Contraceptive Suit
A federal judge is considering whether Washington State can require pharmacies to stock and sell Plan B or other emergency contraceptives, even in the face of religious objections by druggists who believe they destroy human life. U.S. District Judge Ronald Leighton heard closing arguments Wednesday in a lawsuit that claims state rules violate the constitutional rights of pharmacists by requiring them to dispense such medicine. The state requires pharmacies to dispense any medication for which there is a community need and to stock a representative assortment of drugs needed by their patients.
Toll Bridge Meeting
Members of a citizen advisory group will discuss new toll rates for the Tacoma Narrows Bridge at a second meeting Feb. 8 at the Gig Harbor Civic Center. An informational open house hosted by the Washington State Department of Transportation will precede the meeting. The Tacoma Narrows Bridge Citizen Advisory Committee will consider additional rate scenarios for further analysis before recommending a new toll rate to the Washington State Transportation Commission next month. Transportation and financial experts will answer questions about the toll rate-setting process and financial scenarios. VNC
Marine Killed In Afghanistan Grew Up In Seattle
A 23-year-old Marine sergeant killed by an improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations in Afghanistan was a 2006 graduate of Seattle's Roosevelt High School. Sgt. William Stacey grew up in Seattle. His parents, Robert and Robin Stacey, are both professors in the University of Washington's History Department. The Defense Department announced Stacey's death Wednesday. He died Tuesday in Helmand province. His father tells The Seattle Times that Stacey was on his fourth deployment to Afghanistan. Robert Stacey says his son "saw himself as helping to defend his country and trying to make life better for the Afghan people." Will Stacey was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif. His current hometown was listed as Redding, Calif. AP
Sheriff: WA Man Killed By SWAT Is ID'd
A Pierce County sheriff's spokesman says a 50-year-old man fatally shot by a SWAT team sharpshooter had made specific threats toward others and fired at a sheriff's plane and deputies as they arrived to arrest him. The News Tribune identified the man shot Tuesday as Raymond LaMadeleine. No deputies were hurt and the plane was not damaged. Spokesman Ed Troyer says deputies recovered an assault rifle and other weapons. The man reportedly shot at his neighbors Tuesday, prompting deputies to get a warrant for his arrest. Troyer says the man had made "specifically timed threats" toward others and officers had to act. The spokesman said officers had the man involuntarily committed in November. Court documents show he hadn't paid rent on the rural Roy, WA property since July and the owners served him with an eviction notice Jan. 5. The deputy who fired the fatal shot is on administrative leave while the shooting is investigated. AP
Judge Denies Custody To Josh Powell
A Washington judge has ruled that the children of missing Utah mother Susan Powell must remain in the custody of her parents. The judge further says she won't consider returning the two boys to their father, Josh Powell, until he undergoes a psycho-sexual evaluation. Powell has been attempting to regain custody. The children have been living with Chuck and Judy Cox since Josh Powell's father Steven was arrested on child porn and voyeurism charges last fall. On Wednesday, Pierce County Superior Court Judge Kathryn Nelson sided with an assistant attorney general, who urged her to order the evaluation as a safety precaution. Nelson had noted the "extreme child porn" found in the Puyallup home where Josh was living with the two boys and his father after Susan's disappearance. Josh Powell's lawyer Jeffrey Bassett argued against the evaluation, saying no questionable images had been proven to belong to his client. The judge continued Powell's twice weekly supervised visits with the boys. Susan Powell vanished in December 2009 at age 28. AP
Microsoft Cuts About 200 Marketing Employees
Microsoft Corp. says it laid off some of its marketing staff as part of an effort to restructure its operations. The company did not specify how many of its 92,000 employees were let go on Wednesday, but a person familiar with the software maker's strategy said about 200 people lost their jobs. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose details of the restructuring effort. The Redmond, Wash.-based company issued a statement saying the reduction in positions is aimed at improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the company's marketing operations. Last month, Microsoft posted flat earnings for the final quarter of 2011 and improved sales of servers, Xbox games and its Office productivity software. AP
Paul Gambles Caucus States To Amass Delegates
Ron Paul is rolling the dice on Nevada and other caucus states like Minnesota, Kansas and Washington, hoping to keep his nontraditional presidential campaign alive by amassing Republican delegates rather than notching outright wins. Paul came in fourth in the Florida and South Carolina primaries and third in Iowa's caucuses. His strongest showing has been in New Hampshire, placing a distant second behind Mitt Romney. Undeterred with just four delegates so far, Paul and his advisers say they are sticking to a strategy that avoids major commitments in expensive winner-take-all primaries, like Florida's and Arizona's, in favor of lower-cost states that proportionally allocate their delegates. Paul says the goal is to win and winning means getting the maximum number of delegates. AP
Obama's Medina Fundraiser: $17,900 Per Person
President Barack Obama is holding a fundraiser in a Seattle suburb later this month that costs $17,900 per person to attend. The details posted on his campaign website on Wednesday show he will participate in a Medina brunch followed by a Bellevue lunch on February 17. The $17,900 brunch is being hosted at the private home of Susan and Jeff Brotman, a co-founder of Costco Wholesale Corp. The lunch is hosted at a hotel and costs $1,000 per person. The more expensive gathering will provide $5,000 per person to his re-election campaign while the remainder of each donation goes to the Democratic National Committee. Obama previously visited Seattle in September for fundraisers. AP
Regional News Feb 2
Thursday, 02 February 2012 07:59
Contraceptive SuitA federal judge is considering whether Washington State can require pharmacies to stock and sell Plan B or other emergency contraceptives, even in the face of religious objections by druggists who believe they destroy human life. U.S. District Judge Ronald Leighton heard closing arguments Wednesday in a lawsuit that claims state rules violate the constitutional rights of pharmacists by requiring them to dispense such medicine. The state requires pharmacies to dispense any medication for which there is a community need and to stock a representative assortment of drugs needed by their patients.
Toll Bridge Meeting
Members of a citizen advisory group will discuss new toll rates for the Tacoma Narrows Bridge at a second meeting Feb. 8 at the Gig Harbor Civic Center. An informational open house hosted by the Washington State Department of Transportation will precede the meeting. The Tacoma Narrows Bridge Citizen Advisory Committee will consider additional rate scenarios for further analysis before recommending a new toll rate to the Washington State Transportation Commission next month. Transportation and financial experts will answer questions about the toll rate-setting process and financial scenarios. VNC
Marine Killed In Afghanistan Grew Up In Seattle
A 23-year-old Marine sergeant killed by an improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations in Afghanistan was a 2006 graduate of Seattle's Roosevelt High School. Sgt. William Stacey grew up in Seattle. His parents, Robert and Robin Stacey, are both professors in the University of Washington's History Department. The Defense Department announced Stacey's death Wednesday. He died Tuesday in Helmand province. His father tells The Seattle Times that Stacey was on his fourth deployment to Afghanistan. Robert Stacey says his son "saw himself as helping to defend his country and trying to make life better for the Afghan people." Will Stacey was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif. His current hometown was listed as Redding, Calif. AP
Sheriff: WA Man Killed By SWAT Is ID'd
A Pierce County sheriff's spokesman says a 50-year-old man fatally shot by a SWAT team sharpshooter had made specific threats toward others and fired at a sheriff's plane and deputies as they arrived to arrest him. The News Tribune identified the man shot Tuesday as Raymond LaMadeleine. No deputies were hurt and the plane was not damaged. Spokesman Ed Troyer says deputies recovered an assault rifle and other weapons. The man reportedly shot at his neighbors Tuesday, prompting deputies to get a warrant for his arrest. Troyer says the man had made "specifically timed threats" toward others and officers had to act. The spokesman said officers had the man involuntarily committed in November. Court documents show he hadn't paid rent on the rural Roy, WA property since July and the owners served him with an eviction notice Jan. 5. The deputy who fired the fatal shot is on administrative leave while the shooting is investigated. AP
Judge Denies Custody To Josh Powell
A Washington judge has ruled that the children of missing Utah mother Susan Powell must remain in the custody of her parents. The judge further says she won't consider returning the two boys to their father, Josh Powell, until he undergoes a psycho-sexual evaluation. Powell has been attempting to regain custody. The children have been living with Chuck and Judy Cox since Josh Powell's father Steven was arrested on child porn and voyeurism charges last fall. On Wednesday, Pierce County Superior Court Judge Kathryn Nelson sided with an assistant attorney general, who urged her to order the evaluation as a safety precaution. Nelson had noted the "extreme child porn" found in the Puyallup home where Josh was living with the two boys and his father after Susan's disappearance. Josh Powell's lawyer Jeffrey Bassett argued against the evaluation, saying no questionable images had been proven to belong to his client. The judge continued Powell's twice weekly supervised visits with the boys. Susan Powell vanished in December 2009 at age 28. AP
Microsoft Cuts About 200 Marketing Employees
Microsoft Corp. says it laid off some of its marketing staff as part of an effort to restructure its operations. The company did not specify how many of its 92,000 employees were let go on Wednesday, but a person familiar with the software maker's strategy said about 200 people lost their jobs. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose details of the restructuring effort. The Redmond, Wash.-based company issued a statement saying the reduction in positions is aimed at improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the company's marketing operations. Last month, Microsoft posted flat earnings for the final quarter of 2011 and improved sales of servers, Xbox games and its Office productivity software. AP
Paul Gambles Caucus States To Amass Delegates
Ron Paul is rolling the dice on Nevada and other caucus states like Minnesota, Kansas and Washington, hoping to keep his nontraditional presidential campaign alive by amassing Republican delegates rather than notching outright wins. Paul came in fourth in the Florida and South Carolina primaries and third in Iowa's caucuses. His strongest showing has been in New Hampshire, placing a distant second behind Mitt Romney. Undeterred with just four delegates so far, Paul and his advisers say they are sticking to a strategy that avoids major commitments in expensive winner-take-all primaries, like Florida's and Arizona's, in favor of lower-cost states that proportionally allocate their delegates. Paul says the goal is to win and winning means getting the maximum number of delegates. AP
Obama's Medina Fundraiser: $17,900 Per Person
President Barack Obama is holding a fundraiser in a Seattle suburb later this month that costs $17,900 per person to attend. The details posted on his campaign website on Wednesday show he will participate in a Medina brunch followed by a Bellevue lunch on February 17. The $17,900 brunch is being hosted at the private home of Susan and Jeff Brotman, a co-founder of Costco Wholesale Corp. The lunch is hosted at a hotel and costs $1,000 per person. The more expensive gathering will provide $5,000 per person to his re-election campaign while the remainder of each donation goes to the Democratic National Committee. Obama previously visited Seattle in September for fundraisers. AP
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