BUTTE, Mont. -- A Great Falls man who lost his macaw in a divorce about five years ago has been reunited with the bird, thanks to the macaw's dislike for women and an observant friend.

A friend of Taylor's spotted the bird. Taylor called sanctuary founder Lori McAlexander, who says Taylor knew things about the bird that only he could have known -- like it was blind in one eye and said "love love."

McAlexander says the bird was surrendered after it bit a woman so hard she required medical attention.

Taylor says he initially got the bird after it was rescued from a woman who reportedly beat it with a broom.

-- The Associated Press

Anarchists gathering on Olympia college campus halted

OLYMPIA — A two-day anarchist workshop held at The Evergreen State College was halted Saturday after a blogger attempting to photograph the event reported his equipment was destroyed by a participant.

The Olympian says a 67-year-old blogger from Mason County had tried to photograph but was blocked from events held as part of the Olympia Anarchist Convergence. He told the newspaper a participant threw his video camera gear off a balcony.

College spokesman Todd Sprague said campus police and officials tried to get the names of the people involved but the group sponsoring the event wasn't cooperative. Campus police were preparing to end the event but discovered the group had already left the campus.

Sprague said the college didn't plan to allow the workshop to reconvene on campus.

A website for the event says the moved the second-day workshop to an undisclosed location.

-- The Associated Press

Body, marijuana grow found in foreclosed Spokane home



A person was found dead along with an illegal marijuana growing operation at a foreclosed home in Spokane's South Hill neighborhood.

Police says a locksmith was at the home Sunday changing locks when he smelled marijuana and noticed a car in the garage. The locksmith left the home and called the real estate agent who called police.

s detectives found a sliding door open and announced their presence. The sheriff's office says they heard a muffled gunshot and backed away.

A SWAT team responded with a search warrant and found the body and marijuana.

-- The Associated Press

Spokane police plan to hire 5 to 10 officers



The Spokane Police Department is hiring.

The department plans to hire five to 10 officers to maintain staffing levels.

an information meeting was held over the weekend at the police academy.

The starting salary of an officer is $44,000 a year.

-- The Associated Press