Man now faces charge of first-degree murder

The Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office has upgraded the charge against a man accused of killing a 19-year-old Mead woman last year.

Kevin Wayne Newland, 20, is now charged with aggravated first-degree murder, according to court records. He previously was charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of Jamie Lynn Drake.

Newland was seen driving Drake’s Ford Mustang in June and made several purchases with Drake’s debit card, according to court records.

He was arrested in the Western Washington town of Maple Valley on June 27 with Drake’s 1993 silver Mustang.

On June 29, Newland led Spokane County sheriff’s detectives to Drake’s body, which was wrapped in a tarp and placed beneath the floorboards of his mother’s cabin near Addy, Wash. An autopsy determined that Drake died from homicide by suffocation.

If convicted of the new charges, Newland could face life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Spokane

Olympian to speak at Bloomsday event

Olympic marathon runner and author Kenny Moore will give a 2 p.m. talk about his new book at this year’s Bloomsday Trade Show on May 5 in the Spokane Convention Center.

Moore was a distance runner at the University of Oregon under coach Bill Bowerman, the subject of his latest book “Bowerman and the Men of Oregon.”

Track and movie fans may remember Moore as the co-author of “Without Limits,” a feature film about the late distance runner Steve Prefontaine. Moore also set a U.S. marathon record in 1969 and competed at the Munich Olympics, where he finished fourth in the marathon.

After unlacing his track shoes, he worked for more than two decades at Sports Illustrated.

The trade show – a Bloomsday tradition – will feature more than 100 vendors, according to race organizers.

There’s still time for aspiring Bloomies to sign up for the 7.46-mile event, which will wind through downtown Spokane on May 6. Enroll online at www.bloomsdayrun.org or fill out and mail an entry form, available at numerous locations. To take advantage of the $14 entry fee, sign up by April 17.The fee then rises to $30.

Western Washington

NASCAR track plan abandoned

Great Western Sports Inc., which for two years has tried to convince lawmakers to steer millions into a NASCAR track on the Kitsap Peninsula, has given up on the project.

Locally generated taxes, including an admissions tax, would have paid more than half the $368 million cost.

“As a company, we still believe the Northwest represents a significant opportunity for a speedway development and we remain interested in the region,” Great Western Sports president Grant Lynch said in a written statement.

Company spokesman Lenny Santiago wouldn’t elaborate on what precisely the hitch was.

He noted that the company was willing to abide by a public vote on the proposal, spend $1 million on environmental conservation and other changes.

Lawmakers and Gov. Chris Gregoire had suggested the track might be a better fit in rural Lewis County, about an hour and a half south of Seattle. Track officials said in February that they’d look at the area, but that it was critical the track be close to thousands of hotel rooms and a major media market.

Rosalia, Wash.

Lamp blamed for fire at Longhorn Cafe

Officials say a bad lamp is to blame for a Sunday night fire that caused extensive damage to the Longhorn Cafe in Rosalia, Wash.

Crews responded about 8 p.m. and found flames erupting from the front doors and windows of the business, said Rosalia Fire Chief Bill Tensfeld. With help from volunteer departments from Steptoe and Oakesdale, crews quickly knocked down the blaze, but significant damage had already occurred, he said.

After investigating the charred remains of the popular cafe on Rosalia’s main drag Monday, Tensfeld said the fire was likely sparked by an overheated electrical cord connected to a small lamp that sat next to the cash register.

Smoke damaged nearby businesses, and Tensfeld said reopening the Longhorn would be difficult. “It’s going to take quite a bit of rebuilding to get it open again,” he said.

From staff reports