Washington news stories on Newser

Condi Rice Strikes Back in New Memoir

Neal Colgrass — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 15:35:28 CDT

It's time for Dick Cheney to take a little return fire from Condi Rice. Less than 2 months after his memoir described her as turning tearful during a political discussion , Condoleezza Rice has written her own book, No Higher Honor , which comes out next month, the New York Times reports....

Jail Lets Alleged Child Rapist Watch Videos of His Attacks

Sarah Whitmire — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 14:00:00 CDT

A loophole in Washington state law allows a man charged with sexually assaulting children to watch child porn—in a county jail, no less, KIRO-FM reports. Weldon Gilbert has chosen to defend himself, and all evidence in his case must be made available to the defense, including video of Gilbert...

Teen Leads City's Fight on Red-Light Cameras

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 12:07:29 CDT

Josh Sutinen isn't old enough to vote and only got his driver's license last month, but he's already among the leaders in a national backlash against cameras that issue traffic tickets. The 17-year-old has worked for most of this year pushing an initiative to ban red-light and speed cameras in...

Ferry Workers Fight to Keep 'Vomit Pay'

Kevin Spak — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 14:20:52 CDT

Washington state Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen thinks it’s time to get rid of a benefit long enjoyed by the state’s ferry workers: cleaning up puke. Thanks to the so-called “vomit clause” in workers' contracts, they get paid double-time whenever they have to mop up after a hurling passenger, the Herald...

Guy Sets Motel Room Fire Because Satan Lived There

Evann Gastaldo — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 13:26:05 CDT

There’s only one obvious reason a person might set his motel room blankets on fire: Because he thinks he’s sharing the room with Satan. That’s the excuse a 52-year-old Washington man gave to cops after allegedly starting the motel room fire Friday, the Herald reports. He had been staying at...

For Bad Border Collies, a Solution: Rented Sheep

Mary Papenfuss — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 04:33:05 CST

Sue Foster knew just what to do when her antsy border collie Taff got naughty: Rent him some sheep. Now Foster owns a herd of sheep, some land in Washington state, and two more border collies. "I never dreamed it would go this far," Foster tells the Wall Street Journal...

Boy's Foot Washes Ashore in Washington State

Kevin Spak — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 12:25:14 CST

Police are looking for answers after a small human foot washed ashore near Tacoma, Washington. The foot was still lodged inside a boy’s size 6 hiking boot, and likely belonged to a juvenile or small adult, police tell the AP . It’s the second foot to wash ashore in Washington in...

Indian Tribe Doesn't Want US Trash on Sacred Land

Evann Gastaldo — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 12:04:00 CDT

Hawaii's landfill space is in such short supply, the state decided to transport thousands of tons of trash 2,600 miles to Washington. Making the journey even more bizarre: The waste would travel over the Yakama Indians' sacred hunting grounds to get to its destination, and the tribe is none...

3 Dead, 4 Injured in Refinery Fire

Fri, 02 Apr 2010 10:23:24 CDT

An explosion and fire at a Washington state oil refinery shook homes and shot flames into the night sky early today, killing three people and critically injuring four others. The fire struck the Tesoro Corp. refinery in Anacortes, about 70 miles north of Seattle, at about 12:30am. The blaze...