MISSOULA, Mont. — Authorities thought their dayslong manhunt for a fugitive former anti-government militia leader was reaching a climax as they closed in on a remote Montana forest camp Wednesday after hours of surveillance.

But when officers entered the clearing they discovered that the man they had been watching was a squatter — and that David Burgert is still on the run.

If you live in certain counties in Washington, your life probably won’t be much longer than someone's in Albania or Mexico. On the other hand, the healthiest counties have life expectancies similar to Switzerland and Sweden.

This comes from new research showing life expectancy in many American communities is failing to keep up with the rest of the world. And the growing health gap is affecting women more than men.

Washington's slow economic recovery is sputtering.

The travel industry usually experiences a bump in leisure travel from June through August. What better time to see the world – or grandma – than when little Susy is out of school? But this year the domino effect of rising fuel prices leading to rising airline ticket prices means families are staying put. Luckily for Seattle’s hotel industry, summer business travelers are taking their place.

(Update with new photo and video)

Chai Li, a female clouded leopard at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, gave birth to a litter of two cubs Tuesday. Staff had been on a round-the-clock pregnancy watch of the 23-month-old clouded leopard for the past 24 hours.

This is Chai Li’s first litter. She and the cubs’ father, 23-month-old Nah Fun, were born at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand and put together as a future breeding pair when they were five days old.

Three women in a rental car blame GPS directions for landing them in the water early Wednesday in Bellevue. KIRO-TV reports the women say GPS told them to make a U-turn. They ended up going down a boat ramp into Mercer Slough.

The women are visiting Bellevue from out of town. Firefighters gave them a ride back to their hotel.

Showers likely this morning. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 63. Forecast here.

Making headlines around the Northwest:

• Two clouded leopards born in Tacoma
• Off the wire: Tacoma police kill a man, budget signing
• Seattle archdiocese sued for sexual abuse
• Seattle woman back to work after I-405 blinding

A happy restaurant experience comes from a combination of food,  people and  place.  While all that can come together as a lucky accident, more often it's the result of careful planning.

A high-level whistleblower from the Hanford Nuclear Reservation is meeting with members of Congress this week. The topic: the safety culture at Hanford’s $12 billion waste treatment plant. A new report backs up his claim that the Department of Energy and its contractors discourage workers from raising safety concerns.

Seattle University has accepted an invitation to join the Western Athletic Conference in 2012. The WAC announced the move Tuesday following a board of directors meeting in Park City, Utah.

The Washington State Patrol says some evidence was likely damaged by a sprinkler malfunction at its crime lab in Seattle. The patrol says the leak Monday occurred in a freezer used to store evidence.

Seattle firefighters shut off the sprinklers, and the evidence was moved to dry out. Lab manager Jim Tarver says workers are still determining the extent of the damage. Then they'll have to tell police and prosecutors.

Former King County Executive Ron Sims has told his staff at the Department of Housing and Urban Development that he is leaving his D.C. post to return to Seattle. That move, announced one day after Gov. Chris Gregoire said she will not seek a third term, had some wondering if Sims is eyeing the governor’s mansion.

However, Sims told the Seattle Times that he will not run for the office and in fact hopes to volunteer to help Rep. Jay Inslee should he announce a bid for the governorship.

Boeing has asked a Seattle judge to dismiss a case brought by the National Labor Relations Board that accuses the plane maker of breaking the law when it built a non-union production line in South Carolina.

Washington high school students continue to do well on statewide tests in reading and writing, but only about half are passing the science assessment.

Of this year's tenth graders, more than 81 percent passed the reading test on their first try and nearly 84 percent passed the writing test. Results from math tests will be released in August. The passage rates are above 90 percent for this year's seniors, who have had multiple chances to pass.

Partly sunny. High near 63. Your forecast is here.

Making headlines around the Northwest:

• Tension in Vancouver as Canucks go to Game 7
• 'Planking' gives way to 'facedowns' (videos)
• Off the wire: Plea in torture case, hotel death, more
• Seattle Library looking for a few good gardeners
• Seattle one of the most-photographed places on Earth