NORTHWEST

REPUBLICAN CALLS FOR REVOTE IN GOVERNOR’S RACE

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Republican Dino Rossi yesterday urged his Democratic rival in the closest governor’s race in state history to join him in calling for a revote.

“The uncertainty surrounding this election process isn’t just bad for you and me – it is bad for the entire state,” Mr. Rossi said, reading from a letter he said he sent to Democrat Christine Gregoire. “People need to know for sure that the next governor actually won the election.”

A call to the Gregoire campaign was not immediately returned. She is scheduled to be certified as Washington’s governor-elect today, having won by a scant 129 votes out of more than 2.8 million cast.

Mr. Rossi made his plea for a revote, which would have to be approved by the state Legislature, during a news conference. “A revote would be the best solution for the people of our state, and would give us a legitimate governorship,” his letter said.

More than eight weeks after Election Day, the Republican secretary of state, Sam Reed, planned today to certify the results of an unprecedented third vote count. The statewide hand recount put Ms. Gregoire, a three-time attorney general, ahead for the first time – by just a tiny fraction of 1%.

Mr. Rossi, a real estate agent and former state senator, won the initial tally last month by 261 votes, triggering an automatic machine recount. He won that count, too, by 42 votes.

– Associated Press

SOUTHWEST

THIRD DAY OF STORM SPAWNS TORNADO

SEDONA, Ariz. – A powerful storm battered the West for a third straight day yesterday, forcing hundreds of people out of a scenic region of Arizona, sending recreational vehicles floating down a flooded creek, and turning Southern California freeways into a virtual demolition derby.

The storm spawned a tornado in Southern California and blacked out more than 140,000 customers in the area while making for treacherous driving conditions. The California Highway Patrol logged 220 crashes between Tuesday night and yesterday morning – more than three times the normal amount.

Police reported hundreds of traffic accidents around Las Vegas, where firefighters rescued several drivers from cars stalled in deep water. No serious injuries were reported. At least 300 people were evacuated because of flooding in low-lying areas of Sedona, where Oak Creek rose 11 feet during the night, reaching 14 feet by late morning. It was likely to crest at 16 1/2 feet, the National Weather Service said.

Some homes had minor flooding and people were stranded in water-logged vehicles in Sedona, a town of some 10,000 people surrounded by towering red rock formations that draw hundreds of thousands of tourists.

Large RVs were seen floating down Oak Creek, southwest of Sedona. Elsewhere, 100 people were evacuated from two mobile home parks in Black Canyon City, 40 miles north of Phoenix. The rain also caused rock slides, authorities said. The California tornado struck two Los Angeles suburbs after midnight, ripping the roof off a house, snapping trees, and damaging cars, but causing no injuries.

– Associated Press

MIDWEST

DEER HUNTER ACCUSED OF MURDERS PLEADS NOT GUILTY

HAYWARD, Wis. – A man accused of shooting six fellow deer hunters to death and wounding two others after he was caught trespassing in the woods pleaded not guilty yesterday.

Chai Soua Vang, 36, waived his right to a preliminary hearing and will stand trial on six counts of murder and three of attempted murder.

A judge set a trial date of September 12. Mr. Vang’s lawyer, Steven Kohn, said the defense was considering whether Mr. Vang should change his plea to not guilty by reason of insanity. Mr. Kohn would not elaborate.

The gunfire broke out November 21 after some hunters discovered the Hmong immigrant in a tree stand – a platform used to watch for deer – on their land. Mr. Vang has suggested he acted in self defense, telling investigators the victims fired a shot at him first, and berated him with racist slurs.

The St. Paul, Minn., truck driver has been remanded to jail with bail set at $2.5 million. If convicted, Mr. Vang could receive a sentence of life in prison. Wisconsin does not have a death penalty.

– Associated Press

SOUTH

JUDGE VOIDS BAN ON GAY FOSTER PARENTS

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – An Arkansas judge yesterday declared unconstitutional a state ban on placing foster children in any household with a gay member.

Ruling in a case brought by the Arkansas chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, Pulaski County Circuit Judge Timothy Fox said the state Child Welfare Agency Review board had overstepped its authority by trying to regulate “public morality.”

At issue was a 1999 board regulation that said gays cannot become foster parents, and foster children cannot be placed in any home with a gay member under its roof. The ACLU had argued that the regulation violates the equal-protection rights of gays. But the judge’s ruling did not turn on that argument.

While acknowledging that the ban was discriminatory against gays, Judge Fox said that homosexuals are not recognized under the law as a “suspect class,” as women and racial minorities are. Instead, he said the Arkansas Legislature gave the child-welfare board the power to “promote the health, safety, and welfare of children,” and that the ban does not accomplish that. He said that the regulation seeks to regulate “public morality” – which the board was not given the authority to do.

– Associated Press