The Associated Press

Democratic Rep. Norm Dicks, a former college football player who cast a huge presence over state and national politics for more than 30 years, announced Friday he'll retire at the end of the year after 18 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.

"I have been thinking about this for years. At some point you have to retire. I just decided this was the right time," Dicks told The Associated Press.

In an interview with KPLU, he  pointed out that he's been commuting to work in the other Washington for 44 years. 

"You know, eight with Senator Magnuson and 36 years in the house of representatives," Dicks said.

He said he also has a neck issue from football that's been bugging him recently. All of that added up to his conclusion that it's time to step aside and let somebody else be the Congressman from the 6th District.

"I hope a Democrat wins, but there's no guarantee. There was no guarantee that I was going to win," Dicks said.

EVERETT, Wash. — Boeing employees celebrated a milestone in the 777 line on Friday, the 1,000th plane.

KENT, Wash. — Gov. Chris Gregoire says Washington State Patrol Trooper Tony Radulescu died protecting others.

Speaking at a memorial service Thursday in Kent, Gregoire said she considered Radulescu "one of my own," noting that he had served on one of her security details.

BREMERTON, Wash. — The family of an 8-year-old Bremerton girl wounded in a classroom shooting has hired a lawyer to determine who is at fault.

Attorney Jeffery M. Campiche told a Seattle news conference Thursday the family of Amina Bowman is considering a lawsuit.

OLYMPIA, Wash. — The Washington state Legislature has approved a bill that uses improvement in student test scores as a factor in hiring, firing and tenure decisions for teachers.

The measure passed on an 82-16 bipartisan vote late Wednesday night. The Senate already had passed the bill, so it now goes to the governor for her signature.

Washington bars and restaurants will be allowed to buy liquor directly from distilleries beginning Thursday.

The change stems from a voter-approved initiative to privatize liquor sales and dismantle Washington's state-run liquor system, which was formed in the 1930s in the aftermath of Prohibition.

KENT, Wash. — Officials expect thousands of people to attend the memorial service for slain Washington State Patrol Trooper Tony Radulescu on Thursday in Kent, a 1 p.m. at the ShoWare Center.

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Republican presidential contenders Rick Santorum and Ron Paul are returning to Washington state to hold rallies in the days leading up to Saturday's caucuses.

BURLINGTON, Wash. — A veteran whose World War II exploits were depicted in the HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers," has died, his family said.

Lynn D. "Buck" Compton died Saturday in Burlington, Wash., after having a heart attack last month, the family told the Los Angeles Times.

HONOLULU — Tsunamis generated by the magnitude-9 earthquake in Japan last March dragged 3 million to 4 million tons of debris into the ocean after tearing up Japanese harbors and homes.

Scientists believe ocean currents are carrying some of the lumber, refrigerators, fishing boats and other objects across the Pacific toward the United States.

One to 5 percent of the 1 million to 2 million tons of debris still in the ocean may reach Hawaii, Alaska, Oregon and Washington and British Columbia, said University of Hawaii senior researcher and ocean current expert Nikolai Maximenko.

A winter storm is bringing another shot of snow to parts of Washington.

The National Weather Service says a Pacific frontal system will hit the coast and northwest interior Tuesday with gusty winds and rain in most of Western Washington.

The 8-year-old girl who was wounded in a Bremerton classroom was upgraded overnight at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

OLYMPIA, Wash. — The Washington state Legislature has passed a bill going after classified advertising companies that don't demand ID before allowing sex-related ads to be posted online. The measure is primarily targeted at Backpage.com.

TACOMA, Wash. — An eviction notice tells Occupy Tacoma demonstrators to clear out by Sunday afternoon. The encampment recently made international news when GOP presidential hopeful Rick Santorum spoke at a nearby venue and was "mic checked," apparently by members of the Occupy movement there.

 OLYMPIA, Wash. — Gov. Chris Gregoire has asked President Barack Obama to declare a federal disaster area in 11 Washington counties for damages and costs suffered during January's snowstorm.

Last month's storm of snow, ice and freezing rain caused power outages, landslides, avalanches and fallen trees across Washington, creating $32.3 million in potential eligible damages, according to preliminary state and federal assessments.