The state Division II state Court of Appeals issued a ruling Tuesday that clarifies when a car is just a mode of transportation versus a deadly weapon in the eyes of the law.

The decision stems from a case of gasoline theft from a Bonney Lake Safeway back in September 2005.

A woman named Josephine K. Sparling pumped $20 worth of gas into her car then tried to pay for it with a stolen check, according to court records. The station attendant called her on it (the check contained a man’s name) and summoned the store manager. Sparling

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The Lakewood Police Department will host a Halloween-themed open house and safety event tonight.

The station at 5504 112th St. S.W. will be open from 5 to 8 p.m. Officials will be handing out treats, glow stick necklaces, balloons, and safety information.

Here are some safety tips from the Olympia Police Department for Halloween night.

&bull For optimum safety, consider participating in an organized event in a neighborhood, at a church or in a local shopping center.

&bull Avoid costumes that block visibility and hamper movement.

&bull Get an early start – try to complete trick-or-treating activities before dark.

&bull Walk in a group and accompanied by at least one adult with a cell phone.

&bull Only go to houses with the porch light on or, better yet, only to homes where the residents are known to

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I’ve been a little busy with the McCabe’s story and haven’t had a chance to post updates to the Frederick Russell vehicular homicide trial this week.

That stops today.

Defense attorneys for Fred Russell continue to put on their case. Here is today’s story from the Spokesman-Review.

The jury has today off but testimony is scheduled to resume Thursday.

Tacoma police arrested two men early Monday on suspicion of stealing copper wire and scrap aluminum from a construction site on Sixth Avenue.

A witness reported seeing three suspects enter the site in the 5900 block of Sixth Avenue around 12:45 a.m., police spokesman Mark Fulghum said.

The first officer on the scene stopped the suspects’ car near a fence lining the construction site. The suspects fled on foot down Pearl Street.

The officer caught and detained a 34-year-old man. The officer then called out the direction of the other two suspects.

A Pierce County sheriff’s

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The trial of retired Tacoma police officer Lee William Giles Jr. and his girlfriend, Maureen Wear, has been put off again.

Giles and Wear, charged in August 2006 with a litany of child sex crimes, were scheduled to go to trial tomorrow.

But deputy prosecutor John Sheeran asked Superior Court Judge Bryan Chushcoff for a delay Monday, explaining that he’s in trial on another case right now.

Chushcoff granted Sheeran’s request. Giles and Wear now are scheduled to got to trial Nov. 26.

Prosecutors contend the Giles and Wear molested young relatives for years and videotaped

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We’re keeping an eye on McCabe’s today and whether any of the police department requests for emergency suspensions of the business and liquor licenses are approved.

In the meantime, I wanted to give you a little context. Around the newsroom, editors thought about the fate of Browne’s Star & Grill when they heard about the city’s possible actions against McCabe’s.

Browne’s was located at 1114 Martin Luther King Jr. Way on the Hilltop. Tacoma police said it was a magnet for drug dealers. The neighbors said it was pulling down the development of the strip.

The city

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We have only a few details on this accident.

Two men were killed early Sunday when their car crashed into a pole in the 9400 block of A Street in Tacoma.

The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office reports the crash occurred about 1:43 a.m. The passenger died at the scene. The driver died at the hospital a little while later.

Both victims are members of the military. The medical examiner’s office reported that the Army was notifying their next of kin. Their names have not been released.

Tacoma police are investigating. Sounds like it might be

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