Gay marriage wins final legislative passage in Washington state

A Democratic-backed bill to legalize gay marriage in Washington state won final legislative approval on Wednesday in a largely party-line vote that moved the state one step closer to becoming the seventh to recognize same-sex nuptials.

Governor Christine Gregoire, a Democrat in her last term of office, was expected to sign the gay marriage bill into law early next week, but opponents have vowed to seek its repeal at the polls in November.

The measure cleared the state House of Representatives by a vote of 55-43, a week after it was passed by the state Senate and a day after a federal appeals court declared California's voter-approved gay marriage ban unconstitutional.

Democrats, accounting for the lion's share of support for the bill, control both legislative bodies in Olympia but enjoy a bigger majority in the 98-seat House. Two Republicans joined 53 Democrats in voting for the bill, while two Democrats sided with 41 Republicans in opposition.


Six other states already recognize same-sex marriage -- New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire and Iowa -- as does the District of Columbia.

Supporters are pushing similar statutes in Maryland and New Jersey, and a referendum to legalize gay marriage in Maine has qualified for the November ballot there.

Gay rights advocates won another victory on Tuesday when a federal appeals court declared a voter-passed ban on same-sex marriages in California to be unconstitutional.

explosion kills husband, two sons of missing woman "Intentional"

The explosion happened shortly after a Child Protective Services worker dropped off the two children of Josh Powell for a supervised visit in Puyallup, Washington. Powell then prevented the worker from entering the house, according to Graham Fire and Rescue Deputy Chief Gary Franz.

The worker reported smelling gas before the explosion, and was trying to report the incident to her supervisor when it happened, Franz said.

"Everything is telling us that this was intentional," Franz said. "This would be murder, if that was the case, on the part of Mr. Powell."

The two children, Charles Joshua Powell, 7, and Branden Timothy Powell, 5, were at the center of a bitter custody battle between their father and the parents of their missing mother.

A judge denied custody to Josh Powell on Wednesday due to the discovery of "extreme child porn" found by police in the Powell family residence, according to Pierce County Sheriff's Detective Ed Troyer.

That porn was believed to belong to his father, Stephen Powell. Custody was given to Susan's parents, Charles and Judy Cox, until Josh Powell agreed to undergo a psycho-sexual evaluation.

U.S. missionary couple killed in Mexico

U.S. missionary couple was killed in Mexico's industrial capital city of Monterrey, local and U.S. officials said on Wednesday, in what a personal website called a home invasion.

The bodies of Wanda Sue Casias, 67, from Texas and John Casias, 76, originally from Colorado, were discovered in their home by their son on Tuesday evening, who noticed their car and some electronics were missing.

The cause of death and exact circumstances of the attack were not yet known, a local law enforcement official said.

A website that promotes the couple's Christian missionary work said the pair were killed during a "home invasion" and thanked supporters of "the ministry they started 29 years ago."

The U.S. embassy in Mexico, expressing regret, did not have any more details about the deaths or investigation.