Washington News

Hurricane-Force Winds Kick Up Pacific Northwest Wildfires

PORTLAND, Ore. — Hurricane-force winds and high temperatures kicked up wildfires across parts of the Pacific Northwest over the Labor Day weekend, burning hundreds of thousands of acres and mostly destroying the small town of Malden in eastern Washington. “Today …

Northwest Hit With More Snow, Wind, Power Outages, Two Rescued

SKYKOMISH, Wash. — More snow fell in the Northwest through Wednesday, causing Washington state officials to send food, water and fuel to an area hit hard northeast of Seattle and resulting in a hourslong rescue of a stranded couple southwest …

Supervisor of Washington Prison Asbestos Program Fired

Washington state’s Department of Corrections has fired the supervisor in charge of an inmate work crew that used unsafe practices in cleaning up asbestos. The agency last year closed down the 23-year-old program that sent prisoners to clean up cancer-causing …

Washington Mother Daughter Duo Engaged in False Billing Scam

Two Mount Vernon-area women, who provided interpretation services for Spanish-speaking injured workers, must repay the state thousands of dollars from a false billing scam. Gloria Mendoza Garcia and her daughter, Gloria Del Rocio Gonzalez, were each sentenced to 30 days …

Washington Workers’ Comp Fraudsters Receive Jail Time

Three defendants from Tacoma, East Wenatchee and Idaho have been sentenced for cheating the Washington state system that helps injured workers. In three unrelated cases, the offenders each pleaded guilty to felony theft for stealing workers’ compensation benefits from the …

GEICO Hiring Auto Damage Adjusters for Washington Offices

To keep up with rapid growth, GEICO is hiring dedicated auto damage adjusters in Seattle and Renton, Wash. Candidates with excellent customer service and time management skills as well as a strong desire to help customers after an accident are …

Blast at Washington LNG Site Raises Alarm on Natural Gas Safety

An unexplained blast this week at a liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in rural Washington state, which injured workers, forced an evacuation and raised alarm about a potentially large second explosion, could focus attention on the risk of storing massive …

Washington Man Fakes Work Injuries, Cons Hospitals

A 41-year-old Bremerton, Wash., man has been sentenced to 26 months in prison for defrauding hospitals to get painkillers. Robert B. Boyer, Jr., pleaded guilty recently to 10 felony counts of fraudulently obtaining controlled substances, according to the Washington Attorney …

Trial Set in Washington Workers’ Comp Case

A 38-year-old East Wenatchee, Wash., man faces an April 24 trial on a charge of defrauding the state of workers’ compensation benefits in a case that goes back years. Rodimiro Cardenas Pacheco pleaded not guilty today to a first-degree theft …

Washington Homeowner Fights to Keep Treehouse

Zeb Postelwait always wanted to build a treehouse for his sons. He got the chance last summer after moving into a Wenatchee, Wash., home with a big tree in the front yard. Two months later he received his first notice …