Fort Lewis soldier, 21, dies of Iraq battle wounds

Fort Lewis

Another Fort Lewis soldier has died in Iraq, the Department of Defense said Wednesday. Sgt. Joel A. Dahl of Los Lunas, N.M., died after being injured in a firefight in Baghdad on Saturday. He was 21.

Dahl leaves behind a wife due to give birth next week, according to KRQE-TV, an Albuquerque television station.

Dahl becomes the 135th serviceman killed from Fort Lewis since the Iraq war began in March 2003. He was a member of the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, which deployed to Iraq in April.

He is the 16th Fort Lewis soldier killed this month.

Seattle

Assault charges filed over road-rage clash

King County prosecutors filed assault charges Wednesday against a Seattle man who allegedly fired a gun at three undercover police officers during a fit of road rage.

Police and prosecutors said Jesse James Toro II, 28, became irate when one of the undercover Seattle police officers honked at him after Toro cut off the officers in a traffic jam on Yale Avenue.

Toro allegedly stopped, swore and challenged the officers to a fight, and brandished a weapon at the officers, according to court documents filed in King County Superior Court. One officer fired a shot at Toro and followed as Toro sped away.

Police alleged that Toro fired three shots at the undercover officers, who he likely didn't know were police. Bail was set at $250,000, and he is scheduled to be arraigned July 9.

Woodinville

Toothpaste recall includes area firm

A Woodinville-based distributor is part of a nationwide recall of Chinese toothpaste that might be contaminated with harmful ingredients.

American Amenities, which distributes hygiene products for prisons throughout the country, stopped shipments of the Chinese toothpaste it had ordered when it learned of possible contamination with diethylene glycol, a poisonous substance, said Jesse Lyon, a lawyer representing the company.

The company learned in early June of the contaminated toothpaste and immediately began its recall, he said. With 30 to 40 customers nationwide, Lyon said, the company quickly tracked down orders.

American Amenities is one of several companies around the country recalling Chinese toothpaste. No illnesses have been reported.

Sammamish

Truck, car collide head-on; 5 injured

A head-on collision in Sammamish left five people injured Wednesday evening.

About 5:30 p.m. a midsize pickup hit a convertible near the 4800 block of Sahalee Way Northeast, according to the Redmond Fire Department.

The driver of the convertible had to be extracted from the damaged car.

Those involved were taken to hospitals. Their identities weren't released.

Seattle

No-confidence vote targets parks official

Washington state parks director Rex Derr is facing a no-confidence vote, making him the third state official to be targeted by an organized effort by workers this year.

About 500 state-parks workers are voting on whether to declare no confidence in Derr, who heads the Washington Parks and Recreation Commission, saying he failed to admonish his management team for mistakes.

Department of Corrections workers have asked for a no-confidence vote against the state's prison chief, Harold Clarke, saying he's in over his head, and in May, the Washington Education Association delivered 14,000 letters from frustrated teachers to Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry Bergeson's office in Olympia.

Washington Federation of State Employees members said in a panel report that Derr is too focused on preparing for the centennial of the parks system in 2013, pushing construction projects without sufficient planning and using volunteers rather than staff.

No-confidence-vote ballots must be returned to the union by Friday, and a count is expected by the end of next week.

Times staff and news services