The Columbian

Election Reform Panel Suggests Fixes for Future

OLYMPIA An election reform task force created by Gov. Christine Gregoire in the wake of her razor-thin victory last year found that the public's trust in the state's election system was damaged by imperfections and mistakes that "are clearly unacceptable." In a 23-page report obtained by The Associated Press, the task force suggests 15 specific actions it wants to see the governor and Legislature take, including moving up the primary date and requiring voter identification at the polls. The ...

Legislature: Return of Prison Labor Program Sought ; State High Court Struck Down System As Unconstitutional

OLYMPIA Washington lawmakers are moving to restore a major prison labor program that was scrapped by the state Supreme Court last year. The high court, in a 5-4 ruling last May, held that it is unconstitutional to essentially sell inmate labor to private businesses that operate inside the prison walls.

Man Asked to Apologize for Anti-Gay Comments ; Remarks Made During Aids Event

OLYMPIA (AP) Legislators are demanding an apology from a businessman who made anti-gay comments to a group visiting the Capitol for an AIDS awareness day. Lou Novak made the loud remark as members of the Life Long AIDS Alliance walked though the House office building.

Hazel Dell Man Arrested After Allegedly Threatening His Daughter with Ax

A Hazel Dell man made his first court appearance Wednesday on suspicion he attempted to kill his daughter with an ax. Steven Palmer Hill, 52, was arrested Tuesday by Clark County Sheriff's Office deputies who had responded to his home, 6114 N.E. Hazel Dell Ave. He allegedly told officers he'd only meant to frighten his daughter.

Police, Fire Report: Onstar Leads Police to Texas Fugitives

Battle Ground police said they used the OnStar-brand GPS tracking device in two Texas fugitives' vehicle to find where they lived and arrest them Tuesday afternoon. Kenneth W. Burns, 39, and his wife, Jennifer L. Burns, 34, are wanted in McLennan County, in the Waco area of central Texas, on suspicion of felony larceny, officials said.

Students Cleared of Violating Wsu Code of Conduct

PULLMAN (AP) Two Washington State basketball players accused of making racially-harassing gestures toward an Asian-American student did not violate the school's conduct code, the university announced Wednesday. Although freshmen Alex Kirk and Robbie Cowgill may have engaged in adolescent behavior, there was insufficient evidence to support a finding of harassment, a student conduct board found.

In Our View: The Wrong Ruling; Supreme Court Should Have Allowed Juries to Decide On Juvenile Death Penalties

On Sept. 9, 1993, near St. Louis, Christopher Simmons burglarized the home of his 46-year-old neighbor, Shirley Cook. He hog-tied her, kidnapped her and threw her from a Meramec River bridge. A medical examiner said her death was by drowning, and she had suffered broken ribs and numerous bruises. Simmons had planned the burglary and murder and had bragged that he could get away with it. He later confessed, agreed to participate in a videotaped re-enactment of the crime, was tried, found guilt...

In Our View: Don't 'Fix' It; Transit Cutback Process Is Not Broken

As a former director of planning and development for C-Tran, state Rep. Deb Wallace is wringing her hands and enduring emotional pain and angst as the bus agency struggles to meet cost-cutting imperatives. After all, things are going exactly backward. C-Tran service is contracting even as the county's population is growing. But C-Tran administrators, drivers, mechanics, secretaries and its board of directors feel just as bad as Wallace, if not worse, about what the agency is going through and...

Opinion - Protect Life in All States, Even Oregon

Oregon's physician-assisted suicide law has, by all appearances, been applied responsibly. It does not appear that the 200 or so people who have ended their lives with the help of the law were coerced in any way by family members or doctors.

Proposals Seek to Boost College Diversity

OLYMPIA The state's biggest public universities should know more about college applicants than their grades and test scores, state Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles said Wednesday as she introduced a second bill to encourage campus diversity. The Seattle Democrat's new bill would provide money to enable Washington State University and the University of Washington to fully review every student's application. It would also encourage the schools to "establish policies on diversity in admissions."

Court Blocks Resumption of Canadian Cattle Imports

BILLINGS, Mont. A federal judge ordered the U.S. northern border to remain closed to Canadian cattle imports Wednesday, after a lawyer for a livestock group said it would be insane to resume imports with so many unanswered questions about mad-cow disease. The U.S. Department of Agriculture had planned to open the border to fuller trade beginning Monday. U.S. District Judge Richard Cebull granted a temporary court order preventing that.

Three Arrested in Illegal Caviar Operation

PORTLAND (AP) Charges have been filed against three people accused of running an illegal caviar-manufacturing operation, authorities said Wednesday. Ivan Usoltseff, 72, and Mariya Usoltseff, 58, were arrested Wednesday morning at their Woodburn home. At about the same time, Aleksandr Grigoryan, 57, of Milwaukie was taken into custody.

Evergreen School Chief Search Wraps Up ; After Long Hours, Tough Questions, Last of Five Finalists in Hot Seat Today

The questions have come early, late and often to Allen Coles and four rivals hoping to become the next Evergreen Public Schools superintendent. Coles was taken aback by one query from an Evergreen High School student Tuesday morning, however: "How can you relate to us?"

Powwow has Power to Inspire ; Program Lets Indian Students Improve Academic Skills While Learning About Their Native Culture

Inside a portable building tucked behind Burton Elementary School is a warm, family-style event that seems less like a classroom and more like a Sunday afternoon in someone's living room. A few dozen people, from infants to elders, fill up the small space. A group of boys pounds away in a drum circle, singing American Indian songs. Three preschool-age girls dance to the beat, giggling and concentrating more on the fun they are having together than the actual steps. A father shows his son a da...

Teenage Shooter Sentenced ; Youth Who Damaged Cars, Store Gets 45 Days

A 16-year-old boy who admitted to a shotgun-firing spree in the Salmon Creek and Felida areas was sentenced Monday in Clark County Juvenile Court to 45 days of detention and 16 months of probation, said Deputy Prosecutor Rick Olson. William Albert Wakeham, 917 N.W. 117th St., pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm and three counts of malicious mischief, all felonies.

Promoting Understanding of County's Different Faiths Goal of Saturday Forum

Rick Jaech has been saddened by stories of a local Muslim woman treated rudely by a store owner and a Jewish student subjected to anti-Semitic comments. The senior pastor of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church is an organizer of a forum Saturday presented by the Greater Vancouver Interfaith Association. People will discuss ways people of different faiths can live together in Vancouver, where religious diversity has grown as the population has increased.

Aarp Leader: Find Alternatives to Privatization ; Social Security Called Only Benefit That's Guaranteed

PORTLAND AARP President Marie Smith on Wednesday challenged the Bush administration to find alternatives to privatizing Social Security that will strengthen the system and avoid the risk of reducing benefits to an entire generation. "Social Security is the only guaranteed, inflation-proof, lifelong benefit that millions of workers present and future can count on," Smith told a forum at Portland Community College.

Gadget Gurus Display Creations ; Robots, Other Examples of Ingenuity Are Shown Off at Microsoft Techfest

REDMOND The teddy bear sitting in the corner of the child's room might look normal, until his head starts following the kid around, using a face recognition program. Next, the stuffed animal might actually call out the child's name or record his every move in a digital diary perhaps maintaining for posterity a child's first words, or maybe just giving a parent an idea of whether the youngster is eating too much junk food.

Queen Bestows Honorary Knighthood On Bill Gates

LONDON One of the world's richest men got a new acquisition Wednesday: an honorary knighthood. Proclaiming himself "humbled and delighted," Microsoft founder Bill Gates received the accolade from Queen Elizabeth II in a private ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

Legislature: Leaders Confirm Cuts, Taxes to Close Budget Gap

OLYMPIA The Legislature's top Democratic leaders confirmed Wednesday that lawmakers will use both taxes and cuts to close a $2.2 billion state budget hole. House Speaker Frank Chopp, D-Seattle, and Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown, D-Spokane, told their weekly news conference that the Legislature will have to cut spending significantly, deny most requests for new programs and adopt a variety of revenue raisers.