Latest Washington, Sports, Business, and Entertainment news at 11:20 am PDT
DRAGONS FLY-SHOCKED
Kite flier seriously injured when kite hits power lines
BREMERTON, Wash. (AP) – A man is in critical condition after being shocked while kite flying in a park in Bremerton. Brad Richard, chief of the Bremerton Battalion, said the man flew a makeshift kite made of steel rope and a fishing rod in Evergreen Rotary Park at around 7 p.m. on Sunday. The kite drifted into Puget Sound Energy’s high energy transmission lines and shocked the man. He was badly burned. He was flown to Harborview Medical Center and is in critical condition. Fire officials said this was a dire reminder not to fly a kite near power lines.
BLACK OFFICERS – RACISM REQUIREMENTS
Black Police Force US $ 8 Million in University of Washington Racism Lawsuit
SEATTLE (AP) – Five black police officers alleging racism at the University of Washington have filed claims for damages of $ 8 million. They say they have been routinely abused and humiliated by colleagues and supervisors. KOMO-TV reported Tuesday that officials say they have been disciplined and denied promotions because of their race. Claims for damages are the first step in litigation. Officer Damien Taylor said a white supervisor called him “(his) own Negro” when he called. The claim says that University of Washington police chief John Vinson has been criticized by white officials for hiring too many blacks. University spokesman Victor Balta said the institution is opening an investigation.
OFFICER HIT-MAN RECHARGED
Man accused of stealing the police officer’s vehicle after fatal hit ran
SEATTLE (AP) – A Seattle man was charged with hit and miss and stealing the vehicle of an off-duty Seattle police officer after she was fatally hit by a car. The Seattle Times reports that Roger Lee Owens Jr. was arrested last week on suspicion of stealing Officer Alexandra “Lexi” Harris’ personal vehicle. Prosecutors say Owens was driving a van that was involved in a three-car collision on Interstate 5 on June 13 when Harris stopped to help and the driver of a fourth car was unable to stop and meet Harris . Police say Owens stole Harris’ vehicle and backpack. Police say Owens told detectives when she was hit, panicked and took her vehicle.
CHILD PORNOGRAPHY SET
Man sentenced to 7 years in prison for receiving child pornography
TACOMA, Washington (AP) – Officials say a Tacoma man who pleaded guilty of receiving child pornography was sentenced to more than seven years in prison by the US District Court. The News Tribune reports that the Justice Department said Judge Benjamin H. Settle on Tuesday convicted 37-year-old Brandon Culp, calling Culp a danger to the public. According to a US Attorney’s press release, Culp had previously spent almost five years in prison for trying to sell a minor for sex. In 2019, a social media company tagged an account for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for sharing pictures of child sexual abuse. Investigators said they found over 800 such images on his devices.
AP US PORTLAND POLICE
Portland Police Force stop minor traffic stops citing inequalities
PORTLAND, Oregon (AP) – Police in Oregon’s largest city are being advised to stop prosecuting drivers for low-level traffic violations – including expired license plates and broken headlights – unless the security threat is imminent. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler also announced Tuesday that if the police stop a driver, they must obtain written consent prior to searching the vehicle and clearly inform the person that they have the right to refuse. Wheeler said both changes are in response to data showing a different impact on black drivers during traffic stops and vehicle searches. While 6% of Portlanders are black, they make up 18% of traffic stops in the city.
OREGON LEGISLATION CHANGES
Oregon legislature passes an amendment to “pause” evictions
PORTLAND, Oregon (AP) – As the state and federal eviction moratorium expires in late June, Oregon lawmakers have passed a safety net for struggling tenants that will “pause” some evictions. Under the “Safe Harbor” amendment to Senate Act 278, tenants who are unable to pay their July or August rent would not be evicted for 60 days if they demonstrate to their landlord that they have applied for Rent Aid through Oregon Housing and Community Service. The amended bill, passed Tuesday, will next go to Governor Kate Brown’s desk to be signed. As of Tuesday, 10,830 households in the state had applied for rental allowance.
CHILD HUNGER BAIL SET
Couple on trial on famine accusation of murder
VANCOUVER, Washington (AP) – The adoptive parents of a 15-year-old boy from Vancouver, Washington, who died of starvation, placed $ 1 million each on bail during a Clark County court hearing. Colombian reports Felicia L. Adams and Jesse C. Franks appeared in Superior Court Monday on charges of domestic violence for second degree murder and homicide in the death of Karreon Franks. In response to the charges being read, Franks said, “I don’t know why I’m being charged with all of this.” Assistant Attorney James Smith described the allegations as “extremely worrying”. Smith says Adams and Franks each face a minimum of 20 years’ imprisonment if convicted.
DEATH IN PRISON – NO CHARGES
Kitsap County Prosecutor dismissed charges of death in prison
PORT ORCHARD, Washington (AP) – The Kitsap County attorney says he will not bring charges against law enforcement officers who were involved in the death of a mentally ill murder suspect in prison last year. Prosecutor Chad Enright says Sean Howell’s death cannot be classified as “justified” as it implies an intention to kill. He says the evidence leads to the conclusion that Howell was accidentally killed when officers tried to detain him. Enright says if one person accidentally kills another during the lawful use of force, the killing is excusable and unjustifiable. Sheriff Gary Simpson says the Clark County Sheriff’s office is underway an assessment of prison practices.
DAIRY WORKER Settlement
$ 1 million settlement reached in overtime lawsuit against dairy workers
YAKIMA, Washington (AP) – The Yakima County Supreme Court has given final approval to a $ 1 million settlement providing retrospective overtime pay for workers at a lower Yakima Valley dairy factory. The settlement closes a class action lawsuit filed on behalf of nearly 300 DeRuyter Brothers Dairy of Outlook workers in 2016. Allegedly, the employees worked nine to twelve hours a day, six hours a week without breaks, meal allowances or overtime pay. Most of the wage claims were settled in a court-approved settlement for $ 600,000 in 2017. This settlement left a challenge to the state law that exempted employees from overtime pay unresolved.
WILDFIRES BURNING THE FOREST
In the midst of the clamor to increase the prescribed burns, obstacles await you
SALEM, Oregon (AP) – Six decades after the University of California forest professor Harold Biswell was experimented with prescribed burns and treated with ridicule, he is viewed as someone whose ideas are saving the forests of the U.S. west and the threat of wildfires could decrease. Hundreds of millions of hectares of forest are overgrown and vulnerable to forest fires that devastated cities and smoked the west coast. Today officials want to greatly increase prescribed burns. But several realities speak against them: The periods between forest fires, in which prescribed burns can safely occur, are getting shorter and shorter; some forests are too overgrown to ignite without thinning; and prescribed fires can turn cities into smoke.