Local News

The Blue Angels, seen from the west side of Mercer Island, practice their routine over Lake Washington and downtown Seattle on July 31, 2014. (Mike Siegel / The Seattle Times) The U.S. Navy Blue Angels will return to Seattle in 2015 and 2016 for the annual Seafair Air Show, Seafair announced Tuesday. The Blue Angels…

Active-military troops who are taking courses through Washington colleges and universities learned recently that they may lose a tuition assistance benefit that helps pay for college. The cut is part of the federal budget sequester. One of the Washington colleges likely to be most affected is Pierce College, which serves thousands of active-military students, both in…

The Associated Press QUINCY — Police say an explosive found in a potato bin at a processing plant in Quincy Wednesday morning was an old military device that was apparently left over from practice bombing runs years ago in Eastern Washington. Sgt. Paul Snyder told The Wenatchee World an employee found the foot-long device at…

Some 3,000 soldiers with the Washington National Guard are no longer on alert for a possible overseas deployment that was expected to take place in 2013. The leaders of the 81st Brigade Combat team recently learned that the unit’s alert had been canceled, and that troops are not being considered for a deployment, according to Capt….

The Associated Press Military bases in Washington would receive $581 million for construction projects under the budget President Obama sent to Congress. The largest amount — $280 million — would go toward a second explosives handling wharf for Trident submarines at the Bangor base. Construction on the $715 million facility is to begin this summer. The Kitsap Sun…

A public funeral service to honor the life of Sgt. William Stacey will be held at the University of Washington’s Meany Hall at 4 p.m., Saturday. Stacey, 23, a graduate of Roosevelt High School, was killed by a roadside bomb Jan. 31 while serving with the U.S. Marine Corps in Afghanistan. He was the son of…

The Associated Press The Pentagon confirms the death of a Longview soldier serving in Afghanistan. The Defense Department said Friday that 21-year-old Spc. Mikayla A. Bragg died Wednesday in Khowst province. She was assigned to the 201st Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Knox, Ky. Her family told The Daily News of…

Joint Base Lewis-McChord has identified the soldier killed Monday in a training accident at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, Calif. Sgt. 1st Class Patrick L. Huntley, 31, died when a Stryker vehicle rolled over. He was assigned to Company C, 2nd Batallion, 1st Infantry Regiment — part of the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team,…

From The Associated Press SAN DIEGO  A Navy ship commander will appear in a San Diego military court Friday on charges of sexually assaulting two women in his crew this year. The San Diego Union-Tribune  reports Cmdr. Jay Wylie is facing a general court-martial, the military court reserved for the most serious offenses. Wylie is the…