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Look for your 12th Man hat inside today’s paper ■ Kam Chancellor poster C3
FRIDAY, 01.16.2015
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EVERETT, WASHINGTON
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WWW.HERALDNET.COM
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Influenza kills 5 in county It’s only halfway through the season so far, and one doctor predicts a record-breaking number of deaths. By Sharon Salyer Herald Writer
EVERETT — Influenza has killed five adults in Snohomish County, part of an
unusually severe flu season that has caused the deaths of 42 people statewide. Locally, the deaths include two Snohomish women, one in her late 70s, the other in her
late 80s; a Lynnwood woman in her early 80s; a Lynnwood man in his early 70s; and a woman in her 50s whose hometown was not immediately available, according to the Snohomish Health District. Although several strains of flu are circulating, the most common type, H3N2, is living up to
its reputation of causing more severe illness, both locally and nationally. “We might consider this about halfway through the flu season,” said Dr. Gary Goldbaum, health officer for Snohomish Health See FLU, back page, this section
She’s wearing her warm coat
MARYSVILLE PILCHUCK
Threats could harm healing “The more reminders that there are, the more it tears off that very thin layer,” says a trauma expert hired by the school after the shootings. By Eric Stevick Herald Writer
DAN BATES / THE HERALD
Jourdan Noelle, a 6-year-old female labradoodle, is happy to go walking Thursday with her human, Rhonda Pucket, on Everett’s waterfront near the port office, despite the yucky weather. Find the complete forecast on Page C8.
MARYSVILLE — Bomb threats at Marysville Pilchuck High School this week might set back recovery efforts on a campus where four students were killed after being shot by a classmate in October. That’s the opinion of Mary Schoenfeldt, an expert in trauma response hired by the school district to lead the recovery efforts. Police cleared the campus of students and staff after a 1:45 p.m. threat Wednesday. It was made as a robotic message to mask the caller’s real voice. Some students were taken to a nearby church for their parents to pick them up, similar to what happened after the Oct. 24 cafeteria shootings. At least one news helicopter flew over the campus while events unfolded. “The more reminders that there are, the more it tears off that very thin layer of healing,” Schoenfeldt said. “We don’t go back to ground zero, but it slows down the healing.” Another bomb threat was made Thursday morning. It, too, was determined to be a hoax, Marysville School District Superintendent Becky Berg said in a recorded telephone message to parents. See THREATS, Page A2
First-degree murder trial begins Herald Writer
EVERETT — Alan Smith was home asleep on the living room floor between his two young children when
his estranged wife was bludgeoned, stabbed and drowned in her bathtub two miles away, a Snohomish County judge was told Thursday. Detectives and prosecutors
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have strung together “meaningless evidence” in an effort to pin the killing on her client, attorney Tiffany Mecca said. However, evidence, including DNA found at the scene, points to an unknown assailant. Someone walked in through the front door, rummaged through Susann Smith’s purse, attacked her
C’est bizarre Somebody needs a hug, or not: Soon after arriving in France on Thursday, Secretary of State John Kerry pledged “to share a big hug with Paris” (Page A6). After a split-second of awkwardness, ever-adroit Parisians managed to turn the hug into a handshake. Dear Abby. . . .D5 Horoscope . . . B7
in the bedroom and then dragged her into the bathroom, Mecca told the judge. “Alan Smith did not murder the mother of his children,” the public defender said. Trial began Thursday for Smith with lawyers giving See TRIAL, back page, this section
I feel a cold coming on: President Barack Obama on Thursday renewed his push for paid sick leave for workers, saying he’s astonished that so many people don’t have the benefit. Fun fact: Presidents have paid sick leave, but presidential adviser Valerie Jarrett has informed
Lottery . . . . . .A2 Obituaries. . . .A9
Opinion. . . . . .A9 Short Takes . . .D6
Obama he can’t call out sick whenever his calendar shows chores he can’t stand, like pardoning a Thanksgiving turkey, or having a luncheon meeting with Bibi Netanyahu. Don’t know much about history: On this day in 1920, Prohibition took effect in the United States with the Sports . . . . . . . C1 Stocks . . . . . . .A8
MARK MULLIGAN / THE HERALD
18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, also known as the “This is What Happens When the Prigs Run Things” Amendment (Today in History, Page D6). It was later repealed by the 21st Amendment, also known as the “Boy, Were We Stupid Or What?” Amendment.
— Mark Carlson, Herald staff
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Alan Smith is accused of meticulously planning to kill his wife over a bitter divorce and custody battle.
Alan Justin Smith, accused of beating and drowning his wife, Susann, inside her Bothell home, enters Snohomish County Superior Court for opening statements Thursday.
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