Colin Mulvany / The Spokesman-Review via AP
After emerging from winter hibernation, hundreds of ladybird beetles, often called ladybugs, cluster on a shrub in Spokane, Wash., on March 31, 2013. The ladybird beetle is a gardener’s best friend, eating perhaps its weight in aphids daily. Strict carnivores, they eat no leafy vegetation.
Peter Haley / The News Tribune via AP
Emergency responders talk boat-to-boat next to the barge laden with scrap car hulks anchored near the northern shore of Commencement Bay, in Tacoma, Wash., Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013.
The Tacoma News Tribune reports:
A Canadian barge listing on Sunday appeared to dump some of the scrap metal cars it was carrying into the water near Browns Point in the Puget Sound as crews tried to stabilize it, according to the Washington State Department of Ecology.
DOE specialist Ron Holcomb said the cars reportedly slid off the barge as the private crews from Global Diving & Salvage pumped water out of a crack in the hull and patched the damage to the vessel. A slight oil sheen was visible around the boat after, he said. It’s not clear how many cars the barge lost.
David Ryder / Getty Images
Couples exchange vows during a mass wedding for 25 same-sex partners at Seattle First Baptist Church, Dec. 9, 2012, in Seattle, Wash. Sunday is the first day that same-sex couples can legally wed in Washington state.
David Ryder / Getty Images
Johanna Flynn, left, makes her way out of City Hall with her wife, Allison Kelsey on Sunday in Seattle.
Reuters reported on Sunday:
Hundreds of well-wishers braved a damp and chilly Seattle morning to celebrate the first of 140 weddings at City Hall on Sunday, marking the first day that same-sex couples can marry in Washington state.
Washington, Maine and Maryland last month became the first U.S. states to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples by a popular vote, in a leap forward for gay rights.
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Elaine Thompson / AP
Terry Gilbert, left, kisses his husband Paul Beppler after getting married at Seattle City Hall, becoming one of the first gay couples to legally wed in the state, Dec. 9. Gov. Chris Gregoire signed a voter-approved law legalizing gay marriage on Dec. 5 and weddings for gay and lesbian couples began in Washington on Sunday, following the three-day waiting period after marriage licenses were issued earlier in the week.
King County Sheriff's Office via AP
King County Sheriff's Office via AFP - Getty Images
Peter Keller
Images released by the King County Sheriff's Office in Washington show the mountain bunker of murder suspect Peter Keller. US law enforcement blew the roof off the hideout in Washington state on April 28, and inside reportedly found Keller's body. Keller is suspected of killing his wife and teenage daughter, officials said.
Keller, who had been missing since April 22, when the bodies of Lynnettee Rocha Keller and her daughter Kaylene Keller were discovered at the family home, apparently died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Keller, 41, was named a suspect on April 25 in the murder of his wife and daughter, whose bodies were found after neighbors called the authorities when they noticed the home had been set on fire.
King County Sheriff's Office via AP
King County Sheriff's Office via AP
A tense standoff in Washington state ends after a man who was a suspect in the deaths of his wife and daughter is found dead in a bunker he had designed for the 'end of the world.' NBC's Gabe Gutierrez reports.
Elaine Thompson / AP
Members of the gallery look down and applaud as the Washington state Senate passes a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage Wednesday evening.
Elaine Thompson / AP
Gov. Chris Gregoire motions Sen. Ed Murray over to embrace him after the Washington state Senate voted for a proposal to legalize same-sex marriage Wednesday evening.
Elaine Thompson / AP
Rep. Laurie Jinkins, right, D-Tacoma, waves with constituent Marcy Kulland from one Senate gallery across to the other Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012, in Olympia, Wash.
The Washington state Senate has passed a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage, a step seen by proponents as a critical hurdle for legislative approval, even as the threat of a ballot challenge looms.
The measure was passed on a 28-21 vote. Four Republicans crossed party lines and voted with majority Democrats for the measure. Three Democrats voted against it. The measure now heads to the House, which is expected to approve it. Gov. Chris Gregoire supports the measure and has said she will sign it into law.
-- The Associated Press contributed to this post
From photojournalist Damian Mulinix. Reposted here with permission:
This is by far the most amazing story I have ever been a part of. I'm still awestruck as I write this, but I am so very happy to be able to tell it.
Damian Mulinix / Chinook Observer
Last Friday afternoon a large church youth group from Spanaway was visiting the beach off the Cranberry Beach approach in Long Beach, WA.
Shannon Kissel and his daughter Nicole were boogie-boarding nearby when they saw two boys were in need of help. While they were able to retrieve one boy, they were not able to rescue Dale Ostrander, who was caught in a rip tide. It was about 10 minutes until the surf rescue team was on scene.
Twenty-plus kids from the youth group sobbed uncontrollably and prayed on the sand during the search, a truly heart-wrenching sound. It was then at least another 15 minutes or so before rescue swimmer Eduardo Mendez spotted Ostrander, and he and swimmer Will Green were able to grab him and pull him aboard a jet ski.
Damian Mulinix / Chinook Observer
Seconds later at the shore, Doug Knutzen carried him up to where paramedics were waiting to treat him. They were on the beach for another 10 minutes trying to revive him. I think it's safe to say that everyone was certain Ostrander was dead. But the crew continued to work on him, and apparently once they got to the hospital they were able to get a weak pulse and get him breathing again.
Ostrander was air-lifted to Portland for treatment. After he was put in an induced coma for a couple days, he woke up.
And today (Aug. 9) they removed his breathing tube. Not only did Ostrander breath on his own, but he spoke complete sentences. Amazing. This boy was dead for upward of 20 minutes, easily.
From the blog prayersfordale.blogspot.com: At 4:11 pm today "The doctors just removed Dale's breathing tube and he is now breathing on his own. Also, because of possible damage to the brain, they were unsure if he would be able to speak. Minutes after the tube was removed, the doctors told him to cough. Not only did Dale talk back to the doctors, he responded in a full sentence saying, “I don't have to.”
Dale continues to get better by the minute, and the doctors are more and more amazed!"
Damian Mulinix / Chinook Observer
Going to these kinds of breaking news situations is often tough, as you never know how they're going to turn out. I was heartbroken for almost a day after this. And to be able to share this kind of news now is just so heart-warming. Please visit the site listed above and follow as Dale recovers miraculously. Because if ever there was a miracle, this would be it.
-DKM
The dramatic rescue of a 12-year-old boy, trapped underwater in the Pacific Ocean for 20 minutes after being pulled to sea by a powerful rip current, was captured by a local photographer. TODAY's Natalie Morales reports.
Steve Bloom / AP
The rushing Deschutes River put on a display of its natural power at Tumwater Falls Park as runoff from the torrential weekend rains sped towards Budd Inlet, Monday, Jan. 17, 2011.
The power of nature is pretty amazing. Fortunately, Washington State has dodged a major flood.
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