NEWS BRIEFLY: Smoky fire at Port Townsend house . . . and other news in brief

Burned food fills house with smoke

PORT TOWNSEND — Food left cooking on a stove top was the cause of a smoke-filled home and a 9-1-1 call Monday morning.

East Jefferson Fire-Rescue was alerted to the smoke in the 600 block of Monroe Street in Port Townsend at 10:46 a.m., said department spokesman Bill Beezley.

Firefighters removed the smoking pot from the house before an actual fire broke out, Beezley said.

The house was ventilated to remove the smoke.

When the resident of the house returned, she told firefighters that she had left the food cooking when she had to make an unscheduled trip to the veterinarian, Beezley said.

Once firefighters had completely cleared the home, it was turned over to the resident, who was not identified, at 11:50 a.m.

Powell found guilty

TACOMA — The father-in-law of Susan Powell, a Utah woman who went missing six years ago, has been found guilty of possessing child pornography.

Steven Powell was on trial last week for possessing explicit images of two neighbor girls.

Jurors returned a unanimous verdict against the 64-year-old Monday.

Powell was convicted in 2012 on 14 counts of voyeurism for shooting video and still pictures of the girls, ages 8 and 10, from a window as they used a family bathroom.

Powell is the father of Josh Powell, who killed his two sons and himself in February 2012 while under investigation for his wife’s 2009 disappearance that gained national attention.

Federal grant

SUNNYSIDE — The federal government is providing the city of Sunnyside with more than $533,000 to help restore part of its airport’s taxiway and runway.

The Olympian reported that the Federal Aviation Administration is providing the grant.

More than 1,100 feet of the airport’s taxiway and more than 3,400 feet of the runway are at the end of their lifespans.

Peninsula Daily News and The Associated Press

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