High court affirms right to own guns

In a landmark ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Washington, D.C., law that banned handgun ownership and ruled that there is a constitutional right, enshrined by the Second Amendment, to keep a loaded handgun at home for self-defense.

In Washington state, the immediate effects of the ruling are limited. Many of the state's laws are already rooted in a Western, libertarian philosophy about firearms. The state Attorney General's Office has reviewed existing laws and found none that appear to be in conflict with the high court's ruling.

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels said he believes the city's pending ban on handguns in city buildings, parks and community centers will prove to be lawful because the court decision recognizes a need for common-sense gun laws. The ban would take effect in July.

News of note

Here at home

Sonics ruling expected Wednesday

In the last day of the trial over the Sonics' KeyArena lease, the team argued that the city's lease lawsuit was part of a "Poisoned Well" scheme to pressure owner Clay Bennett to sell the team. The city's attorney argued that the issue is not relevant, and the main issue is the city's right to enforce the lease. The Sonics' owners are trying to break the lease two years early so they can move the team to Oklahoma by next season. U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman will issue a ruling Wednesday.

Gates turns to charity full time

Microsoft founder Bill Gates ended his full-time involvement with the company and turned his attention to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. One of his first trips will be to China, where the foundation is moving forward on several health programs, including HIV/AIDS prevention and a push to curb smoking. The foundation also wants to tap China's expertise to improve African agriculture.

Man charged in son's fire-pit death

A Federal Way man has been charged with second-degree manslaughter in connection with the death of his 7-month-old son. Alberto Rios told police he fell asleep near a backyard fire pit and woke to find his infant son burned to death. If convicted, Rios could spend up to 27 months in prison.

Slaying suspect: I want to plead guilty

A woman who is charged with killing six members of her family on Christmas Eve in Carnation says she has been trying for months to plead guilty to the slayings, but that her public defenders have silenced her. Michele Anderson expressed regret about the slayings during an interview from jail.

Where are all the berries?

Harvests of Washington berries and other spring crops are behind schedule because of an unusually cool, rainy spring. Some strawberry festivals are having to serve up out-of-state berries.

The nation

Exxon Valdez damages slashed

The U.S. Supreme Court slashed the amount of punitive damages that Exxon must pay for the epic Exxon Valdez oil spill nearly two decades ago. The court found that punitive damages could not be larger than the compensatory damages for actual losses from the spill, which totaled $507.5 million. Earlier, a federal appeals court had reduced the original $5 billion award to $2.5 billion. That was to be shared by 32,677 plaintiffs whose livelihoods were affected by the spill, the worst in U.S. history.

Justice Dept. played politics in hiring

The U.S. Justice Department hired law-school graduates with conservative credentials and rejected more-qualified candidates with liberal-sounding résumés, an internal report prepared by the department's own inspector general has found. The report is the first to come after the department's controversial firings in 2006 of nine U.S. attorneys.

Everglades gets a boost

Florida will buy 300 square miles of farmland from U.S. Sugar to restore a large part of the Everglades wetlands. For more than 50 years, sugarcane-field management has cut off the natural flow of fresh water from the lakes in Central Florida to the open sea. Environmental groups applauded the $1.75 billion deal.

Lightning sparks California fires

An outbreak of lightning strikes in Northern California ignited most of the more than 1,000 wildfires in the state. A drought is making the situation worse, and experts are predicting an unusually bad fire season.

The world

Zimbabweans forced to cast ballots

Zimbabwe's one-candidate presidential runoff was beset by widespread voter intimidation and low turnout Friday, as militant supporters of President Robert Mugabe and paramilitary police forced people to vote around the country. Dozens of supporters of opposition candidate Morgan Tsvangirai — who withdrew from the election — have been killed and thousands have been injured. World leaders have widely condemned the election.

Typhoon strikes Philippines

Typhoon Fengshen killed hundreds of people in the Philippines; many were on a ferry that sank during the storm.

Business

Oil price rising, with no end in sight

The price of oil hit a record near $143 a barrel last week as the dollar weakened against the euro. Experts expect that as the dollar continues to fall, the price of oil and other commodities will keep rising as investors look for a hedge against inflation.

Internet domains to expand

Starting next year, we'll see more than ".com" and ".org" at the end of Web addresses. Those endings can be replaced by almost anything — ".nyc" or ".coke," for example. The decision by the governing board that controls Internet addresses is expected to spark a scramble for desirable addresses.