Finally! Mostly sunny, with a high near 67. Forecast here.
Making headlines around the Northwest:
- 'Deer with wings' causes power outage
- Hearing on Boeing vs. NLRB begins
- 'Barefoot Bandit' to plead guilty in federal court
- Off the wire: Water search called off, convict caught
'Deer with wings' causes power outage
HELENA, Mont. – A Montana resident says an energy company has identified the cause of a brief power outage as "deer with wings."
Lee Bridges says she was outside with her dogs around the time the power went out when a NorthWestern Energy truck pulled up, giving her a chance to ask the driver what caused the problem.
She says he pointed up and said, "Apparently, we've got deer with wings."
Bridges looked up and saw a dead fawn on a power line.
It's unlikely the animal had an accident while trying to make like distant-cousin Rudolph. Bridges suspects that an eagle dropped its prey and couldn't retrieve it. The lineman who removed the carcass from the power line said he'd never seen anything like it. - Associated Press
House panel takes up NLRB complaint against Boeing
A congressional panel is holding a hearing in South Carolina on a National Labor Relations Board complaint against aircraft manufacturer Boeing over a non-union jet assembly line built in the state.
The U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government convenes Friday in North Charleston with four GOP committee members.
Gov. Nikki Haley and the NLRB's chief attorney will testify. A judge in Seattle is hearing the complaint, but the committee is investigating what was behind it.
The NLRB says Boeing built an assembly line for its new 787 aircraft in South Carolina to avoid unionized workers in Washington state. Boeing has challenged the complaint, saying no union workers lost jobs. South Carolina is a right-to-work state, meaning workers don't have to join a union to work at a job site.
- Associated Press
Off the AP wire: Water search called off, convict caught, more
- A search last night failed to find a man who was seen flailing his arms in the Spokane River near the Mission Bridge in Spokane. Police and firefighters searched along the river with dogs and from boats and by air. Assistant Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer said the search was called off after several hours because it's unlikely anyone could survive very long in the frigid water.
- Richland police say a 27-year-old Grandview man fatally shot by officers fired two shots at police before they returned fire. When they did, Chief Chris Skinner says four officers fired 23 shots and James Dean Schultz died. Others with Schultz in the car that he was suspected of stealing say they didn't see Schultz with a gun.
- An escaped convict was caught following a day on the loose after he knocked on the door of a cabin in the woods – only to find out the man renting the lodge was an off-duty guard at the prison he just fled. The guard recognized James Edward Russell's red prison-issue shirt and a scuffle ensued. Russell was caught by other corrections officers later Wednesday morning.
- A 67-year-old Washington man died in a tiny southwest Alaska village when his pickup truck rolled backward and ran over him. Alaska State Troopers say Don Coffman of Federal Way died at the scene. Chignik Lagoon is a village of 78 on the south shore of the Alaska Peninsula about 450 miles southwest of Anchorage.
'Barefoot Bandit' to plead guilty in federal court
Federal officials say the 20-year-old Washington state man known as the "Barefoot Bandit" is expected to plead guilty to criminal charges stemming from his 2-year run from the law in stolen boats, cars and planes.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said Thursday that Colton Harris-Moore will plead guilty on Friday in federal court. No further comment was provided.
Authorities say Harris-Moore hopscotched his way across the United States during his run, frequently stealing cars from parking lots after landing at small airports. In Indiana, he stole another plane and made for the Bahamas, where he was captured.
Harris-Moore earned the "Barefoot Bandit" moniker by committing some of the crimes without shoes. He pleaded not guilty to a federal indictment last week, but his lawyers had signaled a deal with prosecutors was close.
- Associated Press
