Motorcyclist injured in collision

A motorcyclist was injured after a head-on collision Saturday evening on Highway 290.

Rachel Healy, 38, was driving her gray Hyundai Elantra eastbound on Highway 290 near milepost 18 at about 6:30 p.m., when she crossed the center line, striking a westbound Harley-Davidson motorcycle driven by Michael Gustafson, 47, according to the Washington State Patrol.

The man was transported to Deaconess Hospital.

Gustafson’s passenger, who was riding in a side passenger car, was not injured.

Drugs or alcohol were a factor in the collision, and Healy apparently fled the scene, the WSP said. No arrests have been made.

Paraglider dies after crashing in Oregon

PORTLAND – A paraglider has died after crashing at Cape Lookout State Park in Oregon.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reported 53-year-old Clifton W. Westin of Corvallis died on Saturday.

The Oregon State Police said he apparently launched in a paraglider from a cliff overlooking the beach but failed to take flight. He landed on some rocks and waves quickly took him out to sea.

Using a helicopter and a motor boat, the U.S. Coast Guard recovered Westin and attempted lifesaving measures, but he could not be revived.

6 faculty interested in university’s early retirement offer

MISSOULA – Six University of Montana faculty members have expressed interest in the university’s second round of buyouts.

The Missoulian reported the university recently offered early retirement incentives to 100 faculty members to reduce personnel costs due to declining enrollment. Fourteen who were of retirement age expressed interest, along with the six from the second round.

The Montana Legislature allocated $2 million for UM to offer a half year’s salary to buy out 48 faculty members.

UM President Sheila Stearns has said the university expects to soon determine which programs and services will face reductions.

Health insurance CFO gets 1 year for embezzling $632,000

SEATTLE – The former chief financial officer of a Washington state health insurance company that serves people on Medicare has been sentenced to a year in prison for embezzling $632,000.

Federal prosecutors said Zachary Augustus Smulski took the money from Federal Way-based Soundpath Health in an effort to finance his own startup companies – but paid it back as soon as he got caught.

In addition, as U.S. District Judge Robert Lasnik sentenced him Friday, he paid $29,000 to cover professional fees that Soundpath had incurred as a result of his actions.

Smulski was hired as Soundpath’s CFO in 2008; he made $180,000 a year, court documents indicate. In 2011, he started diverting money to himself and used fake accounting documents to conceal it, prosecutors said. The company’s comptroller started asking questions in the midst of a state audit in 2012.

That’s when Smulski suddenly returned the money, personally depositing a cashier’s check in Soundpath’s account at a bank branch, and lying to other company officials about where the money had come from, prosecutors said.