richland
Ventilation stack at Hanford torn down
A landmark on the Hanford Nuclear Reservation is gone, after the big ventilation stack at the Plutonium Finishing Plant was demolished.
The 200-foot tall stack was demolished Saturday.
The plant was the final step during decades of production of plutonium for nuclear weapons at Hanford. It is being demolished as part of efforts to clean up the site near Richland.
Hanford officials said the plant has been cleaned up enough that the ventilation stack was no longer needed.
Workers used a small amount of explosives to weaken the stack, and gravity brought it down.
This month, demolition will start on the main processing facility at the Plutonium Finishing Plant. That work is expected to be done by September.
seattle
Ed Murray says he won’t resign as mayor
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray said he is not resigning following claims by four men that he sexually abused them as teenagers.
Murray made the announcement Monday, saying his resignation would create a destabilizing transition that would likely bring city business to a halt.
In May, he said he wouldn’t seek re-election after the allegations surfaced but pledged to serve out his term through the end of this year. However Murray, who denies the allegations, is facing increasing pressure to step down after it was reported Sunday by The Seattle Times that an Oregon child-welfare investigator concluded 30 years ago that he had sexually abused his foster son.
Murray’s former foster son is one of the men who publicly accused him of sexual abuse. Murray said the child-welfare investigator didn’t interview him at the time. He said the allegations were fully investigated and prosecutors never brought charges.
mount rainier national park
Body of skier who fell in crevasse recovered
The body of a skier who disappeared after falling 150 feet into a crevasse at Mount Rainier National Park Sunday has been recovered.
KCPQ-TV reported Monday that Mount Rainier National Park officials received a report Sunday that a skier had fallen near the 12,800-feet elevation of Mount Rainier.
Park officials said three people had summited Mount Rainier and were descending when one skied into a crevasse.
Park officials said a helicopter brought six climbing rangers to the summit and from there they descended into the crevasse using ropes. Officials said rangers found the skier, who showed no signs of life and had suffered traumatic injuries.
spokane
At least 4 wolves die in state so far this year
At least four wolves have died in Washington state this year, according to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.
A new report said two wolves died after being struck by vehicles. Another wolf was killed to protect woodland caribou.
The agency said a fourth wolf, wearing a tracking collar, was legally killed after wandering into Idaho, where wolves can be hunted.
The report, issued Friday, also found that one or more wolves were responsible for the death of a calf whose carcass was discovered on Wednesday in Ferry County. It is the second confirmed depredation involving the Sherman Pack this year. The first was in June.
