And now live, this is KIMA News at 11, Weekend Edition.
Faulty tiles may be to blame for yesterday's tragic explosion.
Good evening, thanks for joining us tonight.
I'm Michelle Perot.
The morning continued today for the seven astronauts lost in yesterday's tragic explosion.
Now investigators say the loss of the Columbia may have been preventable.
Bob Orr has the latest.
Investigators now know Shuttle Columbia was in trouble as it crossed the California coast
seven minutes before it disintegrated in the Texas skies.
Sensors monitored by mission control show cascading failures on the left side of the
shuttle.
A loss of data from the wheel well, increased drag and rising temperatures in the fuselage.
I'm talking about a temperature on the side of the vehicle, the left-hand side of the
vehicle above the wing.
Unusual temperature rise, the temperature rose 60 degrees over five minutes.
More than a dozen sensors, most of them in the left wing, used to measure temperatures,
hydraulics and tire pressure, were lost one after another.
A sequential failure consistent with a catastrophic breakup.
But NASA officials caution they've reached no conclusions.
At this stage we're making sure that we don't take any pet theory or any one approach in
favoring of one or another.
We're making sure we look at every possible piece of evidence, every possible element
of what could have gone wrong.
One thing certainly did go wrong during Columbia's January 16th launch.
As the shuttle lifted off something, foam insulation or perhaps even a chunk of ice
broke off the external fuel tank and struck the left wing.
This still image published today on the Florida Today website seems to show the debris striking
the bottom panel of the wing.
Several engineers at the time saw no real danger in continuing the mission, but now
investigators want to know if the debris critically damaged the heat ties needed to protect the
shuttle during its fiery reentry.
If there had been a compromise in that heat shield protection system and that heat actually
got into the subsurface underneath those tiles, that would lead to a bad day pretty quickly.
Whether or not the debris that was seen after launch contributed to that is not yet known.
The indications of possible problems in the wheel well and heat along the fuselage and
in the left wing could be consistent with the loss of thermal tiles and the subsequent
breakup.
But NASA still cannot rule out other possibilities like the structural failure of a door or a
flight control surface.
Bob Orr, CBS News, Washington.
Now it's time to take our first look at weather with Mike McCabe.
Mike?
That's right.
Well, Monday looks pretty good.
Partly cloudy skies and 48 for the daytime high in Yakima.
Winds on the northwest at 5 to 15 miles per hour.
Tri-Cities tomorrow will call for the same partly cloudy skies.
Wind for high of 50 degrees, northwest winds at 5 to 15 miles per hour.
Complete look at your work week forecast coming up in 10 minutes.
But first, here's Kyle Draper with the first look at sports.
Kyle?
Well, we definitely have a lot of sports action to get to.
First of all, a local soccer player has her dream come true.
I'll let you know who that is.
Plus, a Seattle Seahawk is in trouble with the law.
I'll let you know who it is and why he's in trouble coming up in about 17 minutes, Michelle.
All right, Kyle, looking forward to it.
Well, campus police have evacuated a dorm at Washington State University because of
a bomb threat.
Safety personnel began clearing the Strait Parham Residence Hall complex at 10 this morning.
Police say the purported attack was going to take place tomorrow.
WSU spokeswoman Sue Hintz says bomb-sniffing dogs found nothing today, but the school's
not taking any chances.
The 400 students who live there will spend the night with friends or in the Student Recreation
Center and the dorm will reopen Tuesday morning after everything is OK.
Meanwhile, the earthquake that rocked Mexico almost two weeks ago is still fresh on some
people's minds in the Tri-Cities.
As I said before, we're working together with the Red Cross so we can get clothing, we can
get food, and we can get everything people need over in Mexico.
And so far, they have been able to collect a lot of supplies for the victims of the 7.8
earthquake that hit Calima, Mexico in January 21st.
All of these goods will be shipped out in the next couple of days and Lupe Barajan says
he's glad he could help out.
The need of the people back in Mexico, back home.
The earthquake was felt strongly in Mexico City also.
It is the fourth major quake to hit that region.
Some scary moments for a Yakama homeowner when a truck slammed into her house early
this morning.
The homeowner says she woke up to her house shaking and a young girl pounding on her door
screaming.
But when she went out, everyone was running away leaving behind blood, cash, and a gun.
The woman says several young people were in a Jeep that hit her house at 32nd and Bonnie
Dune about 2 a.m. Sunday morning.
I got here, it was a four-wheel drive Jeep through the garage.
About six police cars here, they told me that they found a 45 automatic on the floorboard.
There was a bunch of money in there which they took.
They said they didn't know what was going on at that point.
It turns out police had actually been pursuing the Jeep.
Police say there was an argument between two guys in the 700 block of North 6th Street.
They say one of the men shot the other in the left shoulder and then got into the Jeep
with two passengers and drove off.
Police did locate the passengers but are still looking for the suspect.
He is described as a white male, 22 years of age, 6 foot 1, 165 pounds with black hair
and brown eyes.
If you have any information, please contact the Yakima Police Department.
As for the victim, police say he is recovering and they will continue to investigate as they
continue to look for the suspect.
And it was a long night for law enforcement as a processor man kept police at bay for
hours.
We spoke with a sheriff that dealt with yesterday's standoff and has the details.
Michelle, it was a 6 hour standoff as the SWAT team tried to negotiate with a man armed
and dangerous.
When those negotiation attempts failed, the SWAT team has assigned negotiators on the
SWAT team and they used different tactics for negotiating.
And Corporal White was among many trying to get the situation under control.
In addition to Benton County sheriffs, Prosser Police and the SWAT team were also called
out.
They started with a domestic violence call.
Brandy Hunt called from this neighbor's house saying her husband, 32 year old Thomas Hunt,
had been violent and using meth for the past three days.
So he was quite a risk to his family, himself or others.
That's why police secured the area.
The standoff happened next to this shed where Hunt was armed with a crossbow that he pointed
at his mouth threatening to kill himself.
Hunt finally surrendered at 9.30 p.m. and was booked into Benton County Jail.
And Hunt is being charged with felony assault.
Fortunately, no one was hurt in a 6 hour ordeal.
In the newsroom, Navalee Swabey reporting.
Meanwhile it looks like Highway 12 near White Pass won't reopen Tuesday as originally planned.
The road had to be shut down at mile post 155 because part of the road slid down the
canyon wall Friday morning after heavy rain.
That night the road was completely shut down.
The State Department of Transportation hopes to reopen one lane Wednesday.
Both lanes should be reopened by February 14th.
And an update tonight on Good Shepherd Hospital.
The FBI has seized dozens of documents from the medical center as part of a health care
fraud investigation.
So far investigators have confiscated a report done 18 months ago by an independent auditor.
The report summarized problems with the hospital's billing system.
That report surfaced around the same time the hospital's chief financial officer, Mark
Saylor, resigned.
According to the hospital's CEO, Saylor resigned because hospital managers issued a letter
of no confidence against him.
Saylor now works at a hospital in Ashland.
Still to come tonight at 11, in tonight's Money Talks, learn why you should keep your
canceled checks.
Plus, the Chinese New Year begins and we'll take you to Chinatown in New York.
The KFC Variety Bucket.
Three great KFC chicken recipes in one big bucket.
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Four pieces of original recipe chicken.
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Son, you're old enough to know certain things.
About life.
This sort of thing is something you should never plunge into until you're properly prepared.
It's just too important.
And making the wrong decision could lead to some wrenching consequences.
Dad, did Grandpa teach you all this stuff when you were my age?
No, son.
I learned from the guys with all the answers.
Oh, you mean?
That's right, son.
The guys with all the answers at Bill's Plumbing.
Get help with some of life's most difficult questions from the guys with all the answers
at Bill's Plumbing.
This boy is 150 pounds and he's four years old.
A medical nutritionist said that I needed to feed him more.
I am not feeding my child.
You don't give him junk food.
No.
We have you on tape giving him junk food.
He watched his grandfather die on the floor in front of him.
And yes, I gave him a damn cookie occasionally.
Let me tell you something.
It's not okay.
You're his mother and it all comes home to you.
Next, Dr. Phil.
Dr. Phil, Monday at 3 on KIMA.
How do the Central and Eastern Washington legislators compete against West Side legislation?
News journalist Mike Conklin will take you inside the state legislature.
Learn how the East Side is taking the team approach toward legislation affecting this
area.
Will Senator DiCio's new role influence senators on both sides of the aisle?
Is this team having success with a collective voice for our part of the state?
Or are their proposals falling on deaf ears?
Don't miss this special series, Influence from Eastern Washington, this week on KIMA
News at 6 and 11.
Well, luckily it was a nice weekend and the rains kind of died down a little bit to help
us prevent more flooding in the region.
So we're hoping that continues throughout the week.
Absolutely.
It will continue, yeah.
And we will see some changes, though.
But boy, what a nice weekend it has been here across the basin in Central Washington.
And another nice day in store for tomorrow, just to start off the work week.
Right now, temperatures cooling off a bit, 40 degrees at the airport in Yakima, 45 degrees
in the Tri-Cities, 43 for Walla Walla and Pendleton.
And one of the cooler readings at this hour, Ellsberg at 38 degrees, under partly cloudy
conditions at this hour.
All right, some highs and lows across the area today.
54 was the official high at the airport in Yakima, 55 for the Tri-Cities, Walla Walla
checking in at 50 degrees.
Overnight lows in the upper 20s, with the exception of Pendleton and Walla Walla hanging
in there in the mid-30s range, so not quite as cold for them last night as it was for
other areas.
But tonight, it will get cold, and temperatures will drop into the 20s again.
48 degrees was the high in Seattle today, 50 degrees in Portland.
Finally starting to see some clearing here across Western Washington today as well, after
a couple days of pretty heavy rains and flooding on that part of the Northwest as well.
The lakes, or the rivers rather, and the streams have all subsided here.
Good news for us here in Eastern Washington.
There are still some that are just slightly above flood stage, but they will continue
to recede as we head in the next couple of days.
All right, satellite radar showing cloudy conditions into Western Washington.
A few showers here north of Seattle up towards Bellingham, and that is really about it.
We are starting to see the clouds increase as the satellite radar indicates.
That's probably why we haven't cooled down a whole lot tonight quite yet, but we will
see some cooler air out of the north move in as well.
A northerly wind, a northerly air mass that will drop temperatures for us as we head into
the early morning hours, and tomorrow daytime highs will not be quite as warm.
Still be nice tomorrow.
It may be a degree or two cooler tomorrow than we were today, but still nice.
We expect partly cloudy skies and a nice afternoon.
Tonight we'll call for cloudy conditions, 26 for Yakima, the expected overnight low winds
on the light side.
Tomorrow, this is what we are looking at, partly cloudy conditions by the afternoon,
a daytime high of 48 degrees, 44 for Ellensburg, lower valley around 49, winds in the northwest
at 515 miles per hour, and tomorrow night cold.
Partly cloudy skies and 24 for the overnight low northwest winds of 5 to 15.
And here's what the extended outlook looks like, dry and much cooler as we take a look
here for the rest of the week.
Tuesday, a few clouds and 44.
Wednesday, 43 and then dropping down to just about 40 degrees by the end of the week.
Overnight lows, cold in the low 20s, so keep that in mind.
We want to make sure that heater is ready to go, as overnight lows will get pretty chilly
for us, a little bit below normal for us actually this time of year as we head into the next
couple days.
Mostly cloudy for the Tri-Cities tonight, overnight lows around 30, getting chillier
at night, winds on the light side.
Tomorrow, by the afternoon, expect partly cloudy, just great afternoon, 50 degrees for
Tri-Cities, 48 for Pelton, Walla Walla at 46 northwest winds.
It's a north wind at 5 to 15 miles per hour, so it's going to be a little bit brisk, particularly
at night.
Overnight lows dropping in the 20s here across the basin, Walla Walla around 30.
Northwest winds at 5 to 15.
And our extended forecast will continue to call for a few clouds, but dry as you can
see, daytime highs in the low 40s, overnight lows into the low to mid 20s.
So February is going to start off pretty dry, as it started, actually it started off pretty
wet and looks like the next few days will be very dry.
And Puxatonic Phil, as you know, as we mentioned earlier tonight, supposedly saw his shadow
and that means six more weeks of winter.
Is that really accurate?
No.
I mean, it's just, you know, legend.
It's just a folk tale or whatever you want to call it.
A tradition that's just been kept up for 100 years.
That's right, that's right.
It's kind of fun to follow, but yeah, I know.
And I'm banking on a good six weeks early, or yeah, early spring, whatever it is.
I'd rather have the spring before the winter, that's what I'm trying to say.
Okay.
I'm with you on that one.
Okay, I'm glad.
All right, thanks.
Yep.
In response against terrorism, the Yakima County Health Department is about to begin
smallpox preparation training.
Later this month, the health department will begin work to identify who would be among
the first to receive smallpox vaccinations.
That could include hospital emergency room staffers and perhaps medical response teams.
One important precaution will be to prevent the vaccines themselves from spreading the
illness.
Talking about how to protect the inoculation site, what to do with the dressings and how
to prevent that from being spread.
Kelly says one of the hardest aspects of preparing for widespread smallpox vaccinations is in
keeping up with government directives.
He says directives are coming rapidly, but often contradict each other.
In later actions, the health department will train in how to vaccinate the entire population
for smallpox if necessary.
Keeping canceled checks can help you in cases where you need to prove you've made a payment,
but that security may soon fall victim to the electronic age.
Stacey Johnson explains in tonight's Money Talk.
A weak economy convinced the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates yet again last month,
which is great news for borrowers and horrible news for savers.
Well, now that you're earning practically nothing on your money market fund, that's
as bad as it can get, right?
Well, no, because when it comes to money market mutual funds, you can theoretically lose money.
To understand why, you have to know how money market funds work.
First, there are two kinds.
You've got the bank kind, that's insured, but then you've got the mutual fund kind,
which is not insured, and it's the mutual fund kind that presents the problem.
You see, fund companies don't work for free, not even for money market funds.
They charge management fees, which are subtracted from your earnings before you get your interest.
And therein lies the problem, because if you're earning.5% and your fund management fees
are.6%, you're upside down by.1%.
And where do you think that money could come from?
It could come from your principal.
So if rates are lower than fees, and we are getting close to that in some of these funds,
your principal could theoretically be in jeopardy.
But the key word there is theoretically, because most likely, funds are going to waive fees
to prevent that.
Still, this is a good time to see how your fund is rated, because a strong fund would
be least likely to cut into principal to collect its management fees.
Now, again, this possible money market fund problem could only affect mutual funds, not
bank money markets, and it's highly unlikely to occur at all.
Just something to be aware of.
For Money Talks, I'm Stacy Johnson.
Preparations are well underway for the third annual Afro-Americans for an Academic Society
Valentine's Dance.
Today at Columbia Basin College, organizers rehearse and prepare for next Saturday's event.
Proceeds from the dance will go towards the scholarships and other programs to benefit
education.
Vanessa Moore is on the planning committee and says funds will also go to a special project.
To document the contributions African-Americans made to the Hamford project back in the early
days of the Manhattan Project in the 40s and 50s.
So that's kind of a long-term project.
The dance will happen next Saturday at the Red Line Hotel in Richland, and tickets are
still available.
For more information, you can contact that number on your screen, 545-9752.
Kyle Draper joins us once again, and I'm interested to hear about the Seahawks story.
Well, you know, normally it's the Blazers getting in trouble.
We always hear about them.
Well, Seattle, a couple of players in Seattle actually getting into some issues.
I'll let you know who coming up in just a little bit.
Plus, the Blazers were in action today.
We got the highlights of their big game against Cleveland and the Oregon Ducks doing some
big things down in SoCal.
Could they continue?
Rolling hot.
I'll have the highlights in two minutes.
There's an Italian leather price rollback going on right now at Furniture Row Outlet.
Because of our national buying power, we've been able to roll back the price on this 100%
Italian leather room group to only $12.96, our lowest price ever.
And for a limited time only, you can also get no payments and no interest for one full
year.
Get on the ball and roll into Furniture Row Outlet during our Italian leather price rollback.
Take advantage of this lowest price ever and get no payments and no interest for one full
year.
Okay, even I know Top Foods' produce quality is great.
And they carry a lot of things we don't.
But how fresh is it?
Really fresh.
I heard they get their produce delivered seven days a week.
Go check something else.
Whoa, there is a lot.
There is a lot here.
I think we have something.
What is it?
Sorry.
False alarm.
What happened?
Excuse me.
What I alerted the batteries in?
Top Food and Drug, quality in the bag, savings in the bill.
I did 13 and a half months in prison because...
You lost your temper.
I didn't strike her, Your Honor.
I did not touch her.
She got mad at me.
She called the police and I went to prison.
It was an innocent man sent to jail by his wife.
You were blocking his entrance from getting into his home.
His elbow got me in the eye.
So it was an accident.
If you were to ask our son, he would tell people his daddy was in jail for punching
mommy in the face.
But he didn't punch you in the face.
Next, Judge Judy.
Judge Judy, Monday at 4 on KIMA.
Next, Hollywood Squares.
We've got contestants you have to see to believe.
Right on.
No, Ellen, I can't get over how much the guy in the middle looks like Tom.
Plus, Arsenio Hall, Jean-Aleen Nolan.
In the neighborhood, we call that a onion because it brings tears to your ass.
Roman Downey, Kevin Eubanks, and Center Square, Ellen DeGeneres.
Get ready.
This is going to be a Hollywood Squares to remember.
Hollywood Squares, tomorrow at 6.30 on KIMA.
Welcome back.
The NFL season has long been over, but that's not stopping one of their players from making
news.
Wide receiver Corrin Robinson has been arrested in Durham, North Carolina for failing to
disperse.
A minor crime, I'm sure.
Robinson apparently was trying to get into a club in Durham, but the night spot had already
exceeded its capacity limit.
Now, when cops tried to get everyone outside to leave, Robinson stayed put.
He was taken into custody, then released on a $1,000 bond.
The NFL's best on display today in Hawaii.
In the Pro Bowl, the AFC comes out on fire.
Rich Gannon shaking off that poor performance last week in the Super Bowl.
Hits Tony Gonzalez for six.
AFC up 14-3.
Later on in the ground, Ricky Williams just bullying defenders right there for the score.
Then Michigan product Ty Law.
He gets in on the scoring parade.
Law picks off Brad Johnson, goes the other way, 46 yards for the touchdown.
The AFC all over the Nationals avenging the Super Bowl loss, 45-20.
Williams is named game's MVP.
NFC quarterbacks get picked off six times in this one.
Now, sitting out seven games may have helped Rasheed Wallace.
The Blazers went five and two without the big man.
She's back now, taking his frustrations out on all the other teams.
The Lily Cavs, the victim today in Cleveland.
Wallace goes nuts to start this one out.
Burying the triple right there.
That's money.
And then putting an overtime down low.
Working the block, two plus one.
We all know that equals three to bucket in the foul.
Topping it off right here with the rim rocker from Bondi Wells.
Wallace scores 14 points in the game's first 10 minutes.
Portland leads 34-16 at the end of one.
Wallace finishes the game with 29 points in the 114-95 win.
Portland has won nine of their last 11.
They play in Orlando on Tuesday.
The Pac-10 regular season title is still up for grabs.
You have Arizona, Cal, and Stanford all within one game of each other.
Then you have Oregon, only two and a half back of conference, leading Arizona.
The Ducks with their hands full down in SoCal against USC.
Eric Craven will have a monster game doing some big things,
sailing in for two.
USC up one at this point.
More Craven now off the blocks.
This guy shows he got mad ups going up there with the two-handed bowl of jambalaya.
He had 18. The Ducks trying to hang around in the second half.
Luke Ridenour sinks a floater.
He had 21, but that's not enough as the Trojans whip up on the Ducks 91-76.
Luke Jackson had 15 for Oregon despite playing with the sore right hand.
Things on the high school hardware got a lot more interesting after Saturday's games.
By beating Eastmont and having Richland beat Pasco,
the Davis Pirates find themselves all alone atop the Big 9 standings.
On the girls' side, the Bulldogs continue to maintain a one-game lead over Kennewick.
The Mid Valley Boys race is going down to the wire.
Sela, West Valley and Hanford are all tied with an 8-2 record.
And Grandview, which beat West Valley on Saturday, is only a game back.
And check out the SEAC girls' standings in the West.
Clealum, Goldendale and Whiteswana are all 5-2.
There's only three weeks left in the regular season, so everybody's jockeying for a position.
The Ams are back into the ice now. It may sound strange,
but even after a 12-game losing streak and a winless streak that lasted 12 games,
the Ams are still mathematically alive for a playoff spot.
They trail Prince George by 8 points and Portland by 9 for that final spot.
But it's not looking good for the Ams. They fall in Portland 1-0.
Alex Aldred slips one past Tyler Wyman in the third for the game.
Wyman was solid in that stop in 31 shots, but the offense couldn't get on track.
The Ams play in Seattle on Wednesday.
Hockey's All-Star extravaganza taking place this afternoon.
It was a career day for 22-year-old Danny Heatley.
Here he gets his first goal today, but he wouldn't stop there.
Heatley joins Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky as the only players to score four goals in an NHL All-Star game.
This one goes to a shootout, and the Western Conference brings all that heat and extra session.
First time an All-Star game has been decided by a shootout.
Finally tonight, one of Richland's own is being called up to the big leagues.
UW goalie Hope Solo has been drafted by the Philadelphia charge in the Women's United Soccer Association draft.
She was taken with the fourth overall pick.
She's Washington's all-time leader in every goalkeeping category.
She even led Richland to the 4A High School State Championship back in 1999.
Sure, it's a dream come true for that young lady.
Playing in my hometown, too.
That's pretty impressive stuff.
Word of advice to our Philly fans, they can be the worst out there, so just hold your head up, I guess.
That's the message I'm sending out to her.
Okay, good advice. Stick around, we'll be right back.
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Celebrate the Yakima Valley.
Home to spectacular vineyards, agricultural bounty, laid back lifestyle and wines of international acclaim.
Savor the magic as you take a day trip to the orchards, vineyards or a winery.
Visit the past and look toward the future.
Presenting the new Visitor Information Center.
A showcase for our region.
Special thanks to Tree Top, Yakima Valley Credit Union and Dane Rauscher for supporting economic development through tourism.
All this week.
Let's play the college edition of Millionaire.
Meredith challenges our best and brightest college students from around the country.
B. Socrates. Final answer.
Will they make the grade?
C. Little Women Pegasus.
Hypocellamus.
They teach you that at Harvard?
Don't miss our college week edition.
Oh my gosh.
Roll Tide.
And later this month, the moment you've all been waiting for.
For $1 million. You ready to see the question?
On Millionaire.
Who wants to be a millionaire tomorrow at 7 on KIMA?
Well, hundreds flocked to Chinatown in New York City today to celebrate the Chinese New Year.
For the first time in seven years, New York City officials allowed parade organizers to use fireworks.
Drums pounded as elaborate floats and colorful performers presented the traditional lion dance.
The 15-day celebration of the Year of the Ram began Saturday.
Celebration of the Asian Lunar New Year.
Take place each day of the new year.
I did not know that it was the Year of the Ram.
I did not.
I wonder what that means. I don't know. We'll have to find out.
Yes, we will.
What can I add to that? You just leave me hanging.
He does those weird voices and he scares me sometimes.
We'll just ignore him next time, I guess.
Well, that's it for us this weekend. Have a good week, everybody.
Good night.
Sorry.