SW Washington Logger Convicted of Benefit Theft
A southwest Washington logger must serve 60 days home detention and repay more than $163,000 after he admitted stealing workers’ comp benefits from the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I), which administers the state workers’ comp system, from January 2018 to January 2020. James Thomasson claimed injuries from working in the woods led to disabilities that affected his ability to work, and a medical provider said he was eligible for lost wages payments. However, after receiving a tip, L&I investigators caught Thomasson performing multiple activities that were inconsistent with his medical restrictions including walking briskly uphill, lifting heavy tools over his head and dancing. Upon reassessment, the provider noted he had “engaged in well-executed intentional underperformance” of his abilities, which led to the second-degree theft plea.
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Oregon’s Wil Heath Dies At Age 93
It can be tough to be the face of logging in America, but Oregon logger Wil Heath pulled it off with class and his trademark good nature when he posed with a spotted owl on his shoulder for the January 1991 cover of Life magazine. He was quoted in an article titled ”Endangered Species: An Owl and a Logger Symbolize the Nation’s Tough Choice–Jobs or the Environment?” that showed both loggers and owls were endangered each in their own way…
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