Tuesday, June 30, 2015

JANUARY — JUNE, 2015


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JANUARY


                                                                                  THU 01      FRI 02      SAT 03

SUN 04      MON 05      TUE 06      WED 07      THU 08      FRI 09      SAT 10

SUN 11      MON 12      TUE 13      WED 14      THU 15      FRI 16      SAT 17

SUN 18      MON 19      TUE 20      WED 21      THU 22      FRI 23      SAT 24

SUN 25      MON 26      TUE 27      WED 28      THU 29      FRI 30      SAT 31




FEBRUARY


SUN 01      MON 02      TUE 03      WED 04      THU 05      FRI 06      SAT 07

SUN 08      MON 09      TUE 10      WED 11      THU 12      FRI 13      SAT 14

SUN 15      MON 16      TUE 17      WED 18      THU 19      FRI 20      SAT 21

SUN 22      MON 23      TUE 24      WED 25      THU 26      FRI 27      SAT 28




MARCH


SUN 01      MON 02      TUE 03      WED 04      THU 05      FRI 06      SAT 07

SUN 08      MON 09      TUE 10      WED 11      THU 12      FRI 13      SAT 14

SUN 15      MON 16      TUE 17      WED 18      THU 19      FRI 20      SAT 21

SUN 22      MON 23      TUE 24      WED 25      THU 26      FRI 27      SAT 28

SUN 29      MON 30      TUE 31



APRIL


                                                            WED 01      THU 02      FRI 03      SAT 04

SUN 05      MON 06      TUE 07      WED 08      THU 09      FRI 10      SAT 11

SUN 12      MON 13      TUE 14      WED 15      THU 16      FRI 17      SAT 18

SUN 19      MON 20      TUE 21      WED 22      THU 23      FRI 24      SAT 25

SUN 26      MON 27      TUE 28      WED 29      THU 30



MAY


                                                                                                     FRI 01      SAT 02

SUN 03      MON 04      TUE 05      WED 06      THU 07      FRI 08      SAT 09

SUN 10      MON 11      TUE 12      WED 13      THU 14      FRI 15      SAT 16

SUN 17      MON 18      TUE 19      WED 20      THU 21      FRI 22      SAT 23

SUN 24      MON 25      TUE 26      WED 27      THU 28      FRI 29      SAT 30

SUN 31



JUNE


                    MON 01      TUE 02      WED 03      THU 04      FRI 05      SAT 06

SUN 07      MON 08      TUE 09      WED 10      THU 11      FRI 12      SAT 13

SUN 14      MON 15       TUE 16      WED 17      THU 18      FRI 19      SAT 20

SUN 21      MON 22      TUE 23      WED 24      THU 25      FRI 26      SAT 27

SUN 28      MON 29      TUE 30




Sunday, June 28, 2015

In the news, Sunday, June 5, 2011


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JUN 04      INDEX      JUN 06
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Information from some sites may not be reliable, or may not be vetted.
Some sources may require subscription.

________

from Huffington Post
[Information from this site may be unreliable.]

Pay Back the Money Borrowed From Social Security

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from The Spokesman-Review

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Monday, June 22, 2015

In the news, Friday, June 12, 2015


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JUN 11      INDEX      JUN 13
________


Information from some sites may not be reliable, or may not be vetted.
Some sources may require subscription.

________

from The American Conservative

12 Reasons America Doesn’t Win Its Wars
Too many parties now benefit from perpetual warmaking for the U.S. to ever conclude its military conflicts.

________

from American News
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]

BREAKING: Obama Launches Plan To Suspend 2016 Election

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from Breitbart

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TRANSRACIAL HERO RACHEL DOLEZAL
Just last week the President of the United States congratulated Bruce Jenner on his courageous decision to pretend to be a woman, and the entire left bursting into spasms of ecstasy over a collectively insane decision to ratify the notion that men can magically become women. Today, the entire left is struggling to explain how a white woman who identifies herself as black is not, in fact, black.

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from The Guardian (UK)

Prisons that withhold menstrual pads humiliate women and violate basic rights
Stains on clothes seep into self-esteem and reinforce powerlessness. That’s why wardens keep sanitation just out of reach

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from KING 5 (NBC Seattle)

Decatur engineering students design inexpensive lockdown system
In the wake of last fall's deadly shootings at Marysville-Pilchuck High School, a group of engineering students at Decatur High School in Federal Way have created an inexpensive solution to locking down a school faster.

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from Laredo Morning Times

Two Black Hawk helicopters arrived in Laredo on Friday in response to the shooting of the CBP chopper on June 5. Officials hope the new helicopters, which will be used by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Laredo, will provide better protection in the event of another shooting.

________

from National Review
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]

Dirty Jobs Star Delivers Devastating Rebuke about America’s Work Ethic

________

from The New American Magazine
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]

Congressman Mike Rogers Introduces Bill to Get U.S. Out of UN

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from The Right Scoop

Baltimore: 16-year-old girl raped, killed and set on fire, two suspects charged

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from Space.com (& CollectSpace)

Cosmic Confusion: Talk of Multiverses and Big Errors in Astrophysics
Physicists at the World Science Festival in New York discussed how a multiverse theory could help or hinder the pursuit of a scientific explanation for why our universe is fit to support life.

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from The Spokesman-Review

National office of NAACP stands behind Rachel Dolezal
The national office of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is standing behind Rachel Dolezal, the embattled Spokane chapter leader under fire for representing herself as a black woman and using that status to gain prominence when her family claims she is white.

Spokane NAACP president Rachel Dolezal’s claims about background disputed
Controversy is swirling around one of the Inland Northwest’s most prominent civil rights activists, with family members of Rachel Dolezal saying the local leader of the NAACP has been falsely portraying herself as black for years. Dolezal, 37, avoided answering questions directly about her race and ethnicity Thursday, saying, “I feel like I owe my executive committee a conversation” before engaging in a broader discussion with the community about what she described as a “multilayered” issue.

Spokane police: investigation into Rachel Dolezal hate mail now closed
Spokane police said Friday they’re no longer investigating racial harassment claims made by Rachel Dolezal, the head of a local NAACP chapter whose integrity was thrown into question when her mother said she’s a white woman pretending to be black.

Rachel Dolezal’s reports of harassment to Coeur d’Alene and Spokane police, obtained through public records requests.

The man identified by Rachel Dolezal as her father won’t confirm relationship
The black man who embattled local NAACP president Rachel Dolezal called her father in social media postings said Friday he’s reluctant to comment on the controversy. Albert Wilkerson Jr. said in a brief phone call with The Spokesman-Review: “I have nothing negative to say about Rachel and I don’t want to throw anyone under the bus.” Asked about reports that Dolezal claimed he was her father, Wilkerson replied, “You know the answer to that and that’s all I’m going to say.” He then hung up.

Casino card dealer accused of workers’ comp fraud

Pasco police officer’s family question motives of Spokane prosecutors, police
The family of murder suspect and former Pasco police officer Richard Aguirre are questioning whether the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office is trying to sway public opinion against Aguirre.

Video leads to arrest for child rape
Spokane police have arrested a man for first-degree child rape, producing child pornography and possession of child pornography. Randall M. Peterson, 37, is believed to be the perpetrator in a video of a sexual assault that “a citizen” turned over to detectives on Monday. Further investigation is being carried out by the Spokane Police Department’s Special Victims Unit.

Crews still knocking down Greenwood brush fire
Firefighters are still working to contain the brush fire that sent a pillar of smoke into the sky Thursday afternoon in a heavily wooded area near Indian Canyon Golf Course and the Greenwood Memorial Terrace cemetery. The so-called Greenwood fire was 50-percent contained late this morning after it burned as many as 30 acres. Water drops from two helicopters helped firefighters build a hasty containment line Thursday amid strong winds that are expected to pick up again today.

3-year-old Spirit Lake boy found dead in car
A 3-year-old boy died Thursday of apparent heat exposure while trapped inside a car with two dogs in Spirit Lake. The boy was playing with his dogs while his mother and her boyfriend slept inside, a news release from the sheriff’s office said. The child then got into the vehicle, closing the door behind him. The boy was found by his mother, who attempted lifesaving efforts.

Jury convicts man who shot wolf without required tags
A North Idaho man who shot and killed a wolf will spend six months on unsupervised probation. The Coeur d’Alene Press reports 54-year-old Forrest Mize was convicted by a jury Thursday and can petition to remove the crime from his record if he completes his probation without violations.

NPR Story Corps features student, police officer involved in 2003 LCHS shooting
National Public Radio’s Story Corps project is featuring the student involved in a 2003 Lewis and Clark High School shooting and the officer who tried to negotiate with him. Both Sean Fitzpatrick, who now works to educate law enforcement on dealing with people struggling with mental illness, and John Gately, the officer who tried to negotiate with Fitzpatrick that day, share their recollections.

General: U.S. role in Iraq could grow
The Pentagon’s top general said Thursday the U.S. military’s reach could extend even further into Iraq if the anti-Islamic State campaign gains momentum, and he held out the possibility of eventually recommending to President Barack Obama that U.S. troops take on the riskier role of calling in airstrikes. Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the White House’s announcement Wednesday that up to 450 more U.S. troops would be sent to Iraq to invigorate its flagging campaign against the Islamic State is a natural extension of U.S. assistance. He said the support hub the troops will set up will not produce instant results but may serve as a model to be replicated elsewhere in Iraq, possibly requiring even more U.S. troops.

For cyclist, mountain stretch a daunting game of peak-a-boo
Around every turn, the sentinel mountains of the North Cascades grow bigger and taunt me. Mount Despair. Damnation Peak. Mount Terror. Yeah. Sounds about right. I haven’t even gained 500 feet yet but the hills are winning the mind game. But by the end of the day, I’ll have climbed 1,500 feet. Tomorrow I’ll reach Washington Pass, at 5,477 feet.

Spokane Tribe casino decision expected shortly
After more than two years of waiting, the Spokane Tribe – and the city and county that share its name – may know soon whether it will get the federal go-ahead to build a casino, hotel and shopping mall on the West Plains. Several government sources said Thursday they have been told to expect a decision from the U.S. Department of the Interior in the near future, although no date has been set for the announcement. The Bureau of Indian Affairs office in Portland said the decision remains in the hands of officials in Washington, D.C.

Report: Germanwings pilot feared blindness
Fearing he was going blind, the co-pilot who slammed a Germanwings jet into the Alps took sick days at work, upped his dosage of an antidepressant, and reached out to doctors, but they didn’t tell his employer they thought he was unfit to fly because of German privacy laws, a French prosecutor said Thursday.

Union says all fed worker data hacked
Hackers stole personnel data and Social Security numbers for every federal employee, a government worker union said Thursday, asserting that the cyber theft of U.S. employee information was more damaging than the Obama administration has acknowledged.

Trade bill: What it means
The House of Representatives is expected to vote today on trade promotion authority, commonly known as “fast-track trade.” If passed, the bill would change the process for Congress to authorize trade policy: After the president negotiated international agreements, Congress would only be able to vote yes or no, rather than having the ability to amend or filibuster a proposed deal.

Associated Press displays images of war in Hanoi
“They gave the whole world a full picture of what was going on in Vietnam,” President Truong Tan Sang told the Associated Press ahead of an exhibit of the AP’s wartime photographs in Hanoi. “I believe these photos made an enormous contribution to bringing the war in Vietnam to an end.” “Vietnam: The Real War,” a collection of 58 photographs taken by the AP, opens to the public today, marking a homecoming that officials say is historic and an emblem of changing times. Forty years after the war ended, it is the first time that the collection is being exhibited in Vietnam, where the conflict is called the “American War.”

In brief: Shooting suspect’s ex-girlfriend speaks
Months before James Holmes opened fire in a Colorado movie theater, his ex-girlfriend said she urged him to talk to his therapist after he mentioned having thoughts about killing people, thoughts that to her “seemed very philosophical” and not a concrete threat.
Judge sees cause for officers’ trials
A Cleveland judge said Thursday enough evidence exists to charge two white policemen in the fatal shooting of a 12-year-old black boy who was holding a pellet gun, a largely symbolic ruling because he can’t compel prosecutors to charge them.
Dust storm blamed for deadly pileup
A dust storm that enveloped a highway and triggered an 11-vehicle pileup in southeastern Colorado has killed two people and injured four others.
Expert: Jail escape professionally done
A licensed engineer who has done work at the Clinton Correctional facility in Dannemora where two killers escaped last weekend said the work of cutting through a cell wall and a steam pipe was done with a high degree of professionalism.
Prosecutor wants ‘Angola 3’ retrial
Louisiana’s attorney general is insisting on a third trial for the last of the “Angola Three,” calling the prison activist who spent decades in solitary confinement after the killing of a guard in 1972 “the most dangerous person on the planet.”

Harper Lee letters going to auction
Six letters by “To Kill a Mockingbird” author Harper Lee to one of her closest friends could fetch as much as $250,000 at auction. Four of the letters date from before “Mockingbird” while Lee was caring for her ailing father, Amasa Coleman Lee, the model for her protagonist Atticus Finch.

Inslee signs $5.1B transportation bill, touts Cheney rail project
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee visited an old cow pasture near Four Lakes on Thursday to sign the state’s $5.1 billion transportation budget for the next two years. The budget calls for spending $2.3 million to upgrade a section of aging rail between Cheney and Geiger Junction to serve a new $30 million grain loading facility under construction along Craig Road.

A brush fire Thursday afternoon near Indian Canyon Golf Course sent clouds of smoke into the sky during rush-hour traffic as flames towered just on the edge of Greenwood Memorial Terrace cemetery.

Officials say man confessed to setting North Side fire
One man is in jail after an arson fire that ravaged a small building Thursday morning on North Monroe Street, leaving several tenants without a home. Spokane firefighters responded to the two-alarm fire just after 3 a.m. at 2419 N. Monroe St. near Jackson Avenue. The one-story building contains a small office space for an appliance business. Five people, including a 1-year-old, lived in apartments in the back. Fire investigators initially interviewed John Hauflin, 23, as a witness and determined his story didn’t add up. After further questioning, Hauflin confessed that he started the fire by lighting some used diapers he found in a trash can outside, court records say.

Shooting by deputy ruled justified
Spokane County Prosecutor Larry Haskell has ruled that the shooting of Christopher Myers by Spokane County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeff Thurman in January was justified. Myers is accused of shooting at police before being shot himself.

A bipartisan group of senators unveiled a plan for a major shift in the way teachers and other public school employees are paid, with the state shouldering its constitutional responsibility for the cost. Now they need to find an extra $3.5 billion.

A woman suspected of shooting her stepfather in the leg Wednesday at his Colbert home also may have shot him in the head and fired multiple shots at a visiting neighbor, according to deputies’ reports. Before the early-morning attack, deputies suspect Jennifer Anderson, 38, lay in wait under the front porch, dressed in black with a hood over her head. This was not the first bout of violence between Anderson and her stepfather. Gail Platz told deputies that Anderson, her daughter, has a history of mental illness.

Kootenai County sheriff’s deputies found a dead person partially submerged in a slough near Hauser Lake on Thursday afternoon. Detectives characterized the death as suspicious.
Boyington statue will be dedicated
An 8-foot-tall bronze statue of famed World War II combat pilot Maj. Gregory “Pappy” Boyington will be dedicated Saturday in a special sunset ceremony at the Coeur d’Alene Airport.

A 17-year-old inmate is accused of orchestrating a prostitution ring from behind bars in an attempt to pay his $75,000 bond on unrelated charges. Thaishaun Hunter was charged as an adult on Monday with leading organized crime, second-degree promotion of prostitution and promoting commercial sex abuse of a minor, in addition to six first-degree assault charges. Police believe his 16-year-old girlfriend, 14-year-old brother and mother also were involved, according to court documents. Hunter already was being held for his alleged role in a January 26 drive-by shooting.

Twitter CEO Dick Costolo, who helped turn the trendy messaging startup into a global town square, is stepping down amid criticism over the company’s disappointing financial performance and a recent stock slide.
Axovant shares soar on first trading day
Shares of Axovant Sciences nearly doubled in value after the dementia drug developer said its initial public offering raised $315 million, more than Axovant had expected.
Jobless applications inch up, but still low
The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits rose slightly last week yet remained at a historically low level that points to a healthy job market.
30-year mortgage rate back above 4 percent
The average interest rate that lenders offered on 30-year home loans shot back above 4 percent this week for the first time since November, pushed by news of a strengthening economy.

Oculus is expanding its virtual-reality headset to simulate the sensation of touch and gesturing as part of its quest to blur the lines between the fake and genuine world.

In its first action involving the multibillion-dollar crowdfunding industry, the Federal Trade Commission charged that a man used money raised through Kickstarter for rent and other personal expenses instead of producing the board game he promised.

Rupert Murdoch will soon hand over the reins of the media dynasty that began with his father’s Australian newspaper nearly a century ago to his sons.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied petitions for a temporary stay of tough new net neutrality regulations made by AT&T Inc. and other opponents of the online traffic rules. The decision allows the regulations to take effect as scheduled today while the court considers lawsuits asking that the rules be tossed out. The judges also granted a request for an expedited review of the suits.

Whole Foods says it will name its new chain of smaller stores with lower prices after its “365 Everyday Value” brand. Co-CEO Walter Robb told the Associated Press the chain will be named “365 by Whole Foods Market,” a nod to the brand already sold by the grocery chain.

Shawn Vestal: Unattended homeless camp highlights Spokane’s efforts

Amy Goodman: Solitary confinement is cruel, unusual punishment

Editorial: USA Freedom Act limits fall short on data privacy

Potter turns ash into beauty
For the last 35 years, Shirley Johnson, now 83, has been producing distinctive pottery glazed with a mixture that includes some Mount St. Helens ash.

Lee, prolific British actor, dies at 93
Christopher Lee, the prolific, aristocratic British actor who brought dramatic gravitas to screen villains from Count Dracula to James Bond enemy Scaramanga, has died at age 93.

Jazz legend Coleman, 85, dies
Jazz legend Ornette Coleman, the visionary saxophonist and composer who pioneered “free jazz” and won a Pulitzer Prize in 2007, has died. Publicist Ken Weinstein said Coleman died on Thursday at 1 a.m. in Manhattan. He was 85.

________

from UPI

India floats first locally made aircraft carrier
India's first indigenous aircraft carrier has been floated out of its building drydock for equipment fitting prior to sea trials in 2017. The floating of the INS Vikrant took place on Wednesday at the Cochin Shipyard.

________

from The Washington Examiner (DC)

Ben Carson: 'I will certainly be as ready as anybody on foreign policy'
Ben Carson is dismissing suggestions that he would enter the White House ill-prepared to handle foreign policy challenges. "I will be certainly as ready as anybody else when foreign policy questions come up," Carson told a scrum of reporters, while campaigning Saturday in Iowa.

________

In the news, Thursday, June 11, 2015


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JUN 10      INDEX      JUN 12
________


________

from Breitbart

PAUL RYAN’S PELOSI-ESQUE OBAMATRADE MOMENT: ‘IT’S DECLASSIFIED AND MADE PUBLIC ONCE IT’S AGREED TO’
Chief Obamatrade proponent House Ways and Means Committee chairman Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) admitted during Congressional testimony on Wednesday evening that despite tons of claims from him and other Obamatrade supporters to the contrary, the process is highly secretive.

from CBN News

Public schools in Fairfax County, Virginia, are preparing to include gender identity in its curriculum, despite objections from parents. The district's Family Life Education (FLE) lessons will include teachings on heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual, and transgender identity. The school board voted in May to add gender identity to the list.

________

from CBS News (& affiliates)

Big increase in deaths, poisonings from synthetic marijuana
New figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show synthetic marijuana killed 15 people in the first half of 2015 -- three times as many as the same period in 2014. Poison control centers across the country have also seen a 229 percent increase in phone calls related to use of the drugs since January.

________

from The Heritage Foundation

Ben Carson Tells Iowa: ‘America Is Worth Saving’

________

from Hoover Institution
Nonprofit Organization in Stanford, California

Why National Reputation Matters
The multipolar world that has emerged from the brief moment of American unilateralism following the end of the Cold War has pitted the United States against strategic competitors in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Taking advantage of American military and economic weakness, but more importantly acting on a very real perception that American policymakers are no longer capable of providing the leadership required to knit together a global order, Chinese, Russian, and Iranian leaders are busy carving out pieces of neighboring regions.

________

from POLITICO
________

from The Raw Story
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]


________

from The Spokesman-Review

Two-alarm fire burning near Indian Canyon
A brush fire in southwest Spokane near Indian Canyon Golf Course sent clouds of smoke into the sky during rush-hour traffic Thursday afternoon.

Broken electronic cigarette shuts down traffic
A City of Dalton Gardens employee spotted what he thought was a pipe bomb near the intersection of Fourth Street and Hanley Avenue this afternoon and called Kootenai County Sheriff’s Deputies. The bomb squad determined that the item was an broken electronic cigarette.

Body found near Hauser Lake; death called ‘suspicious’
Kootenai County Sheriff’s deputies found a dead person partially submerged in a slough near Hauser Lake this afternoon. Detectives characterized the death as suspicious. The body was discovered after deputies responded to a reported drowning around 2 p.m. on the west end of Hauser Lake, off Hauser Lake Road near Newman Arm Road, the sheriff’s office said.

National Weather Service issues red-flag fire warning
Extremely low humidity and wind gusts of up to 30 mph will create perfect conditions for wildfires Friday in Eastern Washington, according to the National Weather Service in Spokane.

Decision leaves it easier to seal juvenile court records
Young offenders will continue to have an easier time sealing their juvenile court records under a decision issued Thursday by the Washington Supreme Court. The court affirmed a lower court ruling that former juvenile offenders do not have to meet complicated requirements known as “Ishikawa factors” in order to seal their juvenile records.

Woman, stepfather had history of violence before shooting
The woman suspected of shooting her stepfather in the leg Wednesday at his Colbert home also may have shot him in the head and fired multiple shots at a visiting neighbor, according to deputies’ reports. Jennifer Anderson, 38, is charged with first-degree attempted murder for shooting her stepfather, Dennis Platz, 63, and first-degree assault for attempting to shoot his neighbor, Daniel Carver, 62.

Credibility of local NAACP leader Rachel Dolezal questioned
Controversy is swirling around one of the Inland Northwest’s most prominent civil rights activists, with family members of Rachel Dolezal saying the local leader of the NAACP has been falsely portraying herself as black for years.

January police shooting ruled justified
Spokane County Prosecutor Larry Haskell has ruled that the shooting of Christopher Myers by Spokane County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeff Thurman in January was justified. Myers is accused of shooting at police before being shot himself.

Investigators: Arson suspect thought cell phone thief lived in building
One man is in jail after an arson fire that ravaged a small building Thursday morning on North Monroe Street, leaving several tenants without a home. Firefighters responded to the two-alarm fire just after 3 a.m. at 2419 N. Monroe St. near Jackson Avenue. The building contains a small office space for an appliance business. Five people, including a 1-year-old child, live in apartments in the back. Fire investigators initially interviewed John Hauflin, 23, as a witness and determined his story didn’t add up. After further questioning, Hauflin confessed that he started the fire by lighting some used diapers he found in a trash can outside.

Up to 450 more U.S. troops will be deployed to Iraq
President Barack Obama ordered the deployment of up to 450 more American troops to Iraq on Wednesday in an effort to reverse major battlefield losses to the Islamic State, an escalation but not a significant shift in the struggling U.S. strategy to defeat the extremist group.

Reporter begins bike ride across Washington
I start this trip with one intent: to travel by bike on Route 10 across the state. The route, though long dreamed of, was made official just last year. Every town and county along its hilly, winding way signed off on the route, many of them with the notion that bike travelers – and their wallets – were more than welcome. From Anacortes to Newport, generally following state Highway 20, the route has plenty of challenges and pleasures for cyclists, including the North Cascades, Methow Valley and Colville National Forest. But it also offers plenty to the towns it rolls through, many of which came of age during the heady days when ore and lumber spilled from the hills with little resistance.

Vatican tribunal will try bishops accused of concealing abuse
Pope Francis took the biggest step yet to crack down on bishops who cover up for priests who rape and molest children, creating a new tribunal inside the Vatican to hear cases of bishops accused of failing to protect their flock.

B.C. reservoirs will help aid Northwest during drought
A robust snowpack in British Columbia will help ease drought conditions in the Northwest this summer. Three B.C. reservoirs will release additional water into the Columbia River to help migrating salmon, power production, irrigation and barge navigation.

Study: West Africa chimps get drunk on palm tree sap
Chimpanzees in West Africa get inebriated during lengthy “drinking sessions” featuring the fermented sap of palm trees – normally used to make palm wine – according to a new study published Wednesday.

Carrie Underwood scores three wins at CMT Music Awards
Carrie Underwood cleaned house at the country awards show Wednesday with three wins, including video of the year for “Something in the Water,” and she even gave a shout-out to her 3-month-old son.

Congress may have to deal with health care tax credits
It will be up to Congress and the states to respond should the Supreme Court annul federal subsidies that are a cornerstone of President Barack Obama’s health care law, the administration’s top health official told Congress on Wednesday.

In brief: Mexico says new U.S. border law will divide nations
The Mexican government says it regrets Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to sign into law an $800 million border security package that will mean more state troopers, cameras and a spy plane to patrol the U.S. state’s 1,200-mile border with Mexico.
Bay Area officials release steamy water-saving ads
Too sexy for the drought? No such thing, according to San Francisco Bay Area water officials who are rolling out a new line of racy public awareness ads coaxing an already water-thrifty metropolis to give it up just a bit more.
Baby born of brain-dead woman finally sent home
The infant son born of a brain-dead woman who was kept on life support so he could develop and survive has left an Omaha hospital. Angel Perez was released from Methodist Women’s Hospital on Tuesday and went to his new home in Waterloo, Nebraska, with his maternal grandparents, Modesto and Berta Jimenez, in an arrangement that had been approved by the boy’s father. Angel weighed a little less than 3 pounds when he was delivered by cesarean section April 4 and has gained nearly 4 pounds since. His mother, 22-year-old Karla Perez, collapsed at home in Waterloo in early February after complaining of a bad headache. Doctors discovered a brain bleed and determined she was brain-dead.
Police trace text to find kidnapped woman
Beaten and raped and her cellphone taken away, a woman who was kidnapped in Tennessee was able to finally get access to a phone and send a text message to her sister, giving police an electronic trail to the Louisiana hotel where she was being held. Lee Meadows, 34, of Clarksville, Tennessee, was arrested Saturday and charged with battery by strangulation, second-degree battery, false imprisonment and forcible rape, multiple news media outlets reported.

Hunt for killers expands to Vermont; prison staffer under suspicion
The manhunt for two escaped killers expanded to campsites and boat slips in Vermont on Wednesday, and State Police said a female prison staff member being questioned may have had a role in helping the men.

Texas officer apologizes for aggressiveness at pool party, attorney says
The Dallas-area police officer criticized for aggressively handling teenagers at a pool party, shown in a viral video, has gone into hiding and “apologizes to all who were offended,” his attorney said Wednesday.

Amtrak engineer wasn’t on cellphone before accident, NTSB says
The engineer in last month’s fatal Amtrak crash wasn’t using his cellphone to talk, text or download anything just before the train sped off the tracks, investigators said Wednesday, addressing what might have caused the accident but only deepening the mystery of what did. Eight people were killed and about 200 were injured in the crash in Philadelphia.

EPA intends to regulate emissions from airliners
The Obama administration proposed Wednesday to regulate aircraft emissions in much the same way as power plants, saying they are a threat to human health because they contain pollutants that help cause global warming.

Murder charge dropped against woman who induced abortion
A Georgia prosecutor dropped a murder charge Wednesday but is pursuing a drug possession count against a 23-year-old woman accused of ending her pregnancy without a prescription, using pills she bought online.

In brief: Four siblings dead in apparent suicide
Police are investigating the apparent suicides of four young siblings ages 5 to 13 who’d been abandoned by their parents in one of China’s poorest regions. State media report the four were found Wednesday night at home on the outskirts of the city of Bijie after ingesting liquid pesticide.
Convicted American seeks family for child
An American woman convicted in her mother’s death in Indonesia is considering having a local family raise her baby daughter until she is released from prison, her attorney said.
Nepal landslide leaves 15 dead
A landslide triggered by heavy rainfall has buried six villages in Nepal’s mountainous northeast and at least 15 people were believed to have been killed.
S&P downgrades Greece credit rating
Standard & Poor’s on Wednesday downgraded Greece’s credit rating one notch further into junk territory, saying it’s likely the country will default on its commercial debt within a year if it can’t strike a deal with its creditors.

People: Vice president’s office on hold as Biden still mourns loss of son
Vice President Joe Biden is facing the daunting decision of how and when to re-enter public life after burying his 46-year-old son, Beau Biden, whose death has put a somber pause on the vice president’s usually frenetic schedule.

Leak damages Spokane County Courthouse offices
It may have been a hot and dry weekend in Spokane County, but inside, its historic courthouse offices were flooding. A poor pipe fitting dripped unchecked all weekend, said Spokane County Facilities Director Ron Oscarson. The offices of commissioners Shelly O’Quinn and Al French received water damage to the carpets and ceiling, but the setback shouldn’t affect plans for the family courtrooms’ move to the second floor later this month.

Spokane looks to relax parking rules for neighborhood businesses
The city calls them streetcar business locations because they were largely built before the advent of automobiles. As such, the buildings usually lack parking. A proposed change to parking rules that will affect the future of many of these buildings will be discussed Monday by the Spokane City Council. The changes will allow exemptions to parking rules for smaller buildings located in neighborhood retail zones, which are “neighborhood serving and pedestrian-oriented.” Parking spots will no longer be required for buildings smaller than 3,000 square feet. Parking requirements for buildings with less than 5,000 square feet floor area will be determined after the 3,000-square-foot exemption is subtracted from its total area, reducing the amount of spaces they currently must have. Larger buildings will see no change. The city has 72 neighborhood retail zones, and all will be affected by this change. In all, 313 parcels are zoned as neighborhood retail, but the city did not calculate how many individual buildings will be affected by the change.

Haskell stands firm on leaks to former police officer Aguirre
Spokane County Prosecutor Larry Haskell is standing by statements made by one of his deputies suggesting law enforcement in Central Washington leaked information to a murder suspect. Meanwhile, Richard Aguirre’s attorney is asking a judge to throw out the $500,000 bond on a voyeurism charge imposed after the claims were made in court.

Washington leaders warn of another bad wildfire season
With Washington in a drought and facing another difficult fire season, Gov. Jay Inslee and Lands Commissioner Peter Goldmark held their annual exercise that emphasizes fire preparedness and safety.

In brief: Woman arrested in stepfather’s shooting in Colbert
Spokane County deputies apprehended a woman who allegedly shot her stepfather in the leg early Wednesday during a dispute in a Colbert home. Jennifer A. Anderson, 38, is charged with first-degree attempted murder in connection with the incident.
Pride Parade set for downtown, park
Saturday is the 24th annual Pride Parade and Rainbow Festival in downtown Spokane. The events hosted by OutSpokane will feature live entertainment, vendors, community organizations, a beer garden, a teens’ area, and a children’s area with inflatable houses, face painting and a gyroscope ride.
Ombudsman panel loses commissioner
Spokane police ombudsman commissioner Adrian Dominguez said Wednesday that he has submitted his resignation but hopes to see the process of picking a new police ombudsman through before he leaves. Dominguez said Wednesday that he’s moving to Seattle to be the new scientific director at the Urban Indian Health Institute.
SUV hits four teens, killing two of them
Authorities said an SUV struck four Washington teenagers while they were walking as part of a school physical education exercise, killing two of them and seriously injuring two others. The Windward High School students were on a sidewalk Wednesday afternoon north of Bellingham when the SUV left the road and hit them from behind. Francis said 18-year-old Shane Ormiston and 15-year-old Gabriel Anderson were killed.
Plane crash kills one near Paine Field
Authorities said one person died and another was injured in a small plane crash in a wooded area near Paine Field and the Mukilteo Speedway.

Federal judge: Wal-Mart owes drivers back pay
Wal-Mart could be on the hook for more than $100 million in back pay after a federal judge ruled the company failed to pay California minimum wage to truck drivers for activities that included inspecting and washing their trucks, an attorney said Wednesday.

EPA’s rule on Colstrip coal plant pollution struck down
A federal appeals court has struck down pollution rules intended to reduce haze from coal that is burned in Montana to provide electricity for people in the Pacific Northwest. Haze reduces visibility and is caused by tiny particles of nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide. The Clean Air Act requires companies to use the best available technology on older coal plants to reduce the pollutants, which can cause health problems such as respiratory illness. But a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the rule from the Environmental Protection Agency would arbitrarily require PPL Montana to install pollution controls costing tens of millions of dollars without assurance of improvements in visibility.

Taco Bell keeps up with young customers’ lingo
CEO Brian Niccol said the company features a “Millennial Word of the Week” at its headquarters as a reminder of how the chain’s biggest fan base communicates. Niccol said the words are “curated” by a group of employees in their 20s who send out an email every Tuesday or Wednesday. The words are also posted on screens and monitors around the office in Irvine, California.

Banks changing credit cards
U.S. banks, tired of spending billions each year to pay back fleeced consumers, are in the process of replacing tens of millions of old magnetic strip credit and debit cards with new cards that are equipped with computer chips that store account data more securely.

Inslee mum on status of state budget talks
Silence descended over spending talks Wednesday, as Gov. Jay Inslee deflected most questions about progress in talks to break a legislative stalemate over the 2015-17 operating budget.

New Washington law will allow Silver Alerts for missing seniors
The state will use its highway reader signs and radio advisory stations to notify motorists and their passengers about missing seniors who have wandered away from home and may be in danger, under a bill signed into law Wednesday. Known as a Silver Alert, the state will send out a message through its roadway systems when a person over age 60 with Alzheimer’s or dementia is missing and believed to be unable to return without assistance.

Dana Milbank: No need for Supreme Court to create health care chaos

Editorial: Washington state should allow feds to carry load in auditor case

Ask Dr. K: Avoid triggers, seek preventive treatment for migraines

Church’s breakfast offers fellowship too
Food bank recipients didn’t have to wait in line Tuesday for their monthly food supplements: They were invited to sit down for breakfast at the Audubon Park United Methodist Church in northwest Spokane. About four years ago, church members started hosting free breakfasts every other Tuesday to coincide with the church’s food bank distribution days. The breakfasts have been so popular that the church at 3908 N. Driscoll Blvd. started holding them every Tuesday morning starting a month ago.

Monument to honor Civil War naval hero
History advocates in Spokane are holding a dedication at 2 p.m. Friday to commemorate a Civil War naval hero and Medal of Honor recipient who is buried in Spokane. The monument to Amos Bradley is being placed at his gravesite in Greenwood Memorial Terrace in level 2 of the cemetery at 211 N. Government Way.

Private, public partnerships preserve sage lands for Washington’s endangered pygmy rabbits
Pygmy rabbits joined woodland caribou as the most endangered mammals in Washington in 2003. But in the last few years, the pygmies have once again been breeding like rabbits in four 9-acre, semi-wild enclosures in Douglas County.

Special I-90 overpass will help animals cross safely
Last Tuesday, the state Department of Transportation broke ground east of Snoqualmie Pass on the state’s first freeway overpass for animals. The 150-foot-long structure is designed to provide safe passage for species ranging from black bear and cougar to deer and elk – and even squirrels, mice and lizards. It’s part of an ambitious project to convert a 15-mile stretch of interstate into one of the world’s most wildlife-friendly highways. When finished, the section of I-90 from Hyak to Easton will incorporate more than 20 major underpasses and overpasses engineered partly or wholly with wildlife in mind. Dozens of small culverts will also be rebuilt to allow easier passage.

Landmarks: Distinguished woman lies unheralded
For a woman who was such an innovator, pioneer and who rubbed shoulders with some of America’s most influential people, Rebecca Jane “Reba” Hurn is buried below a modest and unassuming grave marker.

Library bond returns, without ‘ballot confusion’
There’s a little free library sitting in an empty lot off Sprague Avenue and Dartmouth Road. It’s been there since last year, at the site where the Spokane County Library District would like to build a new library – if voters will approve a bond to fund it.

Weather: Summer looks drier, warmer than usual

Gardening: Beneficial bugs and right plants part of pest management

Obituary: Lenke, Wilbert O. “Wil”
22 May 1930 - 3 Jun 2015      Spokane

Obituary: Lamanna, Gloria Olga (Amicarella)
11 Aug 1923 - 6 Jun 2015      Spokane

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from Tea Party
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]

Face it, Obama is not interested in confronting ISIS
Obama’s comments reflect his chronic disdain for this often messy, always tedious but nevertheless vital and serious business of protecting and defending America’s national interests

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from The Wall Street Journal

The Federal Marching Band of Music Regulators
The industry has been beset by punitive fines, armed raids and threats of jail. Even banjo makers aren’t safe.

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