What a horrible story.  Our condolences to the friends and family of this teen.  Story by Komo news:

COVINGTON, Wash. — The man accused of killing a 16-year-old boy late Friday night in Covington was in court on Monday afternoon, where a judge set bail at $1 million.

Prosecutors say 26-year-old Robert Green got into an argument with the teenager that ended with Green beating and kicking the boy until he died.

“It was clear to Mr. Green that after the last kick the victim was ‘out,’” the prosecutor said.

Police found the boy’s body early Saturday morning after Green allegedly dragged the boy’s dead body away from the scene of the beating.

Detectives claim Green twice checked the victim’s breathing, but never called 911.

“The first time he was able to determine there was only labored breathing,” the prosecutor said. “The last time it was clear there was no breathing.”

Neighbors say they didn’t know the victim well, other than to say he was from Montana and was visiting his uncle.

“I just can’t imagine how his parents feel finding out the day before Mother’s Day their kid is dead,” said a neighbor named Debbie.

Police say they did have a run in with the boy earlier on Friday. Officers picked him up for being drunk and belligerent. He was released to his uncle on Friday night.

It’s unclear what led up to the confrontation, but prosecutors say the streets will be safer if Green is in jail.

Green is being held on $1 million bail for suspicion of second-degree murder. He will be back in court on May 15.

Story by the Associated Press.

Gunfire erupted at a Federal Way apartment complex Sunday night where five people were shot to death, including a suspect who was shot by arriving officers, police said.

Officers responding to an emergency call at 9:30 p.m. at the Pine Village Apartments encountered a chaotic scene, with bullets flying.

“When officers arrived there were still shots being fired,” said Federal Way police spokeswoman Cathy Schrock.

They found two wounded men on the ground in a parking lot. One of the men reached for a gun as police moved in to assist the two, she said.

At that point, officers opened fire. The suspect died but police said it wasn’t immediately clear if it was from their gunfire.

The other man on the ground and a third man in the parking lot were found dead.

Full story, click here.

This is an interesting reality to think about.  We all get old, so when should we hang up the car keys for good?!?  Thanks to one of our staff members for finding this article.  Some good tips for sure.

Story By Connie Matthiessen, Caring.com

What should you do if you’ve monitored your parents’ or other aging family members’ driving and are persuaded that they pose a risk but they refuse to stop driving?

Many older adults elect to stop driving proactively if they suspect they’re developing driving problems or someone mentions the issue. Others stubbornly insist that their driving is as good as it ever was and tune out anyone who tells them differently.

If you have a family member who refuses to acknowledge the problem, try these strategies:

Talk to friends of the family

If you’ve had no luck persuading your parent or other family members to give up the car, see if family friends can help. Research shows that older drivers are more likely to listen to those outside the family when it comes to their driving. Be discreet, and consider their feelings. Talk to only their closest friends: people they trust and whom you know have their best wishes at heart. Find out if these friends share your concerns. If they do, they may be willing to talk to your parent or other family members themselves.

Continue reading, click here.

Thanks to one of our crew for letting us know of this event.  Looks like some fun to be had at UW!  Dance on~

Come join First Nations @ UW for our 42nd Annual Spring Powwow! On April 19, 20 and 21st at Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Ed Pavillion, University of Washington, Seattle.

Click here for more info.  Our senior partner teaches at UW, so maybe we can get him to show us his dance moves!  :)

This is a very unfortunate story and it appears that the city has some explaining to do.  Also, why don’t escalators have emergency shut off switches located at the top and bottom of the unit?!?  Our condolences go out to the family.

Story by King 5 & video below.

“It could have been anyone, but it was my son.”
David Bell said his family is still “in shock” and he’s just trying to hold on and be strong. His son, Mauriceo Bell, 42, died last Sunday morning, apparently strangled by his own clothing which had gotten caught in an escalator in Seattle’s downtown Metro bus tunnel.
“It could have been anyone” he said.  “It could have been somebody who had a stroke or a heart attack or who just fell down.”

On Friday, KING 5 obtained surveillance video that shows the fatal fall, and the minutes that follow.

In it, you can see Bell start to wobble on the escalator before he falls down.  Passengers inside the downtown transit tunnel who viewed the video said it’s hard to watch.  Equally disturbing, they say, is the fact that two people can be seen on camera, walking right past Bell on the ground without stopping to help.

See video below and read full story by King 5, click here.

State Department of Transportation officials kept Highway 2 east of Stevens Pass open for much of the week before Christmas despite knowing snow-heavy trees were snapping onto the road. Before the highway was shut, trees had fallen on two cars in separate accidents, killing two and injuring nine.

After a grand fir about 125 feet tall snapped east of Stevens Pass and fell onto a Bothell family’s SUV on Dec. 21, officials at the state transportation department spoke of the accident as a rare and tragic occurrence that would have been hard to foresee.

Tragic because the tree killed parents Tim Owen, 58, and Cheryl Reed Owen, 56, as they drove with their family on Highway 2 to a holiday getaway in Leavenworth. Their two daughters  and son-in-law, all in their 20s, were nearly crushed to death as well. Only their son walked away from the accident with minor injuries.

Rare because, on average, a fatal falling-tree accident happens in the state only once per year, if that often. And, as far as transportation-department supervisors could remember, falling trees had never before posed a danger great enough for them to close Stevens Pass.

Read full story from the Seattle Times, click here.

Could the horrible tragedy in Wedgewood this week have been avioded?  Since drunk driving seems to be the number one cause of fatal accidents, WORLDWIDE, why shouldn’t all vehicles require a breathalyzer to operate?  We know there are costs involved, yet what’s the value of a persons life, let alone thousands???

Check out what’s happening in France!

Story by Budget Travel;

The French are cracking down on drunk driving in a way that  may surprise American visitors.

Starting in July, all motorists—including those in rental cars—will be required to have a breath alcohol testing instrument on  hand. If a driver is pulled over by police for some reason and is found not to  have the kit in their car, the fine will be €17 (or about $23).

Breathalyzers (“drunk-o-meters”) are designed so that drivers can test  themselves to check they are under the legal limit for alcohol intoxication.

Hertz rental cars will provide the breathalyzers for free, a spokesperson  said by e-mail. Avis and Budget responded to my request on this topic by saying:  “We’re looking at it, but have no comment at this time.”

The companies have a while to decide: Enforcement of the law begins November  1.

An interesting question is how they devices will be explained to customers.  Companies may need to explain the devices to American drivers in advance, given  that most French cops will be unlikely or unwilling to speak English.

Otherwise, there may be a lot of confusion as an officer asks a driver to  find and use the breathalyzer-type device—and the American driver doesn’t know  there is one in his or her auto’s glove compartment.

American visitors to France may be surprised to learn that alcohol  limits are tougher there than in the US, despite the country’s foreign  reputation for a relaxed attitude toward wine. The French limit is 50mg in 100ml  of blood.

Read more: http://www.budgettravel.com/blog/france-to-require-breathalyzers-in-all-cars-including-rentals,12241/#ixzz2OlfuS9YP

http://www.budgettravel.com/blog/france-to-require-breathalyzers-in-all-cars-including-rentals,12241/#ixzz2OlcAzIRr

We are so sorry to hear of this tragic accident.  Our managing partner lives very close to where this accident occurred.  It’s scary how fast an accident like this can happen.  Our prayers are with the family and friends that are suffering so much loss.  Here’s the full story from Komo & the Associated Press below:

SEATTLE (AP) – Police say a driver who may have been under the influence of alcohol or drugs struck four pedestrians crossing a street Monday, killing two and critically injuring two others – a woman and the infant she was carrying.

“This is obviously a very tragic situation,” said Seattle Police Deputy Chief Nick Metz. “It’s not very normal that we have this level of folks who are victimized in this way.”

The accident happened shortly after 4 p.m. in a residential neighborhood in north Seattle.

Seattle police spokesman Jeff Kappel said the driver of the vehicle, 50-year-old Mark W. Mullan of Seattle, was placed under arrest and processed for suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.

Court records show Mullan has had multiple DUI arrests in just the past several month. He was arrested for DUI on December 27, 2012, and again on January 14.

A 66-year-old man and a 68-year-old woman were pronounced dead at the scene, Kappel said.

Kyle Moore, Seattle Fire Department spokesman, said the injured were a 33-year-old female and a 2-week-old infant. The gender of the infant was not immediately known.

“When we arrived on scene, that infant was not breathing, so we initiated CPR and got the heartbeat back,” Moore said.

Read full story from the Associated Press, click here.

What a story… I bet she sings in the shower now!

A California woman who sustained repeated electrical shocks whileshowering won a $4 million lawsuit against her power company Wednesday.

More on Shine: Danger on the Homefront: 4 Ways Your Home Can Kill You

The ruling against Southern California Edison was a long-awaited end to the saga of Simona Wilson, 34, a single mother of three boys who has suffered from major medical problems as a result of “stray voltage” from a nearby substation, according to reporting in the Easy Reader News of Hermosa Beach, CA.

The power company, which said in a statement it found the verdict “inconsistent with the totality of the evidence presented at trial,” now faces two more lawsuits from residents of the same Redondo Beach neighborhood (which she has since fled). And the details of Wilson’s case alone are enough to seriously jolt anyone who has ever taken a shower.

Read full story on Yahoo Shine, click here.

Man’s best friend?!?  Not always…  Check out this story by a man that was attacked by a local police K-9.  Story by King5.  Video also below.

A Lakewood Police Department K-9 and his handler are the subject of a $3 million lawsuit filed Wednesday by Chad Boyles, a Pierce County resident who was mauled while walking in his South Tacoma neighborhood early on the morning of May 7, 2011.

Boyles sustained severe injuries to his right arm when he was attacked by Astor, the Lakewood K-9 handled by Officer James Syler.

The Boyles incident was not the first time actions by Astor and Officer Syler led to a complaint. The same K-9 team was involved in the brutal 2010 mauling of Noel Saldana that put Saldana in the hospital for 11 days and left him permanently disabled. Saldana was suspected of a domestic violence assault. He said he didn’t know police were looking for him. But in his police report, Officer Syler said Saldana was hiding in the bushes and ignored warnings. Saldana was never charged with a crime.

In 2009, another Lakewood man spent 9 days in the hospital after being attacked by Astor. Officer Syler said the man was hiding in a room and ignored warnings, so he sent in Astor.

The pattern of attacks involving the same K-9 team raises questions about whether the Lakewood Police Department is failing to provide proper oversight.

What happened to Boyles in 2011 is particularly jarring given that he was not a suspect in any crime. Boyles said that he was not given any warning that a police dog was near him.

Read full story, click here.