Oakville, WA - Owners of a Grays Harbor tree farm have been named the 2013 Washington Tree Farmer of the Year. Ken and Bonnie Miller, who own the Miller Tree Farm, have 41 acres south of Olympia and 42 acres east of Oakville.

The award is administered by the Washington Tree Farm Program, a group of small forest landowners, and is based on the farmer’s stewardship, management plan, timber health, innovation and community involvement. Each year the Washington Tree Farm Program selects a Washington State Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year from nominations submitted by Tree Farm Inspectors and Washington Farm Forestry Association chapters. The annual winner may be submitted to the American Tree Farm Systems contest for Regional Tree Farmer of the Year and 4 regional winners compete for National Tree Farmer of the Year. State winners have been named annually since 1976.

2013 Washington State Tree Farmer of the Year Ken and Bonnie Miller Miller Tree Farm Located near Olympia

Aberdeen, WA - Police arrested three teens found inside the middle Swansons building in Aberdeen.
Captain John Green tells us officers were called to the vacant store on Simpson around 5:30 Wednesday evening, they found three Aberdeen boys, ages, 16, 15, and 14. They also found that cans of white and red paint had been dumped out and smeared on the floor and walls, and windows of the store and cafe area. The three alleged painters were arrested for Burglary in the 2nd degree.
Green said the investigation is continuing.

The United States Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA's) Sixth National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day this past Saturday collected 50 percent more pills than the previous one, demonstrating the American public's continued appreciation and need for the opportunity to discard unwanted, unused and expired prescription drugs from medicine cabinets, bedside tables, and kitchen drawers.

On April 27, 742,497 pounds (371 tons) of prescription medications were collected from members of the public at more than 5,829 locations manned by 4,312 state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies that partnered with DEA on the event. When added to the collections from DEA's previous five Take-Back events, more than 2.8 million pounds (1,409 tons) of prescription medications have been removed from circulation.

Residents of Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and Alaska turned in 33,589 pounds (16.7 tons) of prescription medications. This number surpassed the last Take Back on September 29, 2012 by two tons and record numbers were collected in Washington, Oregon and Alaska. The following are the results broken down by state:

• Washington - 90 collection sites which resulted in 14,992 pounds (7.4 tons) removed from circulation.
• Idaho - 30 collection sites which resulted in 4,244 (2.1 tons) removed from circulation.
• Oregon - 55 collection sites which resulted in 10,422 pounds (5.2 tons) removed from circulation.
• Alaska - 31 collection sites which resulted in 3,931 pounds (1.9 tons) removed from circulation.

Aberdeen, WA - On the heels of a newly-reopened D&R Theater, local leaders banded together to try and save the JC Penney's store in the SouthShore Mall. Aberdeen Mayor Bill Simpson received a reply from the JC Penney's corporate offices recently. While the letter provided a definite answer to the fate of the Aberdeen store, it was not the answer that several mayors in Grays Harbor were hoping for.

VP of Government Relations Michael Hanson told Simpson and eight other mayors who were CC'd in the letter that "as difficult as it is for all of those concerned the store will close on or about August 3rd of this year."

SEATTLE (AP) - Sunshine greeted the Crystal Symphony as it arrived Wednesday morning in Seattle, the first cruise ship of the season in Elliott Bay.

Seaport spokesman Peter McGraw says the Port of Seattle expects 188 cruise ship calls this summer with 852,000 passengers.

The Crystal Symphony is just stopping for the day. Scheduled cruise service begins Tuesday with the Carnival Miracle.

Carnival, Celebrity, Holland America, Norwegian, Ocean, Princess and Royal Caribbean all offer cruises out of Seattle, mostly to Alaska.

The port says each cruise ship call generates $2.1 million for the local economy.

The port says the cruise business is responsible for 4,000 jobs, $381 million in annual business revenue and nearly $17 million a year in state and local tax revenues.