Briefly

Work begins to recover sunken Tacoma ship

TACOMA - Crews have started the process of recovering a 167-foot derelict vessel that sank in Tacoma's Hylebos Waterway in January.

Ecology spokeswoman Linda Kent said a crane on Wednesday pulled the Helena Star up for officials to examine and set it back down again. Dive crews also inspected the vessel.

Officials are assessing the next steps. The Coast Guard is overseeing the vessel's raising and will determine whether there's a threat of an oil spill or release of hazardous materials.

The vessel will eventually be towed to a dry dock in Seattle where it will be dismantled and disposed of.

Kent said it's a slow, deliberative process that could take days or weeks.

The Helena Star sank on Jan. 25, spilling nearly 600 gallons of diesel and lube oil into the waterway.

Former tribal official charged with embezzlement

HAVRE, Mont. - A former director of the Chippewa Cree tribe's wellness center has been charged with embezzling money.

The Havre Daily News reported that 48-year-old Wilford Harlan (Huck) Sunchild pleaded not guilty Wednesday to theft from a tribal government receiving federal grants, theft from an Indian tribal organization and theft from a health-care facility.

U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen set a Jan. 28 trial date.

The indictment says Sunchild deposited tribal funds between February and March of last year into an account that he had control over, and later withdrew the money from ATMs.

Federal prosecutors say Sunchild's prosecution is part of the Guardians Project, an initiative by the U.S. attorney's office to investigate fraud and embezzlement in Montana's Indian Country.

Pot ring at Oregon high school used student dealers

PORTLAND, Ore. - A West Linn pot-trafficking ring has resulted in at least three arrests, and police anticipate more on the way.

The trafficking operation centered on West Linn High School, where students were recruited as dealers.

The bust led to the seizure of 10 pounds of marijuana and at least $18,000 in cash, along with the arrest of at least three people.

On Thursday, police in the Portland suburb announced the arrest of 18-year-old Warren D. Simon.

West Linn police spokesman Mike Francis said most of those identified in the investigation are current and former West Linn High School students.

Associated Press