News
Columbian Newspaper
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World donors pledge more than 2 billion euros in aid for war-stricken Sudan
PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron announced Monday that world donors are pledging more than 2 billion euros in aid for Sudan after a yearlong war that has pushed its population to the brink of famine. |
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Ethiopia’s Sisay Lemma wins Boston Marathon in runaway; Kenya’s Hellen Obiri repeats in women’s race
BOSTON (AP) — Sisay Lemma scorched the first half of the Boston Marathon course on Monday, setting a record pace to build a lead of more than half of a mile. |
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Vancouver man sentenced to a year and a day for WSU robbery
PULLMAN — A Vancouver man was sentenced to just over a year in prison for a robbery on Washington State University’s campus in July. |
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Ship that caused bridge collapse had apparent electrical issues while still docked, AP source says
BALTIMORE (AP) — The massive container ship that caused the deadly collapse of a Baltimore bridge experienced apparent electrical issues before it left port but set out anyway, someone with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Monday, hours after the FBI said it was investigating whether any laws might have been broken. |
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Nominees for The Columbian 2023-24 Week 23 prep athletes of the week sponsored by Killer Burger
Here are the nominees for The Columbian 2023-24 Week 23 high school athlete of the week, sponsored by Killer Burger. |
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Ohio River near Pittsburgh is closed as crews search for missing barge, one of 26 that broke loose
A stretch of the Ohio River near Pittsburgh remained closed to maritime traffic on Monday as crews equipped with sonar looked for a barge believed to have sunk over the weekend — one of more than two dozen barges that broke loose and floated down the rain-swollen river. |
The Chronicle - Centralia
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Commentary: Local descendant finds big surprise at American Revolution exhibit in Thurston County 
How would you feel if you walked into a national exhibition and saw your own direct relative’s image and life narrative as part of the story? That is exactly what happened to Stuart Halsan and Stephen Pahre on April 11 when they viewed a traveling exhibit making its way around the country. They saw it in Tumwater at the historic Schmidt House. The exhibit, The American Revolution Experience, explores the lives of ordinary people who were affected by the events of the American Revolutionary War. It is an exhibit of ordinary people, but there were 231,000 soldiers in the Continental Army, which does not include all the civilians who provided food, supplies, medical care and other civilian support. Only 23 people are highlighted in the exhibit. What are the odds a descendant would visit? Stephen Tainter was barely 16 years old when he joined his first patriot militia unit. Instead of a gun, Tainter carried a drum. During the American Revolution, some young patriots who were not yet old enough to enlist as regular soldiers instead served as musicians. Tainter and his fellow drummers performed vital services in camps and on the battlefield. The beat of Tainter's drum kept soldiers in sync as they marched. Tainter beat out a cadence to raise soldiers for the day, gather for meals and end the day's work. Importantly, Tainter helped translate commanding officers' orders on the battlefield. His loud drum beats carried over long distances and above the noise of battle. He joined his first unit, Sparhawk's regiment, just in time to spend the winter of 1776-1777 with the Continental Army in New Jersey. Tainter served in the war for eight years by the time he was 24 years old. After the war, he worked 30 years as a physician and had a family that has, obviously, survived to this date. To read about his adventures, visit https://tinyurl.com/mryttdjc.
About a couple of his descendants Steve Pahre is a pharmacist and got his degree at Washington State University. Stuart Halsan, his uncle, received a bachelor’s degree from the Foster School at the University of Washington and a law degree from Gonzaga. Halsan is retired now, but practiced in Centralia and served in both the state House of Representatives and state Senate. He also served 10 years on the Centralia College Board of Trustees and is currently a trustee and the treasurer of the ALL Foundation of Washington State, which manages the endowments for the state archives, library and Legacy programs through the Secretary of State's office. Halsan’s wife, Kathy, is a retired special education teacher with almost 40 years in the Centralia School District focused on preschool special education and autism. She received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Western Washington University. Here’s how they are related, according to Halsan: “Stephen was my fifth great-grandfather ... His son, Stephen Gorham Tainter, was my fourth ... Gor, as he was called, had a daughter, Julia Catherine (Tainter) Nickerson, my third great-grandmother, and Julia's daughter, Lois (Nickerson) Kellogg, my great-great-grandmother. Her daughter, Jessie (Kellogg) McPherson, my great-grandmother. Her son, Herbert McPherson, was my Grandfather, whom I knew ... And his daughter, Estella, was my mother. That's just the relevant line. Gor married Anna Hurd, whose father, Lewis Hurd, was the sergeant serving in Lafayette's light infantry at Yorktown and who was part of the 200 Americans who took Redoubt No. 10 under Hamilton. Herbert's wife, Blanche Woolley, (was) my grandmother ... Her line goes back to Nathaniel Wooley of Concord." The other people featured in the exhibit are young and old, patriots and loyalists, black, white, and native American, born in North America or Europe, free and enslaved. The pop-up exhibition includes display panels and interactive digital kiosks that use storytelling, illustration, technology and unique artifacts and primary accounts to connect modern audiences with the people and places that shaped the birth of our nation. The exhibit, which opened April 5, will be open for a final day on Wednesday, April 17, at the Schmidt House, 330 Schmidt Place SW, in Tumwater. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free. The Schmidt House is owned and operated by the Olympia Tumwater Foundation. The Schmidt House is among only three venues in Western Washington that will host the American Revolution Experience in 2024, introducing visitors to a cast of historical characters with diverse experiences throughout the conflict and the places they visited on their journey. The three venues include historic houses in Tumwater, Puyallup and Seattle. There is a great diversity of experience and a high quality of story-telling with attention to detail and concern for accuracy. I encourage you to see the exhibit while it is still there. For more information, call the Schmidt House office at 360-890-2299. |
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Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders wants a helicopter, GPS trackers, cameras and nets
Thurston County’s Sheriff says he wants a new helicopter, tracking devices, grapple nets and license plate cameras to improve public safety. Sheriff Derek Sanders briefed the Board of Commissioners about the requests last week, but it’s still uncertain if the board will approve them soon. Contracts for the technology have not been finalized and commissioners are still evaluating their merits. Additionally, Sanders said his office is on a federal waitlist to get the helicopter. The briefings came as the Sheriff’s Office is contending with low staffing and is anticipating changes in state pursuit laws approved earlier this year by the state legislature. On Wednesday, Sanders gave the board a rundown on the helicopter he wants, specifically a four-seater TH67 helicopter. County documents describe it as a military training helicopter that the county can obtain through a federal program that transfers surplus military property to law enforcement agencies. Sanders also updated the board about his requests for GPS tracking devices, grapple nets for vehicles and license plate cameras on Tuesday. He said the first two technologies would be used to de-escalate vehicle pursuits while the cameras would be used to keep track of vehicles of interest on county roadways. Last month, the state legislature passed an initiative to rollback limits on police pursuits that Democrats passed in recent years. Those changes go into effect in June. “I advocated for this law change, but I also don’t want to say, ‘We’re pursuing cars now, so be it,’” Sanders said on Tuesday. “Anything that we can do to mitigate the risk of high-speed chases I want to at least try. That’s been my big thing.”
How would the county use a helicopter? Sanders said the helicopter would be used for search and rescue efforts across the county. To that aim, he said it will be outfitted with a forward-looking infrared (FLIR) camera that the county already owns. “Between Capitol Forest and all our waterways, the helicopter would be a much more efficient way to extract people, locate people and assist in those operations compared to just a ground search, which typically includes dozens of volunteers and commissioned staff,” Sanders said. County documents show response times to water incidents can be more than 45 minutes on Puget Sound and 30 minutes on rivers with the Sheriff’s Office’s current means. The helicopter could cut water rescue response times in half and burn much less fuel than boats at a lower cost per gallon, according to Sanders’ documents. Sanders said county boats burn about 50 gallons of fuel per hour whereas a helicopter would burn 25 gallons per hour. Sanders said the Sheriff’s Office also could use the helicopter to find and track suspects who are eluding police. Washington State Patrol often helps other jurisdictions with their aircraft, but Sanders said his office cannot rely on them to always be available. “(The WSP aircraft) is constantly going up and down the I-5 corridor,” Sanders said. “So, the ability for us to have our own air unit that we can dispatch on our own at our own convenience would be a huge asset for us.”
How much will a helicopter cost the county? Sanders said the federal government would provide the helicopter at no cost to the county and his office can absorb fuel and insurance costs within its current budget. He estimated insurance will cost about $15,000. Brian Reynolds, president and chief executive officer of Northwest Helicopters, attended the briefing as well. He said he plans to have about five pilots on staff and at least one should be able to respond to requests from the Sheriff’s Office. Commissioner Wayne Fournier asked Reynolds how he benefits from this arrangement. Reynolds said this is “strictly a donation to the community.” He said he’s flown in search and rescue operations in the past and believes in their effectiveness. “I am willing to help the community, help the people and help a program such as this to improve the safety of the county,” Reynolds said.
How do tracking devices, grappler nets and cameras work? The GPS tracker is provided by a company called Starchase. The trackers are deployed from a “discreet bumper mount” on the front of a patrol vehicle onto a suspect vehicle, according to county documents. Once attached, the documents indicate deputies can use the tracker to follow the vehicle from a distance using a computer or phone app. The Grappler Police Bumper allows deputies to stop a vehicle without performing a precision immobilization technique (PIT) maneuver. This system works by deploying a net that can catch the back wheel of a fleeing vehicle. The license plate cameras produced by Flock Safety work by capturing vehicle information, such as license plate numbers, make, model and paint color. This information is automatically uploaded to a searchable online database where it’s stored for 30 days before automatically being deleted, according to county documents. The city of Olympia is already contracting with Flock Safety to install 16 cameras on the west side near the Capital Mall Triangle and on the Interstate 5 exits on the east side, The Olympian reported last month.
Where does the board stand? Sanders proposed buying these items during a Tuesday meeting where the board decides what to include in their upcoming regular meeting agendas. The agenda for the meeting indicates the Sheriff’s Office would spend $76,022 plus shipping and handling for 22 Flock Safety cameras, $48,663 plus shipping and handling for six grappler units, and $42,796 plus shipping and handling for Starchase tracker units. The board decided to indefinitely table the agenda item for the cameras, citing lingering privacy concerns and questions about the technology. However, Sanders asked that the board move quicker on the other two items because of the looming law changes and recent high-profile pursuits. “These next two items aren’t an invasion of privacy,” Sanders said. “They’re not anything other than saving the high-dollar lawsuits that could occur in the event a high-speed pursuit goes wrong.” Last month, a driver fled from deputies on the Chehalis Western Trail. Deputies used a PIT maneuver to stop the driver but he accelerated in reverse and crashed into a trailer parked in a private driveway. On April 7, deputies assisted Lacey police in a pursuit that ended in a wrong-way crash on Interstate 5 in south Thurston County. Police also used a PIT maneuver on that driver, but he rammed patrol vehicles to escape. The board ultimately postponed consideration of the grappler units and Starchase trackers to their April 30 board meeting. “I think those two pieces of technology that are related to the pursuit safety are important,” Commissioner and Board Chair Tye Menser said. “I’m not there on the Flock thing. I have a lot of concerns.” Commissioner Emily Clouse said she wanted more time to review the grappler and Starchase proposals. “It seems like it could be a good tool to lower the risk of pursuits, but I would just take a little bit more time to look into it before we approve it,” Clouse said. |
Washington State News
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Jets face Kraken, aim to clinch home ice in first round
(Photo credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports)
The Jets will look to seal home-ice advantage in the first round of the NHL playoffs when they welcome the Seattle Kraken to Winnipeg on Tuesday night.
A win in regulation, or just simply getting the game to overtime, would guarantee the Jets (50-24-6, 106 points) will play in Winnipeg when Game1 of their series with the Colorado Avalanche begins.
That tiebreaker advantage s
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The Stand (Washington Labor News)
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Sacred Heart faces strike | USPS woes | UAW vote in Tennessee
Monday, April 15, 2024 LOCAL ► From the Peninsula Daily News — Port Angeles schools open following contract — The Port Angeles School District and the union representing paraeducators reached a tentative contract agreement after bargaining for more than seven hours Sunday, opening all schools Monday at their usual time. ► From Q13 […] The post Sacred Heart faces strike | USPS woes | UAW vote in Tennessee appeared first on The STAND. |
