Local News

Weather:  If you thought it was wet yesterday, you were spot on. The Weather Service says more than half an inch of rain, .53, fell at the Weather Service office in Seattle. That’s more than double the record set in 1993 for that date. We also set a rain record Tuesday. See staff reporter Jack Broom’s story today.

It’s going to be colder than normal today with a high of just 58. How cold is that? The average high temperature for this day is 69 degrees, so don’t wear flip flops. Some forecasts call for a high of 70 on Monday. Cross your fingers. The National Weather Service forecast.

A cat huddles in a tire well outside Wilson Machine Works on Thursday amid the wind and rain. This June has been chillier and soggier than usual. (Photo by Greg Gilbert / The Seattle Times)

Traffic: The map and cams.

Keep those BIG soft drinks a-comin’: Yesterday, we asked you whether Seattle should ban soft drinks larger than 16 ounces, which was proposed in New York City this week, and you overwhelmingly said NO. Of the 638 votes cast as of this morning, 432 of you said not on your life.

As one commenter said:

“So the choice is medium or small? 16 oz is not enough to wash down large fries and a big mac.”

Red light cameras in Lynnwood are popular. OK, not so much for some folks. A community meeting is scheduled next week so people can have their say about this always sticky topic, according to our community news partner Lynnwood Today.

Lynnwood City Councilwoman Kerri Lonergan-Dreke says:

“What I’m hearing from folks, both inside and outside of Lynnwood, is people don’t have a positive feeling about red light cameras,” she said in April. “We’ve had a lot of folks who have written to us, saying ‘we will no longer come to Lynnwood; we won’t shop in Lynnwood.’”

Yeah, those aren’t positive thoughts at all.

Sad news that a soldier from Walla Walla has died in Afghanistan. The family of Lt. Mathew Fazzari told our sister paper The Walla Walla Union-Bulletin that he died in a helicopter crash. While the Defense Department has confirmed the death, two Army pilots were reported dead when their chopper crashed Wednesday in the Ghazni province. Fazzari, a 2010 Gonzaga University graduate, was married and had two young boys.

Most-read stories this morning on seattletimes.com:

1. Key question in Stawicki case: What happened to the truck?
2. Mariners finish trip with flourish in 8-6 victory over Los Angeles Angels
3. Mariners did pretty good job of surviving a schedule MLB should be ashamed of |Mariners Blog
4. Michael Fassbender brightens alien world of ‘Prometheus’ | Movie review
5. City blasts DOJ’s findings on Seattle police in court filing

(Updated with Eyman’s comments.)

The Washington State Supreme Court has ruled that a 2010 Mukilteo ballot initiative banning red-light cameras is invalid.

The long-awaited ruling means initiative efforts in other cities around the state, including Longview, Bellingham, Monroe, Redmond and Wenatchee, are also invalid.

It’s a big loss for initiative king Tim Eyman, who had adopted the cause of banning the cameras and helped people in cities across the state fight to have them banned.

In a statement, Eyman said the ruling  ”is just the height of arrogance, and it doesn’t even sound like we live in a free country when they say, ‘We’re going to decide what you’re allowed to vote on and what you’re not allowed to vote on. From that perspective it is an incredibly arrogant ruling.”

The Supreme Court ruling says the Legislature gave local governing bodies, but not voters, the ability to approve the cameras.

“”The legislature’s grant of authority does not extend to the electorate,” Justice Barbara Madsen wrote in the ruling.

Cities across the state have raked in millions of dollars in fines from drivers caught on camera rolling through a right-hand turn or crossing an intersection after the light had turned red. For-profit companies review the photos, then mail tickets to offenders. The fine: $124.

Proponents of the cameras say they improve public safety and free up police for more important tasks.

More than 70 percent of Mukilteo voters rejected the cameras in a 2010 vote, prompting a lawsuit by a citizens group that argued voters could not have the final say. The Mukilteo City Council took down the cameras in response to the vote, even though it hasn’t been clear whether the vote was valid.

(Updated with Eyman’s comments.)

The Washington State Supreme Court has ruled that a 2010 Mukilteo ballot initiative banning red-light cameras is invalid.

The long-awaited ruling means initiative efforts in other cities around the state, including Longview, Bellingham, Monroe, Redmond and Wenatchee, are also invalid.

It’s a big loss for initiative king Tim Eyman, who had adopted the cause of banning the cameras and helped people in cities across the state fight to have them banned.

In a statement, Eyman said the ruling  ”is just the height of arrogance, and it doesn’t even sound like we live in a free country when they say, ‘We’re going to decide what you’re allowed to vote on and what you’re not allowed to vote on. From that perspective it is an incredibly arrogant ruling.”

The Supreme Court ruling says the Legislature gave local governing bodies, but not voters, the ability to approve the cameras.

“”The legislature’s grant of authority does not extend to the electorate,” Justice Barbara Madsen wrote in the ruling.

Cities across the state have raked in millions of dollars in fines from drivers caught on camera rolling through a right-hand turn or crossing an intersection after the light had turned red. For-profit companies review the photos, then mail tickets to offenders. The fine: $124.

Proponents of the cameras say they improve public safety and free up police for more important tasks.

More than 70 percent of Mukilteo voters rejected the cameras in a 2010 vote, prompting a lawsuit by a citizens group that argued voters could not have the final say. The Mukilteo City Council took down the cameras in response to the vote, even though it hasn’t been clear whether the vote was valid.