• It could be weeks, if not months, before investigators announce what they think caused a fire that killed three sisters in a Graham home.

• Bernadette Vohs is the Graham dog breeder whose cost the county more than $100,000 in boarding fees after animal control confiscated her dogs during a criminal investigation last year. She pleaded guilty in that case in a deal that allowed her to escape jail time if she stayed out of trouble and stayed out of the dog-selling business. Well, apparently she's done neither..

• A Fort Lewis Stryker brigade soldier received the Distinguished Service Cross Thursday for extraordinary bravery in combat in Iraq. The medal is the nation's second-highest decoration for gallantry.

Readers haven't actually asked that question yet, but I figured I'd mention this anyway:

We're having technical difficulties with the box at the top of our home page called "Latest from the wire." When it's operating properly, it's updated every 15 minutes. However, something broke and as a result we have two-week-old stories about the stock market and Sarah Palin residing in that spot.

Unfortunately, we can't fix it in-house. That piece of our Web site is controlled by a McClatchy office in Raleigh, N.C., (my hometown; go Wolfpack!). We've submitted a work order to have it fixed, but it's unclear how long that will take.

Update: A web tech in Raleigh responded. I have no idea what she's talking about (her e-mail reads like something out of "Dilbert"), but I gather they found a bug and hope to have it fixed Thursday or Friday.

• Investigators know how Vong Lam died – from a gunshot wound. What they don't know is who killed him and why. Lam's body was found in a remote area of Fort Lewis last week.

• More details are emerging about the fire that killed three young sisters in their father's Graham-area home early Sunday.

• A Fort Lewis Stryker brigade soldiers will receive the Distinguished Service Cross in a ceremony this week. The medal is the nation's second-highest decoration for gallantry.

• The parents of a Muslim Fort Lewis soldier were shocked, then pleased, when former Secretary of State Colin Powell mentioned their son's sacrifice Sunday during a television appearance.

• There's no evidence of arson in the fire that killed three young sisters in Graham over the weekend, but the cause of the blaze still eludes investigators.

• The state is thinking about borrowing from proceeds due from its lawsuit against the tobacco industry as a source of cash to balance an anticipated $3.2 billion budget shortfall.

• State inspectors believe Tacoma Goodwill Industries could have done more to prevent the death of employee Nick Miller. The Department of Labor & Industries Thursday fined Tacoma Goodwill $50,000 for safety violations that contributed to the death of Miller, who was developmentally disabled.

• The Russell Co. will delay it announcement about staying in Tacoma or moving elsewhere till next year.

• The family of a McNeil Corrections Center inmate is looking for answers after the man apparently tried to kill himself in his cell. He's now comatose, but still under state care.

• The father of a baby abandoned at a Federal Way church talks to The News Tribune about his relationship with the girl's mother and what may have motivated her to give up their child shortly after its birth.

• The accusations are flying in the increasingly heated race for Pierce County Executive. One candidate says an endorsement and contribution from a building trades group is an attempt to "buy" the office. But the group says the candidate attempted to secure the endorsement and cash for his own campaign.

• The Pierce County Housing Authority says the financial squeeze caused by successful lawsuits against the agency is forcing it to declare bankruptcy.

• Members of the Lakewood Police Guild are getting involved in the political debate over Proposition 1, which would ban minicasinos in the city. City officials and others are questioning the propriety of the guild's tactics.

• An employee at Western State Hospital is facing prosecution for allegedly victimizing a disabled patient at the mental hospital. And it's apparently not the first time complaints have been lodged against the man.

• With the economy in decline, thousands of people around the state have decided it's the perfect time to head back to school and get additional training to make themselves more appealing to potential employers.

• A pleasant late-evening cruise on the lake ended in a heartbeat Sunday when a speeding boat rammed another, killing one man and seriously injuring several others. Now the driver of one of the boats faces homicide charges.

• A Fircrest teenager pleads guilty to leaving a bleeding bicyclist on the side of the street. A judge rejects a request to sentence her solely to home detention and sentences her to a week in jail, plus home detention.

• Rail traffic between Lakewood and Tacoma should get a boost thanks to new funding.