Firefighter climbs for Ashlyn

Fire District 13 Assistant Chief Woody Weiss plans to climb 1,311 steps on Sunday in a competition to benefit La Conner teenager Ashlyn Reinstra and a charity working to cure the terrible disease she is fighting.

Through sponsorships, entry fees and donations, firefighters from throughout the state compete in climbing the 69 flights of stairs in the 788-foot Columbia Center tower in downtown Seattle to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Last year, the event drew some 1,500 firefighters, including Weiss, who was wearing 52 pounds of gear when he made the climb in 19 minutes, 16 se...