Crane operator dies in 70-foot fall

The accident was reported about 11:30 a.m. on Third Avenue, between Bell and Battery streets, in the Belltown neighborhood. The man, in his 40s, was climbing down a ladder from the crane when he fell and landed on concrete below, said Seattle Fire Department spokeswoman Helen Fitzpatrick.

The man was taken to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition and later died. He was not identified Monday.

Seattle

UW law school increases security

The University of Washington School of Law has increased security after a threatening graffiti message was found last week in a building on another part of the campus.

UW police are not releasing the details of the message found in the Allen Library pending an investigation.

The message was "threatening to law-school students and the law school in general. It threatened public safety with the use of a firearm," said UW spokesman Norm Arkans, adding that he believed the message was specific to the month of November but did not single out any individuals.

"You don't know what kind of credibility there is in these things, so you take them seriously," Arkans said.

In e-mail messages sent to students and staff members Friday, law-school interim dean Gregory Hicks said access to Gates Hall and the elevators would be limited indefinitely to staff members, students and faculty carrying Husky ID cards.

Access had previously been open to anyone. Additional security personnel have also been posted. Hicks asked students and staff not to let strangers into the law school.

Seattle

Nelson appointed to legislative seat

The Metropolitan King County Council appointed someone close to home Monday to fill the state House seat vacated by former Rep. Joe McDermott.

Sharon Nelson, a Maury Island resident and chief of staff to County Councilmember Dow Constantine, will take over McDermott's former 34th District House seat.

McDermott moved up to the state Senate after former Sen. Erik Poulsen resigned to become chief lobbyist for the Washington Public Utility Districts Association.

Seattle

County nurses set to picket today

Nurses who work for Public Health — Seattle & King County planned to picket outside the county's new office building at 401 Fifth Ave. today to bring attention to their contract talks.

The issues in the contract, which expires at the end of the year, include wages, productivity standards and the future of part-time positions, said Anne Tan Piazza of the Washington State Nurses Association, which represents more than 300 nurses who work in public-health clinics, in the jails and on home visits.

Renton

Claim filed in death of disabled woman

A Seattle law firm has filed a $12 million claim on behalf of a developmentally disabled woman who died last year at a state Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) facility.

Justine Booth, 33, died at Valley Medical Center in Renton on Oct. 17, 2006. Her family said she had been in a vegetative state since Oct. 10, after employees at a Kent-area State Operated Living Alternatives home found her unconscious in a bathtub. After Booth's death, a DSHS regional administrator said that the caregivers should never have left her alone in the tub.

King County prosecutors declined to file criminal charges against the two caregivers who were supposed to check on Booth every four minutes.

Bellevue

City to get funds for reducing traffic

The city of Bellevue will get up to $300,000 from the state to help reduce the number of people driving to work downtown alone.

The Washington State Commute Trip Reduction Board will give money to seven cities as part of its Growth and Transportation Efficiency Center program. Early next year, the board will decide how much money each city will receive.

The city plans to offer rebates to businesses that provide bus passes to employees and create a Web site with information about travel options.

Kirkland

Thai restaurant suffers fire damage

A fire broke out Sunday night at a Thai restaurant in downtown Kirkland, causing $350,000 in damage, the Kirkland Fire Department said.

The two-alarm fire, which occurred at City Thai in Parkplace shortly before 11:30 p.m., burned the kitchen, part of the roof and most of the inside furnishings, according to the Kirkland Fire Department. No injuries were reported.

Next door, the Original Pancake House also had smoke and water damage.

Fire investigators are looking into what caused the fire, which took about 15 minutes to put out.

Times staff and news services