SEATTLE – All they wanted was to start an online business. But many Washington residents who agreed to pay thousands of dollars to a company called StoresOnline claim they were suckered.

“StoresOnline made it seem that their software was so easy to use that anyone could start an online company overnight and be successful – even someone who didn’t own a computer or knew nada about the Internet,” Attorney General Rob McKenna said. “Naturally, that wasn’t the case for many customers who were encouraged to pay more and more.”

After accusing the company of deceptive sales practices, the Washington Attorney General’s Office today announced an agreement that provides refunds for StoresOnline customers, who include many elderly and people on limited incomes.

SEATTLE — Coast Guard assisted an injured boater and two other passengers off of Point Francis, Wash., Thursday.

Coast Guard Station Bellingham, Wash., was contacted via cell phone at 1:45 p.m. by the passengers of a 28-foot pleasure boat requesting assistance.

A male passenger was injured while a trying to fix the engine after it failed.  

A 33-foot boat crew from Station Bellingham responded to the scene.  Two crewman boarded the disabled vessel to stabilize the injured man and the 33-foot boat crew towed the disabled boat to Fairhaven Marina in Bellingham, where Whatcom County Fire and Rescue transported the injured man to St. Joseph's Hospital.

The condition of the injured man is unknown at this time. 

On Wednesday 8/5/09 at about 1:20 pm Hoquiam police responded to the Hoquiam Transit Station, 406 7^th Street, to the report of a man exposing his genitals.  When officers arrived on the scene an employee of transit told the officers that she saw a white male sitting on a concrete wall with his legs spread open and his genitals hanging out of his trousers.  At the time she saw the man there were a number of preschool children getting off a bus so she directed them away from the man.

As officers spoke to the complainant the man remained seated on the edge of concrete embankment.  When the officers approached the man his genitals were still exposed.  An officer asked the man about exposing himself and he told the officer that he did not realize that his genitals were outside his pants.  As he responded to the officer's questions the man tucked his genitals back into his trousers.

Washington State Patrol troopers are urging motorists to make better choices and hopefully stem a recent spike in highway fatalities.  Last weekend troopers responded to six major collisions in which a total of ten people died. It was the deadliest weekend of 2009. 

"This loss of life is of great concern to me," stated Chief John R. Batiste, Washington State Patrol, "and we do not want it repeated this weekend." 

Three of the ten people killed were not wearing their seatbelts. Alcohol was involved in three of the collisions. Additional contributing factors to the collisions were speed, aggressive driving, and driver inattention.  

"All of the contributing factors were choices made by the vehicle drivers," Batiste added. "We hope others will learn from these tragedies, and make better choices."