Washington state

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Your Amazon Order May Soon Arrive in This

Six 'cooler-sized' Scout vehicles undergoing test in Washington state

(Newser) - With drone delivery still a ways off , enter Amazon's self-driving delivery robot. Amazon Scout is a "cooler-sized" electric vehicle on six wheels, intended to deliver Amazon packages along a delivery route, reports the Seattle Times . A promotional video shows Scout cruising down a sidewalk, stopping in front of...

19 Sick in This State's Measles Outbreak

Public health emergency declared in Clark County, Wash.

(Newser) - A public health emergency was declared Friday in Washington state's Clark County, and it's due to a measles outbreak. Per CNN , a Clark County Public Health release notes that, since Jan. 1, the department has IDed 19 confirmed cases of the highly contagious disease, as well as seven...

Microsoft Puts Its Money Where Seattle's Housing Crisis Is

$500M to go to affordable housing, homeless services within 3 years

(Newser) - Microsoft is looking to ensure a roof over employees' heads, putting up $500 million to assist with affordable housing in the Seattle area. The funds will help create homes for Microsoft's cafeteria workers and shuttle drivers, as well as other middle- and low-income residents, reports the New York Times...

Social Worker Patched Shoes With Duct Tape, Left $11M

Friends were shocked to find that frugal Alan Naiman had amassed a fortune before he died

(Newser) - Alan Naiman was known for an unabashed thriftiness that veered into the comical, but even those closest to him had no inkling of the fortune he quietly amassed and the last act he'd long planned. The Washington state social worker died of cancer this year at age 63, leaving...

Seattle Fights a 'New Foe' on the Addiction Front

City has become a hub to help 'tech addicts,' with psychologists, rehab centers, and 12-step groups

(Newser) - We like to say we're addicted to our phones or an app or some new show on a streaming video service. But for some people, tech gets in the way of daily functioning and self-care. We're talking flunk-your-classes, can't-find-a-job, live-in-a-dark-hole kinds of problems, with depression, anxiety, and...

Hunter Kills Bear Who Survived Wildfire Burns

Cinder was shot near her den in Washington state

(Newser) - A sad end to the life of a famous bear: Cinder, a female bear whose story captured the nation's attention after she survived a 2014 wildfire with severe burns, has been shot to death near her den in Washington state, KOMO News reports. As a cub in 2014, she...

It Was the Salmon or the Sea Lions. The Senate Has Chosen

Bill passes that streamlines process for sea lions to be captured, euthanized

(Newser) - A bill that would make it easier to kill sea lions that feast on imperiled salmon in the Columbia River has cleared the US Senate. State wildlife managers say rebounding numbers of sea lions are eating more salmon than ever and their appetites are undermining billions of dollars of investments...

Family Sues for $15M After Body Used for Medical Practice

11 workers took turns inserting tubes

(Newser) - The family of a man used for medical practice by 11 fire department employees as his body lay on the station floor is suing the city of Bellingham, Wash., for more than $15 million. The employees have admitted practicing intubation, the insertion and removal of breathing tubes, on the body...

Shot, Stabbed Sea Lions Wash Up on West Coast

Authorities suspect fishermen were involved

(Newser) - The bodies of sea lions that met violent deaths have been washing up in Washington state—and since some of the bodies have gunshot wounds, sharks are not suspected. The Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding group says of the 13 sea lions that have washed up since September, six were...

He Gave Her Drugs, Raped Her Body. Now the Sentence

Even the judge says she's 'outraged'

(Newser) - A young man who gave a teenager drugs, watched her OD, raped her, and joked about her dead body via text received his sentence Thursday: less than three years. Superior Court Judge Linda Krese said Washington state law restricted the sentence she could give a first-time offender like Brian Varela,...

She Couldn't Sleep at Night. Her Worries Saved Hiker's Life

Nancy Abell's 911 call saves German hiker on Pacific Crest Trail

(Newser) - Katharina Groene was near death—wet, dehydrated, showing signs of hypothermia, and eating a ration of one Pop-Tart per day. She was down to the last 200 miles of the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail earlier this week when she pulled out her phone and recorded an apology for those...

Washington State Tosses Death Penalty

State Supreme Court declares it unconstitutional, strikes it down

(Newser) - Washington's Supreme Court struck down the state's death penalty Thursday, ruling that it had been used in an arbitrary and racially discriminatory manner, the AP reports. Washington has had a moratorium on executions since 2014, but the ruling makes it the 20th state to do away with capital...

Rape Kit That Sat Untested for 11 Years Turns Up a Match

Darin Bolar arrested for kidnapping, rape of 14-year-old Seattle girl in 2007

(Newser) - In October 2007, a 14-year-old girl was kidnapped while looking for a pay phone in the Beacon Hill section of Seattle and repeatedly raped by her abductor over the next couple of days before escaping. Now, 11 years later, police may have their man—but they may have had him...

He's Singing One Garth Brooks Song for 36 Hours Straight

Cliff Satterwhite is singing 'Friends in Low Places' over and over and over again

(Newser) - As we write this, Cliff Satterwhite is in the home stretch of an epic karaoke marathon: He's singing Garth Brooks' "Friends in Low Places" for 36 hours straight. Why? The Seattle-area karaoke host is performing the feat as part of the breast cancer awareness fundraiser he's hosting...

These Critters Just Landed Man in Jail With $1.5M Fine

Wash. seafood company owner admits overharvesting sea cucumbers for years

(Newser) - The owner of a Washington-state seafood company will spend two years in prison for overharvesting sea cucumbers and pay $1.5 million in restitution—the second such big bust in the West in just over a year. Hoon Namkoong, 62, was also sentenced Friday to three years of post-prison supervision....

Inspired by Ford, Woman Makes an Accusation

Candace Faber points finger at Washington State Sen. Joe Fain

(Newser) - A woman has accused a Washington state lawmaker of raping her 11 years ago, saying she was inspired to speak out as she watched the televised allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, the AP reports. The lawmaker denied the claim. In a tweet Thursday afternoon, Candace Faber said Republican...

Seattle Court Tosses Old Marijuana Convictions

Misdemeanor possession convictions from before Wash. legalized pot to be vacated

(Newser) - It started with a motion filed in April by Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes to scrub the "red mark" that appears on many people's records for misdemeanor pot possession. Now, a seven-judge panel has ruled in favor of Holmes' motion, signing an order earlier this month that effectively...

Comfort Dog Helped Family Heal After Vegas. Then, a Shooting

'He was such a blessing'

(Newser) - A Washington state family that survived the mass shooting last year at a Las Vegas concert says a neighbor shot and killed the dog they got to deal with stress and anxiety from the attack. The neighbor was cited by police for recklessly firing a gun. Lona and Joseph Johnson...

Big Change Coming to Kroger, and It's Starting in Seattle

Supermarket chain to get rid of all plastic bags by 2025

(Newser) - The nation's largest grocery chain will be free of plastic bags at all of its nearly 2,800 stores by 2025. Kroger Co., which orders about 6 billion bags each year, will begin phasing out their use immediately at one of its chains based in Seattle, a city that'...

Guy's 'Ridiculous' Idea: Blow Smoke Back to Canada

All Spokane needs are 2.75M box fans...

(Newser) - Stuck inside as wildfire smoke floated over Spokane, Wash., Caleb Moon turned on his fan, then imagined the city's 550,000 residents doing the same. And "Blow Spokane's Smoke Away to Canada" was born . "Every resident must place at least five box fans on their roof....

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