Here's the press release -- the event is NEXT weekend:

Greetings,

The Lakewood Police Department has recently moved into its’ new, state of the art police station. We are currently in the process of surplusing excess furniture from our previous facilities. So, we are offering an open house to the general public, non-profit organizations, and outside public agencies to come to our old police precinct to select any free surplus office furniture for your use. The furniture will be given away first come, first served and is free of charge. The furniture must be taken for your use and not for resale. We have desks, chairs, tables, filing cabinets, and cubicle wall systems.

Saturday, May 9th
8AM until 12PM
Old Sheriff’s Precinct
5504 112th St SW
Lakewood, WA 98499

Here's the press release from the state Department of Corrections:

McNeil Island Corrections Center Passes Audit

OLYMPIA – The McNeil Island Corrections Center (MICC) in Steilacoom scored 100 percent on mandatory standards and 99.3 percent on non-mandatory standards in an American Correctional Association (ACA) accreditation audit that took place Jan. 26-28.

Located in Alexandria, Va., ACA is the only national organization that accredits correctional facilities.  ACA standards are considered the benchmark for the effective operation of professional correctional systems.

Prisons Director Dick Morgan said the high scores affirmed the ability of MICC employees to balance the delivery of comprehensive services to offenders with maintaining prison security.

“ACA audits look at every aspect of a prison’s operations,” said Morgan. “The employees at MICC work hard every day to ensure this facility is well run and safe for the public, our staff and offenders.”

The accreditation process includes a tour by certified ACA auditors who look at the quality and adequacy of the facility’s programs, activities and services as well the responses to any violent incidents that have occurred. In addition, employees and offenders are interviewed to obtain varied perspectives of the facility’s operations and quality of life. 

A vote by an ACA panel on full accreditation for the prison is expected in the spring.

Ten of DOC’s 15 prisons have received ACA accreditation to date.

Here's the press release from DSHS about a court ruling on the constitutionality of the state's civil commitment facility for sex offenders:

Appellate Court upholds the constitutionality
of the DSHS sex offender treatment program

OLYMPIA -- A federal appeals court has upheld the constitutionality of the DSHS Special Commitment Center treatment program for sexually violent predators.

The Ninth Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals upheld the March 2007 action of U.S. District Court Judge Ricardo Martinez to dissolve a federal injunction against the SCC. At one point, DSHS faced a contempt fine of $11 million before completing improvements that satisfied the court.

The underlying lawsuit, Turay v Richards, first went to trial in 1994. The last major court-required treatment improvement to the SCC was the opening of a transition facility in Seattle in 2005.

As he did two years ago, DSHS Deputy Secretary Blake Chard praised SCC staff for their hard work over the years to improve the mental health treatment of sex offenders. “We will continue to fine-tune our program to maintain its place as a leader in civil commitment programs,” Chard said.

The 292 SCC residents are housed and treated at facilities on McNeil Island, in Seattle and in supervised less-restrictive living quarters in various communities.

The Bethel School District has organized a memorial reception for the boy killed Friday night at the Tacoma Dome.

Here's the new announcement:

Friends and community members are invited to a special Memorial Reception for the boy killed during a Monster Jam truck show at the Tacoma Dome.

Six year old Sebastian Hizey died after a piece of metal flew off a truck and hit him in the stands.
The reception will be Saturday, January 24 at 1pm in the Frontier Junior High School Gym, located at 22110 108th Ave E, in Graham.

An account has also been sent up in Hizey's name. To donate, just call or visit any U.S. Bank Branch and ask for the Sebastian D. Hizey Memorial Fund and reference that it is a business account.

Hizey was a kindergarten student at Graham Elementary School in the Bethel School District.

Here are details about the roof collapse of an Olympia high school sent out by the Olympia Fire Department.

(Olympia, WA) Olympia Fire Department responded to a call at 2707 Congor Rd NW, Capital High School. An automatic fire alarm system activated causing a call to Thurston County Dispatch at 0455 AM. The first units arrived at 0504. An intrusion, burglar, alarm was also transmitted at the same time. Upon arrival crews found alarms sounding, water flowing and a strong smell of natural gas. Crews turned off the gas and water to the building and were able to see inside the front entrance that a portion of the ceiling had collapsed likely from a roof collapse. The structure was unsafe to enter at this point due to the presence of gas and the threat of further collapse. The probable cause of the collapse was due to the weight of snow, ice and water on the roof of the building. The situation required the assistance of Puget Sound Energy, PSE, to secure the gas and monitor for safe levels before firefighters could evaluate the inside of the building. PSE also turned off all power to the building. After determining that there was no threat from the gas level, firefighters were able to enter the secure portions of the building to evaluate the damage to the structure. Initial evaluation suggests about 2,500 square feet of roof collapse and water damage throughout the structure. The library may have received the most water damage and was also in the collapse zone. Inspectors from City of Olympia, Community Planning and Development (Building Department) will worked with the Fire Department and School District officials to determine which portions of the building are unsafe and how to secure the structure to limit further damage. Olympia School District Officials will be working with the City and structural engineers to determine the full extent of the damage to the structure, the feasibility of stabilizing the collapse and what steps will be required to re-open the building.

Olympia Fire Department responded 3 engines, 1 ladder truck, two Medic Units and command staff to the scene. Olympia Police, Olympia Community Planning and Development (Building) Department and Puget Sound Energy also responded. There were no injuries to any responders and there were no school staff at the facility at the time of the incident.

Owners of buildings with flat roofs are encouraged to evaluate their structures for signs of problems and to keep scuppers (roof drains) open and clear of snow, ice or debris until snow and ice have melted.

Here's the press release from the Kent Police Department:

Kent, Wash. – December 24, 2008 – At 7:48 this evening, firefighters from Kent along with King County Medic One units responded to a report of a head-on collision near the intersection of Kent Des Moines Road and Military Road South.

When the first units arrived, they found the collision involved a pickup truck and SUV. Both vehicles were heavily damaged from the high speed impact and blocked all the west bound lanes of KDM. A total of six patients were discovered in the two vehicles. Three of the patients were considered “red” patients, meaning they had serious or life threatening injuries. Two were less seriously injured, and one had minor or no injuries.

The three most seriously injured patients, two women and one man, were treated and transported to the local trauma center via medic unit. At least one of them has potentially life threatening injuries. The other patients were transported by ambulance to undisclosed hospitals. All the patients were adults.

A total of nine firefighters and seven paramedics responded to the call. It is unknown if the weather or alcohol was a factor in the crash. Washington State Patrol investigated the scene and should be contacted for further information.

The state Department of Social and Health Services stopped admissions at a Federal Way adult family home after the home allegedly did not report sexual assault.

The home, Endless Love at 608 S.W. 299th St., reportedly did not report the sexual assault of a resident and was cited three times last year, according to a DSHS statement.

The failure to report kept the resident in the home and at risk of more abuse, the statement said.

The home did not develop rules regarding abuse and the inaction put all residents at risk, DSHS said.

Endless Love cannot admit new residents or readmit current residents without state approval now, the statement said. The home has 28 days to appeal, and current residents can stay, with increased DSHS oversight.

The U.S. Border Patrol put out a memo of yearly stats -- they're nationwide numbers, not local.

While personnel, technology, and infrastructure increased, there were significant decreases in arrests and drug seizures. The United States Border Patrol arrested 723,825 illegal aliens in FY 2008, a 17 percent decrease compared with 876,704 in FY 2007. Border Patrol agents seized 1,642,420 pounds of marijuana, 9,272 pounds of cocaine, and 735 ounces of heroin, decreases of 12, 35, and 61 percent, respectively.

The full press release is after the jump.

=> Read more!

Here's the press release from Pierce County:

County officials urge residents to clean up fallen leaves before a series of rain storms hits later this week. The National Weather Service predicts that Western Washington will experience extended periods of precipitation starting Thursday.

When leaves clog storm drains, neighborhood streets can flood. The
county is asking residents to help prevent flooding by raking or
sweeping leaves out of storm drains near their home and keeping the
drains clear.

"Keeping drains free of leaves and debris reduces the chance of
flooding in your neighborhood," said Harold Smelt, Surface Water
Management manager for Pierce County Public Works and Utilities.
"Leaves also can accumulate on sidewalks and roads and become
slippery, causing a safety hazard for everyone."

To report flooding or storm drain problems in unincorporated Pierce
County, call the Flood Information Line at 253-798-4274. People
residing in incorporated cities or towns should contact their local
public works departments.

Kent police released the following information about a 24-year-old who has been missing for two weeks.

A 24 year old Kent man left his home on October 20th and has not been seen since. He has a history of mental problems, and drug and alcohol abuse. He has thoughts of suicide when not taking his meds. He was released in September from Western State Hospital. His cell phone has been turned off since Oct 21, and he has not been located in any public facility.

The missing man is Andre M. RAMOLETE, 24 years of age, Asian descent, 5’11” tall, 180#, Brown eyes and black hair. His ears are pierced, and among others he has tattoos of Chinese characters on his left forearm. He lived at the Signature Pointe Apartments with his sister. His sister states that he always called her or their mother every day but has not been heard from since October 21st. When he left he took a black “Bilabong” back pack with a British flag on the back, he packed a change of cloths, his phone, and medications.

Anyone with information regarding Andre M. RAMOLETE is requested to contact the Kent Police Department at 253-956-5800 or call 9-1-1.

Here's the press release from Puyallup police, which went out with a headline of "Suspicious Activity."

On Tuesday, November 4th the US Bank on 39th Ave SW was robbed. The victim teller was handed a note by the suspect. The suspect is described as a white male in his 20's, tall and thin build, wearing a brown or dark colored coat and sunglasses, a blue ball cap with white writing and possibly wearing blue jeans.

Update: Here's some additional details from a later press release:

Today at about 1:15 PM, the US Bank located at 222 39th AVE SW was robbed. The suspect presented a note demanding money. No weapon was seen and no one was injured. The suspect fled the bank with an undisclosed amount of money and ran southbound. Responding police units did not locate the bank robber during the area search. The investigation is being conducted by Puyallup PD detectives, with assistance from the FBI.

The suspect was described as a white male, 20 – 30 years old, 6’00” tall and a thin build. He wore a blue jacket with a blue baseball cap that had a white “S” logo. The suspect had a tattoo of a word or an unknown name under his left eye.

Here's the press release from WSP:

The Washington State Patrol Criminal Investigation Division is investigating the double fatality collision that occurred on Interstate 5 north-bound in Federal Way on October 30, 2008. Detectives are seeking witnesses to the collision as well as the events leading up to it. Investigators would like to speak with motorists if they saw the white Chrysler 300 prior to the Interstate 5 collision. If you have any information or know someone who has, please call Trooper Detective Sergeant Moate at 425-649-4370 ext 146 or Detective Ruth Medeiros at 425-649-4370 ext 119.