Activist sits 80-feet up in tree near Port Angeles
A Port Angeles activist remains perched roughly 80 feet up a grand fir tree near the Elwha watershed in protest of a state timber sale, according to officials.
The 25-year-old began the tree sit early May 8 to oppose the Washington Department of Natural Resources' (DNR) Parched timber sale.
The site is located a few miles outside Port Angeles on state-managed lands.
The activist, who declined to be named, has tied their elevated platform to a blockade in a forest road. Authorities say the rigging is such that disturbing the blockade could cause the platform to fall.
On KIRO 7 News at 6:15 p.m, KIRO 7 News will be out at the tree and to talk to the man. How long does he expect to be up there? What will it take for him to come down?
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Yahoo
Who is Travis Decker? A look at his confirmed military experience
The man wanted for the murder of his three daughters has a military background, KIRO 7 News confirmed Wednesday. Travis Decker is wanted for the murders of 9-year-old Paityn, 8-year-old Evelyn, and 5-year-old Olivia, after he failed to return from a planned custody visit Friday. Their bodies were discovered at a forest campground near Leavenworth Monday. Decker's truck, with his wallet at the scene, was found nearby. According to the National Guard, Decker enlisted in the Army in 2013 as an 11 Bravo infantryman. During his time in the Army, he went to Fort Benning in 2018. He attended the Non-Commissioned Academy. According to the Army website, the academy is 'A premier academy comprised of disciplined, fit, adaptive, agile, and standards-based leaders, committed to producing the best Signal, Cyber, and Public Affairs Noncommissioned Officers capable of integrating, leading, and supporting commanders to gain decision dominance in multi-domain operations; a values-based team that operates on trust, transparency and accountability, focused on quality of life and the personal and professional development of our people.' He earned badges while in the Army, including expert infantry and parachutist. The Expert Infantry Badge (EIB) is a test consisting of a physical assessment, land navigation test, 'expert' weapon qualification, a march of 12-miles with a 35-pound load, and other individual tasks, such as first aid, camouflage, map reading, and communications. The Parachutist Badge is completed by various phases, including jumping out of a plane five times in varying configurations. According to the Army, there is no indication of any special 'wilderness' or 'survivalist' training. In 2021, Decker transferred to Walla Walla National Guard, where he is currently a Sergeant (E5). According to the National Guard, Decker has not been to drill for approximately a year. Paperwork for an 'administration separation' was started, but hasn't been completed.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Yahoo
Man runs from drug deal, jumps into GA pond to escape deputies, officials say
Georgia officials said a man went to great lengths to avoid an arrest. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] On Sunday, Cpl. Johnny Robinette and Game Warden Aaron Powell were called to help Cook County deputies and Adel police. According to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, officers were chasing a suspect who ran away from a drug deal. The DNR said the suspect stole a bike to help in his escape, and then jumped into a pond and swam to a nearby island to avoid being arrested. TRENDING STORIES: Man installed recording device in metro Atlanta Burlington Coat Factory, police say Nearly 2 dozen arrested for stealing thousands from Mall of Georgia Hall Co. escaped inmate steals motorcycle, leads deputies on multi-state chase, officials say When game wardens arrived, they launched a boat to access the island. They later found the suspect and took him into custody. The suspect, whose age and identity were not released, was turned over to local agencies and charged with multiple drug-related offenses. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Grace Schara's wrongful death trial against Ascension St. Elizabeth begins
APPLETON - The jury trial involving the death of Grace Schara, 19, at an Ascension hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic got underway June 3 in Outagamie County Circuit Court. The Freedom teen died Oct. 13, 2021, seven days after she was admitted to Ascension NE Wisconsin-St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton for symptoms of COVID-19 infection. Scott Schara, her dad, sued the hospital a year and a half later in a wrongful death case that includes claims of medical negligence, violation of informed consent and battery. Dr. Gavin Shokar, who was the primary doctor in charge of Grace's care, and Hollee McInnis, a registered nurse who provided medications to Grace while she was a patient in the intensive care unit, are also named as defendants in the case. In an approximately 30-minute opening statement, Warner Mendenhall, one of Schara's attorneys, said Grace's stay at St. Elizabeth was a precautionary measure to provide her with supplementary oxygen and steroids. But she quickly began facing issues. On two occasions shortly after she was admitted, on Oct. 7 and Oct. 8, Grace was given Precedex, which "dangerously lowered her blood pressure and pulse," Mendenhall claimed. On both occasions, Grace's condition improved after medical staff stopped or turned down her dose of the medication, he said. Scott Schara stayed with his daughter at the hospital for several days, until staff asked him to leave, and he was escorted out of the hospital by security guards on Oct. 10. He was persistent with asking questions of medical staff, but was "doing exactly what he was supposed to do as a dad and power of attorney for health care,' Mendenhall said. The family had lawyers negotiate with the hospital to allow older sister Jessica Vander Heiden to be with Grace. On the morning of Oct. 13, Shokar spoke with Grace's family over the phone saying Grace was stable and they should focus on nutrition and movement so Grace could soon go home. 'Oddly though, despite Grace's improving condition, Shokar requested Scott authorize a ventilator, even though there was no need for a ventilator at that time,' Mendenhall said. Mendenhall said Scott Schara did not want his daughter to be placed on a ventilator. But as a result of this conversation, Shokar not only documented that Grace had a Do Not Intubate order, known as a DNI, but also a Do Not Resuscitate Order, known as DNR. The Schara family did not learn Grace has been labeled DNR until Grace was in respiratory distress shortly before she died later that night. 'Dr. Shokar watched this 19-year-old girl breathing fast, and instead of assessing why, without talking to the family before, and Nurse McInnis, injected Grace Schara with morphine, a powerful opioid drug that suppresses breathing,' Mendenhall said. Scott and Cindy Schara, Grace's mother, then had to watch their daughter die over FaceTime, with their cries for medical staff to save their daughter ignored, Mendenhall said. 'At this trial, we will show that Grace Schara, a beautiful, gifted 19-year-old girl with Down syndrome, was killed by a deadly injection while dozens of medical personnel stood aside and did nothing,' Mendenhall said. Attorneys for the defendants painted a very different picture of Grace's hospital stay and the events leading up to her death. Two attorneys delivered opening statements for the defense: Jason Franckowiak, who represents defendants Ascension Health and McInnis; and Randall Guse, who represents Ascension Medical Group – Fox Valley Wisconsin, Inc. and Shokar. Grace did not die of any injection she was given by hospital staff, the attorneys argued. She died of a COVID-19 infection, which worsened during her days at the hospital, despite medical staff's best attempts to save her. Additionally, attorneys said Grace's family had consented during a conversation with Shokar to both a "Do Not Intubate" and a "Do Not Resuscitate" order. Franckowiak said evidence presented at trial will dispute multiple claims made by the plaintiffs, including that the medications and dosages provided to Grace were standard in the intensive care unit. Specifically, Precedex and lorazepam, both sedatives, were used in an effort reduce her rapid breathing and allow her to take deeper breaths and take in more oxygen. After administration of those drugs did little for her vitals, Shokar ordered McInnis, one of Grace's nurses, to administer a small dose of morphine. That drug, Franckowiak said, helped temporarily improve Grace's oxygenation, from around 50% to 98%. "Dr. Shokar reached a reasonable conclusion that the morphine had done exactly what he had intended it to do: it had lowered Grace's rate of breathing sufficient to allow her take deeper breaths, therefore increasing her oxygenation level,' Franckowiak said. Grace was stable for about an hour, but then her lungs gave out, Franckowiak said. He said experts will testify that without the ability to intubate Grace, chest compressions would not have been effective. And a reversal agent like naloxone would not have been effective, as the plaintiffs asserted. "The only potential way for Grace's emergent pulmonary condition to have been adequately addressed at the point of her arrest would have been mechanical ventilation, but doctors and nurses had been explicitly forbidden by Mr. Schara (from) intubating Grace," Franckowiak said. Franckowiak also said Scott Schara will be asked to testify about some of his beliefs, which have 'shaped the allegations' he is making. Among them are a belief that the COVID-19 pandemic was planned to create fear and a general distrust of medical personnel. Cindy Schara, Grace's mom, was the first witness to testify for the plaintiffs. She detailed how Grace began to show symptoms of COVID-19, which she describes as similar to allergy symptoms, after the family attended a concert in Oshkosh on Sept. 25. Grace was not vaccinated, and on Oct. 1 she tested positive for the virus. Cindy said she had the same symptoms, which is why she was never able to go to the hospital to be with Grace. Cindy Schara also confirmed she and Scott Schara had been researching how to treat COVID-19 prior to seeking medical help for Grace on Oct. 6. Cindy Schara said they were researching protocols provided by Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance. The group, now known as the Independent Medical Alliance, was formed in April 2020 by physicians and former journalists who advocated for unapproved treatments, such as ivermectin, for COVID-19. Both its founders have since had their medical board certifications revoked. She said the organization advised taking supplements, which they did, and to seek medical help if blood-oxygen saturation levels dropped below 94%, which they also did. Cindy Schara said the family would never made a decision on a DNR order on its own. If they were, they would want other family members, their pastor, primary care physician and a lawyer to be involved in the conversation. "It would be a terrible thing to have to decide," she said, indicating she and her husband never made that decision during two separate phone calls with Shokar. She was questioned at length about her and her husband's views on the medical professional after Grace's death. She acknowledged she believes the COVID-19 vaccine is a bioweapon and young vaccinated men, once vaccinated, became sterile, among other things. None of these theories are supported by research or the scientific community. The trial is expected to last up to four weeks. Jessica Van Egeren is a health care reporter and assistant breaking news editor with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She can be reached at jvanegeren@ This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Trial begins against Ascension hospital in Appleton over Grace Schara's death
