Local News

A King County Sheriff’s deputy conducting a trailhead check in the Duvall area discovered a man dead with a gunshot wound to the chest Saturday night.

The deputy found the body next to his vehicle about 9:20 p.m. Saturday near the 17000 block of Duvall-Monroe Road. Deputy Charlie Akers said in a statement it appears the man accidentally shot himself as he was putting away his gear after a day of hunting.

Officials did not release the man’s identity or other details.

Police took a man into custody after he tried to barricade himself in his burning apartment in Kent this morning, fire officials said.

Police had gone to the apartment in the 24000 block of 110th Place Southeast, were not allowed to enter, and while at the scene, a fire started in the man’s apartment, said fire Capt. Kyle Ohashi. Police called firefighters.

By the time firefighters arrived, Ohashi said, the man had been arrested.

Firefighters contained the fire to the first-floor apartment, though several units had smoke in them. The residents were not injured.

Firefighters and paramedics evaluated the man, and he was taken to a hospital for an unknown reason, Ohashi said.

Several Seattle streets will be closed — as will the Interstate 90 express lanes to Mercer Island – or partially closed during the Seattle Marathon on Sunday.

Look for some closures as early as 5:30 a.m., with more popping up through the morning.

The race begins and ends at Seattle Center.

Check out the map below for details about when and where to expect traffic restrictions.

The Associated Press

A fire official in the east Seattle suburb of Kirkland said a water main that broke Friday night sent thousands of gallons of water into city streets.

KOMO-TV reported the break occurred at about 7 p.m. at Third Avenue and Fifth Street, about two blocks from City Hall.

Kirkland Fire Battalion Chief Mike Haschak said about 1,000 gallons of water poured out during each of the 45 minutes it took to turn off the flow.

He says the water damaged a portion of Third Avenue. A 100-foot-long stretch of the street was closed to traffic Friday night.

Weather: OK, but gray today. High around 50. Likelihood of rain increases as the day goes along, and prepare to be drenched Sunday (you might want to head back from Thanksgiving early?), forecasters say. Here’s the National Weather Service forecast.

90,000 UW Medicine patients told medical info stolen: UW Medicine has sent out letters, starting to notify about 90,000 of its patients that medical information was stolen during a malware attack last month. In 15,000 of those cases, Social Security numbers may have been taken. A spokeswoman said it has taken more than a month to analyze the activity and figure out which patients are most at risk of identity theft. Read more from reporter Katherine Long.

Keeping kids away from pot: What about the children? To curtail youth access to legal marijuana, reporter Bob Young tells us that state officials plan to use minors in pot-buying attempts next year when stores are expected to open.

Huskies top Cougars in Apple Cup: Washington struggled in the first half of the Apple Cup on Friday, but the Dawgs eventually rallied for a 27-17 victory. (WSU coach Mike Leach has no regrets on the calls he made for the Cougars, reporter Bud Withers writes.) UW’s Bishop Sankey broke two rushing records, one of which was Corey Dillon’s 17-year-old record for most rushing yards in a season by a UW running back. The Huskies will likely have to wait until next week for a bowl-game announcement, though most have the Huskies projected to play Brigham Young in the Fight Hunger Bowl on Dec. 27 in San Francisco. For more about the in-state rivalry, check out Jerry Brewer’s column on Sankey and Larry Stone’s column on Keith Price.

Most-read stories on seattletimes.com: 

• Obamas say family may stay on in D.C. after presidency ends
• Huskies, Cougars enter Apple Cup with hope, winning records
• Keith Price, Bishop Sankey rally Huskies to win over Cougars in Apple Cup
• Brace for big freeze — maybe Seattle snow —  weather service warns
• Friday TV Picks: ‘Garth Brooks, Live from Las Vegas’ on CBS

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A grease fire, started just before noon today after food was left unattended on the stove, left a man with second-degree burns and suffering from smoke inhalation, Seattle fire officials said.

The fire began in the kitchen of a third-floor unit of a four-story apartment building in the 3200 block of Eastlake Avenue East, officials said. The apartment’s occupant called dispatchers to report the fire had reached the kitchen cabinets. Firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke in the hallway.  The building’s alarm system had activated and many residents had already evacuated.

Firefighters contained the fire to the kitchen. The apartment had heavy smoke damage.

The man declined to be treated. Two of his cats were taken to a veterinary hospital — one for burns and smoke inhalation, the other for evaluation.

Earlier today, firefighters were at another fire on Eastlake Avenue East.

Overheated electrical wiring, officials said, started a house fire in the 2200 block of Eastlake Avenue East.  The homeowner called 911 about 5:50 a.m. to report fire and black smoke pouring from his attic. The occupants were out of the house by the time firefighters arrived to find flames reaching toward a neighboring structure. The flames were extinguished within 10 minutes, and contained to the attic.

Investigators determined the wiring in the attic ignited adjacent wood ceiling joists.

Happy Thanksgiving! We hope your day is happy and healthy.

Weather: Foggy this morning, but a dry day is in store. Low 50s. How nice is that? Cold temperatures are coming, though, and the chance of rain increases as the weekend rolls along. A storm is being talked about that could dump lots of snow on the Cascades by Sunday night. “If you’re traveling on passes this weekend, you might want to do that on Saturday,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Johnny Burg. Here’s more of what we learned, and the full National Weather Service forecast.

Need last-minute Thanksgiving Day cooking tips? Or are you reading this while your loved one is in the kitchen struggling? We can help. We can’t get you to defrost the turkey in time, but we do offer some other recipes (some are quick) for dips, drinks, sides, desserts. Yes, we have info on how to dress up the bird, too.

Need to watch football today? There is plenty. You can watch college and pro throughout the day, just to limber you up for tomorrow afternoon’s Apple Cup. College football reporter Bud Withers highlights the weekend’s college offerings, day by day, from Texas Tech vs. Texas and Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State today to Iowa at Nebraska tomorrow (again, why is Nebraska in the Big 10?) to Alabama at Auburn to … OK, it’s almost endless … Big rivalry weekend.

If you are fortunate enough to be sitting at a table of plenty today, your mind may well turn to others in need. One way to give this holiday season is through the Seattle Times Fund For The Needy, which raises money for a group of charities that help children, families and senior citizens. Today, reporter Janet I. Tu has a story on Kindering Center, one of the organizations helped by the fund. Kindering serves about 3,500 children, providing physical and speech therapy and special education for children up to 3 years old. About a quarter of Kindering Center’s budget is from foundations and private donations, including from The Seattle Times Fund for the Needy.

Most-read stories on seattletimes.com:

• Seattle man’s frugal life leaves rich legacy for 3 institutions
• Brace for big freeze — maybe Seattle snow —  weather service warns
• Pete Carroll must find answers for wave of suspensions | Jerry Brewer
• Got pot? Don’t get Seahawked | Danny Westneat
• Seahawks ‘disappointed’ but not worried about suspensions

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Weather:  Sunny, high around 50. The forecast.

Pot party coming to Seattle Center:  To celebrate the one-year anniversary of legal weed in the state, the city of Seattle has granted a permit for a pot party at Seattle Center on Dec. 6. “No matter how often you might have smoked weed at Folklife or Bumbershoot, you were civilly disobedient,” said pot activist Ben Livingston. “This is the first time ever on-site cannabis consumption is permitted at Seattle Center.” Reporter Bob Young explains what went into getting the city to say yes, and gives more details on the party.

April 15 was apparently just another day: Former Bellevue real-estate developer Winston Bontrager was sentenced Friday to 11 years in prison for failing to pay more than $2.7 million in income taxes. His girlfriend, Pauline Anderson, was sentenced to 39 months for her involvement. During the trial, the prosecutor made the case that Bontrager and Anderson failed to report more than $23 million in income from development deals. Read how the judge took to quoting famed psychoanalyst Erich Fromm on the the subject of greed, and see a photo of the couple in happier times — she, in a hat — at the racetrack.

Light-rail to UW likely to open several months early: Don’t get out your ORCA cards yet, but Sound Transit officials now say the light-rail extension from Westlake Station to Capitol Hill and Husky Stadium will open “with certainty” in the first quarter of 2016.  That is six to nine months sooner than the earlier projection of September 2016. Transportation reporter Mike Lindblom took a tour of the station near Husky Stadium, and writes how within a few years, 40,000 riders are expected to use the station daily.

Huskies eager for a win tonight, but so are Beavers: UW plays Oregon State tonight in Corvallis, hoping to turn things around. Who starts at quarterback for Washington will remain a mystery to the public until just before kickoff, writes reporter Adam Jude. Redshirt freshman quarterback Cyler Miles has been preparing all week as if he would take over for the injured Keith Price, but UW coach Steve Sarkisian said Friday he wouldn’t be announcing a starter publicly. The game starts at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2.

Elwha River exhibit starts at Burke Museum: The exhibit, which opens today with a lineup of activities, tells the story of the river, the people who have depended on it, and the changes brought on by the construction of two dams and by the biggest dam-removal project in U.S. history. “Elwha: A River Reborn,” is based on the book of the same name by Seattle Times reporter Lynda V. Mapes and photographer Steve Ringman. Mapes will speak today, and members of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe will talk and perform for the opening of the exhibit, which combines photographs, artifacts from an ancient Klallam village, a million-year-old salmon fossil and hands-on activities. Read more about today’s activities and the exhibit. The Burke is on the University of Washington campus at 17th Avenue NE and NE 45th Street. The exhibit runs through March 9.

Most-read stories on seattletimes.com:

• City to pay jaywalker $15,000 in civil-rights suit against Seattle
• 500-toker pot party gets OK’d outdoors at Seattle Center
• Off the field, Pete Carroll is an evangelist for better living | Jerry Brewer
• After mistaken landing, cargo pilot was confused
• President Obama in Seattle on Sunday for fundraisers

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Weather: ….. Snow in the mountains, so some ski resorts are open. Sun and clouds in the lowlands, but dry. Highs in the mid- to upper 40s. The forecast.

Richard Conlin concedes: The four-term member of the Seattle City Council — he of the consensus-building and pygmy goats and plastic-bag ban legislation, and a lot of  pro-environment and pro-transit votes over the years — conceded the election yesterday afternoon. Conlin was ahead on election night, but the results turned around — stunningly — after that, and Kshama Sawant, a former Occupy Seattle protester, will be the council’s newest member. City Councilmember Nick Licata said of Conlin: “Probably no person more than him has led the green revolution in Seattle’s consciousness.” Read reporter Brian M. Rosenthal’s look back at Conlin’s career and what might be expected from Sawant.

Ex-Seattle schools official headed to prison: Silas Potter Jr., who once headed a Seattle Public Schools small-business program, was sentenced yesterday to three years and seven months in prison for accepting about $80,000 in kickbacks from a contractor who did no work. The judge called Potter’s actions a “significant breach of the public trust.”

Voter turnout is lowest in a decade: Despite the convenience of an all-mail election, state voter turnout in 2013 was the weakest since 2003. Statewide turnout in the November election was 44.5 percent as of Friday. Several thousand ballots remain to be counted, but even so… lowest since 2003, when 40.5 percent of voters cast ballots, according to Secretary of State Kim Wyman’s office. King County and Seattle, with its battle for mayor, had higher turnouts. Read more from political reporter Jim Brunner about this year’s voting and take a look back at our eagerness to vote in other years.

Husky football: UCLA proved too much for the Huskies last night, as UW lost 41-31. The Huskies are 0-3 on the road in the Pac-12.“It’s probably good that we have an extra day to regroup,” UW coach Steve Sarkisian said, “because that locker room is hurting right now.” Reporter Adam Jude has the story of the game and the frustration.

Seahawks: I know it’s a college-football day, and our daily memo is really supposed to deal with today, but really, isn’t every day just a countdown to the next Seahawks game? With that in mind, it’s worth mentioning that receiver Percy Harvin appears ready to make his Seahawks debut tomorrow. Harvin, who has been recovering from hip surgery, is likely to play in a limited role against his former team, the Minnesota Vikings. Coach Pete Carroll hedged a bit about whether Harvin would play, but… we’ll see. The Vikings play here. Kickoff is 1:25 p.m. tomorrow.

Most-read stories on seattletimes.com:

• Boeing launches hunt for 777X site
• ‘Dallas 1963’: dark days before the Kennedy assassination | Book review
• Seattle Times critic picks her top restaurants of 2013 | Taste
• Seahawks’ draft class of ’13 earns incomplete
• Small sinkhole found above Highway 99 tunnel machine

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The Associated Press

SPOKANE — Two Gonzaga students are facing possible expulsion from the university for pulling out a gun when someone tried to force his way into their on-campus apartment.

KHQ-TV reports the student handbook says students may not have handguns on campus or university-owned property. University officials explain the policy is in place for student safety.

On Friday a university discipline board decided to move forward with sanctions, including possible expulsion for the Oct. 24 incident involving a felon who the students say demanded money and was frustrated when he was turned down.

One student has a concealed-weapons permit for the gun and did not know at the time that possessing it violated school policy.