OMAK — Seven students were taken to a hospital with bumps and bruises when their school bus was clipped from behind and knocked on its side Thursday afternoon about nine miles south of Omak.
The Paschal Sherman Indian School bus was southbound on Highway 155 and about to make a left turn when it was hit by a logging truck trying to pass the bus, officials said.
The driver of the truck, James F. Holzer, 63, of Inchelium was cited for driving too fast for conditions, said Lt. Mike Warren of the Washington State Patrol.
He was not injured. Among students hurt was an 8-year-old girl who suffered a wrist injury, according to the State Patrol.
All were treated at Mid-Valley Hospital and released, Warren said. The driver of the bus, 69-year-old Robert Kennedy of Okanogan, injured his left wrist and arm, according to the State Patrol.
Wenatchee World
Tacoma: Mall shooter gets 163-year sentence
Dominick S. Maldonado, the gunman who told 911 dispatchers to “follow the screams” before wounding seven in a 2005 Tacoma Mall shooting rampage, was sentenced to more than 160 years in prison Friday.
Maldonado, 22, was convicted Oct. 2 of 15 crimes, including attempted murder, assault and kidnapping. He was sentenced to just over 163 years in prison, Deputy Pierce County Prosecutor Phil Sorensen said.
Sixty-one years were imposed as a special sentence for gun crimes. That portion can’t be reduced for good behavior, and Maldonado must serve it before the rest of his prison term can begin.
Superior Court Judge Linda Lee handed down the sentence after a hearing that featured statements from Maldonado and two of his victims.
Associated Press
Oregon: Sea lions may be killed on Columbia
A federal task force is expected to recommend next week that pesky California sea lions gobbling up threatened salmon at Bonneville Dam be killed in order to help conserve Columbia River fish runs.
Biologists have tried various methods to chase away the hungry marine mammals. But all attempts have failed — including setting off underwater firecrackers.
“The best and most sincere efforts to dissuade these creatures with nonlethal measures just have not worked,” said U.S. Rep. Brian Baird, D-Wash., who has led a bipartisan effort with U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., to find a solution.
The recommendation by the 18-member panel was being reviewed before a final draft was to be released after a Monday deadline. It follows a request by Oregon, Washington state and Idaho for federal approval to kill the sea lions.
Associated Press
Montesano: Girls accuse father of abuse
A jury will have to decide who to believe — two daughters accusing their father of raping and molesting them, or the father, who says he’s “the real victim,” targeted by his “manipulative and imaginative” eldest daughter.
The trial of the 47-year-old Ocean Shores man began Thursday with opening statements and testimony from one of the daughters.
The defendant, whose name is being withheld to protect the identity of the alleged victims, is charged with two counts of first-degree rape of a child, two counts of first-degree molestation and one count each of second-degree rape of a child, second-degree child molestation and second-degree incest.
He could get life in prison if found guilty as charged and the jury finds there were aggravating circumstances that warrant an exceptional sentence, Deputy Prosecutor Katherine Svoboda said. Judge Mark McCauley is presiding over the case in Grays Harbor Superior Court.
The Daily World
Port Townsend: New bacteria case is reported
Port Townsend High School canceled a football game and closed its athletic facilities because a player contracted MRSA, a staph infection that resists antibiotics.
The actions came as the King County medical examiner’s office said a 46-year-old Federal Way man, John Jones, died Wednesday of MRSA — methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus — at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
MRSA is commonly found on skin, and is spread by close contact with infected people or contaminated surfaces.
It wasn’t immediately known how Jones or the Port Townsend student, a senior, contracted the infection. The boy’s name was not disclosed.
Harborview officials said there was no risk to other patients.
At the high school, the gym, locker room and weight room were closed so the school could disinfect. Today’s home game — the final game of the season — was canceled.
Associated Press
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