Local News

Authorities in Phoenix still are trying to determine the events that led to the death of a former yo-yo champion originally from Mount Vernon.

Phoenix police say 23-year-old Nathan DeWitt died early Wednesday after being taken to a hospital.

Police and Phoenix Fire Department crews responded to a rollover crash shortly after midnight and found an SUV on its side.

They say DeWitt crawled out of the vehicle and had been shot. Police say it’s still unclear if DeWitt died from the shooting wound, injuries from the crash or both.

Detectives say DeWitt possibly was at Christmas party before the shooting.

The Arizona Republic reported Thursday that DeWitt was the 2005 Pacific Northwest yo-yo champion and placed eighth in the 2008 competition and 18th last year.

Below is a video of DeWitt doing a “360 ear spin.”

Weather:  Rain in the morning, showers in the evening. That’s the wet forecast for today — a trend likely to carry over into Monday.   For more details, read the National Weather Service forecast.

Traffic: The I-5 express lanes are closed this morning through 10:15 a.m. for the annual Jingle Bell Run and Walk. And, as usual, congestion can be expected around 1:00 p.m. leading into downtown Seattle because of the Seattle Seahawks game at CenturyLink field. See the map and cams.

With a midnight ceremony at the Seattle Yacht Club, Mary Davidson and Monica Rozgay were one of the first couples to wed on Marriage Equality Day in Washington. (Photo by Bettina Hansen / The Seattle Times)

Early ceremonies kicked off a day of same-sex marriages in Washington state:  The ceremonies, the first of a day that’s expected to include hundreds, had little in common besides their timing: Sarah and Emily Cofer married in front of a few friends in a King County courtroom, while Monica Rozgay and Mary Davidson exchanged vows in a long-planned celebration at the Seattle Yacht Club. Read more about those weddings. Expect more stories and photos today as we continue to cover same-sex marriages in the region.

Seahawks play Arizona: As sports reporter Danny O’Neil says, there may not be a second chance to make a first impression, but Seattle will get its first chance at redemption against Arizona on Sunday. You can catch the game, which starts at 1:25 p.m.  In Seattle, you can see the game on Channel 13.

Ferry woes: The breakdown of a ferry on the Seattle-Bremerton run could pose a problem for fans trying to get to Sunday’s Seahawks game.

Washington State Ferries spokeswoman Susan Harris says that while the Sealth is out of service, a smaller ferry with a capacity of about 700 people has been called in as a replacement. That ferry is scheduled to make the 9:45 run from Bremerton to Seattle, and that’s the one people should try to avoid. Harris says Seahawks fans should take the 11:10 a.m. sailings from Bremerton instead, because those passengers will be served by a bigger boat.

Developers see Seattle’s building boom moving to Bellevue:  Today just two construction cranes rise above the broad streets of downtown Bellevue. A year from now there could be a lot more, reports Seattle Times’ Eric Pryne. Downtown Bellevue may be on the cusp of its own construction boom.

Seattle woman fights to help Afghan orphans: Marnie Gustavson, a woman from Seattle who lived in Afghanistan as a girl and never lost her love for that nation, has worked there over the past eight years, helping women and children and fighting to root out corruption in long-neglected government orphanages. Read more.

Most-read stories this morning on seattletimes.com:

1. Gay marriage, legal pot: Conservatives wonder what’s happening to this state
2. Living well in 425 square feet
3. Nurse who died after Kate hoax call was from India
4. Confessed serial killer said did it for fun, adrenaline rush
5. Dog virus spreading; puppies most at risk

The Associated Press

WELLTON, Ariz. — Authorities say a Washington state woman has died after a rollover accident in southwestern Arizona.

Yuma County Sheriff’s officials identified the victim Wednesday as 65-year-old Mary L. Clark of Granite Falls.

Sheriff’s officials received a report of a single vehicle accident Monday night in Wellton. Authorities say it appears the driver lost control for an unknown reason and crashed into a wash.

The driver got out of the vehicle and tried to walk away before collapsing. Sheriff’s officials say Clark was found dead at the scene some 300 yards from her vehicle.

Autopsy results show she died from internal injuries sustained in the crash.

The cause of the incident remains under investigation.