The whale likely was struck by a ship in the open sea and then pushed or washed into the Strait of Juan de Fuca, said Brent Norberg, strandings coordinator for the National Marine Fisheries Service.

The bloated carcass is on tribal land that is closed to the public. The tribe planned to move the carcass above the tide line so scientists can study it. The carcass will then be left to nature's cleanup crew: birds, animals and insects.

Seattle

Schools get grant for future planning

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation said Monday it will give Seattle Public Schools $850,000 to help the district plan for the future.

The money is aimed specifically at the recommendations of a committee appointed last year by Superintendent Raj Manhas.

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels and some members of the committee have criticized the district for not putting into place the group's recommendations swiftly enough.

Among other things, the Superintendent's Community Advisory Committee for Investing in Educational Excellence recommended the district close some schools, reduce school choice and change the way it handles student transportation. The news of the Gates money comes as another citizens committee is scheduled this week to identify which schools should close.

The school closures and other recommendations are meant to help the district close a projected budget gap of about $15 million next year and $25 million in 2007-08.

Lakewood, Snohomish County

Female student identified as crash victim

A Lakewood High School student who died in a car crash Saturday was identified as Karlie Jo Kaska by the Snohomish County Medical Examiner's Office Monday.

Kaska died after the car she was in veered off 188th Street Northeast near Arlington, crashed through a fence and struck a tree before coming to rest in an open field about 9:20 p.m., according to the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office.

Of the two other students in the car, one was in intensive care at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle on Monday and the other was released from the hospital and was at home, according to an e-mail sent by the Lakewood School District.

Extra counseling and support services were provided at Lakewood High School on Monday because of the crash, according to the e-mail.

Renton

Candidates sought for board position

The Renton School Board is seeking candidates for its District 1 seat. Board member Joy Poff will leave the position June 30 because she has moved outside of the district boundaries.

The district includes Campbell Hill and Talbot Hill elementary schools, Nelsen Middle School and Black River High School.

Applicants must live in the district, be U.S. citizens and be registered to vote within the Renton School District.

To apply, send a letter of interest by June 9 to Renton School Board, c/o Jan LaFountaine, 300 S.W. Seventh St., Renton, WA 98055. For more information, call 425-204-2345.

Marysville

Top shelf yields car-theft suspect

A man suspected of stealing two cars and eluding State Patrol troopers for about three hours Monday was found hiding on the top shelf of a Marysville grocery.

Troopers sought the man after he was seen driving a stolen car on southbound Interstate 5 near Marysville about 9:45 a.m., said Trooper Kirk Rudeen.

The man took off after a trooper pulled him over, running across six lanes of I-5 before hiding in a plant nursery.

Troopers surrounded and searched the area but couldn't find him, Rudeen said. But after the search was called off, a trooper saw the man, he said.

He had run to a nearby lumberyard and stolen another car, which he drove to a store in the 1200 block of State Avenue, Rudeen said.

Troopers evacuated the store and, after about a half-hour of searching, found the man on a top shelf under some boxes near the rear of the store, Rudeen said.

Times staff and news services

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