King County courthouse computer system down for 3rd day

Court records at the King County courthouses remained inaccessible yesterday because of computer problems that began on Monday.

Because of what a court administrator described as "a severe hardware malfunction," many court records — which are stored on a system called Electronic Court Records — could not be viewed or printed.

Yesterday was the third full day of problems related to court documents filed in King County Superior Court and the Regional Justice Center in Kent between 2000 and 2005.

The system's apparent back-up system has been active since Tuesday and apparently allows for some court documents to be printed. Some other records are still available on microfilm or paper.

The last time the system was down was a couple of years ago when a variant of the so-called Blaster virus hit the entire King County computer system, court personnel said. The current hardware failure apparently affects only Superior Court records. Tech-team members could not be reached for comment yesterday evening.

Seattle

Woman arrested

in Seward Park death

A woman accused of stabbing a Seattle man earlier this week turned herself in to police yesterday.

A friend of the Seattle woman contacted police after the slaying, and when the woman, Paula McAnulty, got on the phone, she agreed to meet with investigators at the South Precinct, said police spokeswoman Christie-Lynn Bonner. McAnulty said she and the man got into a fight before the stabbing; she later told investigators where the weapon was, Bonner said. The 32-year-old woman was booked on suspicion of homicide.

Just after 2 a.m. Tuesday, police found the body of Charles Jones, 30, in a car at the entrance to Seward Park. Police have not determined Jones' relationship to McAnulty.

Eugene, Ore.

Ex-UO president dies;

backed black athletes

Robert Clark, a college president during turbulent times who supported sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos after their protest on the medal podium at the 1968 Olympics, died Tuesday at a Eugene hospice. He was 95.

Clark died from age-related causes, the University of Oregon said in a statement released yesterday. He was the UO president from 1969 to 1975.

"His steady and thoughtful leadership during some of the most difficult years in American higher education helped set the stage for this university's current excellence," UO President Dave Frohnmayer said. "During his presidency, he understood that he had the responsibility to make the hard decisions and he understood the absolute necessity of freedom and neutrality."

From 1964 until 1969, Clark was president of San Jose State College, where he was known for his support of the civil-rights struggles of black athletes.

Two San Jose State sprinters, gold medalist Tommie Smith and bronze medalist John Carlos, raised their gloved fists and bowed their heads in protest during the playing of the national anthem at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.

The statement on black pride got Smith and Carlos kicked out of the Olympic village and made them a target of hatred. But they found support back at San Jose State, with Clark calling them "honorable young men."

Florence, Ore.

Coast Guard ends

search for teenager

The U.S. Coast Guard said it has suspended the search for a 15-year-old boy who got caught up in the surf off the central Oregon coast Tuesday afternoon.

The boy was identified as Ian Foster of Florence.

Two helicopters and two motor lifeboats helped search for the boy, who was last seen just north of the Siuslaw River opening.

The teen would not have been able to survive in the ocean longer than a few hours, Coast Guard spokesman Kurt Fredrickson said.

Times staff and news services