Northwest

Hitchhiking cat 'Mata Hairi' headed back home to Oregon

HELENA, Mont. — A well-traveled cat named "Mata Hairi" will soon be reunited with her owner after spending nearly 10 months traveling thousands of miles with a hitchhiker who rescued her from the rain.

Driver arrested in death of soccer-ball dribbler

SALEM, Ore, — The driver Oregon police say fatally struck a man trying to dribble a soccer ball 10,000 miles from Seattle to Brazil for the World Cup has been arrested.

Seattle woman trying to 'live on light' instead of food ends experiment

After dropping about 20 percent of her body weight, Naveena Shine, the 65-year-old Eastside woman who got worldwide publicity for trying to just live on light and no food, is calling it quits with her grand experiment.

Judge tosses NLRB ruling over disputed port jobs

PORTLAND — A federal judge has reopened the dispute over which union workers at the Port of Portland should perform the task of plugging and unplugging refrigerated cargo containers.U.S. District Court Judge Michael Mosman ruled Monday that the National Labor Relations Board overstepped its authority last year when it awarded the work to union electricians instead of the International Longshore & Warehouse Union.

One tough old bird rules the parking lot

He's not exactly a wild creature, but he's too independent to be considered a farm animal or a pet.

Prosecutors seek delay in Mohamud sentencing

PORTLAND — Prosecutors have asked a federal judge to delay the sentencing of Mohamed Mohamud, the Somali-American convicted of plotting to bomb a Christmas tree-lighting ceremony in Portland's town square in 2010.

Temporary I-5 Skagit River span to open this week

MOUNT VERNON — A temporary span on the Interstate 5 Skagit River bridge should open this week — less than a month since a section of the bridge collapsed, the Washington Transportation Department said.

Victoria teen killed on charity bike ride

ARLINGTON — The CEO of the BC Cancer Foundation says it will evaluate the safety of its annual charity bicycle ride after the death of a 16-year-old from Victoria in an accident Sunday near Arlington.

4-year-old boy who fell in Lacey pool dies

LACEY — A 4-year-old boy who fell into an apartment building swimming pool at Lacey has died.

Man accused of killing 3 in Coos Bay County

COOS BAY, Ore. — The Coos County district attorney says he plans to file aggravated murder and arson charges Monday against a 65-year-old man accused of killing his wife and two neighbors and setting their homes on fire near the community of Bridge.

Naked girl found walking along I-5 near Ashland

ASHLAND, Ore. — A girl who is believed to be autistic was found walking naked along the shoulder of Interstate 5 on Sunday north of Ashland.

West Nile virus found in Yakima mosquitoes

YAKIMA — West Nile virus has turned up in two samples of mosquitoes collected in Yakima County.

Supreme Court won't hear Seattle officer appeal

The Supreme Court won't reconsider a jury's decision that an off-duty Seattle police officer who was cut off in traffic violated a man's rights by detaining him at gunpoint.

Schools' independence hits snag

2 of Oregon's largest universities' plans face opposition

SALEM, Ore. — A push by two of Oregon's largest universities to break free from the statewide university system has hit a snag amid renewed opposition from some of the smaller, regional schools.

New education standards pose new challenges

It's up to educators to determine how to teach them to students of different levels

SEATTLE -- Language arts teacher Christy Bowman-White leads a class at Sylvester Middle School in Burien in a lesson based on the Common Core State Standards.