2nd staph infection confirmed at Port Townsend school

The Port Townsend School District has confirmed a second case of a drug-resistant staph infection at one of its elementary schools.

An adult in Grant Street Elementary School's preschool has been treated for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA (pronounced MER-sah), and is no longer considered contagious, principal Steve Finch said. The school has canceled its preschool classes so it can disinfect the classroom, housed in a portable building.

Last week, a football player at Port Townsend High School was diagnosed with MRSA, prompting school officials to close down the school gym and weight room and cancel the final football game of the year.

Last Wednesday, the King County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed a 46-year-old Federal Way man died of MRSA at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

MRSA is commonly found on skin and is spread by close contact with infected people or contaminated surfaces. It is resistant to antibiotics and difficult to treat. Symptoms include lesions, boils and red bumps on the skin.

Grays Harbor County

Freight train derails; no injuries reported

A freight train has derailed in Grays Harbor County.

Authorities say no one was injured when five cars carrying soybeans ran off the tracks in Montesano around 1 a.m. Sunday.

The cars belong to Puget Sound and Pacific Railroad.

The State Patrol closed some roads near the scene of the derailment for about an hour and a half.

Officials say it could take a week or more to clear the scene.

The cause of the derailment is under investigation.

Seattle

Library gets more kids' talking books

The Seattle Public Library has expanded its electronic resources for children by adding Tumblebook Library and Bookflix. Both services will mean the library will now provide more than 200 animated talking picture books for young readers, including some books in Spanish and French.

For more information, call the library at 206-386-4636.

Hines, Oregon

Wild mustangs to be sold at auction

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) says it will offer more than 100 wild Kiger mustangs for adoption at auction this month.

"With the animals being gathered from the range only every three or four years, this adoption is highly anticipated and sought after by horse enthusiasts across the country," BLM Burns District manager Dana Shuford said.

The mustangs are found on Steens Mountain in southeast Oregon.

The Kiger mustangs possess many characteristics of the original Spanish mustang, the horse that helped settle the West.

The Kiger adoption in Burns, from Thursday through Saturday, will feature approximately 21 colts, 20 fillies, 42 mares, 31 stallions and one mare/foal pair. Ages range from 4 to 6 months to 17 years.

Those planning to adopt must register to participate. For more information, go to www.blm.gov/or/resources/whb.

Sandpoint, Idaho

Task force opposes herbicide testing

An advisory board has recommended against testing a variety of herbicides on Eurasian milfoil infestations in Lake Pend Oreille and surrounding areas later this month.

The Bonner County Aquatic Invasive Species Task Force voted 6-2 last week against the proposed testing of the herbicides in cold-water conditions in northern Idaho.

The Idaho Department of Agriculture and Bonner County Public Works want to test 2,4-D, triclopyr, diquat bromide and other weed killers in colder water temperatures.

Eurasian milfoil, once commonly sold as an aquarium plant, originated in Europe and Asia but is now found over much of the United States. The feathery weed grows in shallow water less than 20 feet deep and can eventually reach the surface, forming a dense layer that can entangle swimmers and hinder boats. The 2006 Idaho Legislature allocated $4 million to fight the weed in waterways statewide.

While rejecting the current proposal, the task force did recommend that the county look again at using some herbicides in the fall as part of its plan to control milfoil.

The task force also wants a comprehensive plan that combines biological and nonchemical controls with herbicides.

Times staff and news services