180-mph biker death; bomb-threat kid expelled; lifeguards foil smugglers
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Odd and interesting news from around the West.
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BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A former Montana lawmaker, who once supported giving $4 million in state money to an anti-meth campaign, has pleaded guilty to trafficking several pounds of the drug.
Former House Majority Leader Michael Lange of Billings pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiracy to possess meth for distribution and possession with intent to distribute.
Lange, who is 57, faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison when U.S. District Judge Susan Watters sentences him on Jan. 18.
Prosecutors say Lange acknowledged receiving about 20 pounds (9 kilograms) of meth from a co-defendant and distributing it to others over seven months in 2016. A search of his house turned up more than 2.5 pounds (1.1 kilograms) of meth along with cocaine and $27,400.
During the 2007 Legislature, Lange supported a bill that would have given $4 million to the Montana Meth Project.
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ROSWELL, N.M. (AP) — Authorities say a motorcyclist is dead after high-speed crash in south Roswell that may have involved racing against two cars.
Roswell police say 20-year-old Michael Torrez was traveling about 180 mph when the accident occurred Monday night.
They say Torrez died at the scene.
Police say Torrez was wearing a helmet, but suffered extensive injuries when he came off the motorcycle during the accident and his body struck a light pole in the median.
They say the street has a posted speed limit of 50 mph.
While speed was a significant factor in the accident, police say any other potential factors that may have contributed to causing Torrez to lose control of the motorcycle remain under investigation.
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AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AP) — A senior at the Air Force Academy has pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography and taking cellphone images of unclothed civilians without their consent.
KRDO-TV reports (http://bit.ly/2fftQyS) cadet Jacob Cook entered his plea Tuesday during a military trial at the academy.
In exchange for Cook's guilty plea, prosecutors dropped a charge of abusive sexual conduct.
Cook said in court Tuesday he used a hidden cellphone to record two girls when they undressed and showered at his father's house.
There was no immediate word on sentencing.
___
Information from: KRDO-TV, http://www.krdo.com/
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BEND, Ore. (AP) — A Bend distiller helped one of Oregon's newer distillers with production and formulation of its flavored vodkas. The Oregon distiller now is accusing the Bend distiller of using that formula in its similar berry-flavored vodka.
The Bend Bulletin reports (http://bit.ly/2xvBiAU ) attorney Gabe Weaver, who represents Northwest Natural Spirits LLC, alleges Bendistillery is using a different formulation that changes the taste and appearance in a way that makes it very similar to the Wild Roots Spirits, which Northwest Natural makes.
Northwest Natural is seeking damages over Bendistillery's sales since July and an injunction to stop the selling of its "northwest berry" flavored vodka.
Bendistillery CEO Alan Dietrich says he has not yet seen a copy of the arbitration demand field by Northwest Natural.
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CLOVIS, N.M. (AP) — A complaint prompted a public school in eastern New Mexico to remove a mural containing a dove, an anchor and a Bible verse.
The mural at Clovis High School Freshman Academy was painted over last month after the school received a letter from the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a watchdog group on issues of the separation of church and state, The Eastern New Mexico News reported (http://bit.ly/2wUTWkV ) on Tuesday.
The mural that was painted in 2013 contained a quote from Hebrew 6:19, "Hope anchors the soul."
Clovis Municipal Schools Superintendent Jody Balch said he erred on the side of caution and had the mural covered hours after receiving the letter.
"We understand there is a separation of church and state," Balch said. "We try to adhere to the regulations set forth by the state and feds as to the things that are appropriate and not appropriate."
The letter to the school was sent after the group received a complaint from a parent of a student who objected to the display.
"Courts have continually held that school districts may not display religious messages or iconography in public schools," the group said in the letter. "This display alienates those nonreligious students, families, teachers and members of the public whose religious beliefs are inconsistent with the message being promoted by the school."
Members of the New Mexico Legislative Prayer Caucus sent a letter to the school to counter the group's claims. The letter stated the group did not understand that references to Christianity and religious symbols on public buildings and monuments "are simply an acknowledgment of religion's rich influence on the development of this nation and its institutions."
The Prayer Caucus letter stated that it would support the school should the mural be reinstated.
Balch said he does not have plans to reinstate the mural.
___
Information from: The Eastern New Mexico News, http://www.easternnewmexiconews.com
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CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Two tribes plan to demonstrate in favor of renaming a valley and a mountain in Yellowstone National Park associated with men who advocated and carried out slaughter of Native Americans.
Leaders of the Blackfoot Confederacy and Great Sioux Nation will gather Saturday at Yellowstone's North Entrance near Gardiner, Montana.
The tribes seek to change the name of the Hayden Valley to Buffalo Nations Valley.
Hayden Valley is named for Ferdinand Hayden, a geologist whose explorations inspired the park's establishment in 1872 but who also called for exterminating American Indians.
The tribes also want to rename Mount Doane, named for U.S. Army Lt. Gustavus Doane. Doane took part in killing dozens of noncombatant Indians in Montana in 1870.
Yellowstone Superintendent Dan Wenk says the names are "an important and sensitive issue."
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SEATTLE (AP) — King County must pay $361,000 in fines and make major changes following a massive sewage spill at its Seattle plant in February.
State regulators found that a lack of reliable back-up equipment, poor operation and inadequate maintenance practices led to the disaster that began Feb. 9.
Equipment failed at the state's largest sewage plant near Seattle's Discovery Park, causing millions of gallons of raw sewage and untreated runoff to flow into Puget Sound.
The Washington Department of Ecology said Tuesday that insufficient operator training and a lack of alarms at the West Point Treatment Plant made the damage worse.
The state ordered King County to improve equipment backups, improve how the facility sends critical alarms to operators and make other changes.
In a statement accompanying the state's announcement, King County officials say they've already made critical improvements to the facility, including beefing up emergency training programs.
- Updated
LEWISTON, Idaho (AP) — An Idaho school board has expelled an eighth-grade student who made a bomb threat.
The Lewiston Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/2xiuNQN ) the expulsion became public for the first time Monday when the board approved the minutes from the Jenifer Junior High School student's Aug. 28 expulsion hearing.
The student reported a bomb threat May 24.
The hearing minutes say after being interviewed on the day of the incident by the Lewiston Police Department, the student was arrested on suspicion of making a false report of explosives in a public place.
The Lewiston School Board's action bans the student from all Lewiston School District venues until January. The student must complete several requirements in order to return, including writing a letter to the board reflecting on changes he has made since his expulsion.
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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A former Portland businessman who was imprisoned nearly 18 months in a pension fraud case is now the CEO of a Los Angeles-based restaurant company and is hoping to raise $24 million by selling stock in his product.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports (http://bit.ly/2wTP6EE ) that Andy Wiederhorn recently began a roadshow for FAT Brands, which is the parent company of the Fatburger fast-food chain. He says he's confident the famous 2001 Portland scandal that lurks in his past will not scare off investors. Wiederhorn co-founded and led Wilshire Financial Services Group in the 1990s, but the group's lenders yanked their financing, causing Wilshire to crash into bankruptcy.
The bankruptcy led to the collapse of Capital Consultants, which loaned millions to Wilshire.
The union pension funds that had entrusted their money to Capital Consultants lost an estimated $350 million.
___
Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com
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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A Canadian man who bit a 14-year-old girl on the right breast during a Green Day concert in Portland, Oregon, has been sentenced to 30 days in jail.
Joel Dauncey of Vancouver pleaded no contest to misdemeanor harassment of a sexual or intimate body part. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports he did not make a statement at Monday's hearing.
According to court documents, the teen told police she was dancing next to her mother at the Aug. 2 concert when a stranger leaned over and bit her. She rated the pain a "3'' on a 1-10 scale.
A woman working the concert told police that Dauncey had been cut off from buying alcohol. The worker said she kept an eye on him and witnessed the bite.
The 34-year-old man told investigators he doesn't remember the incident.
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SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — A man was sentenced to more than 13 years in prison for a crash in California that killed his nephew and injured his brother-in-law more than six years ago.
Tapu Aniceto Sitagata pleaded guilty Friday to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated as well as drunken driving and causing injury, both felonies.
Prosecutors say Sitagata was out drinking with several friends and relatives the night of Dec. 20, 2010, when he got behind the wheel of a Chevrolet Suburban with his nephew, Pesa Sitagata, in the back seat, and his brother-in-law, Aron Ia, in the front seat.
Sitagata crashed the vehicle into a light pole in Irvine. Pesa Sitagata was pronounced dead at the scene and Ia suffered two broken legs, broken ribs and a lacerated spleen and liver.
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SAN DIEGO (AP) — A Bengal tiger cub that a California teenager bought on the streets of Tijuana and was seized when he tried to bring it into the United States has a new playmate at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/2fgaslv ) a nine-week-old Sumatran tiger cub was flown from the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. on Monday to join the other cub.
Zoo officials say the tiger's mother became increasingly aggressive to the male cub and reunification became impossible.
The Bengal cub was confiscated last month after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials found it inside an 18-year-old's car. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service officials took custody of the cub and handed the cat over to the care of the Safari Park.
___
Information from: The San Diego Union-Tribune, http://www.utsandiego.com
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PHOENIX (AP) — State officials say new thermal cameras to detect wrong-way drivers on Phoenix-area freeways are being tested and already have successfully alerted authorities to two instances of people driving the wrong way.
The Arizona Department of Transportation says there weren't any crashes associated with either incident.
A camera at a Loop 101 interchange detected a driver entering the freeway in the wrong direction early Sunday. Troopers found that vehicle stopped on the freeway's shoulder.
Troopers couldn't locate the other wrong-way driver, who began to enter the Loop 101 on an off-ramp before turning around early Monday.
ADOT is testing the cameras while it installs a pilot wrong-way vehicle detection and warning system along 15 miles of Interstate 17 in Phoenix. The system is scheduled to be fully operational by early 2018.
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SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. (AP) — Authorities credit sharp-eyed lifeguards with the arrest of two alleged smugglers caught with more than 1,200 pounds of marijuana in a small boat off Southern California.
Rich Haydon, superintendent of state parks, says the cabin cruiser anchored in a secluded area about 50 yards from San Clemente State Beach "just didn't look right" to lifeguards early Sunday. They called Harbor Patrol, who questioned two men on the boat who spoke no English. When one of them tossed a GPS device and phone into the water, officers boarded and found many plastic-wrapped bundles of pot.
The men, Mexican nationals, were arrested on suspicion of suspicion of possession and transportation of marijuana for sale.
Officials tell the Orange County Register (http://bit.ly/2jlvH9Y ) that increased vigilance and coordination by law enforcement along the coastline has resulted in fewer smuggling attempts.
___
Information from: The Orange County Register, http://www.ocregister.com
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A former Montana lawmaker, who once supported giving $4 million in state money to an anti-meth campaign, has pleaded guilty to trafficking several pounds of the drug.
Former House Majority Leader Michael Lange of Billings pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiracy to possess meth for distribution and possession with intent to distribute.
Lange, who is 57, faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison when U.S. District Judge Susan Watters sentences him on Jan. 18.
Prosecutors say Lange acknowledged receiving about 20 pounds (9 kilograms) of meth from a co-defendant and distributing it to others over seven months in 2016. A search of his house turned up more than 2.5 pounds (1.1 kilograms) of meth along with cocaine and $27,400.
During the 2007 Legislature, Lange supported a bill that would have given $4 million to the Montana Meth Project.
ROSWELL, N.M. (AP) — Authorities say a motorcyclist is dead after high-speed crash in south Roswell that may have involved racing against two cars.
Roswell police say 20-year-old Michael Torrez was traveling about 180 mph when the accident occurred Monday night.
They say Torrez died at the scene.
Police say Torrez was wearing a helmet, but suffered extensive injuries when he came off the motorcycle during the accident and his body struck a light pole in the median.
They say the street has a posted speed limit of 50 mph.
While speed was a significant factor in the accident, police say any other potential factors that may have contributed to causing Torrez to lose control of the motorcycle remain under investigation.
AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AP) — A senior at the Air Force Academy has pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography and taking cellphone images of unclothed civilians without their consent.
KRDO-TV reports (http://bit.ly/2fftQyS) cadet Jacob Cook entered his plea Tuesday during a military trial at the academy.
In exchange for Cook's guilty plea, prosecutors dropped a charge of abusive sexual conduct.
Cook said in court Tuesday he used a hidden cellphone to record two girls when they undressed and showered at his father's house.
There was no immediate word on sentencing.
___
Information from: KRDO-TV, http://www.krdo.com/
BEND, Ore. (AP) — A Bend distiller helped one of Oregon's newer distillers with production and formulation of its flavored vodkas. The Oregon distiller now is accusing the Bend distiller of using that formula in its similar berry-flavored vodka.
The Bend Bulletin reports (http://bit.ly/2xvBiAU ) attorney Gabe Weaver, who represents Northwest Natural Spirits LLC, alleges Bendistillery is using a different formulation that changes the taste and appearance in a way that makes it very similar to the Wild Roots Spirits, which Northwest Natural makes.
Northwest Natural is seeking damages over Bendistillery's sales since July and an injunction to stop the selling of its "northwest berry" flavored vodka.
Bendistillery CEO Alan Dietrich says he has not yet seen a copy of the arbitration demand field by Northwest Natural.
CLOVIS, N.M. (AP) — A complaint prompted a public school in eastern New Mexico to remove a mural containing a dove, an anchor and a Bible verse.
The mural at Clovis High School Freshman Academy was painted over last month after the school received a letter from the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a watchdog group on issues of the separation of church and state, The Eastern New Mexico News reported (http://bit.ly/2wUTWkV ) on Tuesday.
The mural that was painted in 2013 contained a quote from Hebrew 6:19, "Hope anchors the soul."
Clovis Municipal Schools Superintendent Jody Balch said he erred on the side of caution and had the mural covered hours after receiving the letter.
"We understand there is a separation of church and state," Balch said. "We try to adhere to the regulations set forth by the state and feds as to the things that are appropriate and not appropriate."
The letter to the school was sent after the group received a complaint from a parent of a student who objected to the display.
"Courts have continually held that school districts may not display religious messages or iconography in public schools," the group said in the letter. "This display alienates those nonreligious students, families, teachers and members of the public whose religious beliefs are inconsistent with the message being promoted by the school."
Members of the New Mexico Legislative Prayer Caucus sent a letter to the school to counter the group's claims. The letter stated the group did not understand that references to Christianity and religious symbols on public buildings and monuments "are simply an acknowledgment of religion's rich influence on the development of this nation and its institutions."
The Prayer Caucus letter stated that it would support the school should the mural be reinstated.
Balch said he does not have plans to reinstate the mural.
___
Information from: The Eastern New Mexico News, http://www.easternnewmexiconews.com
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Two tribes plan to demonstrate in favor of renaming a valley and a mountain in Yellowstone National Park associated with men who advocated and carried out slaughter of Native Americans.
Leaders of the Blackfoot Confederacy and Great Sioux Nation will gather Saturday at Yellowstone's North Entrance near Gardiner, Montana.
The tribes seek to change the name of the Hayden Valley to Buffalo Nations Valley.
Hayden Valley is named for Ferdinand Hayden, a geologist whose explorations inspired the park's establishment in 1872 but who also called for exterminating American Indians.
The tribes also want to rename Mount Doane, named for U.S. Army Lt. Gustavus Doane. Doane took part in killing dozens of noncombatant Indians in Montana in 1870.
Yellowstone Superintendent Dan Wenk says the names are "an important and sensitive issue."
SEATTLE (AP) — King County must pay $361,000 in fines and make major changes following a massive sewage spill at its Seattle plant in February.
State regulators found that a lack of reliable back-up equipment, poor operation and inadequate maintenance practices led to the disaster that began Feb. 9.
Equipment failed at the state's largest sewage plant near Seattle's Discovery Park, causing millions of gallons of raw sewage and untreated runoff to flow into Puget Sound.
The Washington Department of Ecology said Tuesday that insufficient operator training and a lack of alarms at the West Point Treatment Plant made the damage worse.
The state ordered King County to improve equipment backups, improve how the facility sends critical alarms to operators and make other changes.
In a statement accompanying the state's announcement, King County officials say they've already made critical improvements to the facility, including beefing up emergency training programs.
LEWISTON, Idaho (AP) — An Idaho school board has expelled an eighth-grade student who made a bomb threat.
The Lewiston Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/2xiuNQN ) the expulsion became public for the first time Monday when the board approved the minutes from the Jenifer Junior High School student's Aug. 28 expulsion hearing.
The student reported a bomb threat May 24.
The hearing minutes say after being interviewed on the day of the incident by the Lewiston Police Department, the student was arrested on suspicion of making a false report of explosives in a public place.
The Lewiston School Board's action bans the student from all Lewiston School District venues until January. The student must complete several requirements in order to return, including writing a letter to the board reflecting on changes he has made since his expulsion.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A former Portland businessman who was imprisoned nearly 18 months in a pension fraud case is now the CEO of a Los Angeles-based restaurant company and is hoping to raise $24 million by selling stock in his product.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports (http://bit.ly/2wTP6EE ) that Andy Wiederhorn recently began a roadshow for FAT Brands, which is the parent company of the Fatburger fast-food chain. He says he's confident the famous 2001 Portland scandal that lurks in his past will not scare off investors. Wiederhorn co-founded and led Wilshire Financial Services Group in the 1990s, but the group's lenders yanked their financing, causing Wilshire to crash into bankruptcy.
The bankruptcy led to the collapse of Capital Consultants, which loaned millions to Wilshire.
The union pension funds that had entrusted their money to Capital Consultants lost an estimated $350 million.
___
Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A Canadian man who bit a 14-year-old girl on the right breast during a Green Day concert in Portland, Oregon, has been sentenced to 30 days in jail.
Joel Dauncey of Vancouver pleaded no contest to misdemeanor harassment of a sexual or intimate body part. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports he did not make a statement at Monday's hearing.
According to court documents, the teen told police she was dancing next to her mother at the Aug. 2 concert when a stranger leaned over and bit her. She rated the pain a "3'' on a 1-10 scale.
A woman working the concert told police that Dauncey had been cut off from buying alcohol. The worker said she kept an eye on him and witnessed the bite.
The 34-year-old man told investigators he doesn't remember the incident.
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — A man was sentenced to more than 13 years in prison for a crash in California that killed his nephew and injured his brother-in-law more than six years ago.
Tapu Aniceto Sitagata pleaded guilty Friday to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated as well as drunken driving and causing injury, both felonies.
Prosecutors say Sitagata was out drinking with several friends and relatives the night of Dec. 20, 2010, when he got behind the wheel of a Chevrolet Suburban with his nephew, Pesa Sitagata, in the back seat, and his brother-in-law, Aron Ia, in the front seat.
Sitagata crashed the vehicle into a light pole in Irvine. Pesa Sitagata was pronounced dead at the scene and Ia suffered two broken legs, broken ribs and a lacerated spleen and liver.
SAN DIEGO (AP) — A Bengal tiger cub that a California teenager bought on the streets of Tijuana and was seized when he tried to bring it into the United States has a new playmate at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/2fgaslv ) a nine-week-old Sumatran tiger cub was flown from the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. on Monday to join the other cub.
Zoo officials say the tiger's mother became increasingly aggressive to the male cub and reunification became impossible.
The Bengal cub was confiscated last month after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials found it inside an 18-year-old's car. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service officials took custody of the cub and handed the cat over to the care of the Safari Park.
___
Information from: The San Diego Union-Tribune, http://www.utsandiego.com
PHOENIX (AP) — State officials say new thermal cameras to detect wrong-way drivers on Phoenix-area freeways are being tested and already have successfully alerted authorities to two instances of people driving the wrong way.
The Arizona Department of Transportation says there weren't any crashes associated with either incident.
A camera at a Loop 101 interchange detected a driver entering the freeway in the wrong direction early Sunday. Troopers found that vehicle stopped on the freeway's shoulder.
Troopers couldn't locate the other wrong-way driver, who began to enter the Loop 101 on an off-ramp before turning around early Monday.
ADOT is testing the cameras while it installs a pilot wrong-way vehicle detection and warning system along 15 miles of Interstate 17 in Phoenix. The system is scheduled to be fully operational by early 2018.
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. (AP) — Authorities credit sharp-eyed lifeguards with the arrest of two alleged smugglers caught with more than 1,200 pounds of marijuana in a small boat off Southern California.
Rich Haydon, superintendent of state parks, says the cabin cruiser anchored in a secluded area about 50 yards from San Clemente State Beach "just didn't look right" to lifeguards early Sunday. They called Harbor Patrol, who questioned two men on the boat who spoke no English. When one of them tossed a GPS device and phone into the water, officers boarded and found many plastic-wrapped bundles of pot.
The men, Mexican nationals, were arrested on suspicion of suspicion of possession and transportation of marijuana for sale.
Officials tell the Orange County Register (http://bit.ly/2jlvH9Y ) that increased vigilance and coordination by law enforcement along the coastline has resulted in fewer smuggling attempts.
___
Information from: The Orange County Register, http://www.ocregister.com
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