News Briefs

Airway Heights man dies in SR 902 crash

An Airway Heights man died in a one-car accident that took place March 29 on State Route 902.

According to a Washington State Patrol press memo, Ora J. Seifert, 75, was driving a 1998 Ford Explorer westbound on SR 902 at approximately 4:44 p.m. when he experienced a medical issue. The issue caused him to leave the roadway, crashing through a fence before stopping in a field near mile post 3.

Seifert was pronounced dead at the scene. His passenger, 78-year-old Virginia M. Seifert, also of Airway Heights, was not injured.

Seifert’s next of kin were notified by a WSP trooper.

Alcohol issues to be highlighted during April

April is Alcohol Awareness Month, during which the organization Al-Anon shines a light on the estimated six people who are affected by each of these drinkers.

According to an Al-Anon news release, alcohol is the most commonly used addictive substance in the United States: 17.6 million people, or one in every 12 adults, suffer from alcohol abuse or dependence. More than half of all adults have a family history of alcoholism or problem drinking, and more than seven million children live in a household where at least one parent is dependent on or has abused alcohol.

Al-Anon is not Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and is not designed for those who have a drinking problem Instead, it is a mutual support group of peers who share their experience in applying the Al-Anon principles to problems related to the effects of a problem drinker in their lives.

Alateen is a peer support group open only to teens struggling with the effects of someone else’s problem drinking, and is not a program for young people seeking sobriety. Many Alateen groups meet at the same time and location as an Al-Anon group.

Al-Anon Family Groups are for families and friends who have been affected by a loved one’s drinking, with nearly 16,000 local groups meeting throughout the U.S., Canada, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico every week.

Local meetings can be found by calling 800-425-2666.

Dollar Tree cited and fined

TUMWATER — For the second time in less than two years, Dollar Tree Stores Inc., faces stiff fines for workplace safety violations at two of its stores. The company faces $306,000 in state penalties. 

The Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) cited and fined the Virginia-based employer after inspections at the company’s Bonney Lake and Kelso stores found “willful” violations, the most severe. In a March 30 news release, L&I officials said an inspector found the stores were knowingly exposing employees to workplace safety hazards. Dollar Tree stores in Aberdeen and Chehalis were cited for the same violations in 2016. 

“We are seeing the same safety violations at Dollar Tree stores over and over again in Washington,” L&I Division of Occupational Safety and Health Assistant Director Anne Soiza said in the release. “It’s concerning because this is a national problem as well. Employees, and sometimes customers, are being put at risk even though the fixes to these safety problems are simple.” 

L&I initiated the recent inspections after getting complaints about safety hazards at the two stores. A customer at the Bonney Lake store contacted L&I to express concerns for the store employees’ safety because boxes crowded and blocked pathways and emergency exit routes. Many boxes were also stacked precariously and so high that they could easily have fallen on employees or even customers in some instances. All of the willful violations are serious, but the blocked pathways and emergency exits are the most concerning.