Local News

Your guide to the latest news from around the Northwest

Good morning.

Not news for a cheery commute: A new report says that on average, Seattle drivers wasted 48 hours stuck in traffic last year.

And the rain’s back: OK, so you got a couple of days’ reprieve. But if I were a betting man, I’d take my chances on rain the next three days.

Dreamliner may soon be back in the air for test flights: The FAA is likely to let Boeing fly its 787 Dreamliner as early as this week on test flights only. Boeing wants to gather data on the operation of the battery system in flight. But the grounding of passenger flights will continue.

More on PTSD screening at Madigan: An Army investigation has found that only Madigan Army Medical Center used forensic psychiatrists to screen patients under consideration for medical retirement, according to Army Secretary John McHugh. Read the full story by reporter Hal Bernton. Last year, a Madigan investigation led the Army to stop using forensic psychiatrists for screening PTSD and other behavioral-health patients.

But really, what goes with a 27.8-carat diamond ring ?  Well, if you were Michael R. and Linda Mastro, a nice companion piece might be a ring of almost 16 carats, as well as rubies and emeralds and pearls — so many that they cover a table top. Reporter Eric Pryne writes today that between 75 and 200 pieces of jewelry — seized after the fugitive former real-estate magnate and his wife were arrested in France –  have been returned to Seattle or are on their way back. The jewels are in the FBI’s possession, said James Rigby,  the court-appointed trustee in Mastro’s massive bankruptcy case. Rigby got a look last week at the pieces — packaged in evidence bags. “It’s hard to describe the emotional impact of seeing a table covered with bags full of diamonds and rubies and emeralds and pearls,” Rigby said. “The amount of wealth it represented was just phenomenal.” The collection is worth at least $3 million, he estimated.

Most-read stories this morning on seattletimes.com:

• Vanity plates: some take too much license
• Small Ala. town: Relief that child hostage is safe   
• Huskies get commitment, wait on others to decide
• Boeing     787’s problems blamed on outsourcing, lack of oversight
• NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes might be moving, but Seattle probably isn’t first in line for the team