The Associated Press

A 59-year-old man was taking pictures with his son on a cliff above waterfalls in Mount Rainier when he fell and died.

(Twitter feed at bottom of story.)

TACOMA, Wash. — Teachers in Washington state's third-largest school district have begun picketing, hours after they overwhelmingly voted to walk away from the classroom.

The strike keeps 28,000 students at home.

A 6.4 magnitude earthquake occurred about 73 miles off the coast of Vancouver Island at 12:41 this afternoon. There are no reports of damage or injuries. A Royal Canadian Mounted Police dispatcher in Tofino, British Columbia, said most people there barely felt the quake. 

Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) says it has inspected area bridges and all appear undamaged.

GOLDENDALE, Wash. — More firefighters are being dispatched to the wildfire that has burned nine homes near Satus Pass in south central Washington.

Department of Natural Resources spokesman Chuck Turley says the number of firefighters will double by Saturday to 600 as the state mobilizes resources.

LONGVIEW, Wash. — A federal judge is ordering union protesters to halt illegal activity as they battle for the right to work at a new grain terminal in Washington state. The judge issued a preliminary injunction to restrict union activity, saying today there is no defense for recent aggressive tactics.

GOLDENDALE, Wash. — State officials say nine homes and 10 outbuildings have burnt in a wildfire near Status Pass in south central Washington.

GOLDENDALE, Wash. — Firefighters say one unoccupied structure has burned and at least 100 homes have been evacuated because of a wildfire burning near Satus Pass in south central Washington.

LONGVIEW, Wash. — Hundreds of union protesters blocking a grain shipment in southwest Washington state rushed police officers who tried to make arrests and forced them to retreat.

YAKIMA, Wash. — A wildfire has closed U.S. Highway 97 between Goldendale and Toppenish and is threatening about 30 homes.

OLYMPIA, Wash. — The Washington state Health Department has closed some beaches to oyster harvesting at Samish Bay and the Hood Canal near Hoodsport because several people who ate raw oysters were sickened by a bacterial disease called vibriosis.

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. — Visitors to Joint Base Lewis-McChord now have to be sponsored by a Defense Department identification card holder to enter the base near Tacoma.

LONGVIEW, Wash. — The Cowlitz County Humane Society seized two big boa constrictors on Monday and seven more large boas and pythons on Tuesday from homes in Longview.

SEATTLE — The National Weather Service is warning of high wildfire danger over most of Washington's Cascades and Olympics.

EVERETT, Wash. — The Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships are expected to draw more than 300 gymnasts from 14 nations for the three-day event next March at the Comcast Arena in Everett.

PORT TOWNSEND, Wash. — Fire crews have contained a wildfire that burned about 30 acres near Port Townsend.