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NEW AND DEVELOPING
WASH WILDFIRES: latest is 2nd Ld-Writethru
CURED OF HIV: new, latest is 2nd Ld-Writethru
TAINTED RICOTTA CHEESE: new, latest is 2nd Ld-Writethru
See new items in ALSO category
EDUCATION DOLLARS
MERCER ISLAND — The Washington Legislature's first report to the state Supreme Court on its progress toward paying the full cost of basic education for kids in public school won't tell the justices anything new. But the draft report, which was discussed at a committee meeting on Mercer Island on Wednesday, does offer a nice overview of what the Legislature has been up to these past few years. By Donna Gordon Blankinship.
VOTING-IMMIGRANTS
SEATTLE — Washington state won't be able to access a federal database of legal immigrants to examine voting eligibility, The Secretary of State's office announced Tuesday. Election officials said because the state doesn't require proof of legal status during the process of obtaining a driver's license, there is missing information that would be needed to access Homeland Security's Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements program. By Manuel Valdes.
WASH WILDFIRES
YAKIMA — Firefighters dug fire lines and lit backfires in an effort to contain several large wildfires burning across 170 square miles of Eastern Washington Wednesday after cooler weather overnight helped to keep the lightning-sparked blazes from growing. Meanwhile, fire managers worried about the potential for new fire starts west of the Cascades. By Shannon Dininny.
AP Photos WAWEN103, WAWEN104, WAWEN105, WAWEN106, WAWEN101.
WHOOPING COUGH-WASH
SEATTLE — Michelle Razore's infant daughter spent 72 days in the hospital and almost died from whooping cough in 2010. She still doesn't know how Natalie got sick and has spent the days and months since then trying to convince everyone she meets to get vaccinated. By Donna Gordon Blankinship.
FAA-VOTING ALLEGATIONS
WASHINGTON — The head of the Federal Aviation Administration says an independent federal agency is investigating allegations that FAA managers in Seattle urged employees to vote Democratic in the upcoming election. FAA acting Administration Michael Huerta says no one from his agency or elsewhere in the Obama administration gave such directions about how to vote. By Josh Lederman.
TAINTED RICOTTA CHEESE
WASHINGTON — Federal health officials say ricotta cheese tainted with listeria bacteria is linked to 14 illnesses and at least one death. The imported Italian ricotta salata cheese distributed by Forever Cheese, Inc., of New York is linked to illnesses in 11 states including Washington and the District of Columbia, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Forever Cheese issued a recall of one lot— 800 wheels of ricotta salata, or roughly 4,800 pounds — on Monday.
CURED OF HIV
ST. LOUIS — The first person reportedly cured of HIV said Wednesday he is hopeful that medical advances will allow others suffering from the virus that causes AIDS to be cured, too. Timothy Ray Brown of San Francisco is known as "The Berlin Patient" because of where he was treated. He and the doctor who treated him, Gero Hutter, made their first joint appearance in the U.S. on Wednesday when Hutter spoke at a symposium on gene therapy at Washington University in St. Louis. Brown grew up in Seattle. By Jim Salter.
AP Photos planned.
NORTHWEST WINE
KENNEWICK — While we often think of Washington wine country as stretching between the cities of Yakima and Walla Walla, the North Central Washington region is not only coming into its own, but also playing an important role. This summer, Wine Press Northwest and Foothills magazines combined to put on the second annual North Central Washington Wine Awards, and the results were recently revealed. An AP Member Exchange by Andy Perdue and Eric Degerman, Wine Press Northwest.
SPORTS
BBA--MARINERS-BLUE JAYS
TORONTO — The Mariners go with Kevin Millwood as the starter on Wednesday against Ricky Romero and the Blue Jays.
FBN--SEAHAWKS
RENTON — Pete Carroll spent most of last season dealing with the Seattle Seahawks' inordinate amount of penalties. There were 138 to be exact, a franchise record and the second most in the NFL last season. So with the penalty problem being a point of emphasis, what did the Seahawks do in the season opener at Arizona? They committed 13 more infractions, tied for the most in Week 1. By Tim Booth.
COWBOYS CENTER
IRVING, Texas — Ryan Cook was playing against the Dallas Cowboys in their preseason finale only a couple of weeks ago. Now he's their starting center going into second game of the season. By Sports Writer Stephen Hawkins. AP Photo ERU111.
BKL--STORM-FEVER
INDIANAPOLIS — TWith an eighth consecutive playoff appearance clinched, the Fever are looking to wrap up a home-court advantage when Seattle visits Wednesday night.
ALSO
— PACIFIC CREST TRAIL FINISH — California hiker injured near Canada, 6 miles short of finishing Pacific Crest Trail.
— PEARL HARBOR BURIALS — Survivor of Pearl Harbor bombing, who retired in Washington state, to have ashes interred on USS Arizona.
— OFFICER FUND-EMBEZZLEMENT — New charges against Lakewood police embezzler.
— SPOKANE POLICE CHIEF — State gives new Spokane police chief a waiver.
— LIBYA AMBASSADOR-SISTER — Slain Libya ambassador's sister a Seattle doctor.
— WEST SEATTLE HUM — Don't blame fish for West Seattle hum.
— SEATTLE SEAWALL — New Seattle seawall would be 10 to 15 feet inland.
— APPLE HARVEST — Harvest peaking for big Washington apple crop. AP Photo planned.
— WILLAPA BAY MARSH — Dike breached to expand marsh at Willapa refuge. AP Photo planned.
— BPA 75TH ANNIVERSARY — 75th anniversary for Bonneville Dam and BPA.
— WINDOW WASHER FALLS — Bellingham window washer injured in fall.
— CABIN BURNS — Historic cabin burns in Gifford Pinchot Forest.
— COYOTE RIDGE PRISON LOCKDOWN — 3 guards assaulted at Coyote Ridge prison.
