The News Tribune from Tacoma, Washington • 6

to B2 The News Tribune Tuesday December 22 1998 Open Mike Want to share your opinions your news your thoughts on any subject with other readers? Call TRIBIine at 253-5966500 and then punch in the TRIBCode OPEN (ext 6736) Transportation officials on keeping Snoqualmie put priority Pass open I vote for President Clinton in either election -1 always vote for who I think will be the best But after this attack on Iraq and the comments that Tent Lott and Slade Gorton made I think they've done more harm to the country than anything the president has ever said I ever see voting for a Republican again Kan Robinson University Ptace Applause 1 Now's your chance to herald quiet deeds of kindness and achievement Just phone TRIB-line 5966500 (ext CLAP or 2527) Leave a message about the person in your community you tjiink deserves some applause If you prefer fax responses to 5976274 or mail to: Applause The News Tribune PO Box 1000 Tacoma WA 98411 freight into the ports of Tacoma and Seattle through Auburn Not all of the prqjects will be funded But Ingham said hoping the Legislature will agree to appropriate money for most of the prqjects based on a priority ranking from the freight board The Snoqualmie Pass prqject is one of the larger ones The total cost of widening the roadway and building a 1400-foot-long cover is $153 million which more than likely would be spread over a decade But the avalanche-prevention work oould be done in three or four years In a typical winter the pass is closed to traffic about 40 times as briefly as a half-hour to as long as three days Many times DOT crews cause the avalanches themselves by setting off explosives so the snow comes ofT the mountain when they want it to and not unexpectedly eat up a lot of our said Leonard Pittman administrator fix-the DOT region that includes Snoqualmie Pass have to dose traffic in both directions We have to go up and remove the snow rather stop the avalanches from disrupting traffic" Hie solution may lie in a series of walls built into the hillside above the freeway that would stop the snowslides before they landed on the roadway Pittman said That alone would eliminate half the closures at the pass each winter he said Another option is to double the length and width of the 700-foot snowshed tun-' nel that now covers the westbound laiK0 on the east side of the summit Now snow slides down the mountainside across the roof of the tunnel over the westbound lanes and dumps a Improvements on pass to help keep the freight moving -top advisory wish list By Josefs Tushes The News Tribune Snoqualmie Pan was open Monday night but avalanches often close the freeway that links the east and west sides of the state why state transportation officials the ports and the business community are looking for ways to ensure that Interstate 90 stays open year-round year when it was closed for three days we started getting very anxious calls from The Boeing said Dennis Ingham a state highway official who is acting director of the state's Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board get parts from Eastern Washington When that critical link gets stopped in trouble It can bring the assembly line to a The solution to closures caused by winter storms and snowslides may be a longer wider tunnel to cover the most avalanche-prone sections of 1-90 part of an overall prqject that also would widen the roadway to six lanes three in each direction for a 12-mile section on the eastern side of the summit The Snoqualmie Pass snowshed is among 48 prqjects an advisory panel will be submitting to the Legislature next month The list includes elevated roadways over railroad tracks near the new baseball and football stadiums in Seattle the prqject that tops the list and overpasses for key routes used to haul I second Frederick approval of the Reree County Shuttle in Applause As someone who suddenly couldn't walk without a cane and a railing or a arm I felt helpless and a bit worthless But not only does the Shuttle take me where I need to go but the drivers make an extra effort to care for my comfort and to make me feel welcome Nera Mhria Tacoma Lottery Drawings for Washington Lotto and Qulnto Oregon Megabucks and Powerball are on Wednesday and Saturday Others are played daily Call TRIBIine at 2535966500 and then punch in the TRIBCode LUCK (Ext 5825) 8 Wabhmbton OAiur same: 2-9-5 Wmhmbton Lotto (Dec 19): 5-11-2331-4046 No winner Wednesday: $20 million Qumto (Dec 19): Death of unborn baby may mean 4ih homicide in Salishan arson Lucky for lk (Dec 19): 33456261 No winner of $LOOOeweek for life Kbkk2 7 11 12 25 29 32 33 35 36 39 42 49 55 59 60 64 68 69 70 Orebon Mebasucki (Dec 19): 1-11-16254243 No winner Wednesday: $95 million Powerball (Dec 19): 35151745 Powerball 6 No winner Wednesday: $26 million No winner Wednesday: $2 million Police Beat Compiled from reports to Tacoma and Fife police and Pierce County sheriffs deputies Police chase nabs Tacoma rape suspect By Hector Castbs The News Tribune ATacoma man wanted on suspicion of rape led police on a chase into King County on Sunday stopping only when he was forced off the road Hie man was suspected of raping his mother about 5 am Sunday Thcoma police reported The man went to the home on the pretense of needing to use the phone police said But once inside he pulled a gun threatened the woman and assaulted her The man left the woman bound hand and foot then took off in her van The victim was able to hobble outside still tied up and attract the attention of a passing motorist The motorist freed tire woman then took her to Tkcoma General Hospital for treatment About 3:30 pm a Tacoma police officer spotted the stolen van and the chase began Hie suspect sped along Interstate 5 prompting the Washington State Patrol to become involved Twice troopers placed a spike strip in front of the fleeing van but were unsuccessful in stopping it Finally on Interstate 90 in the Preston area a trooper forced the van off the road and the suspect was arrested He was hocked into Pierce County Jail on suspicion of rape theft and felony eluding Fife police corral car seen floating in Puyallup River A car spotted floating down the Puyallup River last week turned out to have been stolen in Puyallup Fife police were called about 11 am Friday after a report of the car in the river in the 4100 block of North Levee Road Pierce County deputies also responded and took over the salvage operation Fife police said the car was the same one reported floating down the river Dec 7 Neighbor scares off 2 men digging in Roy cemeteiy Cemetery vandals apparently struck in Roy last week Pierce County sheriff's deputies were called to the cemeteiy in the 8100 block of 288th Street South on Wednesday morning The grave digger showed deputies a hole roughly 4 feet deep in the area of a couple of graves He told deputies a man who lives near the cemetery scared off two men from the grave sites the night before No arrests were reported and deputies did not indicate whether any graves actually were robbed dog takes exception to visiting sheriffs deputy The suspect in an attack on a Pierce County sheriff's deputy last week goes by the name of Blackie and his most prominent feature is his sharp teeth The deputy went to a home in the 25400 block of 32nd Avenue deputy wanted to speak with the resident about a problem with her husband The woman told the deputy she would take care of the problem herself and the deputy prepared to leave But as he left tire home her dog a Labrador retriever called Blackie bit him on his calf "The bite barely broke the skin but it did ruin my the deputy noted He drove to a fire station and treated the wound with iodine No arrests were reported To reach us The Crime and Safety Team Is responsible for coverage of police fire and public safety as well as courts and prisons Contact: Hector Caalre Pierce County police reporter 253597-8258 email at hxc9ptribnetcom nice HaifrtcB night reporter 253597-8644 email at fab9ptribnetcom Jabs GHs Pierce County courts reporter 253597-8663 email atjlg9ptribnetcom Dasi Dsdgs day general assignment reporter 253597-8530 email at dxd9ptribnetcom Cheryl King County police reporter 2539466392 email at clrOptribnetcom mound of snow onto the eastbound lanes The tunnel could be widened so the snow would go over the top of the lanes Pittman said At another location where four chutes frequently dump snow onto the roadway retaining walls could be built with basins to store the snow he said: The road-widening project would come later he said Right now 1-90 has at least three lanes in each direction on the west side of the pass But between Hyak two miles east of the summit and Easton Hill the roadway is only two lanes in each direction That 12-mile segment would get an additional lane in each direction which would improve traffic for truckers and motorists alike he said About 30000 vehicles cross the pass each day and one-fourth of them are big rigs hauling freight across the mountains In the winter people in cars can choose not to cross the pass but the truckers don't have any choice" Pittman said Gov Gary Locke has recommended the Legislature spend $340 million in a the next six years on road prqjects that help the movement of freight across the state The Snoqualmie Pass project would compete for some of that money although most of the 1-90 widening project would come from other state transportation sources Staff writer Joaeph 'Dimer covers state government and transportation Reach him at 253-5976436 or by e-mail at jjt9ptribnetcom dered both inside They went in the door closed and witnesses heard banging "Moments later they heard glass break and then the Mattheis said happened Witnesses saw a man run from the rear of the house but detectives have not identified a suspect -Investigators spent Monday reviewing evidence collected over the weekend and making plans to follow up leads Police also met with leaders in the Vietnamese community to keep them up to date on the investigation Mattheis said A group of local religious leaden plans to hold a service at the Tran home Buddhist monks and members of other faiths will conduct the brief service at 1 pm Wednesday The service is open to the public The funerals are scheduled for Saturday council members Makah Museum won the other seat with 199 votes Arnold was a member of the Makah delegation to the International Whaling 1997 meeting at Monaco which resulted in allocation of 20 gray whales to the tribe through 2002 Wachendorf and Arnold will take office Jan 4 Friday reviewed the 1997 records Pierce 1997 expenditures were $466 million It is funded by an 03 percent sales tax approved by voters in 1979 plus subsidies from the motor vehicle excise tax feres and grants Usa Kremer The News TNbune King County Vehicular homicide charge filed in October crash A 29-year-old man arrested by Washington State Patrol detectives last week in Maple Valley was arraigned Monday in King County Superior Court on charges that include vehicular homicide The vehicular homicide charge sterna from a fatal Oct 26 crash on Washington 522 in the Bothell-Kenmore area Killed in the crash was 46-yearold Sandra Melendrez of Bothell State Patrol detective Sgt Rob Reichert said John Paul Gatchet was charged in her death following his capture last week Officials did not list an address for Gatchet Reichert said the driver of a pickup truck involved in the Oct 26 collision fled the scene and the truck was recovered by police four days later in Seattle Reichert said witness accounts and physical evidence led investigators to Gatchet who qlao had previous felony warrants against him Reichert said that cm Dec 15 investigators spotted Gatchet driving a stolen pickup in Maple Valley and put him under surveillance When Gatchet entered a vacant parking lot detectives tried to arrest him Detectives said they tried to block the path ofGatchet's fleeing vehicle but he rammed a car sending the officer to the hospital for treatment of minor injuries Gatchet fled on foot and was arrested nearby Desk Camzzo The News Twune si Looking Back A daily review of stories from The News Tribune and The Daily Ledger of years past Items come from files of The News Tribune and the Tacoma B2ISE23 Publ'c Library '100 years ago: Dec 22 1898 The women of Alpha Lodge No 1 of are working assiduously under the direction of Mrs McMillan preparing the supper for the firemen and their guests on Friday The table decorations will be equal to any ever seen in Thcoma The menu will be satisfactory to the most fastidious Suspended above the center table will be a large fire bell while beneath will be two ladders with a fireman hose in hand in the act of de-'scending the ladder with a child whom he has rescued 80 years ago: Dae 22 1948 Spanning of a Pierce County stream Monday was held in the balance by a few tons of rhubarb Commissioners who had assembled to open bids on construction of the new Dieringer tailrace bridge were dismayed to find a communication from a Bruhn Road farmer explaining that come green-up time he was marketing some 150 tons of rhubarb and wanted the old bridge left intact 25 years ago: Dec 22 1973 Pledges to the 1973 Pierce County United Way campaign were 8 percent higher than last year delighted fund-raisers announced this week The people of Pierce County set a new high this year" said United Way President Robert Mallon The campaign resulted in pledges for $1515000 Mallon said The figure was $40000 over the amount expected No arrests yet in beatings fire that killed woman 2 children By Bsuce Rumtos ass Hectob Castro The News Tribune The man who beat Linda Tran and her two young children then torched their Salishan home while they were inside may be responsible for a fourth death: unborn child The Pierce County medical office issued a death certificate Monday for the boy Tran carried in her womb family says she was seven months pregnant when someone beat the single mother her 9-yearohd daughter Patricia and 22-month-old son Austin on Friday then set fire to their home Whither whaling? The Associated Press NEAH BAY The Makah Tribe elected two new council members Monday but it was not clear how the results will affect council support for the bid to revive its ancient whaling tradition Debbie Wachendorf who has been di The Area in Brief Tacoma Park Rose Care Center plans Christmas talent show tonight Staff and residents of Park Rose Care Center will be host for a Christmas Holiday Social and Talent Show tonight Hie event will be from 5 to 8 pm at "We would consider this a quadruple Pierce County Prosecutor John Ladenburg said Whether the man responsible for the killings faces three or four murder charges depends on a detailed legal analysis of the case Ladenburg said And the medical examiner's office is still doing tests to determine the exact period of gestation and whether the fetus would have been viable Before any legal questions can be answered however police must catch the killer Shortly before the slayings Tacoma police received a domestic violence call at the home on East 40th Street Witnesses reported seeing a man wielding a bat in the doorway of the home police spokesman Jim Mattheis said Hie two children were ciying outside he said and the man with the bat or Makahs elect 2 new rector of enrollment for the 2304-member tribe was the top vote-getter with 207 of 367 votes cast in her race Wachendorf supports the rights laid out in the Makahs' 1855 treaty including its unique whaling provision but whaling is not her first priority Her focus is family children and elders Greig Arnold conservator of the the center 3919 19th St Bill Bailey will sing and play guitar and Santa Claus is expected to pay a visit center officials said Jack Keith The News Tribune Pierce County Pierce Transit receives its 4th straight perfect state audit For the fourth year in a row Pierce Transit received a perfect audit from the state auditor Auditors examined whether the agency complied with state laws and regulations federal grant requirements and its own policies Hie audit released Washington Stjwi Historical Society South Sound photo album The News Tribune's Reader Representative This week's reader representative is staff writer Skip Card If you have questions concerns or comments about The News Tribune or its news coverage our reader representative would be happy to speak with you The reader representative desk is staffed weekdays by a different member of the news staff every week To reach the reader rep call 253597-8432 or toll-free from the following areas: Federal Way 253941-9700 Ext 8432 Lacey and Olympia 352-2254 Ext 8432 Seattle 447-0541 Ext 8432 or e-mail rrepptri bnetcom Callus How to reach The News staff Utah BwHchbofd 2535976742 NMnisom Sports Saak FamS feed 2535976686 2535976680 2535976542 MWinpi MMMS8 MWI (hNMMQ 2535976688 2535976354 2535727653 ruuui MR UIHVfMMMI UnSWRM 2535976649 2535976676 2535978711 Members of the Tacoma Chamber of Commerce gather for a group photo on the dock in front of the Blackwell Hotel before boarding a steamboat fix Seattle on July 4 1888 1 4 0 i 4.