The Columbian

Corrections

Trucker Faces Felony Charges; Austrian Tourist Killed, 6 Hurt in June I-5 Crash; Court Date Set for Oct. 24

The driver of a tractor-trailer rig who triggered a fiery fatality this summer on Interstate 5 faces felony charges, a deputy prosecuting attorney said Tuesday. Diego J. Ayala, 55, has been summoned to appear Oct. 24 in Clark County Superior Court.

Police Arrest Rape, Assault Suspect; the Alleged Victim, an Acquaintance, Led Officials to Orchards-Area Home

Vancouver police raided an Orchards-area home Tuesday night and said they arrested a man who allegedly raped and assaulted a female acquaintance earlier in the day. Thomas Leroy Price Jr., 28, was arrested on suspicion of domestic- violence crimes including rape, felony assault and burglary, said Sgt. Mike Davis.

Police Report: Suspect in Safeway Purse Snatch Jailed

Vancouver police arrested a 20-year-old man Monday night after he allegedly grabbed a woman's purse in the Safeway store at Southeast 136th Avenue and Mill Plain Boulevard in Cascade Park. Willie Green, a Vancouver resident, was jailed on suspicion of felony theft, according to a bulletin from the Vancouver Police Department. Green was no longer in custody Tuesday night, a jail employee said.

Teacher Pleads Not Guilty to Abuse of Girl; Gaiser Middle School's Sammons Charged with Rape, Molestation

A Vancouver teacher pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges he sexually abused a 12-year-old girl. Daniel R. Sammons, who was placed on administrative leave Aug. 30 from his job at Gaiser Middle School, made a brief court appearance with his attorney to be formally charged with two counts of second- degree rape and three counts of second-degree child molestation.

Community Watch:

Mother-in-law saves woman from scam ORCHARDS -- A 30-year-old Orchards woman nearly fell for a money- wiring scam last month, but her mother-in-law talked her out of it.

$55 Million to Streamline Medical Research; Ohsu, Kaiser Team Up to Win Federal Grant

Oregon Health & Science University and Kaiser Permanente have teamed up to win a $55 million grant that could help change medical research. The OHSU-Kaiser partnership is one of a dozen institutions across the nation to receive funding from the National Institutes of Health.

Mayor Breaks Tie to Appoint Mccall to Woodland Council; She Replaces Summers, Who Left Job Due to Move

WOODLAND -- Marilee McCall earned the nod in a tie-breaker Monday night to become Woodland's newest city council member. She replaces Bruce Summers Jr., who resigned at the Sept. 18 council meeting because he is moving out of the city limits.

Kulongoski, Saxton in Dead Heat for Governor

PORTLAND Republican gubernatorial candidate Ron Saxton's latest commercial, now in heavy rotation across the state, follows a familiar playbook. A narrator begins with dire statistics in this case, about the 175,000 illegal immigrants estimated to live in Oregon and the money the state has spent on their behalf.

Eugene Scores High in Livability Surveys

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) It's amazing that anyone chooses to live outside Eugene. The city has been ranked as one of the best places to live, one of the best places to raise a family and one of the best places to retire.

Oregon House Speaker Failed to Disclose $4,000 Trip

SALEM, Ore. Oregon House Speaker Karen Minnis said Tuesday she did not report that a private group paid $4,000 to send her to Israel last year, making her the latest lawmaker to get caught up in a controversy over legislative junkets. The Wood Village Republican, who's in the midst of a heated re- election battle, said the omission was unintentional.

Police Panel Faces Challenge

SPOKANE (AP) A little-used citizens' police oversight commission has come under fire for holding its meetings behind closed doors. In one of her first official acts, new Spokane Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick referred to the Citizen Review Commission a resident's complaint about a police lieutenant's off-duty conduct.

Disks with Personal Data Missing From Airport

SEATTLE (AP) Six computer disks containing personal data on more than 6,900 people who applied for new or replacement identity badges are missing from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, airport officials say. Mark Reis, the airport's managing director, said officials do not know whether the disks were misplaced or taken off airport property, but they do not believe any information has been used improperly.

Challenging Dam Procedures Ok

SEATTLE A federal judge on Tuesday upheld the Bush administration's interpretation of dam-relicensing rules in the 2005 Energy Policy Act, although critics had argued it could lead to fewer protections for the environment. U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman said the administration did not exceed its authority when it established procedures for letting dam operators challenge environmental requirements, such as installing fish ladders and monitoring water quality.

Willamette Valley Field Burning Nearly Finished

ALBANY, Ore. (AP) The annual field burning season is almost over with acreage expected to be about average for grass seed growers who produce much of the seed for lawns, golf courses and athletic fields around the world. As of Monday, Willamette Valley growers had burned 48,290 acres of the annual 50,000-acre average, according to John Byers, director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture smoke management program.

Grape Growers Give Wine-Making a Try

PROSSER (AP) The Miller family has grown wine grapes in central Washington's Yakima Valley since the 1960s, fostering business with some of the biggest and most well-known wineries in the region. It took 40 years, but the Millers now are venturing into the wine business on their own, breaking ground on Airfield Estates Winery this week with plans to open by spring.

State Ratchets Up Health-Care Regulations

SEATTLE (AP) Patients have more comprehensive rights while health care practitioners face more restrictions under new rules adopted by the state Health Department. The new regulations, which took effect Sunday, would make it easier for the state to discipline health care professionals accused of sexual misconduct.

Epa Picks Strategy for Mine Cleanup

SPOKANE Radioactive wastes at a defunct Cold War uranium mine on the Spokane Indian Reservation will be dumped into open pits, then covered, under a cleanup plan selected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, officials said Tuesday. Contaminated water from the Midnite Mine near Wellpinit, about 45 miles northwest of Spokane, will be treated at a new water treatment plant before it will be permitted to be discharged into Blue Creek, which flows into the Spokane Arm of Lake Roosevelt, t...

Fish Farms Pass Killer Lice to Wild Stock

GRANTS PASS, Ore. A team of Canadian scientists has found the most direct evidence yet that baby salmon pick up fatal infections of sea lice while swimming past salmon farms in British Columbia's Broughton Archipelago, and that the more salmon farms the more baby salmon die. "Before, we knew there were potential problems," said Martin Krkosek, a doctoral student at the University of Alberta who was lead author of the study released Monday by the American journal Proceedings of the National A...

Hop Crop Goes Up in Flames

YAKIMA Federal investigators were set to begin an investigation into a fire that ruined about 4 percent of the nation's yield of hops, used as flavoring in the brewing of beer and ale. The fire started shortly before noon Monday in a 40,000-square- foot warehouse operated by S.S. Steiner Inc., one of the four largest hop buyers in the Yakima Valley of central Washington. By midafternoon flames engulfed most of the building, sending up plumes of smoke and a pungent aroma.