Crash in Seattle kills father, injures 2 daughters

Seattle

A father was killed Thursday morning and his two young children hospitalized after a crash near East Jefferson Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way, police said.

The father, who was in his late 40s to early 50s, was driving a Mazda MX-6 on Martin Luther King Jr. Way about 8:20 a.m. when he attempted an illegal turn onto Temple Place, a one-way street, said police spokeswoman Renee Witt.

He hit a pickup traveling in the opposite direction on Martin Luther King Jr. Way. He and his daughters were taken to Harborview Medical Center, where he later died of his injuries. His older daughter, described as 8 to 10 years old, and the younger, about 4 years old, both were reported in serious condition.

The older daughter and her father were wearing seat belts, and the younger child was in a car seat. The driver of the pickup was treated on the scene for minor injuries, Witt said.

Seattle

"Maverick Man" memorial Saturday

A memorial service for "Maverick Man," the homeless 58-year-old who was a Shoreline institution for more than two decades, will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at Ronald United Methodist Church, 17839 Aurora Ave. N. in Shoreline.

Few in the neighborhood around Fred Meyer, Schuck's Auto Supply and Highland Ice Arena near North 180th Street and Aurora Avenue North knew him by his real name, Jack Bradley. They knew him as the quiet, unassuming man who lived in his prized possession, an early-1970s blue Ford Maverick, hence his nickname.

Bradley died Feb. 19 from a stroke. His car still is at the Schuck's parking lot, covered with dozens of flowers and notes signed by more than 100 local residents for whom Maverick Man had become a regular sight in their daily lives.

Neah Bay, Clallam County

Winter work ending for rescue tug

The Crowley rescue tug Gladiator, stationed at Neah Bay since October to help disabled ships and fend off potential oil spills on the coast and Strait of Juan de Fuca, will finish its winter work on March 7.

The state Ecology Department said the tug assisted six ships this winter, most recently on Wednesday when it helped a 651-foot ship that temporarily lost propulsion. Rescue tugs have helped 40 ships since the service began in 1999 at Neah Bay, the Coast Guard said.

The Gladiator costs $9,000 a day, including fuel. Environmentalists have pressed state and federal lawmakers to fund a rescue tug year-round.

Bellevue

Water deal reached on Lake Tapps sale

Eastside residents could someday drink water piped from Pierce County, following a tentative deal between Cascade Water Alliance and Puget Sound Energy.

Following years of negotiations, both groups said this week that Bellevue-based Cascade will purchase Lake Tapps from PSE.

The new agreement must still be approved by the energy company's board of directors and the eight cities that make up the Cascade Water Alliance, officials from both sides said.

"This is our first step toward actually developing Lake Tapps," alliance general manager Mike Gagliardo said Thursday.

In 2005, Cascade, a partnership of eight mostly Eastside cities and water districts, secured exclusive rights to negotiate a deal to buy the lake and surrounding property along the White River for $37 million.

The deal was stalled in recent months as Cascade was working with Puget Sound Energy and the state Department of Ecology to secure water rights to Lake Tapps and the White River.

In 2006, the cities of Bonney Lake, Sumner and Auburn made an offer to purchase the lake for $33 million last year, but PSE rejected the bid because of their agreement with Cascade.

Gagliardo said Cascade is still working to secure water rights.

Seattle

Child-care-center directors honored

Seven people who run home child-care centers in Washington will be honored as exemplary caregivers by KCTS-TV (Channel 9). The caregivers were chosen by a panel of early-childhood professionals.

They are: Valencia and Pansy Claxton from Wonderland Home Daycare, Federal Way; Mai Thanh Dovinh, Seattle; Tamra Dschaak, Spokane; Christy Hawley, Skagit County; Sharon Mischenko, Marysville, and Nora Sandoval, Wenatchee.

The winners will receive a $100 honorarium, children's books and resources. Four will be featured in on-air spots on KCTS, and one will be featured as "caregiver of the week" on the television series "A Place of Our Own."

Times staff and news services