A little bit of local weirdness. After all of the black giggles it gave us in the office yesterday, I think it's probably fertile ground for song challenge. So...CHALLENGE!

Fast-food franchise owner dies on I-90

By Peyton Whitely

Seattle Times Eastside bureau

A man who died along Interstate 90 near North Bend after being struck by an oncoming pickup Wednesday was a well-known Ellensburg businessman, according to State Patrol reports.

The victim was identified by the Patrol as Brett Arnes, 34. Arnes and his wife own McDonald's restaurants in Ellensburg, Ephrata and Quincy, Grant County.

He was driving west about 4 a.m. when his pickup cut across the median barrier and crossed three eastbound lanes before coming to rest on a guardrail along the eastbound lanes, the Patrol reported.

Arnes then got out of his truck, removed his clothes and stood in the middle of the eastbound lanes, the Patrol said.

A 60-year-old man driving a 1995 Ford pickup then struck Arnes. The driver told the State Patrol that when he saw the naked man standing in the dark in the lane in front of his truck, he swerved to avoid him, but the man seemed to jump in front of his truck. Arnes died at the scene.

Trooper Kelly Spangler, Patrol public-information officer, said investigators have no idea why Arnes removed his clothing.

Adding to the mystery, a dead dog was found near the truck. The dog's carcass straddled two eastbound lanes, Spangler said. Authorities did not know if the dog belonged to Arnes.

Spangler said no charges were pending against the driver of the Ford pickup, Erick Hanson of Wilkeson, Pierce County, who was on his way to work. Hanson was not injured but was very upset, she said.

Arnes had been a franchise-holder since 1996, said McDonald's spokeswoman Cheryl Lewis in Kirkland.