Gene Johnson

December 02, 2009 | Daily Report Online

SEATTLE AP - A lone officer on patrol in the middle of the night Tuesday spotted a stolen car, its hood up and engine running, and pulled over to check it out. As the patrolman sat in his cruiser, a burly man with a large mole on his cheek came up from behind.The officer turned, stepped outside and recognized the most wanted man in the Pacific Northwest - the ex-con accused of gunning down four cops at a coffee shop.

By GENE JOHNSON

5 minute read

September 12, 2008 | Daily Report Online

ANCHORAGE, Alaska AP - Gov. Sarah Palin's administration is threatening to block any subpoenas by the Alaska Legislature as it investigates whether she abused her authority in trying to have her former brother-in-law fired as a state trooper.On Friday, the lawmakers are expected to issue subpoenas compelling several state officials to appear for interviews with an investigator.

By GENE JOHNSON

4 minute read

November 07, 2012 | Daily Report Online

Washington joined Colorado in voting to become the first states to legalize and tax the sale of marijuana for recreational use, but people shouldn't expect to be able to buy a bag of legitimate weed any time soon.

By Gene Johnson and Nicholas K. Geranios

4 minute read

October 03, 2007 | Daily Report Online

SEATTLE AP - Somewhere in western Washington state is a former Blackwater contractor who might, under normal circumstances, be on trial in Baghdad.He was wandering drunk around the Green Zone after a party last Christmas Eve when he encountered - and fatally shot - a 32-year-old guard to Iraqi Vice President Adil Abd-al-Mahdi, according to a congressional report released this week.

By Gene Johnson

4 minute read

June 03, 2008 | Daily Report Online

SEATTLE AP - Half a century after a U.S. Senate committee identified him as an organized crime figure, Seattle's 90-year-old strip club magnate and convicted racketeer is still at it, federal authorities say.Agents on Monday raided four clubs owned by or affiliated with Frank Colacurcio Sr., and his son, Frank Jr.

By GENE JOHNSON

5 minute read

June 20, 2008 | Daily Report Online

SEATTLE AP - U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman has freely acknowledged she doesn't follow basketball.But on Thursday she got a glimpse into the world of wounded Seattle SuperSonics' superfans, courtesy of author, poet, humorist and season ticket-holder Sherman Alexie. The city called him to describe the team's importance to the community, or at least to Sherman Alexie - and that he did, gushingly.

By GENE JOHNSON

5 minute read

March 19, 2012 | Daily Report Online

FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. AP - A Seattle lawyer who is defending an Army staff sergeant suspected of killing 16 Afghans, including nine children, met Monday with the soldier for the first time at Fort Leavenworth, a discussion the attorney described as emotional.Lawyer John Henry Browne said he met for more than three hours with Robert Bales, a 10-year Army veteran who is being held in an isolated cell at the military prison.

By Gene Johnson and John Milburn

5 minute read

October 15, 2008 | Daily Report Online

SEATTLE AP - Federal authorities said Wednesday they have opened an investigation into the failure of Washington Mutual Inc., the largest bank failure in U.S. history.U.S. Attorney Jeff Sullivan said in a statement that his office, the FBI, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s inspector general, the Internal Revenue Service and the Securities and Exchange Commission created a task force to look into the thrift's failure.

By GENE JOHNSON

4 minute read

September 18, 2007 | Daily Report Online

SEATTLE AP - A federal appealscourt panel on Monday refused to reinstate a lawsuit brought against Caterpillar Inc. by the family of peace activist Rachel Corrie, who was crushed to death by an Israeli bulldozer.Because the U.S. government pays for all Caterpillar bulldozers sold to Israel, the lawsuit presented foreign policy questions best left to the White House and Congress, said the three judges from the 9th U.

By Gene Johnson

4 minute read

June 17, 2008 | Daily Report Online

SEATTLE AP - A deal is a deal, and the SuperSonics should stay, a Seattle lawyer told a judge Monday as a federal trial over the team's KeyArena lease began.SuperSonics owner Clay Bennett is trying to move the team - Seattle's oldest professional sports franchise - to his hometown of Oklahoma City, two years before the lease expires.

By GREGG BELL and GENE JOHNSON

5 minute read