Olympic National Park Superintendent To Retire
The superintendent of Olympic National Park is retiring. Karen Gustin’s last day will be March 2nd. Gustin has served as superintendent for nearly 4 years. An avid horsewoman, She and her family plan to relocate to Lexington, Kentucky to work in the equine industry. Deputy Superintendent Todd Suess will serve as acting superintendent for the park.VNC

WA AP Exams
Washington students are taking and passing more Advanced Placement exams. The College Board reports nearly a third of the Washington state class of 2011 took at least one AP exam. About 18% of last year’s seniors got a good enough score to have a chance at college credit for at least one AP test.VNC

Ft. Worden State Park
The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission will consider a resolution today (Thursday) that establishes the conditions under which the Commission would be willing to transfer Fort Worden State Park to the Fort Worden Lifelong Learning Center Public Development Authority (PDA), that would own and manage the park. If the PDA completes a business plan showing that it can successfully fund the park and if it agrees to certain deed restrictions and conditions as required by the Commission, Fort Worden State Park would be transferred to the PDA to operate by July 1 of 2013. VNC

Officers Fatally Shoot Man Outside WA Tire
A Kitsap County sheriff's spokesman says law enforcement officers fatally shot a man outside a tire store in Poulsbo. Deputy Scott Wilson said he could not immediately confirm whether it was Poulsbo police who shot the young man Wednesday evening, but three city officers were placed on administrative leave. No officers were injured. The dead man was not immediately identified. The Kitsap Sun reports that witnesses said they had seen a man yelling and acting strangely outside the Les Schwab store. The witnesses reported hearing one or more shots, then nothing until police showed up. After police arrived, the newspaper says people at nearby businesses said they heard a single shot followed by a volley of gunfire.  AP

Wa. Senate Passes Bill Pressuring Sex Ad Sellers
The Washington state Senate has unanimously passed a bill going after classified-advertising companies that don't demand ID before allowing sex-related ads to be posted online. Speaking on the Senate floor Wednesday, proponents of the bill said it would pressure companies selling sex-related ads online to verify the ages of those depicted. The bill's primary target is Backpage.com, which operates a robust online clearinghouse for sex escorts. Federal law grants broad protections to websites for speech made by third parties. Senator Adam Kline, a Seattle Democrat who helped craft the bill, said he expects Backpage.com to challenge any resulting prosecutions but believes they will ultimately be upheld by the courts. The bill is one of 10 measures dealing with sex-trafficking being voted on in the Senate.  AP

Pimp Convicted Of Murder; Woman Stabbed 63
A Seattle-area club promoter who repeatedly stabbed a 28-year-old woman as she begged for her life has been convicted of first-degree murder. A King County jury found 24-year-old Daniel Threadgill guilty Tuesday in the August 2010 death of Jennifer Walstrand. The Seattle Times reports that prosecutors say the victim suffered 63 stab wounds. They say Threadgill attacked her because she was a rival to one of his prostitutes. He faces more than 30 years in prison. Sentencing is set for March 23. Another woman pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder and testified against Threadgill.  AP

Whooping Cough Cases Up 50 Percent In WA
State health officials say whooping cough is a growing problem in Washington state. The number of cases has increased by more than 50 percent between 2010 and 2011. The state reports 912 cases of whooping cough in 2011. That's the highest number in six years. Six hundred and eight cases were reported in 2010. Health officials say the actual number could be higher because many people who are ill with the highly contagious respiratory illness also known as pertussis may not know they have it and won't seek medical attention. Whooping cough is spread by coughing and sneezing and it affects people of all ages. It is most serious in infants. Health officials now recommend women get vaccinated for pertussis later in pregnancy, which would pass protection on to their babies.  AP

Hang-Up Call To 911 Not Properly
Spokane County officials say a call to 911 from the cell phone of a slain Deer Park woman was not forwarded to the sheriff's office for investigation. That break in protocol was made by a long-term 911 call taker, according to a Spokane County news release. When the 911 center received a hang-up call from Chanin Starbuck's cell phone, the dispatcher should have followed up and called back twice before forwarding the information to the sheriff's office. The news release says the dispatcher only tried to call back once, and the information was never sent to the sheriff's office for investigation.  AP

Accused Franklin County WA Official Fired
A Franklin County official accused of embezzling more than $1 million has been fired. County commissioners voted unanimously Wednesday to fire Dennis Huston from his job as the county's Public Works accounting and administrative director. He had been on unpaid leave. He was arrested Feb. 2 for investigation of first-degree theft, money laundering and cocaine possession. The 65-year-old Huston was released from jail Tuesday without charges when the state attorney general's office said it needed more time to investigate before making a charging decision. The Tri-City Herald reports the investigation began last month after an audit discovered misappropriation of funds. Eight other county employees - most in the Public Works Department - have been placed on paid leaves during the investigation.  AP

Officer In WA Accused Of Stealing From Family Fund
The U.S. Attorney's office says a Lakewood police officer took more than $120,000 from a fund for the families of four slain officers and spent some of the money on trips to Las Vegas. Thirty-four-year-old Officer Skeeter Timothy Manos was arrested Wednesday at Lakewood City Hall and made his initial court appearance in Tacoma later in the day. Charging documents say Manos diverted money from a fund set up to help the families of four Lakewood police officers who were killed in a November 2009 shooting. He allegedly set up a hidden bank account to divert the money just seven weeks after the shooting. Charging documents did not indicate that he had retained a lawyer.  AP

Canadian Navy Says It Used Sonar During Training
A Canadian Navy official says one of its vessels used sonar during a training exercise in the Strait of Juan de Fuca this week. Navy Lt. Diane Larose says in an email that the ship, HMCS Ottawa, actively used sonar for about an hour Monday morning. She says there were no reports of marine mammals in the area at the time. She also says the ship followed policy guidelines, including looking out for marine mammals and ceasing sonar operations if they came near. Environmentalists say sonar shouldn't be used in an area designated in the U.S. as critical habitat for endangered killer whales. In May 2003, whales were observed acting strangely after a U.S. Navy vessel emitted mid-frequency sonar signals in Haro Strait.   

Butts Enters Pleas In Slaying Of OR Police
A young Kalama, WA, man has pleaded not guilty to 24 charges including aggravated murder in the shooting death of the Rainier, Ore., police chief. The Oregonian reported that Daniel Butts did not speak at Wednesday's arraignment as his lawyer entered pleas on his behalf. The defendant was chained around his waist, feet and wrists. Columbia County Circuit Court Judge Ted Grove ruled last week that the 22-year-old man was capable of aiding in his own defense. Butts had undergone months of assessment by mental health professionals. The judge finally concluded Butts had been "gaming the system" with his behavior to avoid trial. Butts is accused of shooting 55-year-old Chief Ralph Painter after the chief responded to a report of a suspicious person at a Rainier car stereo shop on Jan. 5, 2011. Police say Butts wrestled the chief's gun away and shot Painter in the head. No trial date has been set yet.  AP

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