Consulate closure 'frustrating'

SEATTLE - The US government's decision to shutter the Russian consulate in Seattle displeased many Russian immigrants on Monday, some of whom rushed to its offices in hopes of securing passports, visas and other important documents.

One woman, who identified herself as a dual US-Russian citizen from Boise, Idaho, said she spent $1,000 traveling to Seattle to renew a passport so that she could visit her brother in Russia only to be turned away.

Another, Luda Rieve, of San Diego, told The Seattle Times she too was turned away after taking the day off work and flying from California to renew her passport.