.

Island Intuitive Lorna Cunningham believes the hum is a spiritual sound.

"Truly it's a message from source that Earth is here with us," said Cunningham.

Jeep Brockway wonders if it's connected to a UFO people say crashed near here 63 years ago.

"They think it could be something that was left behind, who knows, lots of crazy theories on the island," said Brockway.

Whatever it is, Jeff Hoyt doesn't believe the "Vashon Hum" will be going silent anytime soon.

"I think it's cool that there is this weird sound out there, but I do want to find out what it is," said Hoyt.

Scientists believe one way to figure out what's causing the "Vashon Hum" is to record the sound and perform frequency analysis to determine the pitch and pinpoint where it's coming from.

Second Time In Week NW Child Hit And Killed In Driveway

2010-04-16T21:29:00.001-07:00

A 5-year-old boy was killed in Newcastle Friday when his Father accidentally ran over him while he was backing up a car.

With heavy hearts loved ones of the boy gathered near the spot where the 5 year old was hit and killed by his Father's black SUV. The boy's death came as a shock to everyone in the quiet Newcastle neighborhood.

Newcastle Police Chief Melinda Irvine says the boy's Dad was backing out of his driveway in the 8200 block of 118th Avenue Southeast about 3:30 PM Friday when the accident happened.

"Child was going to be picked up on the corner and for whatever reason ran back," said Irvine.

The Fire Department tried saving the child but his injuries were too serious.

The Newcastle Police Department and the King County Sheriff's Office are working together on the investigation. The Sheriff's Office's Major Accident Response and Reconstruction Team is trying to figure out what went wrong today.

This deadly accident is the second one of the week involving a child being hit by a car in a driveway. A University Place 3 year old girl was hit and killed by her mother's fiancé while riding a tricycle on Monday.

Chief Irvine says these accidents are a reminder that parents need to be careful when pulling out of a driveway.

"Especially in larger vehicles where it's difficult to see it's important to know what's around the vehicle," said Irvine.

Neighbors say they remember seeing the child playing in his yard and say he was a fun loving boy. Geoff Dewitt feels terrible for the boy's family.

"I feel sorry for the family's loss and everything," said Dewitt.

Police did not take the boy's Father into custody and investigators believe charges will not be filed against him.

Seattle Mariner Fans "Chow Down" On New Healthy Menu At Safeco Field

2010-04-12T20:35:00.001-07:00

For all you Mariner fans out there there's a new line up this year for food. This season concession stands at Safeco Field will be selling some unique and healthy options.

You want healthy you got it. Now, fans can gobble up vegetarian, organic, gluten free eats and wash it down with a fruit smoothie at "The Natural."

Jared Coulter made a meatless choice. "Yes, it's very good it's a better alternative to the real hotdog," said Coulter.

How about some grub from under our local waters at "Sound Seafood." Will Gillispie went straight for the halibut.

"This is excellent for stadium food you know, fish and chips, its gluten free, its good stuff," said Gillispie.

But, this is baseball, and what would a trip to Safeco Field be without some garlic fries and the brand new "Seattle Dog" drizzled in cream cheese at the Hit It Here Café.

And, for those people that like the sweets make sure you check out the dessert stand in Centerfield. Fran Berglund made a beeline for it.

"I came by and I'm like what's that delicious smell, so, we had to come over and get one," said Berglund.

Yes, now you can dine on gooey brownies, mouth watering cookies and cool your taste buds with a little frozen ice cream. It's a big hit with the kids.

Of course, you can still find all your traditional ballpark foods including peanuts and crackerjacks. But, why not try something out of the box you never know you might like it.

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Get Ready To Pay More For Beer, Pop, Gum, Candy In WA State

2010-04-11T22:03:00.000-07:00

The State Senate will vote Monday to boost a host of taxes on beer, water, soda pop and candy to help close a $2.8 billion budget shortfall.

The bill passed Saturday in the State House by a 52-to-44 vote.

Shopper Suzy Scott is always looking for a bargain for her family, she's not happy she might have to pay more taxes for her families favorite things.

"If they spent the money appropriately in the first place we might not be here. If they learned to budget like a regular citizen has too budget we wouldn't have the problems," said Scott.

The measure passed by the House makes up the bulk of a nearly $800 million tax package Democrats argue is needed to prevent cuts in state services from going too deep.

The breakdown on the tax package looks like this. It will cost an extra 28 center per six-pack of beer. That would cost you an extra $81 a year.

Plus, you'll spend an extra 2 cents per can of soda. If your family buys 2 cases of soda month it'll cost almost $12 more a year.

The tax increases would also affect sweets. You'll have to start paying the state's 6.5 percent sales tax for candy and gum.

Getting people to spend more in a tight economy is a tough sell for taxpayers like Ed Solares.

"You have to change your habits of buying, when there are taxes in the economy," said Solares.

But, some taxpayers like Erica Corwin are willing to shell out more if it helps.

"I certainly don't mind the extra tax if it's going to go towards programs like of course education," said Corwin.

Democratic leaders had struggled to agree on a revenue package to help balance the state budget's projected $2.8 billion deficit through June 2011.

A conference committee of House and Senate members officially agreed on the main piece of the tax proposal Saturday afternoon.

That bill is worth about $668 million, including temporary tax increases on service businesses, pop bottlers, beer, and more.

The 30-day special session is scheduled to end on Tuesday.

Guys Get Vasectomies So They Can Watch Tiger Play At The Masters

2010-04-05T21:50:00.000-07:00

Lots of golf fans will be watching Tiger Woods this weekend as he makes his return to the PGA Tour at The Masters. A lot of those viewers will be men healing up after doing something about their family planning issues.

Turns out a lot of guys are now scheduling their vasectomies around the NCAA Basketball Tournament and The Masters, so they can get better while sitting on the couch watching their favorite sports.

The thrill of The Masters is there anything better than watching the best golfers in the world try to survive Amen Corner. According to Dr. Charlie Wilson at Seattle Vasectomy Clinic The Masters is the perfect time for men to get a vasectomy.

"Every year we have at least several patients who will mention their intent is to go home and watch the Masters and that's why they schedule that specific time," said Wilson.

In fact, business at Doctor Wilson's North Seattle clinic has been booming since March Madness started.

"We added one extra day just to be sure there was plenty of capacity for March Madness and right at the start we had 28 guys sign up for a day," said Wilson.

Restaurant Owner Kosta Varlamos recovered from his vasectomy watching college basketball.

"My wife's wonderful she brought me food, she brought me drink, I sat around watching sports, all the sports," said Varlamos.

Now, it's time for round two of golf's big events bringing more patients to Doctor Wilson to get snipped.

"Having a chance to just be not interrupted watching golf works out well," said Wilson.

Dr. Wilson says a couple of years ago another clinic down in Portland threw in a pizza for the guys who got their vasectomies done so they could eat and watch sports while healing up.

Redmond Man Who Beat Cancer With Miracle Drug Makes Run For State Senate In Washington State

2010-04-04T21:37:00.000-07:00

When we first met Andy Hill we were introduced to him as a cancer patient involved in a revolutionary study at the University of Colorado. He takes a simple pill once a day to treat his lung cancer.

Andy suffers no side effects. Just four months in now, scans show his tumor is all but gone.

"I'm cancer free, the last scan they did they couldn't find anything," said Hill.

Andy's been traveling back and forth to Denver getting that experimental drug treatment that's rid his body of lung cancer. Andy is there again tonight away from his family this Easter for a check-up with his doctor.

"I feel better than I have in well over a year," said Hill.

Now, that he's feeling like his old self again Andy is ready for a new fight, a political one. He's running for the State Senate Seat in District 45.

"I've been very fortunate and I think that I've been really concerned about the State of Washington and about my kids and I think I've got an opportunity now to help and serve them a little bit," said Hill.

A political campaign can be long and tiring, but his wife Molly says even after all he's been through he has the energy to do it.

"He's running, he's exercising, and he's put all his weight back on, his hair back on. So, I actually think it gives him more purpose," said Hill.

Andy says his monthly trips to Denver for treatment won't hurt his ability to campaign, and whatever the outcome he's excited about starting a new chapter in his life.

"The further I get into it, the more energized I become," said Hill.

Right now, no one is running against Hill in the Republican primary in August. If everything stays the same he'll try to unseat Democrat Eric Oemig in the general election in November.

iPad Mania Sweeps Across Seattle As People Race To Get Apple's New Gizmo

2010-04-03T18:45:00.000-07:00

iPad mania is swarming across America. Thousands lined up around the country today to be the first ones to buy Apple's newest invention. In New York, LA, and right here in Seattle people camped out for hours and even days to get their hands on Apple's brand new IPad.

At the University Village Apple Store in Seattle people braved the cold and lined up around the block to get their new touch-screen computer tablet. John Knight was the first person in line.

"Since 6 PM last night, so almost 15 hours," said Knight.

Apple's new gizmo is like a portable computer. It's slim and lightweight with about a 10 inch flat screen but no keyboard. Instead your fingers download applications, music, books and movies.

One drawback to Apple's new gadget finger smudges from all that navigating on the iPad. The iPad isn't cheap either, for a 16 gigabyte iPad you'll shell out about $500, for the 64 gigabyte one around $800.

Dan Costa with PCmag.com and Steven Levy with Wired Magazine have differing opinions on the iPad.

"We tested it in PC labs, it's a great device, we rated it 4.5 stars, an editor's choice, so just on the merits, the performance, we think it's a great product," said Costa.

"A little heavy to watch a movie on, and I'm concerned about the backlighting for really long reading experiences," said Levy.

The iPad does have some limitations though. It can only run one application at a time. It's not a phone and doesn't have a camera. Still, that didn't stop John Knight from paying big bucks to take an iPad home.

"Even though I'm tired I'm very excited, I'm very, very excited," said Knight.

Apple believes it will sell between 4 and 7 million iPads in the next year. We checked with the University Village Apple Store to find out how sales went today, and right now they only have a limited supply of iPad's left in stock.

Health Care Reform May Cause Political Shakeup Across The Country

2010-03-22T21:42:00.000-07:00

Now, that health care reform has passed the house and awaits the Presidential Signature a political shakeup could be coming at the polls. The health care bill isn't even law yet and Washington's Attorney General is already going after it.

The health care reform bill has our Democratic Governor Christine Gregoire in a fight with our Republican State Attorney General Rob McKenna. McKenna says the new legislation is unconstitutional.

"This is the first time in national history that the federal government has attempted to impose the requirement on all of us that we have to go out and buy something," said McKenna.

Governor Gregoire says she couldn't disagree with the Attorney General anymore on his position.

"I just don't think it's good for Washington State to try and undermine a bill that's going to make sure our Medicaid recipients are better cared for, our uninsured are going to get access to health care," said Gregoire.

The politicking won't stop there. Republicans who fought the bill don't plan to start playing nice now. They're hoping for another Republican revolution like in 1994, and Washington State is one of their targets.

The spot to watch is the 3rd Congressional District. Democrat Brian Baird voted no on health care reform the first time, but switched sides last night. He won't have to worry about it costing him his job he's retiring, that leaves his seat up for grabs.

Political Analyst Ron Dotzauer says both parties will go after the seat big time.

"I think that Congressional seat is going to be one of the top 5 most hotly contested races in the United States," said Dotzauer.

The only other reelection race is in the 8th Congressional District covering much of Eastern King County. Republican Dave Reichert has been an outspoken opponent of the health care reform bill, and lot of people think he'll use it as a platform for a Senate run taking on Democrat Patty Murray.

Political Analyst Ron Dotzauer believes Reichert won't make go after Murray's seat.

"If he were to leave that seat there's a high probability that seat would go to a Democrat. So, I think there's going to be a lot of pressure for him to stay there," said Dotzauer.

At this point in time Dotzauer predicts both Reichert and Murray will win reelection in the fall.

Washington State Lawmakers Play Key Role In Passing Health Care Reform

2010-03-21T22:32:00.001-07:00

Washington State Lawmakers played a big role in getting the health care bill passed in the house.

Washington Congressman Brian Baird Originally voted no on health care reform, but, today switched to a yes.

He posted this statement on his website.

"Providing health care is not a political issue for me, it was my chosen profession, it is something I feel deeply about, and it is a service to which I have dedicated much of my life.Weighing the concerns against the benefits of the legislation, and considering that the status quo is unsustainable, I will vote for the legislation."

He and Congressman Adam Smith were targets of last minute campaigns to vote no. But, Smith also didn't sway voting with his party. He said: "I support this legislation because it is the best available step forward for reform. With health care costs ever increasing, we need leadership on these tough issues."

But, not all Washington Representatives supported health care reform. Prior to the vote Republican Congressman Dave Reichert spoke out against it.

"We need to start over. And, today I stand with Americans who want the freedom to choose their own health care," said Reichert.

Q13 Fox News spoke with Congressman Reichert by phone after the House vote and he said people in his district should expect their taxes to go up.

"It's going to mean higher taxes, taxes on dividends, taxes on small businesses, taxes on families, taxes on medical devices," said Reichert.

Washington Congressman Jay Inslee gave a passionate speech on the House Floor to convince his colleagues that health care reform was the right solution for Americans.

"We know a nation is truly healthy only when all of its citizens have health care. Today, we will have choice. Today, we will have health care. Today, we are forming a more perfect union in the tradition of this great country," said Inslee.

The Washington contingent of lawmakers voted along party lines, all Republicans voted no, the Democrats yes.

Now, that health care reform is moving forward local voters that Q13 Fox News talked with had plenty to say about what it will mean for them.

"I don't feel like that the health care bill passing is great victory for the American People."

"It just needed to happen it's really expensive we don't have the best health care in the world."

"Passing doesn't mean anything. If it does something then we'll see. Depends on what it does to my taxes."

"With the health care reform, Americans getting healthcare this will bring us up to par with the rest of the world."

Several Washington Lawmakers are up for reelection this fall and how they voted on health care reform will become a big campaign talking point. Republicans believe Democrats passage of the health care bill will help them regain seats in the house.

Seattle Child Actor Hits Big Time In "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" Movie

2010-03-19T19:38:00.001-07:00

It's one of the most popular books for kids these days that's now a big time movie. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" opens this weekend all across the country. One of the stars of the movie is an 11 year old Bothell boy.

Not bad for a kid who picked up acting just a few years ago. Now, Karan Brar is hitting the big time as Chirag Gupta.

"He's a small kid that knows more about the school and all its hauntings and mysteries about it," said Brar.

20th Century Fox was looking for a young Indian kid for its movie Karan was perfect for the role.

The "Diary of the Wimpy Kid" book series is written and illustrated with cartoon characters from the perspective of middle schooler Greg Heffley.

Karan plays one of Greg's buddies who also deal with peer pressure and a stinky piece of cheese that's cursed.

This is Karan's first big break in show business, his father Harry is quite proud.

"I think it's just his hard work, God's wish, he's got the talent," said Brar.

And, while his part in "Wimpy Kid" has suddenly made him pretty popular at school he's not letting it go to his head.

"I know it's a big deal for me, but still I don't want it to change my relationships with my friends anything like that," said Brar.

Karan hopes to play Chirag again in future movies from "The Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series." But, he could be back on the big screen soon. He recently auditioned for two other movies.

Opponents Of Health Care Reform "Seeing Red" As House Vote Looms

2010-03-16T20:29:00.001-07:00

People got hot and bothered at a "Code Red Health Care Rally" against health care reform today. Tea partiers are pulling out all the stops to kill the health care bill. But, Democrats may have found a way to avoid losing the floor vote on health care reform.

Tea partiers like Tim Phillips of "Americans for Prosperity" stormed Capitol Hill Tuesday to protest the health care reform bill.

"Do you really trust speaker Pelosi with your family's healthcare? No," said Phillips.

Others like Jim Martin who is President of "Sixty Plus" demanded face time with his congressional representatives.

"They best start listening because come the first Tuesday in November there is a Tsunami coming to Capitol Hill," said Martin.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are digging in for the final vote, that's now expected Friday or Saturday. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says health care reform is right for America.

"What it does is to invigorate our economy by creating jobs for sure, making America healthier, lowering costs and improving quality that's for sure," said Pelosi.

Republican House Minority Leader John Boehner believes this health care bill is bad for the country.

"Because, we want Americans to go to code red. Understand that we've got to put all the pressure we can on these wavering Democrats to make sure this bill never ever happens," said Boehner.

At last count, the Democrats have 211 "Yes" votes, they need 216. Republican Representative Mike Pence of Indiana doesn't think they'll get there.

"And, I really do believe the Democrats at this hour don't have the votes. The American people are pressing themselves, I think they're going to continue to mount up an opposition to this government takeover of healthcare," said Pence.

House Speaker Pelosi is considering using a tactic that would give some political protection to Democrats who are reluctant to publicly support the bill. It's called the "self-executing rule" and would allow the House to pass the Senate version without actually taking a vote on it.

Senate Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky is outraged over the potential move by the Democrats.

"It will go down as one of the most extraordinary legislative slights of hand in history," said McConnell.

Both parties have used the "self-executing" rule over the years, but never for something as huge as the $875 billion health care reform bill.

Here's what's next for health care reform, the House Rule Committee will begin writing changes included in the reconciliation package, changes House Democrats want in the final legislation.

New Political Ads Target Undecided Democrats On Healthcare

2010-03-15T20:30:00.001-07:00

New TV ads sponsored by a coalition of groups against President Obama's health care legislation are putting some swing Democrats on the hot seat. They're trying to convince those Congressional lawmakers who are still on the fence about the bill.

Washington State Congressman Brian Baird and Adam Smith are two of the U.S. Representatives who are still debating how to vote. In one ad launched this week, people are urged to call Congressman Smith's Office to get him to vote down the health care legislation. The spot says the bill will cost too much.

The $10 million ad campaign is sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and urges people to jam the phone lines of local Democratic lawmakers with their opinions on health care.

"Washington is not getting the message call Congressman Adam Smith."

At Baird's office, the phone is already ringing off the hook. Staff members have gotten more than 3,600 phone calls about health care reform in the last week. A spokesman says 90 percent of those calls came from outside Baird's district in Southern Washington. He says about half the people calling oppose health care legislation in its current form.

This past summer, Smith and Baird both held a series of town hall meetings about health care reform. Smith voted for the original health care reform bill. Baird voted against it.

Baird is one of a handful of Democratics in the U.S. House who could switch their vote, ultimately deciding whether the Senate version of Obama care goes through.

Congressman Baird put on this statement on his web site.

"I have not seen the proposed changes to the Senate health care bill nor has the congressional budget office released its estimated costs of the new proposal. Until I am able to read the new proposal and know the costs, I will not decide on how to vote on the passage."

The coalition group's ad campaign threatens retribution by voters at the polls this fall if Democratic lawmakers approve the health care bill.

Now, other political organizations like MoveOn.org are discussing airing their own counter ads to encourage Democrats to vote for health care reform.

The House is expected to vote later this week.

We want to hear your thoughts and opinions on the push to stop healthcare reform. Are you in favor of these TV ads, do they sway your opinion, or are they waste of time and money.

Investigators Find More Sea Lions Shot And Killed On Puget Sound

2010-03-09T21:19:00.001-08:00

There are new details about the seal lions being shot and killed on Puget Sound. State Wildlife Officials now confirm nearly a dozen of the animals were gunned down and that number is expected to get even higher.

Q13 Fox News talked with local charter fisherman Gary Krein of All Star Charters in Everett, who says he's seen an increase in seals and sea lions on Puget Sound.

"Some of them start following a boat, or boats and they look for that everyday," said Krein.

Krein knows the waters of the Puget Sound inside and out. He's spent decades taking folks fishing on his charter boat. He can spot California seal lions from a mile away lunching on his catch.

"They are so big, it's over with they take your line and they take everything instantly," said Krein.

Gary says the sea lions have been robbing him blind but he doesn't believe in harming his foe.

"You know that's against the law and I certainly wouldn't advocate it," said Krein.

Someone else out of there is shooting and killing sea lions. The Northwest Marine Mammal Stranding Network has 19 reports of dead sea lions washing ashore from Kingston to Olympia. Ten of them were shot dead; including two federally protected stellar sea lions.

Gary says he gets it, but thinks his fellow fisherman need to check their anger.

"I know that it's frustrating, we do lose a lot of fish to them, we lose some gear," said Krein.

Seals and sea lions have been hassling fisherman in Puget Sound for years, but Gary says there are ways to stop them from stealing your fish and it doesn't require using a gun.

"It's an M-80 with sand in both ends to cause it to sink and explode," said Krein.

Only commercial fisherman and charter captains can use the explosives. And, thanks to a loophole in the law you can actually shoot a California sea lion if you feel threatened.

Gary says as long as there are fish in the Sound the sea lions will be there. The challenge is keeping them away from the salmon buffet line in a peaceful way.

Investigators are still analyzing the bullets found in the sea lions skulls to determine if they came from the same gun. If caught, the culprit could face fines up to $50,000. Anyone with information about the killings should call 1-800-853-1964.

Neighbors Worried That Power Substation Is Making Them Sick

2010-03-08T22:10:00.001-08:00

You may not be able to fight City Hall but one neighborhood in Kirkland is determined to fight the power company. Families there are worried a new Puget Sound Energy substation is a huge health hazard making their loved ones very sick.

You don't see this everyday in this Juanita neighborhood Sebastian Freeman playing outside. His father Troy is terrified of electromagnetic fields that may be coming from the PSE substation next door.

"The danger is real perceived or even probable it's enough to scare me," said Freeman.

All of our electronics emit EMF but folks here say it's like living next to a 40 foot microwave oven that never shuts off. Troy beat death once now he feels like he's fighting it again.

"It could be causing the Leukemia to come back, could manifest in my 2 year old son," said Freeman.

Despite neighbors' objections the City of Kirkland gave PSE permission to build the power station near the original one just down the street. Only this one is bigger and closer, so close that vibrations from the construction of it caused cracks in people's walls and foundations. It happened in Patrick McClusky's home.

"Mine is somewhere 20 to $30,000 worth of damage," said McClusky.

PSE says it's working with homeowners on repairs but that doesn't make them feel any better about their health.

Even though PSE put up a big wall to shield the substation all of that EMF is still flowing into their yards and homes and that has Michelle McClusky very concerned.

"I don't want to destroy my health because of something someone else is doing to me," said McClusky.

Martha Monfried with Puget Sound Energy says its studies show neighbors have nothing to worry about.

"There is some exposure there's never been any conclusive evidence that it causes any harm," said Monfried.

Neighbor Kevin Corbett says the homeowners have consulted their own scientists.

"When we have independent people come to our homes they hold up a meter it says 24 at the fence here, 8 and a half on my side, they go that's not safe at all," said Corbett.

That's why Troy Freeman and his wife Carolina wish they could move.

"I'd like to pick up and leave if I could I just can't afford to," said Freeman.

The homeowners say they're not looking to get rich from this they just want some help from PSE, like having the power company buy their homes so they can move. Puget Sound Energy Officials say as for now that doesn't seem likely.

Taxpayers Get Ready To Shell Out Big Bucks In Washington State

2010-03-07T22:22:00.001-08:00

A record tax increased passed Sunday by the State Senate threaten to take even more money right out of your pocket. Some Lawmakers say it's a necessary evil because of the state's budget crisis. Although, some taxpayers see it a bit differently.

After passionate and sometimes contentious debate over the last two days, State Senators approved a tax package that will raise $890 million dollars for our cash strapped state. Already taxpayers like Ashley Clark and Megan Spearing are taking sides.

"It's not going to affect me. I could see how some people it would be hurtful," said Clark.

"Yeah, it's ridiculous the economy can't really afford it, people, it's screwing everyone over, it's a bunch of BS," said Spearing.

The $804 million in Senate Bill 6143 comes from a three tenth of a cent temporary sales tax increase.

Besides passing the sales tax package, the Senate also passed a measure by a vote of 29 to 19 to add an extra buck tax to a package of cigarettes that will generate nearly $90 million for the state.

Senate Bill 6874 would mean smokers would now pay a little over $3 in tax per pack of cigarettes.

The sales tax increase package is worth $313 million. $170 million would come from taxing several kinds of service businesses. But, a plan to raise $30 million from charging extra on bottled water has Megan Spearing all fired up.

"That's ridiculous it's just water it shouldn't be taxed," said Spearing.

The tax package means you would be paying more sales tax at least until 2013.

Lawmakers say dealing with a $2.8 billion dollar budget deficit will take cuts and these higher taxes.

Now, it's up to the State House to pass their own version of the revenue plan and then both chambers will try to iron out a permanent budget.

There are only a few days left in this year's legislative session for the House and Senate to settle on a budget. If they can't Governor Chris Gregoire could call a special session.

New Details About Missing Utah Mother That Vanished From Her Home

2010-03-06T21:35:00.000-08:00

Two simultaneous candlelight vigils for Susan Cox Powell were held Saturday night, one in her hometown of Puyallup, and the other where she lived with her husband and two young sons, in West Valley City, Utah.

With heavy hearts and candles in their hands loved ones and friends of Susan Cox Powell gathered for a candle light vigil at Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Ridgecrest building in Puyallup Saturday night.

Susan Powell Cox's father Chuck Cox says the family is still holding out hope of finding Susan alive.

"Yeah, I'd love to see her walk through that door and I believe in miracles, I believe she could come back," said Cox.

At tonight's vigil loved ones like Shelby Gifford talked about the pain of not knowing where Susan really is.

"Everyday is a difficult wait it's hard to balance the need for feeling hope with reality," said Gifford.

Susan Cox Powell disappeared on December 7th while her husband Josh Powell took their two sons on a camping trip in frigid temperatures in the Utah desert. Cops have searched that area and others for clues but have come up empty. Although, Shelby Gifford believes investigators are slowly getting closer to the truth.

"We're willing to wait right now if that means whatever happens in the future if it's an arrest, if there's a conviction that follows, we're willing to wait if that's what it takes," said Gifford.

Josh Powell moved back home with the couple's two young sons to the Puyallup area and is living in his father's home. On Saturday Q13 Fox News tried asking him about his wife's disappearance but he wouldn't open the door. Chuck Cox says Josh has shut out his family too.

"Yeah, we tried, we've gone over to see the children and try to catch him, talk with the boys, it's strained," said Cox.

Cops call Josh Powell a person of interest in Susan's disappearance. He did not attend the ceremony on Saturday night.

At the vigil the family handed out purple ribbons so people can keep Susan in their thoughts and prayers, and also missing person flyers to help bring her home.

Shelby Gifford says the family is leaning on their faith to help find Susan, but, know it will be hard to come to grips with her fate.

"We'll know what happened to Susan when we either find her body or she comes walking through the door," said Gifford.

Mother & Daughter Injured As Van Runs Them Over In 711 Store

2010-03-05T21:13:00.000-08:00

Three People Hurt When Van Crashes Into Aberdeen Convenience Store
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A man driving a mini-van in Aberdeen crashed through the storefront of a 7-11 store, seriously injuring a 30-year-old woman and her two-year-old daughter who were inside.

Police say a 57-year-old man driving a 1996 Chevy Astro Van came to a stop in front of the store, then the engine revved up, tires screeched, and the van launched through the front door.

The car ended up in the back of the store -- about 40 to 50 feet from the front door.

"We heard tires screeching and loud collision sound and glass breaking," said Deanne Emery, who was working next door. "It felt kind of like an earthquake. I mean our windows shook. And (my husband) said, 'That was not good.'"

The collision also injured the driver of the van, 57-year-old Kelvin Kinny.

Eyewitnesses to the crash say it sounded like an explosion went off when the van crashed through the doors.

After seeing smoke and dust from the commotion, Emery and her husband ran over to the store and found the toddler, unconscious, near the front door.

Two-year-old Kaitlynn Zinn is in serious condition at Harborview Medical Center with a broken leg and internal injuries. Her mom, 30-year-old Tammy Bolster was treated and released from Grays Harbor Community Hospital. The driver of the van is in "guarded" condition at the Aberdeen-area hospital.

The woman who was arrived at the scene immediately after the crash, Deanne Emery, says the baby appeared to have a badly bruised chest.

"My husband knelt down towards the baby," she said. "And then the mother crawled out from underneath the van and said, 'That's my baby! That's my baby!' Then she fell down next to the baby and she said, 'I was under the van! I was under the van!' And that kind of woke up the baby.

Police say, unbelievably, this was the second time the driver had driven through a building. In April of last year, police cited him for driving into an unoccupied building at 4 a.m. No one was hurt in that collision.

Emergency crews first took the mother and daughter and the driver to Grays Harbor Community Hospital. Later, the little girl was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Kaitlynn Zinn suffered a broken leg and internal injuries and is in serious condition.

If Large Quake Hits Seattle You Can Expect Landslides And Tsunamis

2010-02-27T21:11:00.000-08:00

With the earthquake in Chile and the one in Haiti last month and tomorrow being the 9th anniversary of the Nisqually Quake the question on everyone’s mind is, when will the next big one hit Seattle and could the Puget Sound get rocked by a tsunami.

Saturday was a calm day on the water around Seattle, deep below it though a ticking time bomb and earthquake waiting to unleash its fury. Brian Atwater who is a USGS geologist says a major quake could cause the waters to rise around Seattle.

“So, you can expect that there would be locally generally tsunamis in Puget Sound from the shaking,” said Atwater.

Atwater was in the University of Washington Seismology lab on Saturday monitoring the tsunami from the Chilean quake. He says a local shaker would cause landslide and big waves.

“It'll just become strong currents by the time you get into, rapidly rising and falling waters,” said Atwater.

University of Washington seismologist Bill Steele says a big quake will topple buildings and north of Seattle send Puget Sound inland.

“As far as big waves washing away homes the modeling is showing parts of Bellingham could be vulnerable to some low lying flooding,” said Steele.

If and when a big earthquake hits Seattle, it could trigger a tsunami on Puget Sound, but also in fresh water like Lake Washington. Big waves could damage both floating bridges and threaten lives on the water and shoreline.

Brian Atwater says people should seek higher ground after the earthquake hits.

“Is there a building that's well built that might withstand the earthquake and I can get up on and ride out the tsunami,” said Atwater.

State Emergency Responders were on high alert today from the Chilean Tsunami. Rob Harper with the Washington Emergency Management Division says it was a good test for the big one.

“So, it's very important to see how we respond that our plans work, we coordinate and all of that happened successfully today,” said Harper.

When that major earthquake strikes Seismologist Bill Steele says take cover and stay off the water.

“So, it's going to be kind of chaotic, difficult to navigate perhaps, while these are coming on it will be scary to be out in a boat I think,” said Steele.

Tacoma Teacher Gunned Down In Cold Blood By Obsessed Stalker

2010-02-26T21:12:00.000-08:00

Jennifer Paulson had taken several legal steps to stop Jed Waits from stalking and harming her. But, the court order couldn’t stop Waits from hunting her down this morning and taking her life.

Paulson filed a Protection order in Pierce County District Court in September 2008. The legal document was supposed to keep Waits from contacting or coming within a thousand feet of her.
Jenny Wieland Ward who is the Executive Director for Families & Friends Of Missing Persons & Violent Crime Victims says Waits was obsessed with Paulson.
“Sounds like he was lying in waiting and just came out of nowhere and there was no time to do anything,” said Wieland Ward.

Waits was arrested last week for violating the protection order by following Paulson but posted bail and was released from jail on Monday.

Jenny Wieland Ward says a restraining order can only do so much to protect victims.

“When someone is really evil and obsessed that they are bent on harming someone and somehow they're able to do it,” said Wieland Ward.

In the protection order Paulson says:

"About once a year he would call me about 10-15 times in a day. I would not return his calls until a few days later when I thought he was in a better state."

According to the harassment order Waits was stalking Paulson at work.

"Jed is parked across the street from the school I teach at. I get out of my car. He remains in his car and watches me."

"I never told him where I work and do not know how he found out. I suspect he searched the school district website."

The infatuation turned much more serious when Waits walked into Birney Elementary in Tacoma.

"Jed walks into my school to see me and past the office. The secretary stops him. He wants to see me."

Instead of victims going into hiding Wieland Ward says it’s up to lawmakers to strengthen protection orders to stop the violence.

“The only way to change the system is by changing the laws,” said Wieland Ward.

According to the protection order Waits was not allowed to call, email, or send gifts to the 30 year old Paulson. Paulson’s family even tried to get the former National Guardsman to leave their daughter alone.

"My Dad calls him and talks to him saying that he must stay away."

Then, early this morning in the school parking lot cops says Waits gunned down Paulson.

Jenny Wieland Ward says stalking victims can increase their safety by joining the State’s Address Confidentiality Program to keep their work and home address secret. Keep a stalker log to show cops when and where you’re being followed. Have a safety bag with cash, extra keys, cell-phone, and your car full of gas. Finally, give pictures of the stalker to neighbors, friends, family, and co-workers so they can watch for them.

Victim Advocates like Wieland Ward say Paulson’s murder is a tragedy that should have been stopped.

“I'm just so sorry that this happened to her and to everyone that cared about her,” said Wieland Ward.

So, should victims arm themselves? Wieland Ward says it would be a good idea to carry pepper spray or mace just in case. A victim should carefully consider whether or not to carry a gun for protection.

Seattle Company Launches New Website To Help Homeowners Save Big Bucks On Energy Bills

2010-02-23T21:41:00.001-08:00

How would you like to save a bundle of cash on your next energy bill? A Seattle company has launched a brand new website that will help make your home more energy efficient.

Lyndle Irick and his wife Mary have lived in their home in Magnolia since 1949 and they think it's high time they started saving money on their energy bill.

"Well, we've been thinking about insulating for a long time," said Irick.

The family is getting help from Chief Building Analyst Bruce Minturn with Vesta Home Performance Retrofitting.

"We can add insulation to a wall by boring holes in the exterior of the wall," said Minturn.

His company specializes in sealing up windows, doors, and ventilation ducts. But, he says your money could be escaping from other spots too.

"It doesn't add up to a whole lot compared to how much you may be leaking through the walls, through the attic, through the crawl space," said Minturn.

Minturn is one of a select few contractors connecting with homeowners through a new website www. Energysavvy.com. CEO Aaron Goldfeder says the service is free. It shows how your house ranks in energy efficiency.

"And, based on that we calculate a score. We can say hey your home is a 25, which is very energy inefficient home or a 95, which is a very efficient home," said Goldfeder.

The company says it's really easy to use its website. You start out by entering your house zip code. Then, you answer several questions about whether your home uses gas or electric. What type of insulation it has and the appliances you're using.

After about as minute your home's score will pop up on the screen. Goldfeder says the program will also show you how to make changes to save you thousands of dollars on your energy bill over the next 4 years.

"First, is we tell you the recommendations that will give you the biggest bang for your buck for your home based on your score, and the second rebates and tax credits," said Goldfeder.

As for Lyndle Irick, he says he'll be able to enjoy his golden years even more, now, that his home won't be wasting his money.

"We'll see how much money it's going to save for a period of time, it will probably pay for itself eventually," said Irick.

The Energy Savvy website puts homeowners in touch with a select group of green contractors that have a strong background in maximizing energy efficiency in homes.

New Program Hopes To Stop Crooks From Ripping Off Seniors

2010-02-22T21:53:00.000-08:00

Talk about being low, ripping off senior citizens of their hard earned money when they are trying to enjoy their golden years. Unfortunately, this is a growing crime trend in the Pacific Northwest. But, there is some hope thanks to a new program that's purpose is to help cops catch the crooks that are ripping off senior citizens.

Margaret Canzler was ripped off by a cunning thief.

“I was just so upset, I couldn't take it you know,” said Canzler.

When Yolanda Pouncey showed up at Margaret’s house the 72 year old was packing getting ready for a trip to Germany with her husband to visit family.

“She said your husband said I could use your phone,” said Canzler.

She thought the stranger seemed legitimate, she said she was pregnant and needed to use the bathroom. Once Pouncey left Margaret discovered she’d been robbed.

“Went to get my credit cards, they were all gone, everything was gone,” said Canzler.

In just a couple of minutes the scam artist took Margaret’s purse and nearly a thousand bucks in cash. Pierce County Prosecutors say Pouncey preyed on over 50 senior victims, ripping them off of hundreds of dollars in cash, credit cards, and jewelry.

Margaret and her husband still went on the trip to Germany to see her daughter and son in law. But, the trip was a tough one because the family was upset about losing all that money.

Detective Ed Troyer with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department says crooks will use a senior’s kindness against them.

“And, unfortunately the one time they think they're helping, they're not, the money is going right into the criminals pockets,” said Troyer.

Because, there are plenty of crooks out there targeting the elderly Tacoma/Pierce County Crime Stoppers and Seattle University have joined forces to start a new program to protect seniors and catch the bad guys.

Tina Hagedorn is one of four executives in the Seattle University Business Program that created the project that urges seniors to not remain silent and report crimes against them.

“We've launched it, yes we have a website and we have our phone number and we're taking tips,” said Hagedorn.

Margaret Canzler never got her money back and she’s lost some of her faith in people too.

“They don't care if they hurt someone or devastate someone,” said Canzler.

Pouncey was arrested and has since pled guilty to burglary and ID theft and awaits sentencing.

If you know of someone that’s scamming or abusing the elderly in your area call Crime Stoppers at 1-253-591-5959. You’re information can help lock up the crooks and could earn you a cash reward too.

Watch Out Crooks Stealing Pricey Trees & Plants In Seattle

2010-02-21T22:40:00.000-08:00

Cops are looking for a group of "Midnight Gardeners" that are going around ripping off expensive plants and trees from yards around North Seattle.

This is certainly one for the books. Last week, these "conifer crooks" hit three homes in the Crown Hill area of North Seattle. The bad guys dug up trees from the front yard of Meghan Fuller's home.

"So, then I started to look around, cause I realized what happened, then I found this one had been stolen," said Fuller.

Then, the bad guys hopped the fence into Heidi Allen's yard and went after her expensive and old bonsai tree. She thinks the crooks are planning on fencing the goods on Craigslist.

"Some lowlife landscapers who will steal people's trees and then sell them to someone else," said Allen.

But, the thugs didn't just rip off "green stuff" they also took patio furniture from David Shuler's home. Although, his dog's poop actually scared them away from taking more stuff.

"Whoever was being the backyard burglar, hit 100 percent on poop three times in the backyard," said Shuler.

The homeowners have no idea why they were targeted. But, plant thievery is not uncommon in Seattle. Turns out that people have people stealing this stuff for a long time.

Anyone with information about these "plant pilferers" should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

Popular Seattle Area Bike Shop Closing Blame A Lousy Economy

2010-02-15T21:39:00.000-08:00

It's a sad day for mountain and road bikers everywhere in the Seattle area. After 8 years of being a fixture in Southeast King County, Black Diamond Bike & Backcountry is closing its doors for good.

Today, we talked with owner Peter Fisher who says there is no way to keep the business going. "We're at a point we can't recover," said Fisher.

Fisher will lock up the shop at the end of March. Right now, he's having a "fire sale" everything must go.

Fisher and other small business owners say the sour economy has really crippled businesses down in Black Diamond. Craig Phalen who owns the "Swinging Arm" Restaurant and Tap House says the area got "zapped" with a triple whammy.

"We kind of got hit with a lot between the bridge, the snow for a couple of weeks, the economy, everything really hurt," said Phalen.

Peter and Craig both say when the State Route 169 bridge shutdown that killed their businesses. People had to take a 20 minute detour and that was really bad for the bottom line.

Peter has been a very busy man selling bikes since the fall of 2001. But, that hasn't stopped him from doing a lot of charity work in the area. Losing the shop means schools and others that counted on Black Diamond Bike will be out of luck, which is truly sad.

He also helped to build a bike trail near his store that many people go cruise and do jumps on everyday. James Douglas is one of those mountain bikers.

"Yeah, it is sad he's donated a lot of time and everything, helped everybody out, so for him to shut down his shop with this starting to go, kind of a sad deal," said Douglas.

When I talked with Peter I could tell that he is very passionate about bikes, and is truly bummed that he won't be able to fix them or sell them in his community anymore.

I almost forgot to mention. Peter actually applied for two small business loans from the government and got turned down twice. Uncle Sam told him it was a bad investment. According to Peter 40 other businesses also got denied too.

The only way Black Diamond Bike keeps rolling along according to Peter is if an "angel" investor steps in at the last second, or somebody buys the shop.

2010-02-14T19:59:00.001-08:00

Cops in Washington and Oregon are turning up the heat to try and find the guy who opened fire on a Washington State Patrol Trooper. This suspect is brazen and needs to be caught before he hurts someone else.

This all went down early Saturday morning in Long Beach on the Washington State Coast. Trooper Scott Johnson who is a 25 year veteran was finishing up a DUI call. He was doing some inventory of the car he was processing when the suspect walked up to him. What happened next is crazy. The guy muttered something to Johnson, the Trooper turned his head and the bad guy fired two shots into the back of Johnson's head.

Somehow Johnson survived. With two bullets lodged in his skull he pulled out his gun and got off a couple of shots. The crook got away, but the tow truck driver that was there jumped in his rig and gave chase. He had to stop though when the dirtbag pointed the gun at him.

Johnson was rushed to the hospital in Portland. He is still there recovering and is expected to live. His family talked with the media on Sunday afternoon.

His mother Linda Johnson says Scott was the one that let her know he was wounded. "He said Mom I've been shot in the head, and I mean I could not believe it," said Johnson.

Trooper Johnson's son Derek says he wants the guy that tried to kill his father taken down before he hurts someone else. He's heartbroken over his Dad's injuries.

"I love my Dad very much and he's one of the most honest men I've ever met in my entire life and he does not deserve this," said Johnson.

You can see the picture of this creep in my blog. The shooting suspect is a white man about 35 to 40 years of age. He has a light tan complexion. He's about 5'10'' to 5'11'' inches tall and weighs between 185 and 200 pounds. He was wearing a dark colored insulated shirt and possibly a knit cap. Call The WSP Tip Line at 1-800-283-7808 if you see this creep.

Seattle Environmentalist Is One Man Wrecking Crew To Clean Up Polluted River

2010-02-09T16:46:00.000-08:00

It’s one of the busiest waterways that feed into Puget Sound and unfortunately its one of the most polluted. But, a Seattle man has taken it upon himself to clean-up the Duwamish Waterway.

Neil Chism is on a mission on the docks and on the water. He’s an engineering consultant by trade, but on the shoreline he’s a one man wrecking crew.

“These are rags they use to sop up oil spills don't want to leave that in the water, more Styrofoam,” said Chism.

Neil has spent the last 6 months cleaning up trash and debris that’s been dumped into the Duwamish Waterway.

“There I found this, this morning, just everything you can imagine, this is some disgusting stuff here,” said Chism.

Twice a week you’ll find Neil tooling around in his cataraft. You name it he’s found it, old fishing gear, plastics, Styrofoam, and food cartons. And, along the way he’s studying how river currents affect where the trash goes.

“To go up and down the sides about a mile south of here and check on the trash, remove the trash and see how it's coming in, and how much is going out, try to stop it before it gets to the ocean,” said Chism.

Lots of wildlife like fish and birds call the Duwamish Waterway home, Neil says the trash that’s dumped in it and on the shoreline are not only an eyesore, but also harmful to their health.

“So, those birds will eat these things and one of these things will take a bird down,” said Chism.

Neil isn’t paid for any of his work it’s simply a labor of love for the environment. And, a reminder he said that it should be everyone’s mission to stop dumping our junk in the Duwamish.

“We live in one of the prettiest cities and areas in the world and this is unacceptable to have this stuff floating by on a regular basis and it's bad for the animals,” said Chism.

The Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition is also instrumental in cleaning up trash and pollutants too. Coming up on February 15th its members will hold a revenue rally on the State Capitol Steps at noon. The group will promote awareness about improving water and wildlife conditions.

Something Is Crawling In The Sewer's Of Seattle

2010-02-08T19:56:00.000-08:00

No, it's not alligators but cameras that the city is using to watch for big problems flowing beneath your feet. Today, I got a special opportunity to see how Seattle Public Utilities is using mini robotic cameras to check for clogs and cracks in the pipes.

These little cameras are pretty cool, they are lowered into the sewers and send back live images to the work crews. You never know "what" you might see because the sewer lines are for sanitation and sewer water, so cover your nose. Also, don't be surprised if a rat pops up from time to time. Crews tell me the big ones are in downtown Seattle. Might be because of all the businesses and restaurants.

SPU has just kicked off a new program to get people to stop dumping sludge down their drains. It's a play on words education program called "FOG" and stands for fats, oils, and grease.
The city says hospitals, restaurants, schools, and other businesses dump a lot of the gooey stuff down the old pipe. But, homes, condos, and apartments aren't any better.

According to the city its using the cameras as preventative maintenance to fix problems before they can become something more serious. In theory a clogged pipe could send fecal waste into your home or yard that's not yummy.

SPU crews work on about 7 to 10 city pipes a day and for good reason. They have about 1,500 miles of pipe they are responsible for! When they get one that is all jacked up with goo, they have a super high powered pressure washer they can use to clean them out.

A big warning for property owners who think the city will fix the pipe that's clogged from your home, turns out that is your responsibility. They will only unclog their pipes. But, if the city pipe is the reason for your problem, then you should be covered.

So, think before the next time you dump something down the drain you never know, it could come back up and that wouldn't be good.

Deputy Shoots And Kills Burglary Suspect That Tries To Run Him Over With Car

2010-02-06T22:40:00.001-08:00

What a crazy scene in Pierce County today. About 2:30 AM Saturday 3 guys bust into the garage of a Lake Tapps home which is about 40 minutes from Seattle. The homeowner was there when it happened. She was able to lock herself inside her bedroom and called 911.

Cops arrived on the scene about 5 minutes later and caught the men trying to break into a safe in the garage. Two of the guys made a bee-line for their car. Another crook ran for it into the woods. The guys in the car hit the gas...and, tried hitting one of the Deputies. The Cop fired off several shots and ended up killing the driver. The passenger was wounded but is expected to live.

The guy that was killed behind the wheel ended up driving the car through a neighbors fence over a cliff and down into a ravine where it smashed into a tree.

The third guy was last seen booking it down towards the shoreline of Lake Tapps. Cops didn't catch him, but they grabbed the gun he dropped. Several neighbors told me they saw the guy cruising through their yards.

I talked with cops tonight and they are working the angle that the burglars were tipped off about the safe in the garage. Detectives believe a relative of the burglars might have been inside the home prior to the crime to case it for the crooks.

The 25 year old suspect that was wounded is expected to live. He's in a Tacoma Hospital talking with Detectives. Sources tell me they are very close to identifying all three men. Also, it's just a matter of time until the last bad guy is caught.

Neighbors told me things were buzzing when the shooting went down. Helicopters in the air searching for the suspect, K-9 units on the ground looking in the woods.

The Pierce County Sheriff's Deputy that shot the two suspects has been placed on administrative leave which is standard procedure.

The Medical Examiner has yet to identify the burglar that was shot and killed.

Anyone with information about this crime is urged to call Police.

Tempers Flare In Seattle After Historic Tree Is Chopped Down

2010-02-01T21:13:00.000-08:00

Some neighbors in Ballard are a little fired up after one of their favorite trees is ripped down by one of their neighbors. The hub-bub started around January 21st when a new homeowner decided to tear out a monkey puzzle tree that was on the Southeast corner of 60th and 9th. Well, that didn't sit well with people that lived in the neighborhood for decades.

Marian Carson was sad to see the tree go.
"I cried....it was everybody in the neighborhood knew where it was, we used it as a guidance to get to where we were going," said Carson.

Word of the tree coming down spread through the block like wildfire. Many of the folks I talked with said the monkey puzzle tree was an icon for the East Ballard Community. But, you have to remember it was on private property.

Here is the big problem. The City of Seattle has a rule that's designed to protect unique and rare tree's like the monkey puzzle tree. Now, the homeowner could be facing a hefty fine of over $10,000. "Exceptional Trees" that are protected are historical ones that have ecological value and make the neighborhood pretty. The only way you can take down one of these big guys is get a permit and the OK from the city. Apparently, the homeowner didn't have either.

I talked with an arborist who says replacing that tree will be almost impossible. Even if you planted ten of them, it wouldn't do enough. Certified Arborist Scott Baker says this tree tussle might be the first of its kind for Seattle.

"It's the first time I know of a tree like this being removed where the city has come in and said you know we're going to do something about this," said Baker.

Most of the neighbors have been griping around the water cooler about what happened. Some neighbors like Shawn Donat believes it might take a while for the situation to cools off.

"Of course, I think there will be peace...eventually," said Donat.

The couple that chopped down the monkey puzzle tree bought the house about a month ago. I tried asking them why they decided to take the tree down but they didn't want to talk about.