Washington State

WHO: Members and friends of the youth group at Congregational Church of Topsfield (10 adults and 14 teenagers and young adults), including Barb Bodengraven, 46, of Topsfield, and Brian Loehr, 18, of Boxford WHERE: Yakima Valley, south-central Washington state WHEN: A week in July WHY: "It was a learning and service trip, and a spiritual journey," Bodengraven said. "We wanted to take everybody out of their comfort zone to learn about themselves and the world around them.

I agree with the Massachusetts Alliance Against Doctor-Prescribed Death that the proposed ballot question to legalize assisted-suicide is a recipe for elder abuse ("Mass. group hails defeat of Vermont suicide bill," Boston.com, April 14). I am an attorney in Washington State where we have a similar law. Here, my former clients include a so-called adult family home, which takes care of elderly people. Four days after our law was passed by a ballot measure in 2008, an adult child was at the home asking how to get pills to kill his father.

Swept down one waterfall and about to plunge over a much larger one, a 13-year-old boy managed to climb onto a 1-foot-wide rock shelf in a gushing Washington state river — and then stayed there for eight and a half hours until rescuers finally saved him early Sunday, sheriff's officials said. The boy was out hiking with his father and his father's friend at about 5 p.m. Saturday, when he began wading in the river above Wallace Falls, at a popular state park near Gold Bar, 45 miles northeast of Seattle in the Cascade foothills.

SEATTLE — State officials and others are searching for answers after a correctional officer was found strangled with a microphone cord in the prison chapel. Governor Chris Gregoire said yesterday that she has asked the Department of Corrections’ secretary, Eldon Vail, to review the death and look at safeguards in place. While the department routinely conducts internal reviews, Vail said he is considering asking an external agency to investigate. Union officials said the officer, Jayme Biendl, 34, had raised concerns about being the only guard in the chapel.

Samantha Prahalis overcame a slow start to spark a second-half run and No. 11 Ohio State surged to a 79-57 victory over Washington State on Thursday night. Prahalis, averaging 17.8 points, had two in the first 20 minutes as the Buckeyes (13-0) clung to a 40-35 halftime lead. She had six points in the opening four minutes after the break then hit her second 3-pointer with 11:38 left to spark a 17-1 spurt that gave the Buckeyes a 70-45 lead. Tayler Hill had 15 of her 21 points in the first half for the Buckeyes, while Prahalis finished with 20 points and 10 assists.

OLYMPIA, Wash. - Washington state Senator Scott White, a transit advocate who quickly rose to a leadership position in the Legislature, was found dead Friday at a resort hotel. He was 41. Kittitas County Sheriff Gene Dana said there was no sign of foul play in the death but that authorities are investigating because it remains unexplained. Housekeeping staff at the Suncadia Resort in Cle Elum found Mr. White after he failed to check out of his room. An autopsy is planned. The Democrat represented the state's 46th District, covering northern parts of Seattle.

Texas Representative Ron Paul is going after former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney – finally. After speculation about the apparently tight relationship between Paul and Romney, rivals in the Republican presidential race, Paul launched an ad attacking all three of his rivals, including Romney. The ad, which first aired in January before the South Carolina primary, will air in Washington state, which caucuses Saturday, and in Idaho, which votes Tuesday. A separate pro-Paul ad, focusing on his economic plan, will air in Vermont,...

Crisp, juicy, and flavorful is what consumers are clamoring for in apples. Back in the dark days of the overly sweet Red Delicious, that ideal seemed impossibly far off. Now, new varieties come closer to the mark with each passing year. Meet the latest contender: the Junami (about $1.99 a pound) - rhymes with "tuna me," not "tsunami. " It's a Swiss cross between the Idared, Maigold, and Elstar varieties, grown in Washington state and shipped east by Rainier Fruit Co., of Selah, Wash.

First Wind, a Boston-based wind energy company, said it has just marked the start of major construction on its first wind project in Washington state. The Palouse Wind project, located in Whitman County, will include the installation of 58 Vestas 1.8 mega-watt turbines. "Once complete, the Palouse Wind project will be the largest renewable energy facility in the county with the capacity to generate enough clean energy to power about 30,000 Northwest homes, equal to the total energy load of all of Whitman County," First Wind said in a press release.

I agree with the Massachusetts Alliance Against Doctor-Prescribed Death that the proposed ballot question to legalize assisted-suicide is a recipe for elder abuse ("Mass. group hails defeat of Vermont suicide bill," Boston.com, April 14). I am an attorney in Washington State where we have a similar law. Here, my former clients include a so-called adult family home, which takes care of elderly people. Four days after our law was passed by a ballot measure in 2008, an adult child was at the home asking how to get pills to kill his father.

At the end of the first half, Lenzelle Smith Jr., had 2 points and four stitches. At the end of the game, the sophomore guard had 18 points, had been a major force in stopping a late run by the Orange, and had coach Jim Boeheim lamenting Syracuse's inability to stop him. "Lenzelle, the bigger the game, the better he plays," teammate Jared Sullinger said. And that was huge against Syracuse Saturday night at TD Garden in the NCAA Tournament's East Regional final. "I thought, for the game, we did a good job on everybody except for him," Boeheim said.

Texas Representative Ron Paul is going after former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney – finally. After speculation about the apparently tight relationship between Paul and Romney, rivals in the Republican presidential race, Paul launched an ad attacking all three of his rivals, including Romney. The ad, which first aired in January before the South Carolina primary, will air in Washington state, which caucuses Saturday, and in Idaho, which votes Tuesday. A separate pro-Paul ad, focusing on his economic plan, will air in...

BEXLEY, Ohio — Mitt Romney, fresh from wins in Michigan and Arizona, immediately traveled here to the next major battleground state to try to cut into a lead currently held by Rick Santorum and seize momentum ahead of a multistate primary next week. "If I'm the nominee, I'm going to beat Barack Obama," Romney said flatly. "I don't think anyone else can. " The race is becoming a hunt for the 1,144 delegates needed to clinch the nomination, and the candidates are scattering across the country, from Massachusetts to Washington state and Vermont to Georgia.

NOVI, Mich. - Mitt Romney narrowly won the Michigan primary last night, staving off a strong challenge from Rick Santorum to avert a highly embarrassing loss in the state where the former Massachusetts governor was born and raised. The win - coupled with another in Arizona yesterday - gives Romney crucial momentum heading into Super Tuesday next week. "We didn't win by a lot but we won by enough," Romney told a crowd of cheering supporters in suburban Detroit. "And that's all that counts.

The 15-year-old taxes used to pay for the construction of Safeco Field in Washington state are coming to an end. Washington state's Department of Revenue said Monday that the taxes levied in King County will end at the beginning of October after the final payment on the Safeco Field construction bonds. The food and beverage and car rental taxes generated $26.5 million in 2010. Some state lawmakers pushed this year to extend the taxes until 2015 to help fund an expansion of Seattle's convention center and other local taxes.

Shawnta' Dyer scored 16 points and Shoni Schimmel added 14 to help No. 14 Louisville beat Washington State 75-71 on Monday night. Schimmel had eight of her points in the last 2 minutes to help the Cardinals (11-2) secure the victory. Becky Burke also had 14 points for Louisville, which has won four straight. "I was really impressed with how Shoni held it together and came through down the stretch for us," Louisville coach Jeff Walz said. Ireti Amojo had 22 points to lead Washington State (6-5)

SEATTLE — Washington was poised yesterday to become the seventh state to allow same-sex couples to marry after the state House gave final passage to such a bill. Governor Christine Gregoire promised to sign it. She is expected to do that as soon as next week, but it is not likely to take immediate effect. Under state law, if opponents gather 120,000 signatures, the measure will be put to a referendum before it can be enacted. The Washington vote came just a day after a court ruling in California that struck down that state's ban on same-sex marriage, and it precedes...

SEATTLE - A federal judge yesterday sentenced "Barefoot Bandit" Colton Harris-Moore to 6 1/2 years in prison for his infamous two-year international crime spree of break-ins and boat and plane thefts that ended in 2010. Harris-Moore hop-scotched his way across the United States, authorities said. He flew a plane stolen in northwestern Washington to the San Juan Islands, stole a pistol in British Columbia, took a plane from Idaho to Washington state, stole a boat in southwestern Washington to go to Oregon, and took a plane in Indiana and flew to the Bahamas, where he was arrested.