Other News

Several inches of snow are on the way to Puget Sound's lowlands. Exactly which areas will get the greatest accumulation is something forecasters say is tough to predict, but a number of sources say their models show anywhere from two to six inches in the Seattle area, and up to eight inches or more in Snohomish County and northward.

Updated at 11:22 a.m.

The U.S. military reports pirates have killed four American hostages they were holding on a yacht off Somalia's coast. The U.S. Central Command says negotiations had been under way to try to win release of the two couples on the pirated vessel Quest.

Gunshots were heard; and when U.S. forces reached the yacht, they found four all four hostages had been shot.

Two of the hostages. Phyllis Macay and Bob Riggle, are from the Seattle area. Quest was owned by Jean and Scott Adam, a couple from California who had been sailing around the world since December 2004.  The Associated Press reports U.S. Navy personnel administered to the four as soon as they could board the boat, but all had died from their wounds.

These links to the major Puget Sound area transit agencies provide quick information about services and routes, schedule changes, and severe-weather disruptions and emergency operating information.

Metro Transit

Sound Transit

Pierce County Transit

Community Transit (Snohomish County)

Intercity Transit (Thurston County)

Kitsap Transit

Two of the state's passenger-only ferries, the Skagit and the Kalama, have been sold to Scope Community Consultants of Coquitlam, B.C., for $400,000. The boats have been tied up at the dock since the state ended passenger-only service in 2009. Their new owner is loading them onto a cargo ship and sending them to Tanzania, where they'll ferry passengers between the mainland and the Zanzibar archipelago.

February 22 is the 17th annual "Spay Day", and you can get your pet spayed or neutered for free at the Seattle Animal Shelter's Spay and Neuter Clinic. The free offer is good for licensed Seattle pets scheduled for surgery at the clinic February 22, 23, 24, 25, or 28. It includes vaccinations and a microchip and is valued between $135 and $195. The appointment number is 386-4260. If your pet doesn't have a license, you can buy it on the day of the surgery. 

Nordstrom has jumped deeper into the luxury online retailing world by acquiring the "flash sale" website HauteLook for $270 million. The Seattle-based chain made the announcement on the heels of a report citing regular-price sales of "historically high levels."