Stories for July 22, 2006

• 

  Homeless player drowns

  In City on Page A1 A 32-year-old homeless man who played a key role on an inspirational basketball team drowned Friday in the Spokane River. William Wilcox, the 240-pound center of the Union Gospel Mission’s …

• Summer heat exposes ailing jail

  In City on Page A1 A month into summer, the thermometer already has hit 90 degrees or higher on 15 days. Attics are heating up faster than a George Foreman Grill. Slurpee sales have tripled. …

• County turns to residents for input

  In Idaho on Page A1 Get the refreshments ready: Kootenai County wants to have a meeting in your living room. The county commission is paying a Colorado consulting firm $82,000 to help get every resident …

• 

  His main squeeze? An accordion

  In City on Page A1 In the accordion world, which is bigger than you’d think, Cheney’s Sammy Thomas is as hot as it gets right now, a squeezebox star in the making. At 17 years …

• Mideast at a glance

  In City on Page A1 ■ U.S. involvement: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she would work with allies in the region to help create conditions for “stability and lasting peace.” She ruled out a …

• Israel prepares invasion

  In Nation/World on Page A1 ON THE ISRAEL-LEBANON BORDER – Israel massed tanks and troops on the border Friday, hours after calling up reserves, as the army announced plans for a ground operation to destroy …

• 

  $35 million buys a walk with a wide-world view

  In Nation/World on Page A2 WASHINGTON – You don’t have to be an astronaut anymore to experience walking in space. All you need is $35 million and the willingness to risk your life. A private …

• Wildfires on rise worldwide

  In Nation/World on Page A3 Scientists worldwide are watching temperatures rise, the land turn dry and vast forests go up in flames. In the Siberian taiga and Canadian Rockies, in Southern California and Australia, researchers …

• Handler killed by elephant

  In Nation/World on Page A3 HOHENWALD, Tenn. – An elephant with a reputation for being dangerous killed a handler and injured a trainer Friday at The Elephant Sanctuary in southern Tennessee, authorities said. Winkie, a …

• 

  U.S. won’t probe Chinese labor law

  In Nation/World on Page A3 The Bush administration on Friday rejected a petition by American unions seeking an investigation into Chinese labor practices, arguing that there was evidence Chinese practices were improving. The decision turned …

• Scientists skeptical of Bush smog plan

  In Nation/World on Page A3 WASHINGTON – The Bush administration might add to air pollution by making it easier for thousands of aging factories and plants to modernize, scientists say. A report Friday from the …

• 

  Iraqi women, child among dead in U.S. raid

  In Nation/World on Page A3 BAGHDAD, Iraq – At least five people, including two women and a child, were killed early Friday morning in a raid by American special operations forces targeting suspected insurgents in …

• 

  Venezuela joins South American trade bloc

  In Nation/World on Page A4 CORDOBA, Argentina – Venezuela formally entered Mercosur on Friday, increasing the South American trade bloc’s economic might and vowing to transform the once-sleepy policy organization into a force for profound …

• Holy war call issued against Ethiopians

  In Nation/World on Page A4 Somalia’s top Islamic leader called Friday for a holy war against Ethiopia to drive out troops the largely Christian nation sent to protect the internationally backed Somali government. The radical …

• 

  Political unrest in Oaxaca paralyzes tourist city

  In Nation/World on Page A5 OAXACA, Mexico – Protesters have taken over the center of folkloric Oaxaca, making tourists show identification at makeshift checkpoints, smashing the windows of quaint hotels and spray-painting revolutionary slogans. Police …

• 

  Ex-Pentagon officials accused of fraud

  In Nation/World on Page A5 Two former Pentagon officials, including an acting secretary of the Navy, have been accused of scheming with a banned American contractor to get lucrative rebuilding contracts in Iraq. The contracting …

• Microsoft plans iPod competitor

  In Business on Page A6 Microsoft Corp. confirmed Friday it’s working on music and entertainment products that are expected to compete with Apple Computer Inc.’s wildly popular iPod and iTunes music service. The Redmond, Wash.-based …

• 

  Global conditions fuel oil profits

  In Business on Page A6 Five of the world’s largest energy companies are expected to report combined second-quarter profits next week of more than $30 billion, a bounty fueled by worldwide economic growth and political …

• Med school expanding to Spokane

  In Business on Page A6 It isn’t often the addition of 28 students warrants a full-blown press conference and gathering of area business and education leaders. But Friday’s downtown announcement that the University of Washington …

• 

  Smokers are confined to less room at the inns

  In Business on Page A6 NEW YORK – Attention smokers: Your world just got a little bit smaller. Now that a second major hotel chain, Marriott International Inc., announced Wednesday that it would go smoke-free, …

• Payout planned for Met investors

  In Business on Page A6 Investors in defunct Metropolitan Mortgage & Securities Inc. will receive a small payout within about two months. It’s been a 2½-year wait for thousands of people, who could only watch …

• 

  Dell shares plummet on outlook

  In Business on Page A7 NEW YORK – Shares of Dell Inc. plunged to their lowest level in nearly five years Friday after the world’s largest computer maker slashed its second-quarter earnings outlook below Wall …

• 

  Caterpillar quarter is strongest in decades

  In Business on Page A7 Caterpillar Inc. reported its strongest quarterly results in at least four decades Friday, posting 38 percent higher profits as strong demand for its equipment in mining and highway construction helped …

• Tech woes send Nasdaq to 14-month low

  In Business on Page A7 NEW YORK – Wall Street wrapped up a volatile week with a down session Friday as conflicting news from the technology sector exacerbated investors’ uncertainty about earnings and sent the …

• BellSouth sale to AT&T approved

  In Business on Page A7 BellSouth Corp. shareholders Friday approved the proposed sale of their company to AT&T Inc. for $67 billion in stock. AT&T shareholders later voted to issue new stock in the combined …

• Colorado pushing for earlier primary

  In Nation/World on Page A8 WASHINGTON – Colorado made a last-minute push to become one of the early voting states in the presidential primaries as Democrats moved toward giving more diverse states a greater say. …

• More employers of illegal workers getting arrested

  In Nation/World on Page A8 WASHINGTON – The number of employers arrested on charges of hiring illegal immigrants has more than doubled this year. And some employers themselves are in the United States illegally, immigration …

• Woman killed in U.S. 95 collision

  In Idaho on Page B1 A 41-year-old Plummer woman was killed in a head-on collision near Worley early Friday morning. Hilary F. Zepeda was southbound on U.S. Highway 95 at 3:51 a.m. when she drove …

• Flat budget puts off road projects

  In Idaho on Page B1 Post Falls Mayor Clay Larkin and other elected officials from North Idaho voiced strong opposition Friday to an Idaho Transportation Department plan that postpones construction of some area road projects …

• 

  Inquiry into family deaths nears end

  In City on Page B1 Washington State Patrol detectives believe they are close to completing the vehicular homicide investigation in the case of a Deer Park man who crashed his truck into oncoming traffic on …

• 

  Highway 95 intersections may be closed

  In Idaho on Page B1 Idaho Transportation Board members approved a two-year study of U.S. Highway 95 access between Appleway Avenue in Coeur d’Alene and Wyoming Avenue in Hayden due to concerns of traffic congestion …

• Former Mayor West in critical condition

  In City on Page B1 Former Spokane Mayor Jim West’s condition worsened Friday as he battled post-operative complications at a Seattle hospital. West is listed in critical condition, University of Washington Medical Center spokesman Craig …

• 

  Risch chooses Kootenai deputy prosecutor for judge

  In Idaho on Page B1 The No. 2 attorney in the Kootenai County Prosecutor’s Office was appointed district judge Friday by Gov. James Risch. Lansing Haynes, Kootenai County’s chief deputy prosecutor, could assume the newly …

• 

  Tenants uninjured by apartment fire

  In City on Page B1 No tenants were injured Friday afternoon when fire heavily damaged their eight-unit apartment building in north Spokane, but a firefighter was taken to Holy Family Hospital for treatment of what …

• Case closed: Long search solves ‘Michael mystery’

  In City on Page B1

• Prescription overdoses deadlier than illegal drugs

  In City on Page B2 Prescription drugs are causing more overdose deaths in Spokane County than illegal drugs like methamphetamine, the county’s medical examiner said Friday. In 2005, 35 people in Spokane County died from …

• Wildfires increase around Idaho

  In City on Page B2 BOISE – Wildfires expanded exponentially in the pine forests of the Idaho Rockies on Friday, with crews battling hot temperatures, steep terrain and flames racing through tinder-dry timber stands. The …

• Flat budget puts off Idaho road projects

  In Idaho on Page B3 Post Falls Mayor Clay Larkin and other elected officials from North Idaho voiced strong opposition Friday to an Idaho Transportation Department plan that postpones construction of some area road projects …

• Report leads to meth arrest

  In City on Page B3 Sheriff’s deputies found 10 ounces of methamphetamine in a man’s car after arresting him on two warrants. The meth had a value of $6,000, said Spokane County Sheriff’s Office spokesman …

• Snake River drawdown could be boating hazard

  In City on Page B3 LEWISTON – Fluctuations in flows of the Snake River in Hells Canyon to meet power demands could lower the river to a level the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers considers …

• Valley sign committee seeks new members

  In City on Page B3 Spokane Valley is looking for volunteers to fill two new positions on the city’s Ad Hoc Sign Committee. The group was formed to review the sign ordinance inherited from the …

• Unauthorized photos prompt mistrial

  In City on Page B3 A mistrial was declared Friday in the second-degree murder trial of Rick A. Kelly after jurors viewed photographs they were not supposed to see. Spokane County Superior Court Judge Harold …

• Ex-EWU manager claims firing was retaliation

  In City on Page B4 The former risk manager at Eastern Washington University has sued the school and several individuals, alleging she was fired as retaliation for speaking at a public hearing on proposed asbestos …

• Canadian company questions cleanup law in appeal

  In City on Page B4 A Canadian company is asking a federal appellate court to reconsider a recent ruling that it is subject to U.S. law for polluting the Columbia River. Vancouver, B.C.-based Teck Cominco …

• Shooting suspect held for $1 million

  In City on Page B5 KENT, Wash. – A man arrested in connection with the deaths of three people and the wounding of three others in a Skyway shooting was ordered held on $1 million …

• ‘Pippin’ unpleasant, silly and sophomoric

  In City on Page B5 I suppose it is theoretically possible for somebody to stage a palatable production of “Pippin.” All I know is, I’ve never seen one. This unpleasantly silly production by the Coeur …

• 

  Cry for help answered quickly

  In City on Page B5 Nearly 500 cans of baby formula are stacked on a table of Spokane’s Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery, ready to be stored in a once-naked pantry. Lucinda Kay, director of development, …

• A giant first step

  In Opinion on Page B6 If Spokane was audacious 30-plus years ago, when a handful of dreamers were pushing a world’s fair, the city today is, well, confident. A new 100,000-square-foot exhibition hall has put …

• Peace rhetoric brings real war

  In Opinion on Page B6 One of the many failings of our educational system is that it sends out into the world people who cannot tell rhetoric from reality. They have learned no systematic way …

• Congress beaten by Bush

  In Opinion on Page B6 The good news, people keep telling us, is that Congress – accidentally stumbling across some institutional self-respect – is finally facing up to the Bush administration’s claim of constitutional superpowers. …

• Smart Bombs

  In Opinion on Page B6 Here’s what President Bush said in vetoing a bill that would expand government-funded stem cell research: “This bill would support the taking of innocent human life in the hope of …

• Bill Cosby’s self-help tour feeds stereotype

  In Opinion on Page B7 Ever since he battered poor blacks two years ago in his infamous remarks on the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, Bill Cosby has been taking to the …

• Losing Lebanon

  In City on Page B7 In the wake of rebuilding after civil war from 1975-1991, Lebanon is again facing reconstruction. Will it happen? Check Sunday’s Roundtable page for Gordon Jackson’s firsthand account of Lebanon’s struggle …

• Official Records

  In City on Page B8 Spokane County Marriage licenses

• Judge rules candidates can’t file for 10th seat

  In City on Page B8 Would-be judicial candidates can’t file for a 10th Spokane County district court seat next week. A visiting judge said the position doesn’t exist until the county commissioners come up with …

• Idaho Records

  In Idaho on Page B8 For 07-22-2006

• Davis slams three homers in Indians victory

  In Sports on Page C1 VANCOUVER, B.C. – Chris Davis slugged three home runs and drove in five runs as the Spokane Indians salvaged the final game of a five-game series against the Vancouver Canadians, …

• 

  Chip off the block

  In Sports on Page C1 When Chad Tracy was a Little League catcher in Sarasota, Fla., his father noticed two things: His son had good hands and he liked being involved in every play of …

• SECOND-ROUND LEADERBOARD

  In Sports on Page C1 British Open At Royal Liverpool

• Shock back in Arena to take on rebuilt, rejuvenated Hawks

  In Sports on Page C1 Spokane has defeated the Everett Hawks twice this season, but that’s of little comfort to Shock coach Chris Siegfried. Siegfried is more concerned about the current Hawks, who look nothing …

• 

  Tour showdown is set

  In Sports on Page C1 MACON, France – After a leisurely ride Friday, one of the most dramatic Tour de France editions in years reaches a crucial stage today – the individual time trial. The …

• 

  Woods flies like an eagle

  In Sports on Page C1 HOYLAKE, England – Tiger Woods couldn’t even see the flag, but he knew his 4-iron was close to perfect. Thousands of fans who were crammed elbow-to-elbow on a grassy hillock …

• Ex-PGA exec would run course

  In Sports on Page C1 Even though their proposed $150 million project has yet to be approved by Kootenai County commissioners, the Las Vegas developers seeking permission to build yet another luxury golf community along …

• 

  Bye-bye baseball five times

  In Sports on Page C1 SEATTLE – Jamie Moyer proved for 20 years that velocity doesn’t matter when a pitcher has location. No game illustrated it more powerfully than Friday’s. Unable to pitch to the …

• Surgery could spell end of Faulk’s career

  In Sports on Page C2 St. Louis Rams running back Marshall Faulk will have major reconstructive knee surgery and miss the 2006 season, a blow that could spell the end of his career. Though coach …

• Hofstra’s Danowski will head Duke lacrosse

  In Sports on Page C2 Duke University has hired John Danowski from Hofstra to coach its embattled men’s lacrosse team, the new coach said Friday. Danowski, whose son Matt is a Duke senior and All-America …

• Shock snap Sparks’ 6-game winning streak

  In Sports on Page C2 Swin Cash scored 18 points, Cheryl Ford added 13 points and 11 rebounds, and the Detroit Shock led by as many as 18 points in the first half to snap …

• On the Air

  In Sports on Page C2 For 07-22-2006

• 

  Hamlin lovin’ Pocono

  In Sports on Page C2 Denny Hamlin is the new driver to beat at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa., proving that Friday by winning the pole at the track where he scored his first …

• 

  DiMarco forges on

  In Sports on Page C3 HOYLAKE, England – Chris DiMarco has struggled for most of the season, especially after injuring his ribs and lower back in a ski accident in March. But it all paled …

• UI kicker out for season

  In Sports on Page C4 University of Idaho senior kicker Mike Barrow, a first-team All-Western Athletic Conference selection in 2005, will miss the 2006 football season because of a knee injury, the school announced Friday. …

• Friday’s results

  In Sports on Page C5 Tigers 7, Athletics 4: At Detroit, Dmitri Young returned from the disabled list in dramatic style, getting two hits, including the go-ahead single, in the Tigers’ victory over Oakland. Twins …

• ‘Relieved’ Bonds posts note on site

  In Sports on Page C5 Barry Bonds expressed “relief” that the federal grand jury considering possible perjury and tax-evasion charges against him expired without an indictment. The San Francisco slugger, who hit his 722nd career …

• Today’s menu

  In Sports on Page C6 For 07-22-2006

• Social networking sites force users to categorize their relationship

  In Features on Page E1 Last semester, Bill Gostic, a junior at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, started hanging out with “this one girl. It was sort of romantic,” he said, “but I told her …

• Clover leaves bring everyday good luck

  In Features on Page E1 I have nothing but scorn for superstitions. The world is already irrational enough; we don’t need to concoct a bunch of fairy stories about black cats, full moons and walking …

• RVs star in new detective novels

  In Features on Page E1 Another mature RV heroine has leaped onto the fiction pages of the cozy crime genre. Ivy Malone, an unlikely, slightly quirky amateur sleuth, is on Social Security and on the …

• The Slice: Flying luggage leads to emergency room trip

  In Features on Page E1 Let’s start with a summer-vacation story of suitcases flying off the roof of a car. “Yes, luggage does come loose,” wrote Barb Mayfield from up in Newport, Wash.

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  ‘King’ queen sees the princess

  In Features on Page E2 We have a Suri sighting. Although Suri Cruise has not been seen in public since her April 18 birth, actress Leah Remini – a friend of Katie Holmes and Tom …

• Women’s excuses can be convincing

  In Features on Page E2 Dear Annie: I read the letter from “Bossier City, La.,” asking for excuses women give for not having sex with their husbands. Nowadays, most women work 40-plus hours a week, …

• Horoscope

  In Features on Page E2 For 07-22-2006

• Genuine peace possible through Christ

  In Features on Page E3 Give peace a chance. Make love, not war.

• 

  Making room for holy days

  In Features on Page E3 Sikh, Muslim, Buddhist, Jewish, Hindu, Christian – each faith has its holy days. And schools across the country are asking how to respect them all.

• Community Events

  In Features on Page E3 For 07-22-2006

• “I’ll not listen to reason…. Reason always means what someone else has got to say.” -

  In Features on Page E4 In the first year of the BOLS Tips competition, Rixi Markus offered the following piece of advice: When, as a defender, you are about to attack from a holding such …

• Spokane Calendar

  In Features on Page E5 For 07-22-2006

• Idaho Calendar

  In Features on Page E5 For 07-22-2006

• Critic’s short list

  In Business on Page F1 NEW YORK – Louis Lowenstein, a buttoned-down 81-year-old emeritus finance and law professor, is positioning himself to become the mutual fund industry’s most urbane critic. Listening to him talk about …

• Safe bets steal the stock show

  In Business on Page F1 NEW YORK – The stock market is looking increasingly like an opera: Triumphant returns in one scene followed later by a chanting chorus as a player is dragged down to …

• 

  Man in charge

  In HandleX on Page I2 If you’re a golf fan, turn on your television right now and click to the British Open. You’ll be listening to the artistry of Hayden Lake resident Peter “Pug” Puglisi …

• It’s hot – check soil for moisture

  In HandleX on Page I3 Once the sun debuts for the season, Spokane County is blessed with one sun-kissed day after another. The problem is that once the sun arrives, we quickly have to prepare …

• 

  Down the garden path

  In HandleX on Page I4 “If you would be happy for a week, take a wife.

• Volleyball tourney scheduled

  In HandleX on Page I5 North Idaho College’s Outdoor Pursuits program will host a 2-on-2 beach volleyball tournament next Saturday and July 30. The Hot Foot Classic will begin at 8 a.m. at the sand …

• 

  Deep in the forest

  In HandleX on Page I7 There is a reason this lake was lost. Sunk deep in the trees and overshadowed by the magnificent Lake Pend Oreille, this little body of water can be tough to …

• Aid from strangers warms a mother’s heart

  In HandleX on Page I7 For Dustin Dylina, 11, and his mother Debbie, the Fourth of July will mark a special sort of anniversary from now on. Dustin may remember it as the day he …

• Religion notebook

  In HandleX on Page I11 “Choose Your Own Adventure” Family Week – today is the last day for early registration fees for the trip on Aug. 11-13 at Shoshone Base Camp on the North Fork …

• Idaho commerce and labor

  In HandleX on Page I11 We have 761 jobs available at Idaho Commerce and Labor this week. There are no fees to use the services. Call (208) 769-1558 for more information and help with your …

• Feature creature

  In HandleX on Page I13 You wouldn’t expect this gigantic girl to be mingling with dachshunds at Little Long Dogs Dachshund Rescue, but Rosie doesn’t know her size. She’s a 1-year-old spayed, female rottweiler. She …

• 

  Looking Ahead

  In HandleX on Page I13 For 07-22-2006

• Kayak clinic planned for women

  In HandleX on Page I14 Women of all ability levels are encouraged to take part in a women-only lake kayak clinic offered by North Idaho College’s Outdoor Pursuits. The clinic will be from 5:30 to …

• 

  Traveling, seeing new places a perk for diver

  In HandleX on Page I14 Bobby Beamis, 26, admits to taking his years as a Coeur d’Alene High School student less than seriously. After graduation, he didn’t know what he wanted to do with his …

• Special education screenings

  In SatValley on Page V1 If your child is in the East Valley School District and has a disability, he or she may be eligible for special education, related services or specialized educational accommodations. Disabilities …

• 

  The name in flames

  In SatValley on Page V1 You’re stopped at a red light at Sprague and Sullivan and it passes in front of you. You crane your neck to get a better look. Yep, it’s a pimped-out …

• 

  Burial ground burglars

  In SatValley on Page V1 To some thieves, nothing is sacred – not even the mementos left on a loved one’s grave. People don’t believe it when flowers and other objects left on graves disappear, …

• Government almanac

  In SatValley on Page V2 Tuesday Spokane Valley City Council – 6 p.m. at City Hall, 11707 E. Sprague.

• Wage meddling will have ripple effect

  In SatValley on Page V2 Be afraid; be very afraid. Something is happening in the city of Spokane that could eventually affect the people who live, work and shop in Spokane Valley and throughout this …

• Week in Review

  In SatValley on Page V2 Trentwood SCOPE – Volunteers voted to keep the same officers and not have an election this year. They also discussed their upcoming fundraiser at the Sprague rest stop on Interstate …

• Calendar

  In SatValley on Page V2 For 07-22-2006

• Teen involved in pursuit seriously injured in crash

  In SatValley on Page V3 A 17-year-old sent police officers from two cities on a chase that started in the Valley and ended in downtown Spokane with the teen going to the hospital. The minor …

• Say ‘thanks’ to your favorite neighbor with block party

  In SatValley on Page V3 Don’t take that excellent neighbor for granted. Nominate him or her in our annual Good Neighbor Contest. If your neighbor wins, a catering van will arrive on your block, set …

• When you go, we want to know

  In SatValley on Page V3 Hey Valley Voice readers, if you’re hitting the road this summer, we would love to include an account of your trip in a new feature, “Tales from the Trail: The …

• Shop installs DUI interlock devices

  In SatValley on Page V4 Sometimes a second chance needs a few strings attached. At least that’s the idea behind ignition interlock devices, which prevent cars from starting unless drivers pass a breath-alcohol test by …

• Group helping Ethiopians

  In SatValley on Page V5 A handful of Spokane-area residents is enlisting the Inland Northwest in a drive to bring stability and hope to a part of the world where human rights are violated, famine …

• Buckaloo retirement party planned

  In SatValley on Page V5 After nearly 40 years in the pulpit, the Rev. Neal Buckaloo is retiring from Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, the same church he served in when he first arrived in the …

• Guitar master Leo Kottke will give free concert

  In SatValley on Page V6 Music critics and historians throw around terms like “virtuoso” and “innovative” all the time. Without context, they’re just ambiguous words hanging in the air. You have to hear the artist …

• 

  ON TO MONTANA

  In SatValley on Page V7 A funny thing happened once Caitlin Courchaine went to college. After playing on two state Class 4A girls championship teams, and a state runner-up squad her senior year at Central …

• Valley Electric will face VEBA in championship

  In SatValley on Page V7 Valley Electric (Mountain View) and VEBA (Evergreen) will play next week for the Spokane Valley Baseball Giants championship. The unbeaten Mountain View team (13-0) defeated Autocraft 23-5 in one playoff …

• Senior meals

  In SatValley on Page V7 For the week of July 24-28 Monday – Spaghetti with meat, tossed salad with dressing, peas, garlic breadstick, peaches.