The photo above (provided by the Spokane Valley Fire Department) is of one of two cars involved in a serious injurty accident Tuesday afternoon on Trent near Progress Road. Trent was closed for some time. The Washington State Patrol reports that a car driven by William A. Buckholdt, 64, of Spokane Valley was facing east in the center turn lane on Trent before he turned in front of a westbound car driven by 17-year-old Joseph A. Johnson, also of Spokane Valley. Click here for more details.   

This should be interesting. Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste will take to Twitter today to answer questions from the public from 2:30 to 4 p.m. So if you've had a question you've always wanted to ask, now is your chance. You probably shouldn't ask him to fix your speeding ticket, though. Questions about active investigations are also off limits.

If you want to participate, log onto Twitter and ask your question using the #askWSP hashtag. Chief Batiste will reply on Twitter or use the WSP's Facebook page for answers that require more than 140 characters.  

Coeur d'Alene resident Carl A. Carr, 61, was seriously injured in a one car rollover accident on I-90 just west of Liberty Lake shortly early this morning shortly after midnight. According to a Washington State Patrol press release, the man was heading east in his Chevy S-10 pickup when he went of the side of the road, overcorrected and veered left across two lanes of traffic into the median, then overcorrected again and veered right across both lanes before rolling. He was taken to a local hospital by a MedStar helicopter. It is not yet known why Carr drove off the road.  

If you needed yet another good reason not to drink and drive, take note of the new mandatory impound law that takes effect at midnight. The Washington State Patrol sent out a press release reminding people that the law now states that if someone is arrested for driving under the influence their car must be impounded and held for at least 12 hours. That means no more having a sober friend drive it home or having a family member come and pick it up. The car must be towed. The 12-hour hold is to prevent someone from getting back in their car and driving before they sober up. The only exception to the mandatory tow law is for commercial or farm transport vehicles.

So there you go. Yet another excellent reason not to drive home from the bar after you've had a few.

According to a Washington State Patrol press release, 29-year-old Teri M. Scheele of Spokane was driving the wrong way in the eastbound lanes of I-90 at Barker just after 3 a.m. when she hit a car head on. The driver of the car she hit, identified as 27-year-old Kenneth J. Hardin of Post Falls, was taken to Sacred Heart Hospital where he later died. Another driver was able to avoid being hit by Scheele, but ended up driving into the cable barrier between the eastbound and westbound lanes to do it. Scheele was arrested for vehicular homicide, the press release said.

A search through the archives has turned up this historical photo of Patrolman Murphy of the Washington State Patrol circa the 1940s. It's interesting to see how much the uniforms have changed over the years (not to mention the cars). This photo was taken between 60 and  70 years ago, but there are probably people out there who might have known Patrolman Murphy. Anyone have memories to share? Photo courtesy the Spokane Valley Heritage Museum.

The Washington State Patrol is now accepting applications for slots in the 99th Trooper Basic Training Class.  Each applicant must go through four phases of testing before being accepted as a cadet. The first phase includes two written tests and a physical fitness evaluation. The next Phase One test in Spokane is scheduled for Feb. 10 at the WSP District 4 office, 6403 W. Rowand Road. People interested in testing must first submit an application here. Call Trooper Tina Wallman at (509) 342-3570 for more information.