In a letter to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries, the agency that listed the orcas under the Endangered Species Act, the Building Industry Association of Washington (BIAW) says the decision could hurt business.

The BIAW accused NOAA of breaking the law by considering the condition of only the co-called southern resident orcas, which spend much of their time in Puget Sound, and not other orca populations in the northern Pacific Ocean.

NOAA Fisheries listed the southern residents as endangered after environmental groups won a lawsuit challenging an earlier NOAA decision that the southern residents were not genetically distinct from other orcas.

Seattle

Suspects headed to federal court

The federal government has taken over prosecution of a father and son accused of holding up banks, including a West Seattle robbery last fall when Seattle police shot the father in the leg during a getaway.

Oliver "Ray" Sledge, 54, and Nicholas "Michael" Sledge, 26, both of Everett, had been in state custody on suspicion of robbery. The men could each face up to 20 years and a $250,000 fine if convicted in federal court.

Ray Sledge is charged with the Nov. 22, 2005, robbery of the West Seattle branch of Washington Federal Savings; Michael Sledge is charged with the Aug. 25, 2005, robbery of HomeStreet Bank in Ballard.

Ray Sledge has a prior conviction for bank robbery. When a nurse who was treating him last fall for his gunshot wound asked how he was employed, he replied "I'm a bank robber," according to a complaint filed in U.S. District Court. Sledge's defense attorney had no comment on the alleged statement.

A newly unsealed federal complaint also identified three other Seattle-area bank robberies that took place last year that the government plans to charge the Sledges with. Both men are being held without bail.

Tacoma

Killer gets 42 years to plead in 2nd case

Paul Allen Bryant, 30, of Puyallup, who pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the shooting of Leonardo Velazquez-Vazquez, was sentenced Wednesday in Pierce County Superior Court to 42 ½ years in prison, the maximum under state guidelines. Bryant said he was sorry but offered no explanation or elaboration.

In an agreement with prosecutors, Bryant also has said he will plead guilty to first-degree murder Feb. 3 in Grays Harbor County Superior Court for the shooting of Mary Utschinski, who recently retired after working as a teacher at St. Anthony's School in Renton. He could get 48 years for that killing.

Utschinski was shot Nov. 15 at her home in Ocean Shores. Bryant was arrested later that day in Ocean City.

Stanwood

Biking students collide with SUV

Three Stanwood Middle School students riding a single bicycle across a street to school were injured Thursday morning when they collided with an unmarked Swinomish Tribal Police Department SUV being driven by an off-duty officer.

Two of the students were taken to a hospital and one was treated at the scene, said Stanwood Police Chief Tom Davis.

One of the students in the hospital was released yesterday, and the other was being held overnight for observation but is expected to be OK, said Jean Shumate, Stanwood-Camano School District superintendent.

The students were headed across 271st Street Northwest to the school, said Davis, and were outside two nearby crosswalks.

An investigation by the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office Collision Investigation Unit found that the Swinomish officer was not at fault, Davis said.

Olympia

House panel passes biofuel standards

The state's diesel and gasoline supply would have new biofuel standards under a bill approved Thursday by a House committee.

By Dec. 1, 2008, all diesel sold in the state would have to contain 2 percent biodiesel and all gasoline would have to contain 2 percent ethanol. If enough state crops are available to meet the 2 percent requirement, the deadline could be moved up, and the biodiesel could be increased to 5 percent.

The bill passed the House Technology, Energy and Communications Committee on a 10-2 vote.

The committee also unanimously passed a bill that creates an account for grants and loans for investment in biofuel and other renewable energy projects, research and infrastructure, and another that establishes a bioenergy loan program for projects to convert farm waste or crops into biofuels.

All three bills could reach the House floor as early as next week.

A bill to set up a $9 million seed-crusher loan program was passed out of the Capital Budget Committee last week and could be on the House floor as early as today. This bill has an emergency clause so that the loans could be made available immediately, giving farmers time to plant crops.

Times staff and news services

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