Dead swans should be reported

State wildlife biologists are asking the public to be on the watch for possible cases of lead poisoning in the famous trumpeter swans that migrate through Snohomish, Skagit and Whatcom counties this time of year.

Anyone who finds a dead swan is asked to call a special hotline run by the Department of Fish and Wildlife at 360-466-4345, ext. 266.

Lead shot has been banned for waterfowl hunters in Washington state, but biologists think the majestic swans are still accidentally eating old lead pellets still out in the environment.

People who see sick or dead swans shouldn't touch or move the birds, according to the state agency. Instead, call the hotline and leave a message including your name, phone number and the swan's location and condition.

Wenatchee

Inmate's death an apparent suicide

The Chelan County sheriff says an inmate found hanging in his cell at the regional justice center Sunday died in an apparent suicide.

He had been separated from the main jail population because he had been violent with jail staff and other inmates. Police were called to the home of Anthony Ackerman after hearing a report that he was throwing things at his wife. Ackerman was arrested after grabbing a kitchen knife and raising it in a slashing motion while standing near a deputy.

The Sheriff's Office says the 40-year-old East Wenatchee man was facing charges of second-degree assault and third-degree malicious mischief.

Puyallup

Driver killed racing on Highway 512

The driver of a small car died in a head-on crash during a road race early Monday on Highway 512 near Puyallup.

State Patrol troopers said Matthew S. Shipman, 30, of Puyallup, was killed when one of two other racing vehicles cut in front of him, causing him to drive through the median and hit a semitruck head-on.

State Patrol detectives are asking anyone with information about the other two racers to call police.

Shipman was pronounced dead at the scene.

Shipman's car was eastbound at the time of the crash; the collision occurred in the westbound lanes.

The driver of the semi had minor injuries and was treated at the scene, according to a news release.

British Columbia

Lawyer: Alleged killer didn't confess

The lawyer for a pig farmer accused of being Canada's worst serial killer opened the defense's final arguments Monday by denying the man ever confessed to killing six women.

Robert "Willie" Pickton went on trial in January on the first six of 26 first-degree-murder charges against him in the deaths of women, most of them prostitutes and drug addicts from a seedy Vancouver neighborhood.

Prosecutors said early in the trial that the 57-year-old Pickton told an undercover officer he killed 49 women and was caught before he could reach his goal of 50.

Lawyer Adrian Brooks urged jurors to keep an open mind and reject the prosecution's interpretation of what Pickton said

"This is nothing like a confession. It is not a confession at all," Brooks said.

The defense has acknowledged the remains of the six women Pickton is accused of killing were found on his farm outside Vancouver, but it denies the farmer was responsible.

Times staff and news services