washington state: ShortFormBlog

16:55 • 1 year ago

As we mentioned earlier, police in Washington state have concluded an exhausting standoff with a man ensconced in an elaborate mountain bunker, which he himself built. Described as a “survivalist,” Peter Keller, 41, was wanted for the murder of his wife and daughter, who were found shot over last weekend. Authorities were tipped off to the existence of the bunker by the boyfriend of Keller’s daughter, who said she’d told him her father was stockpiling supplies in the wilderness. After entering his mountainside hideaway, authorities found Keller’s dead body inside, apparently of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. (Photos released by the King County Sheriff’s Department)

13:54 • 1 year ago

Tags: peter keller washington state police police standoff underground bunker 14 • Permalink

Police in Washington state are in a stand-off with a man hiding in an elaborate underground bunker of his own design. They believe the man is Peter Keller, who hasn't been seen since the death by shooting of his wife and daughter last weekend.

18:58 • 1 year ago

Tags: japan japan debris japan earthquake olympic national forest washington state washington tsunami japan tsunami 56 • Permalink

Japanese tsunami debris washes up in U.S.: A number of items washed away by last year’s deadly Japanese earthquake and tsunami were recovered in Washington state’s Olympic National Forest during an annual beach clean-up. “A majority of the pile is water, pop, juice bottles with Japanese stamps, marks and labels,” said volunteer Martha Anderson, who took the above photo. Click for more.

08:40 • 1 year ago

Tags: school bus milton washington state washington school bus driver from msnbc 157 • Permalink

msnbc:

When a school bus driver in Milton, Wash. lost consciousness on the way to school Monday morning, two seventh-grade boys jumped to action, KING 5 News reported.

Footage from the bus’s surveillance camera shows the driver suddenly seizing, his hands flailing and his eyes bulging as they rolled back into his head.

Image: NBC News

Smart kids. Crazy rescue.

15:39 • 1 year ago

Tags: ballot initiatives chris gregoire civil rights culture wars equality gay marriage gay rights homophobia love marriage marriage equality same-sex marriage social issues traditional marriage washington washington state 70 • Permalink

I’m proud that the children in our schools and neighborhoods will no longer have to wonder why their loving parents are considered somewhat different than other loving parents.

Washington Governor Chris Gregoire • Upon signing legislation today that legalized same-sex marriage in her state. The law is set to take place in June, but there’s a catch: If opponents of marriage equality succeed in putting a ballot initiative on the November ballot, the law won’t take effect until after the election returns in December. source (via • follow)

11:04 • 1 year ago

Tags: josh powell elizabeth griffin-hall susan powell washington state graham washington graham 16 • Permalink

Nothing like this has ever happened before — one of these supervised visits. I’m really shocked. I can hear the kids crying but he still wouldn’t let me in. … This could be life-threatening. He went to court on Wednesday and he didn’t get his kids back. I’m afraid for their lives.

Washington state child-services worker Elizabeth Griffin-Hall • Making a desperate 911 call in the moments before Josh Powell set off an explosion, killing both him and his two children. Powell, the husband of missing woman Susan Powell, reportedly took a hatchet to his two sons before the explosion, which took place after Griffin-Hall took the children for a supervised visit, but Powell locked her out of the home. Voicemails that Powell left before the explosion seem to confirm the explosion was intentional. Powell had lost custody of the children last week.

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10:17 • 1 year ago

Gay marriage bill gets closer to passing in Washington state

Tags: equality gay marriage marriage equality Politics washington washington state 62 • Permalink

pastWashington state has had a same-sex domestic partnership law since 2007, and an “everything but marriage” law since 2009. This week, opponents and supporters of same-sex marriage crowded a state Senate committee hearing to see if the state might go a step further.
futureState Senator Mary Margaret Haugen became the 25th vote of support of the bill on Monday. “This is the right vote and it is the vote I will cast when this measure comes to the floor,” she said. Washington would become the seventh state to do so. source

20:04 • 1 year ago

Tags: Benjamin Colton Barnes Margaret Anderson Mount Rainier National Park park ranger park ranger killed person of interest washington washington state 16 • Permalink

Our rangers are very much in shock this morning… we absolutely take it personally. Everybody knew Margaret. Everybody was friends with Margaret. She didn’t have an enemy in the world.

Mount Rainier National Park spokesman Kevin Bacher • Speaking about the death of Margaret Anderson, the park ranger who was killed by a gunman early Sunday. Anderson, a mother of two, was killed while attempting to stop a car fleeing from a checkpoint. The man suspected of shooting Anderson, Benjamin Colton Barnes, was found dead Monday morning, though it wasn’t confirmed until the afternoon due to the aerial search used. Barnes, a 24-year-old former Iraq vet, may have suffered from PTSD, according to the mother of his child, speaking in child-custody documents filed in 2011. A dark story all around. source (via • follow)

10:46 • 1 year ago

Tags: Benjamin Colton Barnes Mount Rainier National Park park ranger park ranger killed person of interest washington washington state 8 • Permalink

“Person of Interest” sought in killing of ranger at Mount Rainier National Park: Benjamin Colton Barnes, a 24-year-old with “strong survivalist skills” is sought in the shooting. (Here’s his photo; not exactly the best calling card.) Overnight, 125 people were evacuated from the park; officials believe the man is still on the run. source

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21:33 • 2 years ago

Tags: 2012 president gop 2012 indiana mitch daniels washington state 1 • Permalink

I don’t think that I’ve waited too long, but I believe I should come to some decision. There are a lot of people waiting and I owe them an answer.

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels • On running for President in 2012. Daniels is a favorite amongst both fiscal conservatives and the Republican establishment, having served at the head of George W. Bush’s Office of Management and Budget. His low-key (read: bland) personality and moderate views on social issues could cause him trouble in a GOP primary, but he’s arguable stronger against Obama than almost any other GOP prospect. He recently won a Washington straw poll, which would be encouraging for him if Washington had any sway in Republican Presidential primaries. source (via • follow)