Seattle Public Schools meetings to address enrollment crunch

Seattle

With another enrollment crunch expected in North Seattle this fall, Seattle Public Schools will have two meetings to discuss options. The district says it is developing alternatives to accommodate students in schools north of the Ship Canal and in the Queen Anne and Magnolia neighborhoods.

The first meeting is 6:30 p.m. Sept. 15, at Catharine Blaine K-8, 2550 34th Ave. W. The second is at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 16, at Roosevelt High, 1410 N.E. 66th St.

The School Board also will discuss the issue at its public work session 4-5:30 p.m. Oct. 1 at district headquarters, 2445 Third Ave. S.

Tacoma

Death warrant signed for Yates

A judge in Tacoma signed a death warrant Friday for serial killer Robert Lee Yates, setting an execution date of Sept. 19.

His defense lawyers say they expect to ask the state Supreme Court for a stay of execution so they can again appeal his sentence for killing two women in Pierce County.

The high court ruled last year that Yates received a fair trial and that his death sentence in 2002 was legal.

The former smelter worker and Army National Guard pilot previously pleaded guilty in Spokane to killing 13 women. He avoided the death penalty with a plea deal and got a sentence of 408 years.

Puyallup

Fair likely to cause traffic backups

Traffic backups are expected as people flock to the Puyallup Fair, which began Friday and continues through Sept. 21.

During the fair's run, an estimated 1.3 million people will visit the fairgrounds in Pierce County. That means increased congestion on state highways, including Interstate 5 and highways 512, 167 and 161.

On weekdays, the state Department of Transportation advises avoiding driving to the fair during the peak travel times, when most people are driving to and from work. On the weekends, said the DOT, a driver's best bet is to get to the fairgrounds early and stay late because the busiest time at the fair is noon to 5 p.m.

Variable messaging signs on Highway 512 are advising eastbound drivers to exit at 94th Avenue East, just before the Meridian exit.

Seattle

Lucile Street Bridge to close for repairs

The Lucile Street Bridge in Seattle will be closed for several hours today while Seattle Department of Transportation crews replace two concrete panels between 12th and 13th avenues south just east of the bridge.

To provide enough time for the concrete to cure, the bridge will be closed at 7:30 a.m. today in both directions between Airport Way and 15th Avenue South. One lane will be opened eastbound sometime after 3 p.m., but the lane westbound from Airport Way to 15th Avenue South will remain closed until noon Sunday.

Seattle

Group loses appeal on Waldo Woods

The city's hearing examiner has ruled against a neighborhood group that opposed a town-home developer's plans to cut down a grove of trees known as Waldo Woods.

Prescott Development wants to build 39 units on the site of the former Camp Fire USA headquarters at 8511 15th Ave. N.E. in the Maple Leaf neighborhood. The city's Department of Planning and Development had ruled that the project didn't require additional environmental review, and the Maple Leaf Community Council appealed that decision.

Skagit County

Tribe wins case over salmon habitat

The Swinomish Tribe has won a federal court case that will compel a diking and drainage district in Skagit County to work with the tribe to restore salmon habitat damaged by tide gates.

U.S. District Court Judge Richard A. Jones of the Western District in Seattle ruled Friday that Skagit County Dike District 22 violated the Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act by replacing tide gates in the Skagit Delta without a federal permit. The tide gates block juvenile chinook salmon protected under the Endangered Species Act from their spawning and rearing habitat.

But at the tribe's request, the judge did not impose a fine or a remedy other than to order the district to work with the tribe to find a negotiated settlement. The court then will review the proposed remedy to determine if it is sufficient.

"It's real sad when a tribe has to force a recognized state entity to follow the law," said Brian Cladoosby, chairman of the Swinomish tribe. "It's our suggestion that we find a solution."

Times staff and wire reports