Evergreen State Fair primping for centennial celebration
The Evergreen State Fair celebrates its 100th anniversary this year with an attempt to set a Guinness World Record for most centenarians in one place and most people doing the Hokey Pokey, among other highlights.
UW shows foam, plastic ban can work
In January, foam containers will be banned at food-service businesses in Seattle. The University of Washington made the switch to compostable containers in 2007 and saved money.
New Hare Krishna temple opens in Sammamish
The Vedic Cultural Center, the new Hare Krishna temple in Sammamish, represents how the movement has changed over the years and how important those of Indian descent have become to it.
Past abuse acknowledged in molestation case
Roger Alan Scherner, a 79-year-old man charged with molesting a 7-year-old female relative in Bellevue in 2002, admitted Wednesday on the witness stand to sexually abusing at least one other girl and said he had a problem with sexually abusing children. At least nine women have accused Scherner of four decades of molestation.
Seattle doctor climbs mountains to raise funds for artificial limbs
Tom Boyer, a Swedish Medical Center/Issaquah emergency-room physician, is climbing the Seven Summits — the world's highest peaks on seven continents — to raise money to provide artificial limbs for people in developing countries.
Jury finds California man guilty of molesting young relative
A 79-year-old California man accused of molesting several generations of relatives was found guilty this morning of raping a then-7-year-old relative during a family vacation in Bellevue in 2002.
UPDATE - 07:18 PM
Rescue crews have freed two teens trapped in collapsed snow cave
Search-and-rescue crews have freed two Seattle teens who were trapped in a collapsed snow cave near Snoqualmie Pass.
UPDATE - 06:30 PM
Trees deliberately killed along Burke-Gilman trail
Seattle parks staff found seven mature trees on the Burke-Gilman Trail this week that had been intentionally killed, city officials said today.
Seattle man charged after pregnant girlfriend is beaten, stabbed
A SeaTac man who police say beat and stabbed his pregnant girlfriend, leaving the woman and the unborn child with near-fatal injuries, was charged Wednesday with four counts of assault.
Stats show Hispanics in state have 1 in 5 babies
High birthrates among Hispanic women in Washington and elsewhere; low birthrates among whites; and high rates of immigration overall help explain recent U.S. Census projections that by midcentury, nonwhites will be the nation's majority.
Physician: Boy Duncan murdered likely suffered excruciating pain before death
The boy who was kidnapped, tortured and shot by Joseph Edward Duncan III likely suffered excruciating pain before his death, a forensic pediatrician told Idaho jurors Wednesday.
Sound Transit on track for light rail to airport by end of 2009
The federal government says Sound Transit has fixed a scheduling problem and remains on track to open its airport light-rail station as promised by Dec. 29, 2009.
With the Sonics go TVs, office chairs and radios
The championship banners and trophies from the Sonics' best days will be staying in Seattle. But the flat-screen TV in the coaches' locker room, that's going to Oklahoma City.
2 dead whales on Olympic beach may have been hit by ships
PORT ANGELES — The carcasses of two humpback whales found this summer on an Olympic National Park beach showed signs of being hit by ships.
Inmate hangs self at jail in Tacoma
TACOMA — An inmate hanged himself in a shower at the Pierce County Jail in Tacoma in an apparent suicide.
Intruder arrested in Vancouver, Wash. home
A Vancouver man broke into a home and took a nap Wednesday morning.
Man dies on state ferry at Bainbridge Island
The Kitsap County coroner's office says there was no trauma or other obvious cause of death for Nicholas Thompson, 24, of Kingston, who died on a state ferry at Bainbridge Island.
Man struck trying to run across I-5 in Seattle
A pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries when he was struck by a car late Wednesday as he tried to run across Interstate 5 south of the Holgate Street overpass, according to the State Patrol.
Oregon police find 65 pounds of cocaine in car
PORTLAND — Two Seattle men are facing drug charges after a traffic stop on Interstate 5 in Southern Oregon turned up about 65 pounds of cocaine worth an estimated $600,000.
UPDATE - 04:22 PM
Propane tank bomb found near Centralia power plant
The State Patrol is helping the Lewis County sheriff's office investigate a bomb found near the TransAlta power plant at Centralia.
UW arsonist receives 3-year prison sentence
A Spokane woman who helped set the 2001 fire that destroyed the University of Washington Center for Urban Horticulture has been sentenced to three years in prison.
Rep. Roach ordered to repay campaign $21,504
State Rep. Dan Roach has been ordered to repay $21,504 to his campaign fund to settle a complaint that he improperly reimbursed himself for lost income while campaigning in 2006.
Obituary
Guitarist Joe Shikany was a familiar face in Seattle-area bands
Joe Shikany, longtime Seattle guitarist, was killed by a falling tree Monday in Spokane. He was a member of N'SANE, Davanos and Magic Bus, and had been in popular bands, including Shots and Bighorn, for more than 30 years.
Initiative on King County nonpartisanship widens lead
Initiative 26, which calls for nonpartisan elections of key top King County officials, widened its lead Wednesday over an alternative that would let candidates continue to declare their party preferences on future ballots.
Losing Democrat backs Reichert
A conservative Democrat who came in a distant third in Tuesday's primary in the 8th Congressional District announced Wednesday that he's endorsing incumbent Republican Rep. Dave Reichert.
Waterfront development may add space for WWU
The Port of Bellingham approved an agreement Tuesday that will allow Western Washington University to move forward with plans to build new university buildings on the waterfront.
Local Digest
Wednesday's rain sets local record
An unseasonable downpour Wednesday set a local rainfall record, according to the National Weather Service.
Nation & World
Rice: Anti-missile program to stay put
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice signed a missile defense deal with Poland on Wednesday and predicted that future presidents would never undo the controversial anti-missile program
Close-up
Seattle woman and mother lead village in AIDS recovery
Starting with their efforts to combat AIDS in their Kenyan village, a Seattle woman and her mother initiated a series of "community-owned" programs that have spread to other areas and are still growing.
Ohio's 1st black woman in Congress fatally stricken
Democratic U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, the first black woman to represent Ohio in Congress and a strong critic of the Iraq war, died Wednesday after a brain hemorrhage, a hospital spokeswoman said.
U.S. attack may have cemented bin Laden, al-Qaida alliance
The U.S. cruise-missile strike on an al-Qaida training camp in Afghanistan in 1998 was meant to kill Osama bin Laden. But he apparently left shortly before the missiles struck, and newly declassified U.S. documents suggest the attack cemented an alliance with his Taliban protectors...
NEW - 05:35 PM
Officials say threats, white powder sent to McCain offices
Threatening letters containing an unidentified white powder were sent to John McCain campaign offices in Colorado and New Hampshire on Thursday...
UPDATE - 06:10 PM
Russians dig in but still promise Georgia pullout
Russian forces lingered deep in Georgia on Thursday, digging trenches and setting up mortars a day before Kremlin officials promised to complete a troop withdrawal from this former Soviet republic.
Olympics
China's gold medalists to visit Hong Kong
Moving swiftly to capitalize on the success of Chinese athletes at the Olympics, China will send most of its gold medalists to Hong Kong next week, ahead of legislative elections Sept. 7.
Florida homes in mucky mess following Fay
On Day 3 of Tropical Storm Fay's slow, wet march across the state, emergency crews launched airboats into submerged streets, some trapped residents were rescued from homes and the midway point on Florida's Atlantic coast turned into a swampy mess.
Obituary
Funeral plans for Hua Guofeng may be sensitive for China
Hua Guofeng, who succeeded Mao Zedong as China's Communist Party leader for a short period before being brushed aside by economic reformers 30 years ago, died in the Chinese capital Wednesday afternoon, state media reported. He was 87.
Iran hanging revives debate over punishment of minors
Iran has executed a 20-year-old man who was sentenced to death for a murder he committed when he was 15, reviving an international debate over its punishment of minors
Iraq leaders shun Sunni ex-insurgents
A key pillar of the U.S. strategy to pacify Iraq is in danger of collapsing because the Iraqi government is failing to absorb tens of thousands of former Sunni Muslim insurgents who'd joined U.S.-allied militia groups into the country's security forces.
Lieberman to speak at GOP convention
Sen. Joe Lieberman will be a featured speaker on opening night of the Republican National Convention, capping an extraordinary political journey for a man who could have been this year's Democratic nominee for president had history taken a different turn.
Campaign Notebook
McCain reports he spent $32M in July
Presidential rivals Barack Obama and John McCain together spent nearly $90 million in July, feeding an escalating advertising contest as...
Pair circumnavigate the globe in helicopter
Before setting out to fly 24,000 miles, over about 20 countries, at a pace to challenge the speed record for circumnavigating the globe in a helicopter, it's best to inform your credit-card company.
Politicians going "green" for parties' conventions
Democrats claim their convention in Denver next week will be the greenest ever. Anyone watching on TV probably won't notice much. But the 50,000 people...
Problems beset jet in deadly Madrid crash
It was a troubled flight from the beginning. One attempt at takeoff was aborted. Departure was delayed by more than an hour. Passengers, many of them parents traveling with their young children, were grumpy and hot, eager to get on with it, to start their holidays in the Canary Islands.
Stevens loses bid to move trial to Alaska
A federal judge turned down Sen. Ted Stevens' request to move his corruption trial to Alaska, tying the Alaska Republican to a Washington courtroom at the height of his re-election campaign 3,500 miles away.
30 militants die in Afghan battle near ambush site
The U.S.-led coalition said Thursday it had killed more than 30 insurgents in a battle in eastern Afghanistan, fighters an Afghan governor said were responsible for an attack that killed 10 French troops this week. Officials announced the deaths of six NATO soldiers in two attacks.
Nation Digest
Fatal cave collapse at Torrey Pines
A 30-foot-wide stretch of oceanside bluff below the Torrey Pines Golf Course collapsed and killed a man Wednesday, authorities said. The man, whose identity...
World Digest
Another deadly bombing in Algeria
Two car bombs killed at least 12 people and wounded 31 others on Wednesday in the Algerian town of Bouira, a day after a suicide bombing killed 43 people and wounded 45 others in a neighboring region, according to the Algerian Interior Ministry.
Odds and Ends
Lonely elephant Jenny to stay in Dallas
Celebrity gossip, famous birthdays and other tidbits, compiled from Seattle Times news services.
Business & Technology
Microsoft launches free Photosynth for combining shots into one picture
Microsoft released the free online service, Photosynth, Wednesday night. The software arranges photo sets in their real-world, 3-D context and allows people to navigate smoothly around the canals of Venice, for example, or zoom in to read the serial numbers on the space shuttle's heat shields..
NEW - 06:34 PM
Boeing wants six months to rebid Air Force tanker
Unless the Pentagon allows Boeing six months to prepare its entry for the renewed Air Force tanker contract, there's "a really high likelihood" the company will decide not to bid, Boeing defense chief James Albaugh told The Wall Street Journal.
Economy remains stuck in low gear
NEW YORK - A private sector measure of the economy's health showed the largest drop in a year, and while new jobless claims fell for the second straight week, they remain near the highest levels since 2002. The reports are the latest evidence the languishing American economy remains stuck in low gear.
UPDATE - 05:37 PM
OncoGenex, formerly Sonus, cuts staff by half
OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals, the result of a merger between Bothell-based Sonus Pharmaceuticals and OncoGenex Technologies of Vancouver, B.C., said Thursday it would lay off half its workforce amid efforts to refocus itself and conserve cash.
Steve & Barry's announces $168 million deal to buy chain
Popular but troubled retailer Steve & Barry's may live on under new ownership. The company announced today that BHY Holdings, an affiliate...
Stock end mixed as financial-sector worries ease a bit
Wall Street ended mixed today after investors largely shrugged off a jump in oil prices and focused instead on a bullish analyst call on...
30-year mortgage rates dip this week to 6.47%
Rates on 30-year mortgages fell slightly this week to the lowest level since mid-July. Freddie Mac, the mortgage company, reported today...
American Airlines in-flight Internet goes live
The rehearsals are over and last-minute tweaks have been made. American Airlines' new in-flight broadband service went live Wednesday.
Bernanke on hot seat at forum
Thrust into the role of financial firefighter, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has taken unprecedented steps over the past year to battle the nation's worst credit and financial crises in decades.
FDA approves irradiating spinach, lettuce to kill germs
Consumers worried about salad safety may soon be able to buy fresh spinach and iceberg lettuce zapped with just enough radiation to kill...
Food inflation here to stay; prices up 6 percent this year
As prices for crude oil and other commodities ease, consumers have gotten a small dose of relief at the gas pump. But don't expect less pain at the grocery counter.
Fannie, Freddie fuel bailout fears
Shares of the mortgage finance companies lost more than a fifth of their value Wednesday as fears mounted that the companies will soon need government support and any bailout would hang stockholders out to dry.
Mortgage caps offered to IndyMac borrowers
Thousands of troubled home borrowers with loans from IndyMac Federal Bank will be able to switch to fixed-rate mortgages under a new plan from federal regulators, who seized the bank last month after it became the largest regulated thrift to fail.
Analysis
Has inflation hit a peak?
Consumers hoping for relief from surging prices may soon get it. The Consumer Price Index rose at the fastest pace in 17 years last month. Some economists say the 5.6 percent year-over-year gain marked a peak.
Business Digest
Air Force tanker guidelines to come next week
The Defense Department, in talks with Boeing and Northrop Grumman on the reopened $40 billion refueling tanker competition, said it plans to issue the final request for proposals next week.
Sports
UPDATE - 03:49 PM
U.S. women blank Brazil 1-0 for soccer gold
Hope Solo made save after save to keep the United States in the game, and Carli Lloyd scored in the sixth minute of extra time to give the United States a 1-0 victory over Brazil and the gold medal for a third time in four Olympics.
Steve Kelley
Usain Bolt electrifies Beijing, winning the 200 in a world-record time
This time he ran every meter of the race. He didn't sightsee. He didn't showboat. He didn't prance. This time Jamaica's Usain Bolt drove through the finish, waiting until he crossed the line to start the party.
Seahawks
Hasselbeck may miss exhibitions
There's a chance Matt Hasselbeck won't see any game action until the regular season starts. No one at Seahawks headquarters Wednesday confirmed...
Ron Judd
Include NBC in the Games' biggest winners
Figures keep flying fast and furious about America's state of glued-in-ness to the Beijing Games, which continue to set ratings records...
Mariners hit rock bottom, lose 15-3
If you want to see what rock bottom looks like for the Mariners, check out a video of Wednesday's 15-3 loss to the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field. Then burn...
NEW - 06:00 PM
Mariners' minor leaguer Jorge Sosa suspended 50 games for banned substance
Former major league pitcher Jorge Sosa, now in the Seattle Mariners organization, was suspended on Thursday for 50 games after testing positive...
NFLPA head Gene Upshaw dies of cancer at age 63
Gene Upshaw, a towering lineman on the football field who went on to win untold millions of dollars for NFL players as their union leader, has died at age 63.
Bud Withers
Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh sees bright future for Cardinal
Last season, Stanford upset USC, a 41-point favorite, and beat rival California. Coach Jim Harbaugh says that is just the beginning of good things to come for the Cardinal.
Emerald Downs | Thursday's racing entries
Aug. 21 First race: 6 p.m. 1 5 ½ furlongs, purse $12,000, 2-year-old fillies, maiden claiming $20,000 PP Horse Jockey Line Wt. 4 Udowhatugottado R Frazier...
MLB Notebook | Umpires agree to instant replay
Baseball umpires and management signed an agreement Wednesday that will allow the sport to start using instant replay to help determine...
Steve Kelley
Appreciating a trip to the real Beijing
Don't get me wrong, I feel privileged to have seen what I've seen so far at these Olympics. Michael Phelps. Usain Bolt. Anna Cummins. Mary Whipple. Still, I've...
Auto Racing | NASCAR penalizes Gibbs team
NASCAR's latest attempt to reel in those who break rules aimed at an unfamiliar target: the normally squeaky-clean Joe Gibbs Racing. NASCAR's decision Wednesday to...
Coach Terry Ennis can't be forgotten at Archbishop Murphy High School
Dave Ward has discovered this much: Pause for just a minute at Archbishop Murphy High School, someone likely will tell you a story about...
Olympics
Ex-WSU runner Lagat moves on in 5,000; ex-UW vaulter Walker fails
Before he entered the track for his 5,000-meter qualifying heat Wednesday, Bernard Lagat got a text message from his sister telling him...
Golfer Jeff Sluman ready to go in Boeing Classic
Golfer Jeff Sluman makes his first entry into the Champions Tour Boeing Classic held at the TPC at Snoqualmie Ridge outside of Seattle. The tournament starts Friday.
Huskies Football Camp | Day 17 highlights
WHAT HAPPENED: The Huskies held one practice in full pads in the Dempsey Indoor — their first indoor practice of the year ...
Mill Creek's LLWS run ends in 9-4 defeat to Hawaii
Manager Scott Mahlum is done parenting the Mill Creek Little Leaguers, though he wishes he weren't done coaching them. But that's the case...
NFL | Rams RB Jackson ends his holdout
His 27-day holdout over, it is back to work for Steven Jackson, the St. Louis Rams' Pro Bowl running back. By the time Jackson arrived in...
Olympics Briefs | Beach volleyball: Walsh and May-Treanor roll to repeat gold
The Chinese and the wretched Beijing weather were no match for Misty May-Treanor and "Six Feet of Sunshine. " May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh...
Seahawks Camp | Day 27 highlights
Injury roll call: QB Matt Hasselbeck, WR Deion Branch, LS Tyler Schmitt, LB Will Herring, OT William Robinson, OT Sean Locklear, OT Samuel...
Olympics
Silver medalist in heptathlon fails drug test
Lyudmila Blonska of Ukraine is under investigation for a positive doping test and could be stripped of her silver medal in the Olympic heptathlon...
Storm considers options to replace Lauren Jackson
Storm forward Lauren Jackson's decision to have surgery leaves the Storm in a lurch a day before the WNBA's trade deadline.
Olympics / Basketball
U.S. men's basketball tops Australia in quarterfinals
Don't doubt this U.S. men's basketball team — and sure don't challenge them, either. Especially if it's going to make Kobe Bryant...
Fishing | Coho salmon fishing picking up in Puget Sound
The king salmon fishery is starting to wind down in Puget Sound, but some early coho action is building mainly around the Sekiu area. Farther into Puget Sound the peak of the king salmon fishery appears to have passed, and there isn't much in the way of coho just yet.
NW Briefs | Local golfers advance in U.S. Amateur match play
Kyle Stanley of Gig Harbor and Jake Koppenberg of Everett each won in the first round of match play Wednesday at the U.S. Amateur men's golf tournament...
Portland downs Tacoma in 11
Paul McAnulty hit a three-run homer with two out in the bottom of the 11th as Portland beat Tacoma 8-5 in a Pacific Coast League game Wednesday...
Salem-Keizer wins in 10th
Jose Flores singled in the winning run in the 10th inning as Salem-Keizer earned a 2-1 victory over Everett in a Northwest League game Wednesday...
Sounders draw, slip into 4th in USL
August is when the Seattle Sounders are supposed to get hot, just like the weather, for a United Soccer Leagues First Division playoff run...
Local Olympic athletes update
Washington connections: Wednesday's results Name (connection) Result Baseball Matt Brown (Bellevue) 1 for 4, RBI in 4-2 win vs. Japan Cycling Jill Kintner...
US women beat Cuba, will play for volleyball gold
The U.S. women's volleyball team has advanced to the gold medal game, defeating Cuba in three sets to guarantee the Americans their best Olympic finish since 1984.
Olympic medal count
Medal standings Through 220 medal events Nation G S B Total United States 27 28 28 83 China 45 15 21 81 Russia 14 14 18 46 Britain 16 11...
Briefs | NBA: Oklahoma City waives Marshall, a former Sonic
NBA Forward Marshall averaged 3. 8 points for Sonics: Forward Donyell Marshall won't be joining several former Sonics making the move to...
Olympic best bets on TV
Prime time (delayed, 8 p.m. to midnight, NBC; live, 3-9 a.m., CBUT) • Defending Olympic champ Jeremy Wariner has been dominant in...
Olympics Results
Spain 72, Croatia 59; Lithuania 94, China 68; United States 116, Australia 85; Argentina 80, Greece 78 UNITED STATES — K. Bryant 10-16 1-4 25...
Entertainment
Movie Review
"The Longshots" is corny but a crowd pleaser
Movie review 
| "The Longshots" is a certifiable crowd pleaser, an agreeable variation on the kid-sports-movie formula whose family-friendly messages outweigh...
Movie Review
"The House Bunny": one dumb blonde joke after another
"The House Bunny," starring Anna Faris as an ex-Playboy bunny who finds work as a sorority house mother, is an awful dumb blonde joke stretched out into a series of bad punch lines.
Movie Review
"Death Race" an explosion of mindless action
Movie review 
| "Death Race," starring Jason Statham and Joan Allen, is about as mindless as action gets — yet fully as-advertised and not fully horrible.
Theater
"The Little Dog Laughed" takes on sexual identity and love in Hollywood
Theater review: "The Little Dog Laughed," Douglas Carter Beane's Tony-nominated play about Hollywood, plays at Seattle's Intiman Theatre Aug. 15-Sept. 13, 2008; reviewed by Misha Berson.
Concert Review
Radiohead sound check: seething, soaring, squeaking — all good
Concert review: Radiohead played Wednesday at White River Amphitheatre and proved they are the best band in the world; reviewed by Andrew Matson
Living
Travel & Outdoors
A delicate balancing act on the Duwamish River
Take a kayak paddle on Seattle's Duwamish River to learn about the fragile yet enduring balance between nature and Superfund sites.
The 411 on Ride 542
Ride 542, an uphill cycling race on upper reaches of the Mount Baker Highway, is growing and adding new events.
Best bets for the weekend
So much to do, so little time before Labor Day arrives, signaling the unofficial end to what has been passing for summer here in Seattle...
Evergreen State Fair: loads of food, games and rides
The Evergreen State Fair will feature rides, food vendors, live music, 4-H and craft displays and contests. It starts Aug. 21 and runs through Sept. 1.
Frontier to charge frequent flier fees
Frequent flier fees on tap at Frontier Airlines
Pix From My Weekend
Old lighthouse in Port Townsend
Photographer: John Strang-Wolf Photo taken: May 10, Port Townsend Photographer's description: "This photo was taken at dusk below the old...
Walkabout
Take a hike on the Talapus Trail
Talapus Trail, east of North Bend, makes for a good half-day hike that's suitable for kids.
Birders' Top Spots
Birding in Westport, Grays Harbor County
Audubon Washington offers tips on best birding locations, including a boat trip from Westport.
Ask Travel
Discovering Portland the car-free way
There are plenty of ways — on foot, by bus, streetcar or MAX — to get around Portland.
Travel Troubleshooter
Fighting Expedia's double bill for airline tickets after computer freezes
Q: I'm trying to get a refund for airline tickets that I didn't mean to buy. So far, I haven't had any success. A few months ago, I tried...
Travel notes
Get a deal taking Amtrak to Portland
Amtrak offers discounted fares on Seattle-Portland routes.
Weekend calendar
A listing of weekend events and activities.
Opinion
Editorial
Rossi's gas-tax rant detours from the facts
Republican gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi is running radio and TV ads that lambaste Gov. Christine Gregoire for doing precisely what...
School supplies
Preparing to launch
Contribute to The School Supply Drive of The Seattle Times Fund for the Needy.
Letters to the Editor
A sampling of readers' letters, faxes and e-mail.
Pro / Con
The Spokane gaming compact | Gregoire made the right call on Spokane pact
Gov. Christine Gregoire's rejection in 2005 of a massive expansion of gambling in Washington — a move supported at the time by Republican...
Pro / Con
The Spokane gaming compact | Pact paved way for other tribes to up the ante
"Do you want what's in the box or what's behind door number three? " That was the question put to contestants on the classic game show "Let's...
Thomas Friedman / Syndicated Columnist
Georgian conflict: the axis of blame
If the conflict in Georgia were an Olympic event, the gold medal for brutish stupidity would go to the Russian prime minister, Vladimir...
Leonard Pitts Jr. / Syndicated columnist
Mr. Blunt vs. Mr. Thoughtful
First I spent long moments trying to decide upon my greatest moral failing. Then I spent longer moments asking myself whether I'd really...