Extra buses during viaduct closure

Seattle

Extra buses during viaduct closure

Bus service will increase as soon as next year to compensate for closures at the Alaskan Way Viaduct, where the state plans to rebuild the stretch south of downtown Seattle.

King County Metro Transit announced Tuesday it will receive $32 million from a $125 million state fund to keep traffic moving. Metro plans to buy 30 hybrid diesel-electric buses, add operating hours and subsidize parking for car-poolers. More frequent service is likely on routes such as the 54 to West Seattle, the 120 to White Center and Burien, the 15 to Ballard, or the 358 on Aurora Avenue North.

Politicians have not decided what to build in the second phase along the central waterfront — a surface street, an elevated highway or a combination including tunnels.

Olympia

PAC must ID initiative donors

The Public Disclosure Commission has ruled that an Oregon political-action committee must identify donors who are giving money to an assisted-suicide-initiative campaign in Washington.

The commission voted 3-2 last week that the Oregon Death With Dignity Political Action Fund was required to provide a fuller accounting of where it gets money being spent on Initiative 1000.

The Oregon group is the largest single donor to Washington's "Death with Dignity" campaign. It's given more than $313,000 of the more than $1.8 million raised.

The group disclosed the sources of only $123,380 but argues that since it's an out-of-state political committee, it wasn't required to report donations from people who have contributed less than $2,500.

Olympia

4 birds test positive for West Nile virus

Four dead birds — three from Yakima County and one from Benton County — have tested positive for West Nile virus. They are the first birds to test positive in Washington this year.

The two crows and two magpies were collected last month and sent to Washington State University for testing. The virus also has been detected in 12 horses and 22 mosquito pools in Yakima, Benton, and Grant counties this year, according to a news release from the state Health Department.

West Nile virus is primarily a bird disease. Mosquitoes become infected by feeding on an infected bird and can pass the virus to humans, horses or other hosts. A vaccine is available for horses.

People are encouraged to continue reporting dead birds, especially crows, jays, magpies and ravens, to local health agencies for possible collection and testing. Local contacts:

• Public Health-Seattle & King County at 206-205-4394

• Snohomish Health District at 425-339-8720

• Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department at 253-798-6578

More information on West Nile virus is on the Department of Health Web site: www.doh.wa.gov/WNV.

Seattle

Region's burn ban to end on Friday

The current burn ban in Pierce, Kitsap, King and Mason counties will be lifted at 8 a.m. Friday because of recent rainfall.

Lifting the ban does not affect areas where local fire districts prohibit burning, nor areas of Pierce County where outdoor burning of debris is permanently banned by the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency.

The ban was imposed in mid-July, later than usual because of wet spring weather.

Zillah, Yakima County

Truck hits, kills 3 horses in roadway

The State Patrol says a semi-truck struck and killed three horses on Interstate 82 about four miles east of Zillah.

The patrol says the horses were standing on the roadway just after midnight Wednesday when they were hit.

The driver of the truck was not injured.

King and Kitsap counties

Red Cross seeking disaster volunteers

The American Red Cross Serving King & Kitsap Counties is looking for volunteers to help at local and national disasters.

Volunteers are needed in fields including shelters, mental health, case management and public affairs, said spokeswoman Katherine Boury.

The nonprofit wants volunteers trained in time for possible wildfires and hurricanes across the country this fall, Boury said. Help also is needed locally with disasters such as residential fires and flooding.

People wishing to volunteer should visit www.seattleredcross.org or call 206-726- 3566 or 360-377-3761. Volunteers must fill out an online application and complete a free background check along with the required training, which could last seven hours to two days, Boury said. Volunteers who want to deploy on a national assignment should have 14 to 18 days of availability.

Snoqualmie Pass

Hiker, 46, dies in fall at Guye Peak

A 46-year-old hiker from Sammamish died Monday in an apparent fall while hiking in the Guye Peak area of the Cascades, near Snoqualmie Pass.

The victim, identified by the King County Medical Examiner's Office as Oded Schramm, was an experienced hiker who was by himself, had parked his car at Alpental's Snow Lake Trailhead. When he didn't return as planned, his wife called the Sheriff's Office about 9:45 p.m. Monday. Deputies found his car still at the trailhead. Schramm was a researcher for Microsoft.

A search-and-rescue operation began searching early Tuesday. Rescuers in a helicopter spotted the man shortly after 7:30 a.m. Ground searchers reached him about 8 a.m., but he was already dead.

Technical rescue work was needed to move the man's body to an area where the Guardian One helicopter could take it off the mountain.

Portland

Judge leaning toward sea-lion kill

A federal judge says he is inclined to allow the government to kill up to 85 sea lions a year at Bonneville Dam to reduce salmon predation.

But U.S. District Judge Michael Mosman said Wednesday that he wants to further examine some aspects of the dispute with The Humane Society of the United States and likely will rule in about two weeks.

Mosman indicated that regardless of his decision, the case is likely headed for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Mosman downplayed the Humane Society's claim that a federal agency arbitrarily decided that losses of salmon to sea lions are significant while larger losses to hydroelectric dams are not.

Times staff and news services