Washington State Patrol troopers in King County will be out in force this weekend to look for impaired drivers.

The beefed up emphasis coincides with the home openers for the University of Washington on Saturday and the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

In addition to the extra troopers, King County’s Target Zero Team and the State Patrol’s mobile impaired driving unit will be working, the State Patrol announced.

Troopers arrested 20 suspected drunken drivers in King County during last year’s Seahawks’ home opener.

Washington State Patrol troopers are investigating 25 incidents of rock-throwing over the past two months in Pierce County.

That includes five incidents Wednesday night and one at 8 a.m. today along Interstate 5 in Tacoma, trooper Brandy Kessler said. Rocks were thrown from the 72nd/84th Street overpass Wednesday night.

There have been no reports of serious injuries or arrests in connection with any of the incidents.

People caught throwing rocks can be charged with a felony if the rocks cause damage to the vehicle.

The State Patrol would like to “remind these violators that even one small rock thrown at …

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No one was seriously injured early today when a loaded semi truck hit two vehicles and prompted a chain-reaction crash on southbound Interstate 5 near Fife, the Washington State Patrol reported.

The crash occurred just after 12:30 a.m. The vehicles had been slowing down to merge into a single lane of traffic. (The other lanes were being restricted because of a road construction project.)

The truck was not able to stop, the State Patrol reported. It hit the two vehicles, which were pushed into other traffic. The result was a chain-reaction crash involving six cars and the semi.

A person …

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Here’s the press release just issued from the Washington State Patrol:

With deep regret, the Washington State Patrol today announced the apparent deaths of three agency employees in an early-morning house fire in Zillah.

Believed killed were Communications Officer 4 Anne Miller-Hewitt, her husband Trooper Gary Miller, and Trooper Kristopher Sperry. The Millers owned the residence. Sperry had recently graduated from the State Patrol academy and was living with the Millers.

“Ann and Gary were long-time employees, and were the best of the best,” said State Patrol Chief John R. Batiste. “We were just

…

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Two Washington State Patrol troopers suffered minor injuries when one patrol car rear-ended another at a crash scene on Interstate 5 north of Seattle.

The troopers, who live in Pierce County, were taken to Harborview Medical Center for minor injuries, the State Patrol reported.

The incident occurred just before 11:30 p.m. Tuesday. The troopers were in two patrol cars, going north to a crash reported on northbound I-5 at Northgate, troopers reported.

One trooper stopped at Northeast 85th Street. The other trooper then struck the first trooper from behind.

A passenger in one of the patrol vehicles also suffered minor …

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With the help of a federal grant, the Washington State Patrol and Puget Sound law enforcement agencies are launching a new, two-year campaign against drunken drivers.

Three new teams of officers will start looking for impaired drivers starting tonight in Pierce, King and Snohomish counties, the State Patrol announced this morning. One “Target Zero” team is based in each county and is comprised of officers from the law enforcement agencies in the county.

Six State Patrol troopers and one sergeant will be assigned full-time to each team. They’ll be assisted – when time and resources allow – by local law …

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A Tacoma couple were killed in a car crash on Interstate 90 near North Bend Tuesday morning.

Sean P. Mitchell, 29, and Lindsey M. Mitchell, 26, were driving home with their son and two friends after a camping trip in Eastern Washington. Around 6:45 a.m., driver Sean Mitchell fell asleep at the wheel, and the 2005 Dodge Neon left the road, striking a guardrail and cement bridge railing.

The Mitchells were instantly killed in the crash; their 4-year-old son and a 22-year-old Spanaway man sustained minor injuries. A 15-year-old Spanaway boy received moderate to severe femur and internal injuries. The …

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A number of alert drivers helped lead Washington State Patrol troopers to “an extremely intoxicated driver” in the Federal Way area Sunday.

Drivers started calling 911 about 2:30 p.m. They reported that the driver of a green Chevrolet pickup truck was driving erratically, the Washington State Patrol reported. The truck reportedly hit a vehicle on Military Road near Interstate 5 in Federal Way.

Several of the callers remained close to the truck as it got onto southbound I-5 from South 200th Street. The truck exited at South 320th Street and drove eastbound. Troopers tried to find the truck as it …

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