Sprinkler accident sets off Seattle electrical fire

A sprinkler accidentally set off by a resident sparked an electrical fire in a First Avenue apartment building Saturday morning, flooded businesses and apartments, and shut down a city block for several hours.

A resident on the 21st floor of one of the Harbor Steps buildings hit a sprinkler while cleaning, said Jim Fosse, deputy chief with the Seattle Fire Department. The sprinkler flooded that apartment and an adjacent electrical room, then gushed down several floors. The water shorted out another electrical panel on the sixth floor, setting off another sprinkler, Fosse said.

The 25-story apartment building on First Avenue between University and Seneca streets lost power and residents were evacuated around 11:20 a.m., Fosse said.

Fire officials shut off the water supply to the building and helped vacuum up the flood water.

The water severely damaged Wyland Galleries Northwest, on the street level. Gallery owner Denton Kiehle hustled Saturday morning to get art out of his flooded gallery. He estimated the damage to his business at $50,000 or more.

Enumclaw

Driver, 17, killed, 2 hurt in accident

A 17-year-old Auburn boy died Friday evening near Enumclaw after he lost control of his vehicle, according to the State Patrol. Two passengers also were injured.

Barry D. Anderson was driving west on Highway 164 around 6 p.m. just east of Southeast 380th Place with Angela M. Ramirez, 19, and Tony C. Rutherford, 21. He crossed the center line in his Chevrolet Suburban, then overcorrected, propelling the vehicle into a ditch, according to Trooper Jeff Merrill, State Patrol spokesman. The vehicle flipped and landed on its roof in a field, Merrill said.

Nobody in the vehicle was wearing seat belts; Anderson and Ramirez were ejected from the vehicle, Merrill said. Anderson was dead when troopers reached the scene, Merrill said. Ramirez was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center. Rutherford was also taken to Harborview.

Ramirez was in satisfactory condition Saturday, and Rutherford was discharged Saturday, according to a nursing supervisor at Harborview.

Bellevue

Barbershop quartet wins top honors

Four Washington men, from Bellevue and Bellingham, won top honors and bragging rights in the 2007 Barbershop Harmony Society International Seniors Quartet Contest held in Albuquerque, N.M.

The Friendly Advice quartet, with tenor Dan Tangarone, lead Wes Sorstokke, baritone Bill Thurmon and bass Forrest Lamotte, represented the society's Evergreen District. Another Washington team, the Silver Chords, placed fourth in the competition.

The Washington teams, like all those in the competition, perform in quartets as a hobby and have a cumulative age of more than 240 years, according to a news release issued by the society.

Port Orchard, Kitsap Co.

3 Bangor activists are found guilty

Three peace activists who blocked traffic at Bangor Naval Submarine Base last year were each found guilty of two counts of disorderly conduct by a jury Friday.

The six-member Kitsap County District Court jury found Shirley Morrison, of Seattle, CarolAnn Barrows, of Bainbridge Island, and Brian Watson, of Bremerton, guilty of blocking traffic during protests in May and August 2006.

The jury returned the verdicts after three hours of deliberation and a weeklong trial in which the defendants raised questions about nuclear weapons and international human rights. A sentencing hearing will take place Feb. 22. The defendants were all members of Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action, which is planning another protest at the nuclear-submarine port on Mother's Day.

Seattle

Fireworks show was only a game

Seattle residents who live in the vicinity of Lake Union were treated to -- or subjected to, depending on their point of view -- a brief fireworks display Saturday evening.

The display, produced by Microsoft, was part of a global game for employees called the Microsoft Worldwide Puzzle. The presentation was supposed to contain game clues and was to be webcast for players outside the area.

Some residents telephoned The Seattle Times after the display to complain about the noise or to ask what was going on.

Olympia

Funeral-protest bill heads to governor

The state Senate on Friday passed a measure to restrict demonstrations at funerals -- a move made largely in response to protests at services for soldiers killed in Iraq.

It was the first bill passed by both chambers this session. The Senate vote was 42-1, with six senators excused.

The lone no vote was Sen. Adam Kline, D-Seattle, who said that while the intent of the measure was worthy, "We're limiting speech, all the same."

The measure now heads to Gov. Christine Gregoire. She is expected to sign it, according to her legislative director, Marty Brown.

If Gregoire signs the bill, Washington would become the 30th state with a law limiting protests at funerals, said Heather Morton of the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Members from the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., have gained notoriety by demonstrating at military funerals across the county, including Washington state, claiming God is killing troops in Iraq to punish the U.S. for its tolerance of homosexuality.

Spokane

Let me fire detective, sheriff asks court

Spokane County Sheriff Ozzy Knezovich has asked a court to help him fire a detective who exposed himself to a coffee-stand barista, despite a Civil Service Commission ruling that the penalty was too harsh.

In a Spokane County Superior Court motion, filed Friday, the sheriff is asking the court to let him appeal a commission ruling that had substituted a less-severe punishment.

Knezovich fired 13-year veteran Detective Joseph W. Mastel in June after the 52-year-old exposed himself to a barista near Spokane.

But earlier this month, the county's Civil Service Commission instead placed Mastel on unpaid leave and forced him to retire in July, but it allowed him to collect sick-leave pay.

At his civil-service hearing, Mastel argued that the woman had dressed provocatively and led him on.

Lacey, Thurston County

Soldiers arrested in "hate crime"

Army Rangers from Fort Lewis have been arrested for investigation of an assault on a black man.

The three men were arrested for investigation of second-degree assault and malicious harassment after the fight Friday outside the Viking Lounge, said Sgt. Dave Campbell of the police department in Lacey.

"This is considered a hate crime," Campbell said.

Police said the 36-year-old victim told investigators one of the men had tried to provoke him inside the bar. When he went outside to smoke a cigarette, one of the soldiers attacked him. The other two then joined in the assault.

The man was treated for minor injuries and bruises, then released from a hospital.

"He said he was being called [racial slur] by all three males while he was being assaulted," Campbell said.

Capt. Chris Augustine, a spokesman for U.S. Army Special Operations Command, confirmed the arrests.

Seattle Times staff and news services