State Worker briefs — May 5

Adam Wilson/The Olympian | • Published May 04, 2008

Six sea lions found shot, dead in traps

PORTLAND — State and federal authorities say they are investigating the deaths of six sea lions found dead at Columbia River traps. They appear to have been shot.

The bodies of four California sea lions and two Steller sea lions were found at the traps early Sunday afternoon.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and federal investigators are treating the area as a crime scene.

Both species of sea lion are federally protected. But Oregon and Washington state are trapping some California sea lions to keep them from eating salmon at the dam.

Washington

HOV opening to solo drivers a bumpy one

Construction backups, a police chase, rainy weather and fender benders combined to mar Saturday's opening of HOT lanes on state Route 167 in south King County.

State Department of Transportation officials called it a "perfect storm" of events that led to the closure of carpool lanes to solo drivers because their presence helped slow travel times for buses and carpoolers to unacceptably low levels.

The high-occupancy toll lane project allows solo drivers to buy their way into the carpool lanes. The first day of operations illustrated the need to better educate drivers — carpoolers as well as solo drivers — that no vehicle can cross the double white lines that separate the HOV-HOT lanes from the general purpose lanes, DOT spokesman Greg Phipps said.

Alaska

Hundreds of quakes shake Aleutian islands

The Andreanof Islands near the end of the Aleutian Chain are experiencing frequent, near-continual aftershocks after a strong earthquake Thursday evening.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the Thursday shaker in the Andreanofs had a magnitude of 6.6 and a depth of 8.7 miles. It occurred about 5:30 p.m.

The Alaska Earthquake Information Center says there were no reports of damage. Since then, the center has reported hundreds of smaller earthquakes occurring every few minutes.

Patrol starts recruitment campaign