Feds look for temporary fix after bridge collapse
MOUNT VERNON, Wash. – Federal officials were searching the country for a possible temporary replacement for a bridge that collapsed along the crucial Interstate 5 corridor, but Washington Gov. Jay Inslee cautioned Friday that major disruptions will last for weeks, if not months.
A truck hauling an oversized load of drilling equipment hit an overhead bridge girder Thursday night, sending a section of the highway into the river below. The truck driver watched helplessly as the structure collapsed in his rearview mirror. Two other vehicles plunged into the Skagit River, but all three occupants escaped with only minor injuries.
At a news conference, Inslee said federal officials were looking for a pre-fabricated structure to replace the 160-foot section that fell into the river. If one is found, a temporary fix could be in place in weeks. If one can’t be quickly secured, the governor said it could be months before a replacement can be built.
The bridge is used by an average of 71,000 vehicles a day, so the roadblock will cause a major disruption in trade and tourism between Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia.
Furlough Friday: Four-day weekend for Fed workers
WASHINGTON – No one answered the tax-help hotline at the IRS on Friday. And you could forget about getting advice about avoiding foreclosures at the 80 Housing and Urban Development field offices nationwide.
It was “furlough Friday.” About 5 percent of the federal workforce – 115,000 people at six major agencies – were told not to show up as the government dealt with the continuing effects of the sequester spending cuts.
The good news for many federal workers: a four-day Memorial Day weekend. The bad news: no pay for the day.
The across-the-board budget reductions, the result of Washington’s failure to work out a long-term, deficit-cutting plan in November 2011, essentially shut down some government agencies, though it had a negligible impact on others.
The IRS, embroiled in a scandal over agents targeting tea-party groups, got a day of quiet. Its offices were closed with more than 90,000 employees furloughed Friday, one of five days the agency plans to shut down this year to save money.
Arias’ jury foreman says system flawed
PHOENIX – The jury foreman in Jodi Arias’ trial says the panel just couldn’t decide whether the killing of her boyfriend was enough to merit a death a sentence.
William Zervakos tells The Associated Press jurors struggled with what they called a flawed system, explaining Arias wasn’t “Jeffrey Dahmer or Charles Manson.” They thought it was unfair that 12 average Americans who aren’t lawyers had to make such a crucial decision.
The 69-year-old said Friday the entire panel believed the slaying was no doubt brutal. But he says they had to take into account Arias’ lack of a criminal history or any previous violent behavior.
The same jury May 8 convicted Arias of murder in Travis Alexander’s death, but couldn’t reach a decision about whether she should live or die. A new penalty phase is set for July.
Associated Press
