Local news coverage for Spokane and the Inland Northwest

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Rescue underway in I-5 collapse on Skagit River

May 23, 2013 MOUNT VERNON, Wash. — The Washington State Patrol says the Interstate 5 bridge over the Skagit River at Mount Vernon has collapsed, dumping vehicles and people into the water. 4
Water rights for WSU golf course disputed

May 23, 2013 OLYMPIA – Washington State University’s Palouse Ridge Golf Course needs lots of water to stay green in the dry summers – more water than some people think the university has …
Boy Scouts votes to allow gay youth

May 23, 2013 GRAPEVINE, Texas (AP) — The Boy Scouts of America’s National Council has voted to ease a long-standing ban and allow openly gay boys to be accepted as Scouts. 15
Watch Clay Starbuck testify live

May 23, 2013 Watch Clay Starbuck testify live.
Accused killer Starbuck takes the stand

May 23, 2013 Clay Starbuck is expected this afternoon to take the witness stand to refute allegations that he strangled his wife to death in 2011 in her Deer Park home. 6
Two escape house fire in Spokane Valley

May 23, 2013 Two people escaped a fire that caused $50,000 in damage to a Spokane Valley home Wednesday night.
Missing girl Janna Smith found safe

May 23, 2013 Police searched overnight for 13-year-old Janna Smith. She was found safe this morning. 3
Fairchild loses bid for new tankers

May 23, 2013 on Page A1 Turns out the most important thing in becoming the first base for the Air Force’s new air refueling tanker is the same as the most important thing in real estate: … 61
Spokane man indicted in ricin threat

May 23, 2013 on Page A1 A 38-year-old janitor was indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury in connection with mailing two ricin-laced letters in Spokane. Matthew R. Buquet is accused on one count of mailing … 22
Insurers move to cover abortion

May 23, 2013 on Page A5 OLYMPIA – Two insurance companies that filed to compete in Washington state’s health care exchange initially proposed not to provide abortion coverage, officials said Wednesday. All current Washington health plans … 50
Vandals damage dozens of classic cars near Coeur d’Alene

May 23, 2013 on Page A5 Don Martin surveyed the damage and could only shake his head in disgust. Late one afternoon last week, he heard what he thought were gunshots on his rural property near … 17
Clark: ‘Red Dawn’ shows truth is stranger than fiction

May 23, 2013 on Page A5 Whoever came up with the supermarket “impulse buy” had a sucker like me in mind. I can’t stand in a checkout line without grabbing a candy bar or a tube … 10
In brief: Mountain lion kills dogs in backyards

May 23, 2013 on Page A5 BOISE – Three next-door neighbors in east Boise have had their small dogs attacked by a mountain lion in their fenced backyards in the past two weeks, and two of … 1
Jim Kershner’s this day in history

May 23, 2013 on Page A5 From our archives, 100 years ago A Spokane man named Frank Warren was in jail, accused of giving away two of his daughters to a band of professional beggars.
Starbuck’s killer knew of her kids, state suggests

May 23, 2013 on Page A6 Detectives used phone records Wednesday to make the case that Chanin Starbuck’s killer had intimate knowledge of the family. Deputy Spokane County Prosecutor Larry Steinmetz had Detective Lyle Johnston narrate …
Idaho State University fined for breach

May 23, 2013 on Page A6 BOISE – Idaho State University is paying $400,000 to the federal government to settle allegations it improperly exposed confidential medical records. In August 2011, ISU told the U.S. Department of …
In brief: Groups ask for bigger port analysis

May 23, 2013 on Page A6 GRANTS PASS, Ore. – Environmental groups and a public health organization want the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to consider the big picture – from mining in Wyoming to air …
Heavy snow causes power outage, school closure

May 23, 2013 on Page A6 BICKLETON, Wash. – A freak snowstorm in May gave students a surprise day off Wednesday in the Columbia River Gorge town of Bickleton. Ten to 12 inches fell overnight within …
Idaho records

May 23, 2013 on Page A7 For 05-23-2013
Portland will not add fluoride to water

May 23, 2013 on Page A7 SEATTLE – Portland is the largest city in the country that doesn’t have fluoridated water, and voters have resoundingly decided it’s going to remain that way. A proposal to add …
Washington records

May 23, 2013 on Page A7 Spokane County Marriage licenses
Photo: Arcs of Spokane

May 23, 2013 on Page A7 Double the pleasure: Terry Rempel, of Spokane, seen in front of his car on South Baltimore Road, shoots a photograph of a double rainbow emerging between rainstorms on Tuesday evening …
Northwest wheat

May 23, 2013 on Page A9 Soft white Cash bid Change May 7.70-7.79 up 0.15-0.08 June 7.79-7.84 up 0.14-0.08 Hard red winter (ordinary percent protein) Cash bid Change May 8.61-8.68 up 0.03-0.07 Hard red winter (11.5 …
Police seek tips to find missing girl, 13

May 22, 2013 Police are seeking tips to find a 13-year-old girl that went missing on the South Hill Wednesday afternoon.
Brass fire hose hookups stolen from buildings

May 22, 2013 A rash of thefts of brass fittings on the sides of buildings in Spokane Valley is threatening fire crews’ abilities to fight fires in those buildings, the Spokane County Sheriff’s … 8
Fairchild loses bid to host new tankers

May 22, 2013 Wichita’s McConnell Air Force Base has been selected over Fairchild Air Force Base and two others to be the main operating base for the Air Force’s new KC-46A air refueling … 153
Testing for breast cancer gene can help women take preventive measures

May 22, 2013 on Page A1 Heather Scholten used to get a deer-in-the-headlights look from just about everyone who heard her story. They couldn’t understand how she could elect to remove both her breasts and her … 2
Idaho still ranks low on education spending

May 22, 2013 on Page A5 Idaho remains stuck near the bottom of public education funding, ranking second to last of all states in per-student spending for a third straight year, according to U.S. Census Bureau … 18
Suit tests whether candidate a resident

May 22, 2013 on Page A5 The race for a City Council seat representing northeast Spokane could soon be down to one. Two voters in Spokane’s northeast council district are suing Spokane County Auditor Vicky Dalton, … 22
GOP activists’ grip broken on CdA board

May 22, 2013 on Page A5 Candidates backed by a group of Republican activists were defeated Tuesday night in unusually lively races for the nonpartisan Coeur d’Alene School Board and Kootenai Hospital District board. In a … 24