2 major Wash. passes closed by snow; 1 reopens

SEATTLE (AP) - One of three main east-west mountain passes shut down because of snow in Washington state has reopened, opening up a route for travelers who had been forced onto a giant detour through Portland, Ore.
    Stevens and White passes are expected to remain closed into Friday. But officials managed to reopen Snoqualmie Pass, which carries Interstate 90 across the Cascades.
    Authorities had shut down the passes because of falling snow and a high avalanche threat.
    The threat still looms large—another storm is expected to dump as much as 18 inches of new snow on the Cascades overnight.
    The next storm is forecast to bring snow and possibly high winds to large areas of winter-weary Eastern Washington from Yakima to Spokane.