House passes plan
Tuesday Lots of sun, few clouds and warm temps A8
Rep. Giffords arrives to participate in vote A3
Peninsula Daily News Port Townsend-Jefferson County’s Daily Newspaper
50 cents
August 2, 2011
DNR faces fine over W. Jefferson death Changes likely for employees working alone
They were: Gaydeski, 50, was killed while ■ Lack of written proceworking alone clearing brush for dures for the equipment DNR near Clearwater in West Gaydeski was operating. Jefferson County. ■ No lock-out/tag-out proceGaydeski’s body wasn’t found dure for the equipment. until nearly three hours after ■ Lack of proper procedural the end of his shift. training. ■ An employee working Five violations alone in a remote area. L&I investigators identified ■ An employee working five violations, said DNR alone with heavy equipment. spokesman Bryan Flint. The first three violations
$17,000 to another state agency in the wake of the death of a DNR worker from Beaver last winter. The state Department of Labor and Industries’ investigation into the February death of Sam Gaydeski — who was killed by the blade of the brush cutter he was operating — concluded there were lapses in the handling of heavy equipment and supervision of the operator.
By Arwyn Rice Peninsula Daily News
OLYMPIA — The state Department of Natural Resources might pay a fine of
were addressed immediately after the accident that killed Gaydeski, Flint said. “There was an immediate heavy equipment stand down,” he said. The stand down lasted two weeks while DNR created new procedures, that were acceptable to L&I investigators, he said. Turn
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Border Patrol agent back on job Lawyer says PA critic is in ‘vulnerable position’ By Paul Gottlieb
Peninsula Daily News
PORT ANGELES — A U.S. Border Patrol agent who called the patrol’s station in Port Angeles a “black hole” where there is little work to do and “no purpose, no mission,” is now back at work. Christian Sanchez has ONLINE . . . returned to the agency’s offices at the Richard B. Anderson Federal Building in downtown Port Angeles, his lawyer, Paul Richmond of Port Townsend, said Monday. The Port Angeles station is the headquarters for Border Patrol operations on the North ■ Agent Olympic Peninsula. Sanchez’s full Richmond said Sanchez did statement: not want to be interviewed. http://tinyurl. “We are being very careful com/pdnborder1 because he is in a very vulnerable position,” Richmond said. He said both Sanchez and his family had been harassed by his fellow agents. Richmond would not comment on the possibility of legal action — by Sanchez or by the government against the agent — as a result of Sanchez’s allegations, made to a Washington, D.C., open-government group on Friday. Turn
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Chris Tucker/Peninsula Daily News
U.S. Customs and Border Protection vehicles sit parked in the lot across from the Black Ball Ferry Terminal in Port Angeles on Monday.
Credible lead arises Union employees at in D.B. Cooper case OMC threaten strike CEO: Protest will cost district $600,000 extra
Tip focuses on man who died decade ago By Mike Baker
and
The Associated Press
By Rob Ollikainen
Pete Yost
Peninsula Daily News
WASHINGTON — The FBI is investigating whether a dead man in the Pacific Northwest is D.B. Cooper, who hijacked a passenger jet in 1971 over Washington state and parachuted with $200,000 in ransom. The man who identified himself aboard the jetliner as Dan Cooper has never been found, leaving the incident as the FBI’s only unsolved skyjacking case. FBI agent Fred Gutt said Monday that the bureau is following up a “credible” lead in the unsolved case and is focused on a man who died more than 10 years ago. The deceased man was not identified. Gutt said the bureau received a tip from a retired law enforcement source about the dead man possibly being Cooper. FBI agents requested personal effects of the possible suspect, who died of natural causes. The FBI is trying to find fingerprints or DNA on the dead man’s effects to compare with items the hijacker left behind. The FBI said three years ago that it found DNA evidence on the clip-on tie Cooper left on the plane before he jumped.
The Associated Press
A 1971 artist’s sketch released by the FBI shows the skyjacker known as “Dan Cooper” and “D.B. Cooper” that was made from the recollections of passengers and crew of the Northwest Orient Airlines jet he hijacked Nov. 24, 1971. Gutt said the FBI has already tested one item of the dead man’s belongings for fingerprints. It was not conclusive.
Gathering items Agents are now working with surviving family members to gather other items for further testing. The man is someone who has not been previously investigated, and Gutt said initial vetting supported the belief of the tipster. Turn
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PORT ANGELES — Unionized Olympic Medical Center employees say they will go on a single-day strike Aug. 11 if the union representing 369 nurses and service workers cannot come to terms with OMC over benefits and staffing levels. The hospital district’s CEO said it will cost $600,000 extra to bring in 150 replacement nurses and other workers that would be needed to fill in during the 18-hour strike. Service Employees International Union 1199NW on Friday gave notice of the potential strike. “Our goal is to settle a fair contract, not to go on strike,” said union spokeswoman Linnae Riesen. Negotiations between the hospital and union bargaining team will resume this Thursday. Meanwhile, a Kitsap County judge on Wednesday morning will hear arguments on an OMC motion for a temporary restraining order to the strike. Citing state law, officials of the public hospital district said it is illegal for public 14706106
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employees to strike. “We felt we had an obligation on behalf of the community to seek this temporary restraining order, and we are hopeful that the court will step forward and address the issue,” said Laura Joshel, OMC employee relations coordinator. “Our legal counsel believes very firmly that the law is clear, that it is illegal for employees of public employers to strike, but we recognize that the court ultimately makes that determination,”
Moving ahead OMC Chief Executive Officer Eric Lewis said OMC must “be ready” for a potential strike and cannot wait for a court decision. “We can’t be here with no employees on [Aug. 11],” he said. “That would be unsafe for our community and our patients.” The Thursday, Aug. 11, job action would start at 6 a.m. and end at 11:59 p.m. Lewis said in an interview Monday that the strike would cost the hospital $600,000. “We’ll have to hire 150 replacement workers for that day,” Lewis said. “It will be very expensive, but we can’t not be here. Turn
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Inside Today’s Peninsula Daily News 95th year, 181st issue — 3 sections, 18 pages
Business B4 Classified C1 Comics B3 Commentary/Letters A7 Dear Abby B3 Deaths A6 Horoscope B3 Lottery A2 Movies A8
Nation/World Puzzles/Games Sports Weather
A3 C2 B1 A8