Man gets 3 years for fatal hit-and-run

A Maple Valley man was sentenced to three years in prison for a hit-and-run accident last year in which he killed a 3-year-old.

Timothy L. Herbert, 38, was convicted of felony hit-and-run after the June 16, 2006, accident in which he struck and killed a 3-year-old boy who was running down Southeast 240th Street in Maple Valley in his pajamas. Herbert was sentenced at the Regional Justice Center in Kent.

Another motorist had seen the child and tried to warn Herbert by flashing his lights and waving his arms, court documents say.

Herbert stopped his car for a moment after the impact, said he saw nothing and then drove on to his job at Pizza Hut.

The next day, Herbert's co-workers notified police. Herbert told police that he had been drinking the night of the accident even though he was on medications that should not be taken with alcohol, court documents say.

King County

Expect a few traffic headaches

Some drivers should expect traffic nightmares this weekend. Highway 520's Evergreen Point Bridge is closed all weekend for annual maintenance and inspections, and Interstate 90's express lanes will be closed from 6-10 a.m. Sunday for the Seafair Triathlon.

So, for drivers headed across Lake Washington, what are the alternatives?

The Evergreen Point Bridge is not scheduled to reopen until 5 a.m. Monday. Throughout the weekend, drivers can use I-90, Highway 522 or Interstate 405 to get to and from the Eastside.

Drivers who need to travel across Lake Washington on Sunday morning can use I-90's mainline lanes. Only the express lanes will be closed for the triathlon. The state transportation department doesn't figure that closure will be a problem, since freeway traffic is typically light Sunday mornings.

Drivers can plan ahead by checking traffic conditions on the state's Seattle-area traffic Web page (www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/seattle), or by calling 511.

Protesters gather during zoo event

About 20 people gathered Friday afternoon for a protest and memorial for Hansa, the elephant that died last month at the Woodland Park Zoo.

Demonstrators distributed information about a Tennessee sanctuary, saying the zoo should send its elephants there.

The demonstration by the Northwest Animal Rights Network and Friends of Woodland Park Zoo Elephants took place as the zoo held its biggest fundraiser of the year, said zoo spokesperson Gigi Allianic. With the money raised, the zoo promotes education programs, animal care and conservation. The event included tours and live and silent auctions. Last year's event raised $1.65 million.

Allianic accused the protesters of taking advantage of Hansa's death. The protesters countered that the confinement of the elephants at the zoo is inhumane.

Seattle

Mercy Corps gets $500,000 donation

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has made a $500,000 donation to Mercy Corps, a Pacific Northwest-based aid organization that will use the money to respond to floods in Pakistan.

Mercy Corps officials said Friday that the donation represents about half of the money raised so far to aid villages affected by the June flooding.

"There are pockets of people who have received no assistance since the cyclone hit and waters started to rise," said John Stephens, a Mercy Corps program manager.

Mercy Corps, with offices in Seattle and its headquarters in Portland, has taken on an expanding role in international aid and development with a budget that now tops $219 million, according to a 2006 annual report.

Mercy Corps largely has tapped the Gates Foundation for money to launch emergency aid efforts.

Since 2004, Mercy Corps has received nearly $2.5 million from the Gates Foundation for relief efforts that included responses to the Southeast Asian tsunami and Pakistan earthquake

The Gates Foundation is primarily involved internationally in efforts to improve global health and other longer term efforts. But the foundation also makes smaller donations to aid groups for emergencies.

Seattle

Judge: If it qualifies, I-960 can go to vote

A King County Superior Court judge ruled Friday that an initiative intended to make it tougher for the Legislature to increase taxes can go before voters in November, if it qualifies for the ballot.

Opponents of Initiative 960 argued that parts of the measure need a constitutional amendment, which cannot be done by citizen initiative.

The court said I-960 can go on the ballot if it qualifies, but that opponents can later challenge its constitutionality if the measure passes, according to the Attorney General's Office.

I-960 would reinforce a law that requires a two-thirds vote in the Senate and House to pass certain tax increases. The measure, however, broadens the vote requirement to include all taxes, including the gas tax.

Any tax increase also would be placed on the ballot for a public advisory vote.

In addition, the measure would require the Legislature to approve any state agency fee increases.

I-960 sponsor Tim Eyman turned in more than 314,000 signatures last week. State officials will check to determine whether the petitions contain the nearly 225,000 valid signatures required to qualify for the ballot.

Bothell

A businessman who settled a lawsuit with the city of Seattle for $500,000 after the city wouldn't allow him to open a strip club has filed a similar suit against Bothell, according to court documents.

Bob Davis filed suit against the city of Bothell in U.S. District Court Wednesday citing first amendment and due process claims after the city denied him a business permit for a possible club at 17121 Bothell Way N.E.

Davis applied for the license with Bothell in February 2006 but was denied the license a month later after being told the city had enacted a moratorium on new strip clubs 27 days after his application, according to Davis' complaint.

Davis settled his lawsuit against Seattle in September 2006 and at the time said he planned to sue Bothell, too. Seattle adopted strip-club zoning rules in June that allow for the creation of new strip clubs as long as they're several hundred feet from other adult businesses and schools.

Seattle Times staff and news services