Democratic presidential candidates square off in their first debate tonight at 5:30 on CNN.
Stanwood man creates hot seats from cars B1
A6 TUESDAY, 10.13.2015
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Quick action likely saved a life Safety A rookie Lynnwood patrol officer responding to a report of possible drunken driver quickly determined the woman needed prompt medical attention. By Eric Stevick Herald Writer
LYNNWOOD — Sometimes things aren’t what they seem. Such was the case Sept. 20 when Lynnwood police received
a 911 call of an apparently intoxicated woman trying to get into her car in a parking lot off of 196th Street SW. The call was logged at 1:16 p.m. Officer James George arrived two minutes later. He began
talking to the 60-year-old woman who was leaning against her vehicle. George asked her a series of questions. Each time, she replied ‘Yep,’” even when it wasn’t a yes or no question. The rookie patrol officer, just a few months into working the streets solo, didn’t smell alcohol. Nor were there signs of drug use.
Yet something clearly was wrong. The woman’s right arm drooped. Her right leg couldn’t support her. The right side of her face sagged. She lacked balance. Instead of bringing out handcuffs, he called for a medic. And, to this day, the woman is grateful. See SAVED, Page A2
Tackling trauma
issues at Western State As feds threaten to cut funding to the state’s largest psychiatric hospital, a state agency says more money is necessary to make the hospital safer. By Martha Bellisle Associated Press
Department of Veterans Affairs. That led to a substance-abuse problem and legal troubles. After a seven-month wait for treatment at the VA, a counselor connected her with H3. Gibson’s role is to help veterans like Landanger feel comfortable and gain confidence as they work with the horses, some of whom haven’t spent much time around them before. She stood outside the stall and guided Landanger through an exercise in controlling the mustang, who’s “kind of like a young man who doesn’t know
SEATTLE — Federal regulators said conditions at Washington state’s largest psychiatric hospital were so dangerous for patients that they threatened to cut millions of dollars in funding three times this year. The state agency that oversees Western State Hospital said Thursday that they are addressing the problems, but they need more money and staff to make the facility safe. The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services sent 90-day termination notices to the hospital in January, March and September after inspectors found it failed to ensure the safety of patients. The violations ranged from failing to supervise violent patients to broken fire alarms and smoke detectors, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press. The loss of federal funds would be significant: The 800-bed hospital receives $4.7 million from Medicaid and $11.2 million from Medicare each year. Federal regulators’ series of threats in such a short period of time reflects serious problems with the state Department of Social and Health Services’ mental health division, said David Carlson, a lawyer with Disability Rights Washington. “It’s operating at its limits right now,” Carlson said. “When there’s not appropriate staffing, bad things happen.” Carla Reyes, acting assistant secretary for the department’s Behavioral Health and Service Integration Administration, which oversees the state’s mental health services, said patient safety is a priority, but the agency needs more than the $9.4 million added to the latest budget. The department is asking for supplemental funding to hire staff needed to maintain accreditation status and operate safely, Reyes said. The warnings are among a list of troubles facing the state’s mental health system. In April, a federal judge issued a permanent injunction against the agency for failing
See PEACE, Page A2
See SAFETY, Page A2
Vets with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder find peace through equine therapy Herald Writer
MONROE — She survived a sexual assault while on active duty in the military. Now horse therapy is helping Army veteran Jennifer Landanger heal. Landanger, of Everett, has for the past year been working with Arleen Gibson at the Monroe nonprofit H3, which stands for horses healing heroes. It focuses on helping veterans recover from traumatic experiences by building relationships with horses. “When I work with the horses, I get peace I don’t get anywhere else,” said Landanger,
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29. On Friday, she stood in a small wooden stall in Gibson’s barn with a 4-year-old mustang named Aiden, who has a reputation for being pushy. Equine therapy is growing in popularity. There are now more than 600 programs in 50 countries with professionals offering the treatment, according to the nonprofit Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association. H3 is situated on a pastoral 50 acres along Fern Bluff Road. An old-growth fir barn houses horses Aiden, Skeeter and Buddy, along with mini horses, Arby and Dre, a pony named Beau, Billy the mule and a goat
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called Mama. “A lot of soldiers don’t want to sit down with a therapist and talk about their troubles,” Gibson, 64, said. Landanger, a former U.S. Army medic, said she had a hard time with being discharged in 2012 after she was hit by a bus and injured her back on her way to work at a military hospital. Landanger didn’t report the sexual assault because she hoped to successfully continue her career in the Army. She turned to drinking or the anxiety medication prescribed to her to cope with post traumatic stress, while she waited to get into therapy through the
Carne fresca The circle of life: Zimbabwe is no longer pressing for the extradition of the American dentist who killed Cecil the Lion (Page A6). Walter Palmer can now safely return to Zimbabwe as a “tourist,” a government official said. The government may call Palmer a “tourist,” but the Dear Abby . . . B3 Good Life . . . . B1
lions in Cecil’s pride call him “lunch.” Wake him when it’s over: Tonight’s first Democratic presidential debate will be a snorefest, predicts Donald Trump (Page A6). The Republican front-runner says he doubts he’ll stay awake for the whole thing. But if Trump were a horse
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and could sleep while standing, he probably would have caught a few Zs during hour three of the most recent GOP debate. Surfing the vast cultural wasteland: On this day in 1957, Bing Crosby starred in “The Edsel Show,” a live special that promoted the new Ford automobile. It also Short Takes . . B4 Sports . . . . . . C1
was the first show to use videotape technology to delay the broadcast to the West Coast (Today in History, Page B4). Pundits being pundits, you can bet that at least one back in ’57 predicted the videotape system would fizzle but the Edsel would be a smash hit.
— Mark Carlson, Herald staff
Wayward 60/48, C8
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Jennifer Landanger, a former U.S. Army medic, tells Aiden, a mustang, to back up while she practices maintaining her personal space with the horse at H3 in Monroe on Oct. 9. Arleen Gibson, owner of H3, uses her horses to help vets cope with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
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