Major forest fire in Portugal’s Madeira islands burns homes

Vroom! Hydros make waves on Lake Washington

Judge rejects bid for special prosecutor in 1957 murder case

Former Washington state police officer Jack McCullough was convicted in the decades-old case, then released from prison earlier this year when charges were dropped.

The week’s passages

A roundup of notable obituaries from the week ending Aug. 5.

A newcomer’s guide to Seattle’s hydros: It’s all about the pa-a-a-a-rty

What’s with all the people swamping Lake Washington this weekend? Here are five things you probably don’t know about hydroplane races at Seafair.

Archaeological excavations find 26K artifacts in New Mexico

CARLSBAD, N.M. (AP) — Crews conducting archaeological excavations for an electrical transmission line project southeastern New Mexico have uncovered 26,000 artifacts. Xcel Energy said this week the team found ion Eddy County the American Indian items dating back 5,000 years. The historic finds are believed to include a rare shallow basin pit house which was […]

WSP releases video of arrest of Mukilteo-slaying suspect

Allen Ivanov, 19, was arrested about 90 minutes after the shooting that killed three and severely injured another.

Dog is training to work for Olympia police, but he’s a softy

Just 5 months old, Semper is the Olympia Police Department’s newest recruit.

Wildfire that destroyed homes near Moses Lake fully contained

Also, a large wildfire in south-central Washington that threatened the Hanford nuclear reservation was 95 percent contained Thursday.

Crews battle wildfire north of Orondo, Washington

The fire burned across 150 acres by 6:40 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 4. No homes were threatened.

Halfway Fire: Officials evaluating whether to leave evacuation orders in place near Naches

Residents will be notified if the evacuation orders are changed.

Apollo 11 bag used for lunar samples focus of legal dispute

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A bag carried to the moon aboard the Apollo 11 spacecraft and used for the first sample of lunar material is at the center a legal fight after the government mistakenly sold it during the criminal case against the former director of the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center. The white bag […]

Latest updates on wildfires around Washington and the West

In Washington and elsewhere around the West, dry conditions and summer storms can lead to large, volatile wildfires. Here, we gather the latest stories tracking wildfires, their causes and efforts to fight them.

A look at who’s hosting Trump at Seattle fundraiser

A Seattle-area fundraiser planned for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump will be hosted by prominent Northwest investors and real-estate developers, according to an invitation.

Just a burp: Intriguing hints of physics particle evaporate

WASHINGTON (AP) — Eight months after raising hopes that they may have found an intriguing new particle that cannot be explained by the existing main physics theory, disappointed scientists are saying: Never mind. It was just a statistical burp, not a breakthrough, researchers reported Friday. “Basically we see nothing,” said Tiziano Camporesi, a chief scientific […]

Jury awards man $36K after neighbors shot his dog

Attorney Adam Karp says 56-year-old James Anderson of Franklin County got what may be the largest jury verdict in Washington for the wrongful death of a dog.

US approves GMO mosquito test, but no release imminent

MIAMI (AP) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is giving final approval for a field trial releasing genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys. The FDA said Friday in a statement that after considering thousands of public comments, its Center for Veterinary Medicine concluded the proposal from biotech firm Oxitec would not significantly affect […]

Chinese team says it found evidence of mythical great flood

BEIJING (AP) — A great flood at the dawn of Chinese civilization was said to have swept away settlements, the water rising so high that it overran hills, mountains and even heaven itself. It was the sage King Yu who tamed the waters by building ditches, the legend went, thus earning a mandate to rule […]