ID MADE ON BOY BELIEED TO HAVE DROWNED IN KITSAP LAKE
A 6-year-old boy believed to have drowned in Horseshoe Lake in Kitsap County has been identified as Malachi DeWalt. The Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office made the identification yesterday. The boy died on Tuesday afternoon. The child was found in the water, where medics said he might have been for up to 15 minutes. He was rushed to Mary Bridge in Tacoma, but he died. His death, if found to be a drowning, is the first this year in Kitsap County waters and the second in a year at Horseshoe Lake.
    
LANDS COMMISSIONER WAS SUBJECT OF HARASSMENT COMPLAINT
State records show Public Lands Commissioner Doug Sutherland has acknowledged violating his agency's harassment policy in 2005 after an employee complained that Sutherland made inappropriate remarks and touched her back. The state lands commissioner is the elected chief officer of the Department of Natural Resources. The Natural Resources' harassment investigation led to Sutherland being re-briefed on agency harassment policies and apologizing to the woman. The investigation was revealed publicly this week amid Sutherland's re-election campaign against Democratic challenger Peter Goldmark. State Democrats and Goldmark's campaign have criticized Sutherland over the incident. Sutherland says he never intended to harass the woman. But his account of the incident differs somewhat from what the woman and others present told officials.
    
YAHOO CALLS MICROSOFT ACTIONS "STUPEFYING"
Yahoo managment sent a letter to shareholders today, calling Microsoft's efforts to acquire all or part of the company "stupefying." The letter from Yahoo Chairman Roy Bostock and Chief Executive Jerry Yang also hammers activist investor Carl Icahn, Microsoft's partner in the latest acquisition offer. The letter notes that Icahn lacks experience in Internet businesses. It calls him and Microsoft "the odd couple" and says their offer would serve only their own narrow interests. Icahn has nominated a slate of candidates to oppose Yahoo's current nine directors in a shareholder vote on August first. He and Microsoft made a complex offer to Yahoo that was rejected on Saturday. Under that deal Yahoo would have been split with Microsoft taking the search engine.

AIR CHINA FINALIZES DEAL FOR 45 BOEING PLANES
The Boeing Company has announced the signing of an order by Air China for 45 planes with a total list price of $6.3 billion. The deal was posted on the Chinese flag carrier's Web site yesterday but was not confirmed by Boeing until Thursday. The 15 777-300ERs and 30 737-800s have been listed on Boeing's Web site but were attributed to an unidentified buyer.

BOEING MACHINISTS APPROVE STRIKE AUTHORIZATION
Boeing machinists voted overwhelmingly yesterday for a preliminary strike authorization in a show of support for union negotiators in contact talks with the aerospace giant. Union spokeswoman Connie Kelliher says about 15,000 members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District Lodge 751 showed up at KeyArena, with 99 percent voting in favor of the strike authorization. Kelliher says union members in Wichita, Kan., and Portland, Ore., also approved strike authorization by similar margins. The vote is procedural and does not actually authorize a strike or indicate that one is likely. The current contract expires Sept. 3. An additional vote by union members would be required before any walkout could occur.

AIRBUS LOGS ORDER FOR 10 A350S
Airbus reported another order today as trading days at the Farnborough International Airshow in Britain drew to a close. The european manufacturer announced it will sell ten long-haul A350 XWB aircraft to the South American consortium Synergy Aerospace. The deal is worth 2.1 billion dollars at catalogue prices and pushes Airbus farther ahead of Boeing in deals announced the event. The latest Airbus order firms up a previously tentative agreement with Synergy Aerospace that was signed in February. The consortium is the principal shareholder in Avianca and SAM airlines in Colombia, Oceanair in Brazil and VIP in Ecuador. So far at the Airshow Airbus' has reported deals for 251 planes worth 39.1 billion dollars, while Boeing has booked 152 deals worth 16.8 billion.
    
MAN RESCUED FROM TRENCH
After two hours yesterday afternoon, rescue crews freed a construction worker who was trapped from the waist down in a ditch filled with dirt, concrete and asphalt in West Seattle. The man was not identified and his condition was not immediately known. Seattle Fire Department spokeswoman Helen Fitzpatrick says the man was working on a parking lot project around some small businesses when the accident  occurred. Fitzpatrick says the man in his 30s was pulled out of the 8-foot deep trench about 6 p.m. and taken to Seattle's Harborview Medical Center.
    
SEATTLE SOLDIER DIES IN AFGHANISTAN
The Pentagon says a soldier from Seattle was among nine soldiers who were killed in an insurgent raid that penetrated an American outpost in eastern Afghanistan last weekend. He was 25-year-old Cpl. Jason M. Bogar. The Pentagon identified the nine soldiers yesterday.
    
JUVENILE RESPONSIBLE FOR WILDFIRES IN SPOKANE VALLEY
Spokane Valley fire officials say an unidentified juvenile, rather than homeowner Tracy Berg, should have extinguished the recreational fire that turned into a blaze that destroyed 11 homes. On Tuesday, those fire officials identified Berg as the person they believed to be inadvertently responsible for starting the destructive July 10 fire. Berg's home was not damaged in the blaze. In a statement, Spokane Valley Fire Department spokesman Bill Clifford said while the fire "was lit with permission and in the presence of Tracy Berg on July 7, extinguishment of the fire turned out to be the responsibility of the juvenile unrelated to the Berg family." Clifford added: "Additional investigation concluded that Tracy Berg is not criminally liable and will not be cited." The statement added: "No criminal charges will be requested regarding the fire." Authorities lifted an evacuation advisory Wednesday morning for some 2,300 homes east of Spokane, where the Spokane Valley fire has scorched 1,006 acres. The fire was 90 percent contained yesterday, and crews hope to fully contain it by this morning.
    
2ND DEGREE ASSAULT CHARGES FILED AGAINST GOLFER
King County prosecutors have filed second-degree assault charges against a 33-year-old golfer accused of striking another golfer on the head with a 6-iron during a fight on the Auburn Golf Course. Prosecutors yesterday called the golf club used in the attack as "a deadly weapon." Nicholas Jay Shampine of Puyallup is being held in the King County Jail on $50,000 bail. His arraignment is scheduled for July 29 at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent. If convicted as charged, the sentence range is 15 to 21 months in prison. The victim of Sunday's attack was 45-year-old James Compton of Puyallup. He was airlifted to Seattle's Harborview Medical Center, where he was listed in satisfactory condition yesterday. Auburn police who answered a 911 call about the attack found Compton sitting on the 14th green. Prosecutors say the attack occurred after Compton's foursome became upset because Shampine's foursome was playing too slowly in front of them and complained to the golf course marshal.
    
POLICE SEIZE MEDICAL MARIJUANA PATIENT FILES
Activists report Seattle police seized files on nearly 600 medical marijuana patients when officers searched the headquarters of a patient support group this week. The search occurred on Tuesday after a nearby police bicycle officer reported the smell of marijuana. Martin Martinez says no one was arrested but officers seized about 12 ounces of marijuana in addition to the patient files and a computer. Martinez runs the Lifevine cooperative as well as Cascadia NORML, the local chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, Martinez says there were no marijuana plants growing there.
    
CEILING OF CITY COUNCIL CHAMBER COLLAPSES
Mountlake Terrace City Hall is closed for an undetermined time following the collapse of the ceiling of the City Council chamber. No one was injured in Tuesday night's ceiling collapse. The ceiling had been added some years ago to cover exposed asbestos. Mountlake Terrace officials closed City Hall yesterday. They don't know when the building can reopen. Crews are cleaning up the site and conducting tests. Council meetings scheduled for Thursday and Monday have been moved to the Mountlake Terrace Library, which is next door.
    
SOLDIER WHO FLED TO CANADA NOW IN WASHINGTON JAIL
An Army deserter from Idaho who was deported from Canada is being held in the Whatcom County Jail in Bellingham, Wash., pending a transfer to military custody. Twenty-five-year-old Pvt. Robin Long of Boise fled to Canada in 2005 to avoid serving in Iraq, but was deported this week after losing a court battle to stay in that country. Authorities say Long is being held in Washington state until he can be turned over to military police and transferred to Fort Carson, Colo. Long sought refuge in Canada on grounds that the U.S. Army wanted him to take part in a war he considered an illegal war of aggression. Military officials will decide whether he should be discharged, returned to duty, court martialed or given a less severe punishment.
    
DELTA TO DISCONTINUE SERVICE AT YAKIMA
Delta Air Lines plans to discontinue SkyWest Airlines flights between Yakima and Salt Lake City, effective Aug. 31. The airline cites rising fuel prices as the reason behind reducing select flights. SkyWest is a Delta Connection partner. Delta has served the Yakima market from Salt Lake City through SkyWest since June 2007. The airline has operated two daily round-trip flights between Yakima and Salt Lake City. SkyWest currently employs 14 people at the airport. The company said in a statement that those employees will be offered opportunities to transfer to other positions.
    
LOTTO JACKPOT INCREASES TO $9 MILLION
Washington's biggest lottery prize keeps on growing. There was no winner of last night's $8.7 million Lotto jackpot so the jackpot will go up to $9 million on Saturday. There were two winning tickets in last night's $220,000 Hit 5 cashpot so the cashpot will be worth $100,000 on Saturday. Lotto sales were $462,153. The winning numbers were: 7-15-20-28-31-39. Hit 5 sales were $183,307. The winning numbers were:
2-12-13-17-24.