Local Digest
Janitors on strike in 6 buildings

E-mail this article Print this article Search archive

SEATTLE — A few dozen office-building janitors went on strike last night to protest what they say is unfair treatment by Allied Building Services, a building-maintenance company.

The strike includes up to 50 members of Service Employees International Union local 6, said Daniel Lathrop, a union spokesman. The company has not recognized the union.

The strike, which is planned for two days, will affect six office buildings in Seattle, Bellevue, Mercer Island and Bothell, Lathrop said.

The workers say they're striking over organizing rights and health-care benefits.

Checks mailed to residents overcharged for home loans

SEATTLE — Checks are in the mail to more than 10,000 state residents who were overcharged for home loans by subsidiaries of Household International, the state Attorney General's Office said yesterday.

Payments range from $17.47 to $28,354.56. The average payment is $2,051.20 and the median amount is $1,071.47.

The money comes from about $21 million set aside for Washington state under a $484 million nationwide settlement involving Household Finance, Beneficial and Household Reality that was announced last fall.

State attorneys general accused Household subsidiaries of predatory lending practices, including high loan fees, extended prepayment penalties and nondisclosure of important information affecting the true loan terms.

Man pleads not guilty in slaying of estranged wife

SEATTLE — Douglas Leroy Kiesz pleaded not guilty yesterday to a charge that he fatally shot his estranged wife in Kent last month.

A King County Superior Court judge ordered the 60-year-old Mill Creek man to remain in jail on $1 million bail. Prosecutors accuse Kiesz of second-degree murder in the death of 44-year-old Leta Kiesz.

2 Mukilteo students test positive for viral meningitis

MUKILTEO — Two Mukilteo School District students have tested positive for viral meningitis, school officials said yesterday.

A Voyager Middle School student tested positive last week, and the school district learned about a Mariner High School student yesterday. It was not clear whether the cases were related.

School-district officials sent home a notice with students yesterday to alert parents to the diagnoses and to help them understand that viral meningitis is not the same as bacterial meningitis, which can be deadly, said spokesman Andy Muntz.

Both students have been out of school for several days, and there is little chance the students infected other students at the two schools, Muntz said.

Man, 18, is charged in drive-by shootings

EVERETT — An 18-year-old Everett man accused of participating in a recent string of drive-by shootings was charged yesterday with seven felony counts of drive-by shooting.

According to documents filed in Snohomish County District Court, on Nov. 3 Byron Ross allegedly shot at four homes, one in Monroe, one in Snohomish and two in Everett.

On Nov. 8, he allegedly shot at three homes in the 7000 block of East Lowell-Larimer Road in Snohomish, according to charging papers.

Snohomish County sheriff's spokeswoman Jan Jorgensen said nobody was injured in the shootings.

State GOP postpones vote on gubernatorial race

OLYMPIA — State Republican Party leaders have postponed until next month a vote on whether to give state Sen. Dino Rossi an early endorsement in his bid for governor.

The party's 22-member executive board had been expected to take up the Rossi endorsement on Saturday.

But state GOP Chairman Chris Vance said the vote was postponed after board members discovered the matter would have to be approved by the party's 117-member state committee.

Under party rules, only the full state committee can hand out endorsements before the party's primary election — something Vance was not aware of when he scheduled the executive-board vote.

Ohio firm agrees to run Portland stadium, buy teams

PORTLAND — An Ohio firm has tentatively agreed to take over operation of Portland's PGE Park and buy the city's minor-league baseball and soccer teams, city officials said yesterday.

Big Game Capital has reached a preliminary agreement with the teams' lender, TIAA-CREF, a New York-based pension fund.

The purchase depends on Big Game Capital reaching a new operating agreement with the city for the use of PGE Park.

City officials said there already is a preliminary agreement.

Times staff and news services

Copyright © 2003 The Seattle Times Company