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What did you know and when did you know it, your honor? OK, Mayor McGinn has fessed up to knowing that the more than 700 guns turned in as part of a buyback program were made into rebar before he announced the plan to have them made into peace plaques. And he has explained that he didn’t want that fact to take the focus off  the plan and those who supported it. But still, the facts are facts. You have to give credit to KIRO Radio reporter Brandi Kruse for breaking the story.

A police chase that began in Mountlake Terrace and ended in a Snohomish County intersection early this morning has left an officer and the suspect injured.

Students recommend raising tuition to boost faculty and staff pay: Whoa. A student-led committee at the University of Washington says that if the Legislature doesn’t increase funding for higher education, the school should raise tuition by 3 percent — and use all the money to give faculty and staff a raise.

Sun today, mostly sunny tomorrow, but we could see rain Saturday night and more rain on Mother’s Day. (You do know it’s Mother’s Day, right? Have you plans to honor your mom?) The temperatures should be in the 70s through the weekend on this side of the mountains. In Eastern Washington, it should be in the 80s and as high as 90 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

A big cat in the backyard: A young cougar that found its way into the backyard of a Vancouver, Wash., home early this morning was safely captured by state wildlife officials. A barking dog alerted the homeowner to the cat that was sitting up in a tree. It was tranquilized and taken away to be released later into the wild, they say. KGW News in Portland has the story.

The M’s and the Sounders both play at home tomorrow and the state Department of Transportation is giving us the heads up that traffic could get a bit messy in Sodo. The Sounders play at 1 p.m. at CenturyLink and the Mariners play at 6:10 p.m. at Safeco.

Most-read stories on seattletimes.com:

1. Root of teen’s mystery ailment: tiny wire from barbecue brush
2. Ohio man’s ex-relatives say he is a ‘monster’
3. Senator failed to report sex abuse of child
4. 8 officers, no video: Cameras off during SPD fatal shooting
5. Report: Sacramento group encouraged to put 100 percent of Kings purchase price in escrow

Memo light: Crankshaft | By Tom Batiuk and Chuck Ayers

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AN ANIMATED TREAT by SUSAN JOUFLAS

Nick Provenza: 206-464-2142 or nprovenza@seattletimes.com

National Weather Service forecast

Uh, oh, snow! And a lot of it: OK, it’s going to be falling in the Cascades and Olympics, but we’re talking about two to three feet of it. So much so that a winter storm warning has been issued. Isn’t it almost spring? Skiing anyone? Bosses beware of an uptick in absenteeism for the next few days. Down here, we looking at rain and strong winds this afternoon through Wednesday night, according to the National Weather Service. 

Prices never go down, do they? State college tuition could go up 5 to 7 percent, if state funding remains flat

Even walking home from school isn’t safe: A 14-year-old girl was hit in the side by a pellet or a bullet as she was walking with friends in Burien in broad daylight yesterday. She is going to be OK, but what’s that all about?

Speaking of guns, there’s a church in Yakima offering to train you in how to use one to protect yourself and your home. The pastor of the Open Bible Christian Center apparently came up with the idea after talking with women who said they lacked confidence handling the guns their hubbies had bought them.

We’ve all probably had one, a vacation that  truly sucked: One that you tell your friends about (maybe one too many times) and warn them it’s a place you’ll never, ever want to see again. Well now you get a chance to vent. The Times is doing a survey on vacations from hell: Tell us about your worst vacation. Some of the best stories might be printed in the paper. There was that time we went to Borneo …

Most-read stories on seattletimes.com: 

1. Golfer Tiger Woods, skier Lindsey Vonn announce they are dating
2. Snoqualmie tribe gives casino plan another look
3. Police: Fla. college student plotted an attack
4. Huskies say they welcome a spot in the NIT
5. Gonzaga’s road to the Final Four might not be pretty but it’s possible | Bud Withers

Memo light: Pearls Before Swine | Stephan Pastis

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Nick Provenza: 206-464-2142 or nprovenza@seattletimes.com

The Associated Press

PASCO — The Pasco School District has decided to overturn the suspension of a first-grader who was sent home for talking about toy guns.

The district determined no discipline was warranted after talking with the parents.

The father, Mike Aguirre, told the Tri-City Herald his son Noah was punished for talking about Nerf guns and there’s no evidence he threatened to harm another student.

The 6-year-old was suspended Feb. 28 at James McGee Elementary School. The district said Wednesday the incident will be erased from his record.

REI CEO to head Department of Interior: A job once rumored to be Chris Gregoire’s goes to Seattle-native and REI head Sally Jewell. Jewell has been a busy woman: Currently, she serves as the president and CEO of REI and as a University of Washington regent; in the past, she worked as an engineer for Mobil Oil and as a commercial banker. President Obama’s official announcement is expected later today. After that, she faces Senate confirmation process.

Postal Service cutting Saturday mail: “Neither snow, nor rain … ” will stop the mail, according to the U.S. Postal Service’s unofficial motto — but money problems sure will. The financially strained agency plans to quit first-class mail deliver on  Saturdays. The change would start in August, and could save $2 billion each year.

Weather: Look forward to Friday. Off-and-on showers today and tomorrow — but after a quick bit of fog on Friday, we’re in for what sounds like a stunning day for February. Expect a high of 45 and mostly sunny and calm. No complaints here.

Huskies, Cougars fans, rejoice. National Signing Day is here: The wait is over to see who will be joining the Dawgs and Cougs next season. High -school seniors will put pen to paper today and commit to their future college football teams. Then football fans can all stop worrying about the whims of 17- and 18-year-olds. Our live blog has all the latest.

A city hall filled with guns: At least a dozen people, with guns on their mind and on their belts, attended a meeting of the Oak Harbor City Council last night. They were there to see the City Council unanimously repeal an ordinance banning guns from city parks and the marina.

The Associated Press

OAK HARBOR — A full audience is expected at tonight’s City Council meeting in Oak Harbor and many of the people likely will be armed.

The council is considering a repeal of its ban on guns in city parks, but the issue became more heated at a Jan. 15 hearing when Councilman Rick Almberg tried to ban guns in the council chamber and Mayor Scott Dudley apologized to a military veteran speaker who was carrying a gun with a permit.

Gun-rights groups called on supporters to turn out at Tuesday night’s meeting.

MOUNT VERNON (AP) — A man who threatened to shoot up schools if his gun rights were taken away because of the Connecticut school shooting was sentenced Thursday in Mount Vernon to three months in jail.

A 15-year-old student at Marysville’s Mountain View High School was arrested this morning after he reportedly threatened other students and was found with a cap gun that looked like a real handgun, Marysville police said.

A school resource officer was alerted around 7 a.m. by campus security who said they had learned that a student on a school bus was armed with a handgun and had threatened to shoot students, police said. Officers stopped the bus at it was pulling into Marysville Pilchuck High School, but learned the student had been dropped off earlier at Mountain View High.

Police responded to the school and arrested the boy. They also recovered the cap gun, which resembled a ”real revolver handgun,” police said.

The student has been expelled. He will be booked into the Denney Juvenile Justice Center in Everett for investigation of felony harassment, police said.

What can Seattle and Washington state do to reduce gun violence?

Phil Watson, Second Amendment Foundation

State Sen. Adam Kline, D-Seattle

That question is on the minds of many public officials, with King County and Seattle launching a gun buyback program and state lawmakers preparing to discuss new legislation this session.

On Wednesday at noon, Seattle Times readers are invited to participate in an online chat about those topics and others with state Sen. Adam Kline, D-Seattle, and Phil Watson, special projects director for the Second Amendment Foundation.

Kline, who has been in the Senate since 1997, is a fierce advocate of stricter gun laws. Watson, a conservative activist, is an equally fierce defender of gun rights.

Seattle Times reporter Brian M. Rosenthal

Here is more information about the participants:

Adam Kline, a Democrat and longtime lawyer, has represented South Seattle and South King County in the state Senate since 1997. During that time, he has sponsored several gun policy bills, including efforts to ban assault weapons and  require federal background-checks at gun shows. For the past eight years, he has chaired the Judiciary Committee, which works on gun policy. When the new Legislature convenes next week, he will serve as the ranking minority member of that committee.

Phil Watson is a local conservative political activist currently involved in several organizations that advocate for gun rights. He is the director of special projects for the Bellevue-based Second Amendment Foundation, the executive director of the International Association for the Protection of Civilian Arm Rights and the online editor of TheGunMag.com.

Moderator Brian M. Rosenthal is a Seattle Times staff reporter.

National Weather Service / Forecast

Snow falling just about everywhere, even in Seattle. It’s sticking at higher elevations, but the lower you go, the roads become bare and wet. Some schools starting late, cars slipping and sliding, especially on ramps and overpasses so be careful and give yourself some extra driving time. The passes have compact snow and ice but were open as of 6 a.m. Skiers should be delighted. The snow is expected to turn to rain later today and  it should warm up a tad.

Guns, guns and more guns. Once again our intrepid columnist Danny Westneat wades into the murky waters of America’s gun debate, this time  wondering why some folks say one solution is to put more guns in the hands of more people in more places. Seriously?

Cops going soft, sort of: First we voted to make possession of small amounts of marijuana legal and now, what’s this? The Seattle Police Department used to say if you used pot in the past three years, you couldn’t be a cop. Now it’s saying, well, if you haven’t used it in the past year, that might be OK. What’s happening to us, people?

Fire at Everett school: The school, ACES High School, which is actually part of the Mukilteo School District, is closed today after pallets were set on fire outside the building early this morning. There was smoke damage to the school. Arson investigators are having a look.

Stabbing death in Skyway: The victim was killed at an apartment complex around 2 a.m. today, says the King County sheriff’s office. One person has been detained. KIRO TV has the story.

Stories trending this morning on seattletimes.com:

1. Skyline quarterback Max Browne named national player of the year
2. A first: State recycles more than it throws away
3. Overnight snow could make for slippery a.m. commute
4. Washington State quarterback Jeff Tuel won’t try for fifth season
5. Large dock washes up on Olympic National Park shore

Nick Provenza: 206-464-2142 or nprovenza@seattletimes.com. On Twitter @NickProvenza1

On Monday, the first business day after 12 people were killed by a gunman inside a suburban Denver movie theater, the King County Sheriff’s Office says the number of applications for concealed handgun licenses has jumped.

The sheriff’s office said it processed 41 new concealed pistol licenses on Monday, 22 more than it processed the previous Monday. On Friday before the shootings in Aurora, Colo., a total of 29 applications were made, says sheriff’s spokeswoman Sgt. Cindi West.

“Whenever there’s a big major, tragic event like what happened in Colorado, there will be a bump in people seeking permits. That’s what we suspect the reason is,” West said.

John Clarke, a firearms instructor at Wade’s Eastside Gun Shop in Bellevue, said, “We haven’t seen any uptake in our business the last couple of days. In general, summers are slow at the gun store. It’s probably because people go water skiing or mow their lawns in the nice weather.”

Clarke said that sales are up at the shop this year compared with 2011, something he attributes to the rise of violence across the region. Clarke also said that an uptick in sales is not unusual during presidential election years.

Dave Workman, editor of TheGunMag.com and a local gun-rights advocate, said in an email that “distance does not matter when people are concerned about personal protection.”

According to The Associated Press, background checks for gun purchases spiked 41 percent after the Colorado shootings.

In the four days after the July 20 shooting, dealers submitted 3,647 requests for state background checks required to buy a firearm, said Susan Medina, a spokeswoman for the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

That’s 41 percent more than the 2,583 requests during the same four days the prior week and a 38 percent increase over the 2,636 checks during the first Friday-to-Monday period in July.