Inslee Speaks at Transportation Rally, No Arrests in Spokane Ricin Case – Northwest News Roundup May 20 Afternoon

Here's the latest news from the Associated Press and Newstalk 870 .

Gov. Inslee Speaks at Transportation Rally

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Gov. Jay Inslee spoke at a rally at the Capitol in support of a transportation funding package, saying it's "crunch time" to pay for road projects and maintain existing roads and bridges.

Inslee, U.S. Rep. Denny Heck and state lawmakers spoke at the rally Monday. Lawmakers are in the midst of a 30-day special legislative session to deal with the state operating budget, but Inslee has said that a transportation revenue package must be dealt with as well.

A proposal to raise the gas tax by 10 cents per gallon to help pay for maintenance of existing roads, as well as for a handful of pending big-ticket projects, has the support of House Democrats but faces skepticism from the Republican-dominated Senate majority. The plan would also allow local governments to raise taxes and fees to help pay for mass transit. Inslee has said it should be on the table during the current special session.

Despite Raid No Arrests or Details from FBI in Spokane Ricin Letter Case

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — The FBI has dropped a wall of secrecy around its investigation into the discovery of a pair of letters containing the deadly poison ricin in Spokane.

The agency says no one has been arrested in the case, even though they raided an apartment in downtown Spokane on Saturday.

FBI spokeswoman Ayn Sandalo Dietrich said Monday that legal documents in the case may also be sealed.

The letters were postmarked last Tuesday in Spokane and addressed to the downtown post office and the adjacent federal building. They were intercepted by the Postal Service and no one was injured.

Investigators in hazardous materials suits spent most of Saturday executing a search warrant at a three-story apartment building in downtown Spokane. Authorities said there was no public health risk.

Oregon Animal Rights Activist Arrested for Disturbance at Eastern Oregon Rodeo

JORDAN VALLEY, Ore. (AP) — An animal-rights activist has been arrested after he refused to stop videotaping at an Eastern Oregon rodeo. The Malheur County sheriff's office says 30-year-old Adam Fahnestock (fawn-stock) of Vancouver, Wash., was arrested while taping an event where contestants rope horses by the legs.

Idaho Man Sentenced in Beating Death of Girlfriend's Infant Daughter

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A Garden City man has been sentenced to life in prison for the beating death of his girlfriend's daughter. Twenty-two-year-old Jordan Everhart was convicted last fall in the death of 18-month-old Alaija Corbin.