Shelton, WA - The Mason County Sheriff's Department reports 19 year old Ehron A. Erickson, of Shelton, was found dead in a wooded area about 50 yards from the Allen Road Tuesday.  Deputies were able to locate the body of Erickson with the use of cadaver dogs brought in to assist in the search.  According to Deputies at the scene, Erickson suffered what appeared to be a self inflicted gunshot wound.  According to Mason County Coroner, Wes Stockwell, an autopsy will be performed to determine the exact cause and manner of death.

Erickson was reported missing by family members on October 11 and apparently was last seen on or about October 8.  Eririckson had left a note telling family members not to look for him.  Search efforts by volunteer search and rescue personnel were hampered because Erickson had armed himself as he went missing.  Tuesday’s search was undertaken by Search and Rescue volunteers who were accompanied by members of the Mason County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team members.

Aberdeen, WA - A pedestrian on Southside was struck by a pickup truck yesterday afternoon.

The Aberdeen Police Department reports the truck had a green light while attempting to make a left turn from Cushing street onto Boone - but did not see the pedestrian in the crosswalk just before 5pm. The 49 year old Aberdeen man was transported to Community Hospital with non life threatening injuries. The driver of the pickup was cited for failure to yield to a pedestrian.

Olympia, WA - The clock is ticking on Washington’s highly successful Cash for Appliances program. With less than 20% of the program’s funding still available, the time to act is now. So far, Cash for Appliances Washington has helped more than 30,000 people upgrade to a new, energy-efficient ENERGY STAR® appliance, while offering over $4 million in rebates. The program can only continue until the funds are gone and that mark is quickly approaching.

Funds cannot be reserved. Only completed applications will be processed. Applications with missing or incomplete information will be returned. Washington residents are encouraged to resubmit their completed applications before funds run out.

Olympia – The Washington State Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) urges consumers seeking short-term and/or small loans from companies seen on TV or online to be vigilant, read the small print and make sure any company they do business with is licensed to make loans in the state of Washington.

Consumers should be aware that Internet lenders not licensed in Washington State may also not be adhering to our state’s laws. Because of this, the protections in our state’s laws - including limitations on fees that may be charged and laws relating to collection practices - may not be available to consumers using these services should they have trouble with the lender down the line.

“Internet payday lenders who are not willing to abide by Washington law are not welcome to do business with Washington consumers,” DFI Director Scott Jarvis said. “As the state regulator, it’s our job to enforce the consumer protection laws adopted by our legislators – businesses refusing to play by the rules should take note – and be prepared for DFI to take action against them.”

Aberdeen, WA – After seeking input from customers, the Grays Harbor Public Utility District (PUD) Board of Commissioners today approved changes to the residential rate structure. The changes will result in a very slight decrease (a few cents) in the bills of most customers with greater savings for those using the least amount of energy.  

The changes were in response to customer feedback on the current residential rate structure and are intended to do the following:

• Ensure costs of the system are equally shared among residential customers
• Structure the rate to ensure bills reflect every kilowatt-hour of energy used
• Encourage energy conservation

The new rate structure only impacts residential rates. It will go into effect November 1^st.