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Thousands participated Tuesday in a procession to the memorial for four murdered Washington state police officers, which about 20,000 mourners were expected to attend. Pierce County officials said 2,000 police and fire vehicles from more than 150 agencies joined the procession to the Tacoma Dome service for the victims of a coffee shop shooting. Vehicles left McChord Air Force Base at 10 a.m. Tuesday on a route past the Lakewood Police Department to be joined by Lakewood police and families of the murdered Lakewood officers. Maurice Clemmons — who gunned down Sgt. Mark Renninger, 39, Ronald Owens, 37, Tina Griswold,...

Four Police Officers Fatally Shot Near Seattle Authorities call the attack an ambush on the officers, who were meeting in a coffee shop before their shift. At least one returned fire and may have injured the lone gunman. No one else was hurt. [Pics in URL] The four slain officers, from left: Greg Richards, Tina Griswold, Ronald Owens and Mark Renninger. (From the Associated Press / November 29, 2009) By Kim Murphy November 30, 2009 Four Seattle-area police officers were shot to death Sunday morning in a coffee shop in what officials called a brazen ambush by a lone gunman....

Maurice Clemmons, the 37-year-old Tacoma man being sought for questioning in the killing of four Lakewood police officers this morning, has a long criminal record punctuated by violence, erratic behavior and concerns about his mental health. Nine years ago, then-Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee granted clemency to Clemmons, commuting his lengthy prison sentence over the protestations of prosecutors. "This is the day I've been dreading for a long time," Larry Jegley, prosecuting attorney for Arkansas' Pulaski County said Sunday night when informed that Clemmons was being sought in connection to the killings. Clemmons' criminal history includes at least five felony convictions...

A 37-year-old Tacoma man, Maurice Clemmons, is being sought for questioning in the execution-style shooting of four Lakewood police officers this morning, according to two law-enforcement sources. Clemmons, who was recently released from jail, has an extensive criminal record in Pierce County and Arkansas, court records show. Clemmons is wanted in Arkansas and faces eight criminal charges in Washington state.

comments Four Lakewood Police Officers murdered on Sunday may have been the target of gangs on the east side of Tacoma. Previous attacks on officers have been reported. On Sunday, Nov. 29, four Lakewood officers were gunned down in a coffee shop ambush before the start of their shift in Parkland. There are no suspects in custody. The police have recently started a crack down on Mexican gangs in the state. In July 2009, after the gang crackdown was announced. On July 30, 2009 a Lakewood police officer's personal car was spray painted with gang tags and set on fire,...

PARKLAND, Wash. - Four Lakewood Police officers were shot and killed Sunday morning in what authorities called a targeted ambush at a coffee shop. Pierce County Sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer says the officers - four male and one female - were in full uniform and wearing bulletproof vests, sitting in Forza coffee shop near 116th Street and Steele Street on the east side of the Air Force base at about 8:30 a.m. Troyer says the officers were preparing for their shift when a suspect or suspects "walked in with a handgun, opened fire multiple times and then fled the scene,"...

PARKLAND, Wash. - Four police officers were shot and killed in a Sunday morning ambush at a Parkland-area coffee shop, officials said. Pierce County Sheriff's Office spokesman Ed Troyer called the ambush "a targeted attack." Officials at the scene said two gunmen burst into the Forza Coffee Co. outlet at 11401 Steele St. South, shot the four uniformed officers as they were working on their laptop computers, then fled the scene. Other customers were inside the coffee shop at the time of the attack, but none of them were shot or injured. A $10,000 reward is being offered for any...

Multiple police officers have been shot near McChord AFB in Washington state, official says

Police investigators have identified three of the four officers. All are from the local area. The fourth officer they are still trying to identify. Law enforcements from all over the region have responded to the scene. King County Guardian One helicopter is in the area. {{snip}} The suspect fled on foot after the shooting. The suspect is described a black male, 5'8 to 5'9 and in his 20s or 30s. He had scruffy facial hair with a black coat and blue jeans. He used a handgun. There are possibly looking for another person and are searching multiple places, including residences...

Four police officers were shot and killed Sunday morning in what authorities called a targeted ambush at a coffee shop. Pierce County Sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer says officers were in a coffee shop near 116th Street and Steele Street on the east side of the Air Force base at about 8:30 a.m. Police are searching for a male suspect and interviewing witnesses. Forza Coffee is near McChord Air Force Base in Tacoma. Troyer says the officers were preparing for their shift when a suspect or suspects "walked in with a handgun, opened fire multiple times and then fled the scene,"...

The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department has reported that four police officers have been shot dead in an ambush at the Forza Coffee coffee shop at 11401 on South Steele Street in Lakewood Sunday morning. Pierce County Sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said investigators are immediately offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the suspect, and that number is expected to grow.

TACOMA PRODUCTION MOVES TO SA TOYOTA PLANT It will mean 1,000 new Toyota jobs. By Jim Forsyth Thursday, August 27, 2009 Toyota Motor Manufacturing of Texas announced Thursday night that Toyota is relocating its Tacoma mid sized pickup truck production form Fremont California to San Antonio, and is expected to make a $100 million investment in the plant on the city's south side, 1200 WOAI news reports. "Here in Texas, the addition of the Tacoma to the Tundra production line will better utilize our plant's capacity and the 21 supplier facilities on our site," TMMTX President Kenji Fukuta said. "This...

A man who tried to kidnap two 5-year-old girls was beaten Saturday night by two bystanders who witnessed the abduction attempts, Tacoma police said Monday. Officers arrested the 45-year-old man on suspicion of trying to kidnap the girls, who had been playing with some other children in the 500 block of South L Street about 7 p.m. Police said the man, apparently intoxicated, was walking on the sidewalk on L Street when he grabbed the first girl. She kicked her way free, and the man tried to grab another 5-year-old girl, police said. She, too, got away. As the man...

(edit) Federal agents raided Johnson's four offices and his home Wednesday and carried off hundreds of boxes, including the charts for the clinic's 6,000 patients. They want to know more about his billing practices and the prescriptions he writes. "I may not appear shocked," Johnson said. "I was shocked then, but for me it's just another in a series of what I view as harassment." A 52-page search warrant unsealed late Friday says patients knew Johnson as "candy man," an easy touch for drug seeking addicts. He rarely examined his patients, according to several former employees and patients. And...

Afghanistan to Ask NATO for Bigger Army Afghan officials will go to the NATO summit in Romania Thursday with a request: pay to increase our national Army by 40 percent. A bigger Army, Afghan officials argue, will allow the US and other coalition members to scale back in the coming years. This appeal comes amid pleas from the US and Canada for other NATO members to commit more to the Afghanistan mission, which many analysts say has floundered over the past year for lack of resources and a coherent strategy. France is expected to contribute another 1,000 forces and...

About 150 people -- those opposed to the Iraq War and those supporting it -- gathered noisily outside a Tacoma Mall office building on Saturday. A group known as World Can't Wait had organized an anti-war protest to mark the coming fifth anniversary of the Iraq War. But long before their protest was scheduled to begin, counter-protesters arrived. The counter-protesters surrounded an office building that houses military recruiting offices, which anti-war protesters had said they planned to "shut down." They shouted "God bless our troops" and waved American flags.

TACOMA, Wash. – Local military families are being advised to avoid the Tacoma Mall March 15 as local groups plan to protest the Iraq War. The group "World Can't Wait" is organizing protests at a recruiting station near the mall to mark the fifth anniversary of the war. But warnings to stay away have been going out to military families for days now - including one from Fort Lewis seeking to prevent a clash between protestors and military families. Maggie Loveless, a spokesperson for the World Can't Wait, says this is going to be a big, non violent protest designed...

I’ve received a warning from a couple of different sources, some military and some retail. (actual warning to follow) It warns people (particularly those with stickers on their car that allow them access to military bases) to avoid the Tacoma Mall on Saturday March 15th from 12:00 to 5:30 PM due to protests. It’s not a worry to me, because I loathe the mall and what it represents, and avoid it like the plague. I believe in lawful protest, and I have myself protested this illegal and amoral occupation of Iraq, the lives being lost, the money being wasted and...

TACOMA — The FBI checked out a report of an atomic bomb in Tacoma and found it had turned into a pumpkin. The Port of Tacoma called the FBI after the deputy director received a phone message Sept. 21 from a port commission candidate, Bill Casper. He said he knew how to make an atomic bomb that could elude security devices. An FBI spokeswoman in Seattle, Robbie Burroughs, says four agents went to Casper's office Sept. 26 to question him. He says he spent an hour with the agents showing them a pumpkin and another squash similar in size to...

A powerful explosion rocked Tacoma Saturday afternoon, sending four injured workers to the hospital, shooting a fireball hundreds of feet into the sky, shutting down highways and banning aircraft for a five-mile radius. The series of events leading to the explosion began as a tanker truck driver was loading propane into one of two stationary tanks at Atlas Castings & Technology. Two smaller explosions occurred, followed by a massive one that blew the truck apart, with the axel flying hundreds of feet in the air before

TACOMA, Wash. - More than an hour after an explosion rocked the Atlast Foundry in Tacoma, Deputy Fire Chief Jolene Davis says firefighters are trying to prevent another propane tank from exploding. Washington State Patrol told KING 5 there was a possiblity of two more explosions at the foundry, located at 3021 South Wilkeson in Tacoma, if they didn't bring the fire under control. At 3 p.m. an explosion was heard miles away, and witnesses reported flames shooting into the sky. Two people have been taken to the hospital with burns, but there are no confirmed fatalities according to Jeff...

"I disgraced myself, and my mother deserves a better son than me.” Terapon Adhahn said those words to a counselor 17 years ago, during treatment for a sex offense he admitted committing. What he said to Tacoma police Thursday is unknown, but information from Adhahn, 42, led investigators to the body of 12-year-old Zina Linnik, missing since July 4. "It is with great regret and sorrow that I am informing our community that we have located the body of Zina Linnik," Tacoma Police Chief Don Ramsdell said Thursday, Ramsdell provided little more information, saying only that Linnik’s body was found...

TACOMA, Wash. - Someone with cruel intentions placed a fake ad on Craig's List, inviting people to take whatever they wanted for free from a Tacoma home. Homeowner Laurie Raye says there's little left now of the house. The outside of the home is trashed, the inside is nearly gutted and covered in graffiti. Raye says she is devastated. "I was attached to this home because it used to be my mom's," says Raye. The homeowner says from the light fixtures to the hot water heater, everything is gone - including the kitchen sink. Raye recently evicted the tenant and...

Anti-war protests cost Tacoma $500,000 THE ASSOCIATED PRESS TACOMA -- Tacoma police say last month's 12-day anti-war protests cost the city an unbudgeted $500,000 to provide a large-scale law enforcement presence. The rough estimate covers overtime, regular compensation, equipment and food for hundreds of workers from Tacoma police and other agencies, Assistant Chief Bob Sheehan said. The city plans to ask the Port of Tacoma and the military to cover some of the costs. "That's a tremendous hit on our budget -- a half-million dollars of unexpected expense," said Tacoma Mayor Bill Baarsma, adding that the military would get the...

If anti-war protesters invaded your city and forced your local government to spend an additional unbudgeted $500,000 on increased police presence, to whom would you send the bill? The city of Tacoma, Wash., decided that the U.S. military should cover the expense. According to an AP story on the Seattle Post-Intelligencer website: Tacoma police say last month's 12-day anti-war protests cost the city an unbudgeted $500,000 to provide a large-scale law enforcement presence. The rough estimate covers overtime, regular compensation, equipment and food for hundreds of workers from Tacoma police and other agencies. . . . "That's a tremendous hit...

A Seattle man convicted of supplying Taliban fighters with cash and computers returned to federal court Tuesday to face charges that he violated his parole by traveling overseas with a false Mexican passport. James Ujaama denied the multiple federal counts that could land him back in prison for two years. Arrested in Belize one month ago, Ujaama had only four months left on his parole stemming from the 2003 conviction. His attorney, Peter Offenbecher, said he hadn't yet gathered all the information that led to his client's arrest. "I'm investigating the facts to determine the appropriate course of action," he...

A first-hand account from any freepers in this area would be appreciated. This source is telling me the weather isn't particularly unusual, but the freight company I am using to move a very urgent shipment out of a portside warehouse today is telling me travel conditions are at a near standstill. Am I being jerked around or is he telling me the truth? FWIW, I grew up in North Dakota where traffic stopped only for a major, major reason such as all roads had 3 feet of snow covering them and snowplows couldn't get out.

Developing Story Shooting at Tacoma high school - Students at Foss High School in Tacoma are being released following a shooting in the parking lot of the school. One student has been taken to the hospital. Parents are asked to pick up their kids between 8:30 and 9 a.m.

Anybody got a transcript of the United Methodist Church pastor on H&C? Wednesday 28 June? Mike B.

SEATTLE (AP) -- An Army lieutenant in Washington state is expected to go public Wednesday with his refusal to deploy to Iraq. Attorney Eric Seitz tells Seattle's K-O-M-O Radio that Lieutenant Ehren Watada (wah-TAH'-dah) opposes the war and first asked to be re-assigned and also asked to be allowed to resign his commission. Seitz says after both requests were denied, Watada told his superiors he wouldn't go to Iraq. Two anti-war groups say the soldier will announce his refusal at a news conference in Tacoma. A Fort Lewis spokeswoman had no comment.

Tacoma, WA Ride and Rally For The Troops III On July 9, 2006, there will be an event, the third such, to show support of the military members currently deployed to the Middle East and their families. It is a motorcycle ride and rally that will begin and end at Destination Harley Davidson in Fife, with registration beginning at 8:00 AM, and departure time of 10:15 AM. It is an event created solely to give the general public an opportunity to demonstrate support visibly, and the money it generates is donated to support the troops and their families. Recent news...

Mall Shooting Victim Pulled Weapon, Family Says POSTED: 10:37 am PST November 22, 2005 UPDATED: 2:12 pm PST November 22, 2005 TACOMA, Wash. -- The family of the most seriously wounded victim in the Tacoma Mall shooting says he pulled his own weapon and confronted the gunman. Brendan "Dan" McKown was shot Sunday before he could fire at Dominick Sergio Maldonado, family members said at a news conference Tuesday. Roger and Beverly McKown of Yelm said their son is a hero who likely saved other people at the mall by confronting the gunman.

Upon his return from a week in Mexico, a clearly irritated Rush Limbaugh lashed out Monday at liberal critics who accused him of seeking to make a profit from troops stationed in Iraq. He says the idea for his "adopt-a-soldier" Limbaugh subscription gift offer came from a listener. While he was away, however, lefty detractors were quick to compare his program to Air America's recent (and failing) "associates" campaign....

Mall Suspect: 'Just Follow the Screams'By CURT WOODWARD, Associated Press WriterTACOMA, Wash. - A man accused of a shooting spree at a crowded shopping mall told authorities to "just follow the screams" when he called them shortly before opening fire with a pair of assault weapons, according to court documents released Monday.Plans for making bombs and the poison ricin were later found after a search of the man's car and bedroom, prosecutors said. Dominick Sergio Maldonado, 20, was ordered held on $2 million bail after pleading innocent Monday to multiple charges that included first-degree assault.According to the court documents, Maldonado...

Two separate reports, one from my Dad and one from a friend... both at Tacoma Mall. Not being allowed inside, due to "someone inside with a semiautomatic shooting in the mall". Large number of police on the scene, sealing the exits. Not letting anyone in or out. Will post a source as soon as I have one.

TACOMA - A shooting during an attempted robbery at a Tacoma auto store has sent two people to the hospital. Police say a clerk at the Shucks Auto Supply near 72nd and Portland streets spotted and then confronted a man putting gas into a small motorcycle in their display window. But the man told the clerk he was robbing the store anyway, and then pulled a gun. However, another customer in the store was armed, and he pulled his own gun, yelling at the suspect to drop his weapon. At some point, shots were then fired. Exact details are still...

The city of Tacoma is celebrating Tall Ships 2005 this Fourth of July weekend. Around 125,000 people greeted the arriving ships Thursday at the Tall Ships Tacoma Parade of Sail, said Tacoma police. The festival at Foss Waterway officially opened yesterday and ends Tuesday. All the tall ships will be open for public tours until Monday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. while tickets last. The festival also includes live entertainment, food and arts and entertainment. A pass for the ships and the festival costs $10 per day. Children under 10 are admitted free. Tickets can be purchased at the...

TACOMA - A suspect was killed when he reportedly opened fire on a Tacoma Police officer late Saturday afternoon. The officer was shot in the leg during the gun battle. The police officer contacted the car for some sort of traffic stop at the intersection of S. 48th Street and Cushman Avenue. There were two people in the car and the officer asked the driver to step out of the vehicle so he could speak with him back near his patrol car. "At that time the passenger got out and began to shoot at our officer," said Tracy Conaway with...

A Tacoma woman says she feels violated by a complaint about her vanity plate. It simply reads: "John 3-16" But someone found the Bible verse offensive and now the state is deciding whether she can keep the plate. "The verse in the Bible says 'For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son,' " says Jane Milhans. To her, John 3:16 is a message of love, and a great vanity plate. But now, someone has told the state Jane's plate is offensive. "My first reaction was I was in shock," she said. Jane says she's had...

A man pleaded guilty Thursday to buying a rifle for the Washington, D.C.-area snipers - though not the weapon used in the 2002 random shooting spree. Earl L. Dancy Jr., 36, faces a maximum 10 years in prison at sentencing June 24. He pleaded guilty to making a false statement in connection with the acquisition of a firearm. Dancy claimed on a federal form that he intended to use the weapon himself, the U.S. attorney's office said. During the November 2003 trial of sniper John Allen Muhammad, Dancy admitted he bought it for Muhammad. Muhammad, 44, and teen accomplice Lee...

Voelpel’s piece begins with what could be considered an inflammatory statement. The Load Zone was a sex club – not a “gay” sex club. It might come as a surprise to many people, but many men who are not gay commit homosexual acts. The area along Antique Row used to be a cruising zone for guys looking to pick up hustlers – young men who sell sex or sexual services – and many of the “johns” were straight men. The rise in HIV infections among young women is not because they are engaging in sex with gay men. I would...

TACOMA, Wash. -- A man posing as a police detective has called at least 14 women in Tacoma, asking them to disrobe in front of their windows, KIRO 7 Eyewitness News reported. Police said the man apparently calls from a cell phone, claims to be a detective and says he needs help with an investigation. "He talks them into or at least attempts to (talk them into) disrobing in front of a window in front of the house," said Mark Fulghum of the Tacoma Police Department. Some of the women have complied with the man's request, police said. Police said...

The coordinator for the Tacoma/Pierce County DUI Task Force was arrested for drunken driving earlier this month in Spanaway, KIRO 7 Eyewitness News reported. Sheri Badger was seen driving 50 mph in a 35 mph zone on state Route 7 near Tule Lake Road at about 1 a.m. on Oct. 9, Trooper Johnny Alexander told KIRO 7 Eyewitness News. Troopers pulled her over, gave her a breath test and determined she had been driving drunk. She was released to a friend, who drove her home, Alexander said. Badger was cooperative when pulled over. The results of the breath test were...

There was an article today in the Olympian, Olympia, Washington's newspaper, regarding concern about about a large BC 2004 campaign sign hanging at an overpass adjacent to Fort Lewis. I could not post the original article due to copyright restrictions so I decided to Vanitize it. The overpass in question is on exit 122 over Interstate 5 where FReepers and Operation Support Our Troops (OSOT) members stand together as Patriots to acknowledge the sacrifices and brave service of America's troops. The same overpass where we gathered for our March Against Terror on 9/11/2004.The author of this article begins by saying...

Woman Says Boy Targeted Because She Is A WitchTACOMA, Wash. -- Police are investigating an attack on a middle school student as a possible hate crime because the child's mother says she is a witch, KIRO 7 Eyewitness News reported. The 11-year-old boy was walking home from Jason Lee Middle School in Tacoma on Monday when a group of children allegedly called him a "Jesus hater", threw rotten apples at him and shouted profanities, said Kathie McKnight, the boy's mother. McKnight, who said she is a practicing Wiccan, said her faith made her son the target of a hate crime....

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry trotted out his most familiar themes - jobs, education, health care - for a friendly crowd of thousands Saturday outside the Tacoma Dome. Kerry declared himself a champion of the middle class and denounced what he called the folly of President Bush's tax cuts for the rich. But it wasn't until Kerry touched on how he would win the war on terror and bring American troops home that he charged up the audience enough to interrupt him. "To win the war in Iraq we need a president with new credibility, with a fresh start,...

In one of the area's rare rain-free August days, Senator John Kerry rallied a crowd of enthusiastic thousands at the Tacoma Dome in Washington State. Local pols and NPR radio personality Garrison Keillor entertained the crowd during the event's hour long delay as the Senator completed national security interviews. Keillor, while echoing the campaign's call that this is "the most important election of our lifetime", took a partial but not intensely partisan tone as he led the crowd in an a capella rendition of "God Bless America" and recounted the Bay State Senator's recent trip to the Minnesota State Fair....

Today the unwashed masses gathered at the Tacoma Dome for a Kool-Aide drinking party AKA a Kerry rally. The line snaked down several blocks and was continuously feeding into the event for about four hours. I wouldn't be honest if I didn't say there were thousands and thousands of Kerry-ites there. All-in-all, there were at the peak about 50+ pro-Bush/anti-Kerry protesters spread out over a couple block area. I arrived in Tacoma around 8:30 AM and never before have I seen so many hard-core lefties in one place as I saw here. Nearly every car I saw as I drove...

<p>ROCKVILLE, Md. — Two men will share a $500,000 reward for providing information that led to the arrests of the Washington-area snipers nearly two years ago, officials said Saturday.</p> <p>Robert Holmes, of Tacoma, Wash., will get $350,000 for tipping authorities that his friend John Allen Muhammad might be the shooter. Whitney Donahue, of Greencastle, Pa., will get $150,000 for spotting the snipers' Chevrolet Caprice at a rest stop in Frederick County, Md., where they were arrested.</p>