Local news coverage for Spokane and the Inland Northwest

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Washington Senate passes bill to raise minimum wage to $12

March 4, 2015 on Page A1 OLYMPIA – Washington would raise the minimum wage for most workers to $12 an hour by 2019 under a bill that passed the House on Tuesday after a spirited partisan … 4
‘Partial victory’ for remaining Kettle Falls Five, as jurors acquit family of most charges

March 4, 2015 on Page A1 In a courtroom that had been filled with whispers, soundless protests and spontaneous applause all week, the moments before jurors acquitted the three remaining members of the “Kettle Falls Five” … 2
Woman sleeping by road under blankets and cardboard hit by truck, dies

March 4, 2015 on Page A1 A woman died Tuesday after a city wastewater truck ran over her while she was sleeping on the side of the road. Spokane police said in a news release that … 2
Seven Idaho senators skip Hindu prayer

March 4, 2015 on Page A5 BOISE – Seven Idaho senators remained outside the state Senate chamber Tuesday morning as guest chaplain Rajan Zed delivered the chamber’s first Hindu invocation, then took their seats immediately after … 7
Spokane man gets five years in hash oil explosion

March 4, 2015 on Page A5 Donnivan Whitcher told a federal judge Tuesday the explosion caused by a marijuana extraction method at his north Spokane apartment in January 2014 was an accident. “I didn’t mean to …
Ex-NIC employee could face more charges

March 4, 2015 on Page A5 Former North Idaho College financial aid director Joseph M. Bekken could face additional charges, including lying to a federal agent and misusing federal funds, as investigators dig deeper into his …
Buddy program bonds all kinds of kids

March 4, 2015 on Page A5 Camaraderie and joy filled a Madison Elementary School classroom where students came together to play table games last week. Laurelle Skipper playfully ignored William Johns when the fifth-grader warned her …
Jim Kershner’s This Day in History

March 4, 2015 on Page A5 From our archives, 100 years ago The uproar over jitneys – unlicensed private cars operated like buses or taxis – reached a new level when a local businessman asserted jitneys …
In brief: Groups file lawsuit over feds’ wolf kill plan

March 4, 2015 on Page A6 Five environmental groups, including The Lands Council based in Spokane, have filed a lawsuit against the federal government challenging its authority to kill endangered wolves in Washington. The lawsuit was …
Idaho daylight saving time bill withdrawn

March 4, 2015 on Page A6 BOISE – Idaho’s bill to do away with the “fall back” and “spring forward” of daylight saving time is dead. Turns out, what was proposed – year-round daylight saving time …
Used motor oil leaks into river, coating dozens of birds

March 4, 2015 on Page A6 SUNNYSIDE, Wash. – Oil-spill responders on Tuesday are evaluating the impact to wildlife from a used motor oil leak into a river in an agricultural area of south-central Washington, as …
Washington records

March 4, 2015 on Page A6 Spokane County Marriage licenses
Washington state not interested in letting Navy use land for exercises

March 4, 2015 on Page A6 SEATTLE – Washington has told the U.S. Navy that it’s not interested in allowing state land on the Olympic Peninsula to be used for electronic warfare training exercises. The Navy …
Review: Catalyst Quartet a treat for Bach lovers

March 4, 2015 on Page A7 The Northwest Bach Festival, newly invigorated and reconfigured by its dynamic artistic director, Zuill Bailey, is to be thanked for giving Spokane a chance to hear the Catalyst Quartet in …
In brief: State says man faked injuries, name for drugs

March 4, 2015 on Page A7 A Spokane Valley man has been accused of faking on-the-job injuries and using the last names of Seattle Seahawks football players to get drugs. Jeffory Leonard Mock Jr., 34, went …
Gilliam chosen to lead North Idaho’s Jobs Plus

March 4, 2015 on Page A8 A former economic development official for the state of Idaho will lead the effort to expand and diversify Kootenai County’s economy and employment base. Gynii Abracosa Gilliam, of Boise, is …
Federal jury acquits on 4 of 5 pot charges against Kettle Falls Five

March 3, 2015 A pot-growing Kettle Falls family was acquitted on four of the five federal charges against them tonight in a case that was seen as a barometer for how conflicts between … 15
Man who sparked apartment fire while making hash oil sentenced to five years

March 3, 2015 Donnivan Whitcher told a federal judge Tuesday the explosion caused by a marijuana extraction method at his north Spokane apartment in January 2014 was an accident. 12
Jobs Plus hires new president

March 3, 2015 A former economic development official for the state of Idaho will lead the effort to expand and diversify Kootenai County’s economy and employment base.
Man accused of using Seahawks players’ names to get drugs from clinics

March 3, 2015 A Spokane Valley man has been accused of faking on-the-job injuries and using the last names of Seattle Seahawks football players to get drugs. 16
Woman who died after being hit by city vehicle is identified

March 3, 2015 A Spokane woman died Tuesday after a city wastewater management truck ran over her as she was sleeping on the side of the road. 4
Prosecutor: Former NIC administrator used federal funds to buy photographs

March 3, 2015 A judge in Kootenai County lowered the bond for former North Idaho College administrator Joseph M. Bekken today, even as a prosecutor said Bekken is suspected of having used federal … 10
Second defendant pleads guilty to murder in beating of WWII veteran

March 3, 2015 on Page A1 Demetruis Glenn, the second of two teenagers accused of beating World War II veteran Delbert “Shorty” Belton to death in 2013, pleaded guilty to murder Monday morning, just hours before … 7
Shawn Vestal: NAACP leader confronts hate with confidence

March 3, 2015 on Page A1 Spokane police are investigating a package of racist, threatening literature sent last week to the head of Spokane’s chapter of the NAACP. The incident has left Rachel Dolezal, the new … 172
Gas tax increase passes Washington Senate

March 3, 2015 on Page A1 OLYMPIA – A controversial package of higher taxes and fees which would raise gasoline taxes by 11.7 cents over three years passed the Senate Monday on a 27-22 vote. By … 149
More protesters arrested at Idaho Capitol

March 3, 2015 on Page A5 BOISE – Nearly two dozen people were arrested in the Idaho state Capitol on Monday after they refused to leave the House and Senate chambers and stood in silent protest … 5
Pot charges ‘overzealous,’ federal jury told during closing arguments

March 3, 2015 on Page A5 The fate of three people accused of growing and dealing marijuana out of their rural Stevens County home will soon be in the hands of a federal jury. Those 12 … 22
North Idaho school districts say collapse of network contract is actually benefit

March 3, 2015 on Page A5 Far from leaving them in the dark without service, the demise of Idaho’s multimillion-dollar statewide school broadband network has brought several North Idaho school districts better service at a lower … 16
Doug Clark: Citizen Hall of Fame nomination is honor, winning is long shot

March 3, 2015 on Page A5 When you reach a certain point in your career, it’s only natural to start obsessing about legacy. Well, legacy and that old debate about cremation vs. burial. 5
Jim Kershner’s this day in history

March 3, 2015 on Page A5 From our archives, 100 years ago The exceptionally tiny feet of Leo Atento, 24, resulted in his arrest for the murder of Dr. R.P. Sims, a Spokane druggist.