Bloglander

Jackass interrupts search for hikers Helicopter rescuers trying to locate a lost 65-year-old woman and three young children in Liberty Lake Regional Park had to abandon their flight because a 16-year-old kid in Liberty Lake kept shining a laser into their cockpit. The kid was arrested. The hikers were eventually found. (SR) 

Facade to blame A fire that engulfed Tung Loon Garden restaurant on Tuesday night is being blamed on the decorative neon lights on the false, decorative roof. (KXLY)

Quick turnaround A north-side man who called police to report $15,000 in stolen recreational gear greeted police at his door within minutes. Officers combed the neighborhood and found most of the stolen loot right away. (KREM)

Leave the whales alone New federal regulations — with stiffer fines — could soon change the way tourists view migrating whales in the San Juans. (Seattle Times)

Israel-Palestine talks begin. Again. Starting today, Hillary Clinton's State Department will host direct negotiations between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, in an effort to resolve six decades of conflict. (NYT)