The News Tribune from Tacoma, Washington • 14

B2 I WEDNESDAY I APRIL 28 2004 I THE NEWS TRIBUNE Officer Continued from B1 COMIMS UP HerewegoaMMSUng again Hew are teachers and students hoidng up under the pressure of the state assessment tests this year? Thooma police officers examine Die accident scene at the comer of South 55th and South Alaska streetB Officer Jim Lewie was thrown Into the air when his motorcycle struck the Saturn In the background with a truck trying to turn left from Pacific onto 121st Street South The driver 75-year-old Norman Pribnow of Parkland died from injuries suffered in the crash In general law enforcement officers have discretion over when to activate their emergency lights and how fast to drive when responding to calls Once they activate their emergency lights they are authorized to ran red lights exceed speed limits and drive into oncoming traffic if they deem it safe to do so according to state law Lewis spent his entire career as a patrol officer but transferred to the motorcycle unit just recently colleagues said He also was involved in the search-and-rescue team and spent nearly a decade as a volunteer for the Thcoma Mountain Rescue Unit they said was great to have on a rescue He did everything by the said Gus Bush of Thcoma Mountain Rescue was super Minutes after Lewis died a police dispatcher broadcast a message over department channels notifying officers of his death all can Gone but not she said The time was 5:16 pm Staff writer Kris Sherman contributed to Ait report Adam Lynn: 253-597-8644 adamlynn8maUtribnetcom Stacey Mulick: 253-597-8268 stacey-mulickOmaiLtribnetcom City OKs Woodard Corpuz legal fees Brame case: $775000 to defend against lawsuit BY KM SHERMAN The Naws Tribune Duoma City Council member unanimously approved two legal contracts totaling $775000 Tuesday night for the defense of fired Gty Manager Ray Corpuz and retired assistant police chief Catherine Wbodard in the Crystal Brame wrongful death lawsuit against the city a list of 100 things that any of us up here would like to spend $775000 on I think either of these (contracts) is on that Councilman Mike Looergan said But legal experts have advised the council that separating Corpuz and Woodard from the defense team is the best strategy in the muitimillion-dollar lawsuit he added The city defend the two with in-house attorneys because that could pose a conflict of interest acting city attorney Elizabeth Pauli said not what we want to da It's what circumstances dictate that we must Lonergan said acknowledging that council members have received numerous calls and e-mails from members of the public who question the expenditure The council first approved a $400000 contract with the firm Wolfe Leinbach to provide independent legal counsel for Woodard In a separate action council members unanimously a $375000 contract with the Thcoma law firm Gordon Thomas Honeywell Malanca Peterson Daheim for the defense of Corpuz The city already has a $19 million contract with the Thcoma law firm Burgess Fitzer for its legal defense Corpuz and Woodard are individually named along with Mayor Bill Baarsma the dty and Pierce County in a King County Superior Court lawsuit brought by Crystal parents Lane and Patty Judson and other members of her family The Judsons filed a $75 million wrongful death claim against the dty June 9 then later converted it to a lawsuit for an unspedfied amount of damages Thcoma Police Chief David Brame fatally shot his wife Crystal then killed himself on April 262003 The family claims dty officials were negligent for promoting an unstable Brame to police chief then failing to adequately supervise him even after they learned Crystal Brame claimed in divorce papers that he had threatened to kill her Kris Sherman: 253-597-8659 krisihermanQmailtribnetcom Alaska Fulghum said A line of cars also headed south on Alaska stopped in the street just before 55th as Lewis approached witnesses said and the officer swung his motorcycle into the northbound lanes to pass them ThatU when a woman driving a gold Saturn two-door near the head of the line tried to turn left off Alaska onto 55th She unknowingly steered her ear right into Lewis' path witnesses and police said She might have been distracted by the police car down the street which had pulled over a suspected felon according to witnesses Lewis never had a chance "I knew he was going to hit said Terence Williams 16 who witnessed the crash from his school bus was going way too fast to Lewis' Kawasaki Police 1000 motorcycle slammed into the car near the front of the driver's side door The impact left a large hole in the outer skin and cracked the windshield It also destroyed the nose of the motorcycle and threw Lewis into the air witnesses said Lewis hit his head on the pavement when he landed and lost consciousness said Mikayla Strickler 13 who saw the collision as she was walking home from school looked real Strickler said moving" Paramedics took Lewis to Thcoma General Hospital where he died about three hours later Several police officers including interim Chief Don Ramsdell were in the emergency room when Lewis died Fulghum said IN BRIEF TACOMA Pastor helps orphans -and you can help too The Rev Keith Galbraith says he has seen too many parents die and leave behind their children Inspired by the children of David and Crystal Brame Galbraith started the Domestic Violence Orphans Fund to raise money for children who have lost parents and to help support their new caregivers Some future beneficiarie might have a parent who is alive but in prison said Galbraith head of the Family Renewal Shelter in Thcoma He said using the word in the name in the expanded sense he said because an imprisoned parent able to do much parenting want to use that term so people think This kid doesn't have he said Tb donate to the fond go to wwwdomesticviolencehelpcom and specify Violence Orphans as your designation You can also mail checks to the Family Renewal Shelter 6832 Pacific Ave Tacoma WA 98408 or contact the Family Renewal Shelter at 253-475-9010 Lite Kroner The Newt Tribune TACOMA Conservancy group to plan Soab far next 100 years The Cascade Land Conservancy a regional land trust will hold a public meeting Monday to identify regional conservation goal for the next 100 yean The nonprofit groups plans similar town-hall style meetings in King Snohomish and Kittitas counties as the first stage of a planning process called the Cascade Dialogues Eventually leaders of the group will draft a strategic plan to preserve and restore important undeveloped lands The meeting will he from 6 to 8 pm at the Thcoma branch of the The woman driving the Saturn was taken to St Joseph Medical Center with minor -injuries Fulghum said Her name was not released Minutes after the wreck more -than 20 police officers descended on the scene They cordoned off the intersection interviewed witnesses and began to reconstruct the crash The investigation was continuing late Tuesday Fulghum said Tuesday's collision was similar to a fatal crash involving a Pierce County deputy in 2002 In that incident a deputy on hia way to back up a colleague was speeding south on Pacific Avenue in his patrol car with his emergency lights and sirens on He -turned into oncoming traffic to pass a line of cars and collided Mountaineers club 2302 30th St For information go to wwwcascadedialoguesorg Susan Gordon The Newt Tribune TACOMA CRy streetcar system hits 500000-rider marit Thcoma Link the $804 million 16-mile streetcar system in downtown Thcoma carried its 500000th passenger last Saturday according to Sound TYansit Weekday boardings are averaging an estimated 2320 exceeding consultants' projections that it would take until 2010 to exceed 2000 weekday boardings From debut Aug 23 2003 to Dec 31 Link carried an estimated 267000 riders between the Thcoma Dome Station and the city's Theater District So far this year Sound Transit estimates that more than 235000 riders have used the system Actual ridership is part head count and part guesswork because the streetcar is free Streetcar operators count the number of people waiting at each stop and write them down most days There are two entrances on the passenger trains and drivers count the actual number of people who get on the train Voters in Pierce King and Snohomish counties approved the $4 billion initiative to create Sound Transit in 1996 The agency is charged with providing commuter rail light rail and express buses The bulk of its funding comes from local taxes including a 04 percent sales tax and a 03 percent vehicle license tax Aaron Gorvln The News Tribune GIG HARBOR Safety night to offer tips on handling emergency A free safety fair featuring representatives of the Red Cross Gig Harbor Fire District 5 Peninsula Light the Peninsula School District and other agencies is set from OPEN MIKE Pat Tiiman is a true American hero: He gave up more than most of the rest of us wtl ever have Our sadness Is for al who have and stM are making the ultimate sacrifice but maybe Mr Tillman's sacrifice wil bring some heart and humility back home to the rest of us I normally don't bother to write to newspapers but as I was rearing The News Tribune I became very offended by a blatant case of poor taste on behalf of the management of the Tribune The Item which offended me so deeply was Monday's "memorial' for the late chief of police David Brame I understand that It probably was requested by his surviving family and they feel a deep loss because of Ns passing With the first anniversary of the Idling of Ns wife Crystal If anything what should have been printed would ham been a picture of her and not Nm ERtaMB WtE-MML TO SUBMIT APPLAUSE AMD OPEN MIKE ITEMS The News Tribune B2EdKor PO Box 11000 Tacoma WA 98411 253-552-7014 IvHOHiMKVITMlVMWwOOin Limit submissions to 150 words Submissions are the property of The News Tribune and may be edited and published In any format Questkma about vital statistics: Tent Bell 253- 597-8532 LOTTERY KESULTS Washington Daly Game: 1-46 Kano: 246-7-1521442829-52-55566061-6569-70-74 77-80 lucky for Ufa: 194860-71 Nobfevtfmer Qukitac (April 24) 4 No big winner 4 cards: $1000 Today: $900000 Lotto: (April 24) 23-25334047 No big winner 5 numbers: $1000 4 numbers: $30 Today $31 million Megs MMona: (April 27) (drawings Tuesdays Fridays) 1-10172335 Mega Ball: 45 5 numbers: $175000 4 plus Mega Bal: $5000 No winner Information Tuesday $36 million Oregon Magabuclwc (Apt 26) (drawings Mondays Wednesdays Saturdays) 51429384345 No big winner Today $22 miition Powerful: (April 24) 213223544 Powerbal28 No big winner Today $120 million READER REPRESENTATIVE This week' reader representative Is senior 'editor Dale Phelps If you have questions or comments SboutThe News Tribune or Its news coverage our reader representatlvB would be happy to speak with you The reader representative desk is staffed weekdays by a different member of the staff To reach the reader rep call 253597-8432 or toftfree from the following areas: Federal 253941-9700 Ext 8432 Lacey and Olympia 360352-2254 Ext 8432 Seattle 2064476541 Ext 8432 or mal readerrepresentative 0mafitribneLoom employee unions see resurgence Tw Associated Press The move to allow state workers to bargain for higher pay has prompted the biggest boom in state employee union-organizing in decades state and union officials say The Washington Federation of State Employees largest of the state employee unions has grown more than 20 percent since 2001 After three years of frozen wages and increasing health care costs employees are joining unions in hope that increased clout will mean a better deal come July 1 2005 when the law passed two years ago mandates a new contract As union membership dwindles nationwide unionized work force is growing "That was largely due to public sector organizing we think" David Groves a spokesman for the Washington State Labor Council told The Olympian The member unions -including the Washington Federation of State Employees Washington Public Employees Association and the Service Employees International Local 925 represent 430000 workers collective bargaining went into effect the federation has put themselves into a total organizing effort" Groves said The new law dictates that state employees negotiate with the governor over pay and benefits which have historically been set unilaterally by the Legislature 6 to 8 tonight at Peninsula High School 14105 Purdy Drive NW Tbpics will include community sheltering in the event of an emergency how to team up your neighborhood to cope with an emergency using generators when the power goes out what you can expect from fire and police officials in the event of a community emergency and how parents and their children can establish contact during a major emergency Emergency Preparedness Night is coordinated by the Peninsula School District in cooperation with a number of area agencies April is National Disaster Preparedness Month Kris Sherman The Newt Tribune PUYALLUP No porridge needed to nab mama bear Officials with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife caught the mother bear of a family of black bean early TUesday in Puyallup leaving just one cub at large he mother bear and two cubs were spotted last week in the Crystal Ridge neighborhood which overlooks the Orting Valley Wildlife officials set a trap there Friday They caught one of the cubs Sunday Wildlife officials had been watching the trap until midnight Monday without success but found the mother bear in it early Tuesday morning said Craig Bartlett spokesman for Fish and Wildlife He said the department will continue trying to catch the remaining cub In the meantime the department is urging residents to leave the animal alone and residents in the area should store their pet food and garbage cans indoors overnight The captured animals will be returned to the wild Eijiro Kawada The Newt Tribune death thought to be accident A young Thcoma woman found dead in her submerged car Monday probably drowned after a traffic accident the Pierce County Sheriff's Department said TUesday The Pierce County Medical Office conducted an autopsy TUesday on Lara Jill Reynolds but the cause of death has not been officially determined pending further tests Reynolds 18 a senior at Life Christian School and Academy was last seen early Sunday after she left a party at a Parkland apartment complex Her parent! reported her missing later that morning when she return home and didn't calL The SherifTa Department launched a search for Reynolds on Monday morning and a few hours later farm workers spotted her car in the Stuck River in Sumner Investigators initially were treating death as a homicide On TUesday detectives reported Reynolds had no signs of physical violence She was fully clothed when divers recovered her body from the passenger compartment of her car this point there is nothing that leads them to believe that this is anything other than an sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said in a press release Stacey Mulick The Newt Tribune LOOKING BACK 100 years ago today: April 28 1904 One of the largest real estate transactions of the year was made The Bank of Caifomia purchased Hie Luzon building for $110000 It is located at 13th Street and Pacific Aronue and Is a steetory structure It be known as the Bank of Caltfomia Budding 50 years age today: April 28 1954 tf The Tiaooma News Tribune was placed on your doorstep later than usual Wednesday don't be too critical of you paper boy Almost 100000 copies of the huge Thcoma Days Edition were printed and althougi the circulation department had planned for normal defivery even with this large press run It dW not count on mechanical drificulty which caused late defceries to the carrier boys The circulation department commends the hundreds of loyal carriers who stood by their comers to pick up the bundtes and defter them to the homes as quickly as possMe 25 years age today: April 211979 Community financial sources have come to the aid of the Tacoma Club and saved the 40yearold operation from closure Administrator Tony Screws who was forced in March to take steps toward shutting down the home for girts said the financial support wM assure I remains open until July RICHMDS STUCK) COUECTKM TACOMA PUBUC LiBAAAV 253-591-5622 Ten Asarco employees attended the first meeting of the Thcoma copper smelter's 25ri3arCtub held at the Towers 6805 Sixth Ave on April 10 1950 The club started with 185 to 207 members active or retired workers with at least 25 years of service Retired plant manager Eugene White became chairman at the meeting i i A i.