Making headlines around the Northwest this morning:
- Wind, rain, snow hitting Western Washington
- Search continues for missing Lake Washington kayaker
- Nokia Getting Microsoft Billions to Ditch Smartphone
- Ferguson Jumping Into Attorney General Race
High Winds and Rain Expected for Western Washington
The National Weather Service has issued a wind warning for the Washington coast and northwest interior through Monday evening.
Forecasters say the frontal system also is bringing heavy rain to parts of Western Washington and snow to the Olympics and Cascades. A winter weather advisory is in effectfor the mountains where 10-to-18 inches of new snow are expected by Tuesday.
Two periods of strong winds are expected - the first coming Monday morning, and after a relative lull in the early afternoon, a second low will track northeast across Vancouver Island early Monday evening, bringing another strong burst of south to southwest winds. Sustained winds of 25 to 40 m.p.h. are predicted with gusts to 60 m.p.h. possible.
Some affected locations:
- Westport
- Ocean Shores
- Hoquiam/Aberdeen
- Copalis Beach
- Pacific Beach
- Kalaloch
- Forks
The extended forecast calls for unsettled weather continuing into the weekend in Western Washington.
Mercer Island Searchers Looking for Kayaker's Body; Possible Connection With Missing Bellevue Man
Police say they're continuing to look Monday for the body of a kayaker in Lake Washington between Mercer Island and Bellevue. A witness saw the kayaker capsize Saturday in stormy weather and fail to surface.
Mercer Island police spokeswoman Leslie Burns says poor visibility Sunday slowed divers sweeping the area.
"The divers couldn't see their fingertips," she said, adding that cold and choppy water was also a factor in the search.
According to Venice Buhain of Belleve.patch.com, Burns saidthere might be a connection with a man reported missing Saturday, but it won't be known for certain until the body is recovered.
KOMO reports the search near the Newport Shores boat launch is being called a recovery, rather than a rescue, because there's little chance the kayaker could have survived in the cold Lake Washington water for very long.
The person's name is not being released.
Microsoft to Pay Out Billions as Part of Nokia Deal
The alliance between Nokia and Microsoft will mean billions of dollars for the cell-phone maker, according to Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, who defended the partnership with Microsoft after investors and workers reacted negatively to the deal announced on Friday. Elop says the money is in exchange for Nokia getting rid of its current smartphone software and replacing it with Windows Phone 7.
As reported in Todd Bishop's Microsoft Blog in Techflash.com, Elop says that Finland-based Nokia had also been approached by Google, which tried to persuade it to use its Android software for smartphones.
King County Councilmember Ferguson to Run for A.G.
King County Councilman Bob Ferguson is expected to announce today that he'll run for state attorney general. The Seattle democrat, who confirmed his candidacy in an interview with The Seattle Times, says that he expects to be competing for an open seat. But The Times' Jim Brunner also reports that Republicans are laying the groundwork for Reagan Dunn. Dunn, who also sits on the council is a Bellevue Republican from southeast King County.
It's widely expected that Attorney General Rob McKenna will run for governor on the Republican ticket, although he has yet to announce his candidacy.
Democratic Governor Christine Gregoire is in her second term in office.
