Local News

Weather:  Chilly this morning, eh? Frozen snow was reported in some outlying areas, the result of the spotty snowfall yesterday. However, it’s expected to be sunny today with a high of 45 degrees. Nonetheless, temperatures of late have been below average for this time of year. Rain late Tuesday and Wednesday and rain and snow showers Thursday. At least we have sun today. The National Weather Service forecasts.

Traffic: Reports from yesterday about an icy commute didn’t appear the case this morning in Seattle, but wet roads in outlying areas were reported slippery.  Mid-winter break is over for Seattle Schools, so watch for kids on their way to classes this morning. The map and cams.

Sea otter mom, Aniak, and her pup enjoy a snuggle. ( Photo by Marsha Savery / Seattle Aquarium)

Baby sea otter has a name:  After a month-long contest, the baby sea otter at the Seattle Aquarium now has a name: Sekiu, according to a report from our news partner, KING5. The new otter pup was born Jan. 14, to mother otter Aniak — who was born at Seattle Aquarium in 2002.

Trooper shooting suspects in court: Four of the five suspects busted in the shooting death of Washington State Patrol Trooper Tony Radulescu are scheduled to appear in court in Kitsap County this afternoon. They are accused of rendering criminal assistance to Joshua Blake, believed to be the person who shot Radulescu during a traffic stop last week. We’ll keep you updated.

Gas prices up: As we’ve said before, gas prices have been going up and up in our state with the average price for a gallon now at $3.86, according to AAA. That’s a 22 cent jump in one week and we’re now 16 cents above the national average. Yikes!

Bellingham has even broken the $4 a gallon mark and Seattle isn’t far behiind. Here’s what the auto club survey says about gas prices around the state:

• Bellingham $4.01
• Bremerton $3.92
• Seattle-Bellevue-Everett $3.96
• Tacoma $3.95
• Olympia $3.97
• Vancouver $3.93
• Yakima $3.69
• Tri-Cities $3.58,
• Spokane $3.44.

Most read local stories on seattletimes.com this morning:

1. Police force’s turmoil unnerves Bainbridge Island residents
2. Totem pole is raised to honor John T. Williams
3. Aurora Kmart manager is stable after being shot in robbery try
4. State may become first to require insurance to cover abortion
5. Prepare for icy roads and temps below freezing early Monday

Sea otter mother Aniak parks her pup on a ledge at the Seattle Aquarium on Monday. (Photo by Katrina Barlow / The Seattle Times)

On Monday afternoon, a 9-day-old otter pup does what it does best — sleep. The pup’s mother, Aniak, who gave birth Jan. 14, perched the pup on her belly, often with both paws wrapped around it.

Occasionally, though, Aniak would leave the pup on a ledge while mom twirled in the water, scratching and fluffing her fur for a few minutes before scooping the pup up and resuming her circuit around the pool, which they shared with the pup’s grandmother, Lootas.

The pup cried occasionally — a loud, sharp, high-pitched yeep — when separated from its mother.

Because of the pup’s deeply dense fur, aquarium staff have yet to determine if it’s a boy or girl. If it’s a female, it will remain at the Seattle Aquarium. If it’s a male, the pup would eventually compete with its father, Adaa, and would have to be transferred to another aquarium.

Check visiting hours on the Seattle Aquarium website.

Below is a clip of Aniak dropping off her pup on a ledge, catching a few minutes away from the pup while it slept.

Weather: The details.  Ok, at least it’s not raining this morning.  That could happen tomorrow, but for the most part, think clouds with some sun peeking through this week.

Traffic: The map and cams. 

The Lewis County Jail: You never know what might pique your interest. The folks in Centralia apparently want to know what’s going on in their county jail. This from the police blotter of  The Chronicle:

Inmate population in the main facility as of early this morning: 175 inmates; 139 are men and 36 are women. None is a work-release inmate. Forty-eight are contract bed inmates from outside agencies. None is on electronic home monitoring and none is day-reporting. In the past 24 hours . . .  eight people were booked into jail and 28 were released.

Whew!

We like to say at the newspaper that you can't publish too many photos of sea otters because they are just so darn cute. The Seattle Aquarium is expecting a baby otter any time from Aniak, above. Captive births are rare and special. The pregnant otter was photographed at the Seattle Aquarium on Dec. 20, 2011. (Courtney Blethen Riffkin/The Seattle Times)

Lucky had a job and he did it. The Associated Press:

Airmen at Fairchild Air Force Base (outside Spokane) held a memorial service last week for Lucky the bomb-sniffing dog.

Lucky was deployed five times with the 92nd Security Forces Squadron to Afghanistan, Iraq and Kyrgyzstan and also supported the Secret Service.

The “tac dog,” a Belgian Malinois, died in September of cancer.

Most-read stories on seattletimes.com this morning: (Ask the news producer to do this and put it in the post.)