Commission adds 2nd night meeting
Spokane County commissioners decided Tuesday to schedule a second night meeting each month, starting in September.
Some lengthy night meetings recently, including one that lasted six hours, convinced commissioners to go back to the semimonthly night meetings they conducted from September 1997 until March 2005.
The current schedule calls for a 5 p.m. meeting on the third Tuesday of every month, but the new plan is to meet at 5:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays.
Commissioners also added a second 15-minute public forum – at the beginning of each public meeting in addition to the one at the end – to allow citizens to bring up issues not on the agenda.
Tentatively, a “consent” meeting for routine items will continue to be at 2 p.m. although commissioners said they will consider moving it closer to the starting time for night meetings.
– John Craig
Bank closes after workers feel ill
A bank was closed for several hours Tuesday when three employees felt sick after handling cash that reportedly smelled odd.
The money was deposited Monday at the Bank of America at North Division and Wellesley. One employee reported getting a headache after handling the cash Monday evening, said Spokane police Officer Tim Moses.
On Tuesday, three employees reported lightheadedness and tight chests after handling the money, which was in a bag, Moses said. They called 911 about 1:20 p.m., and the Fire Department’s hazardous materials team responded.
Dressed in chemical suits, the crew took the three exposed workers outside for fresh air and gave them liquids. Other employees were kept separate as a precaution, Moses said.
Tests for hazardous materials came back negative, said Battalion Chief Mike Inman of the Spokane Fire Department.
– Nick Eaton
Latah County, Idaho
Fire temporarily knocks out power
A 100-acre wildfire between Kendrick and Juliaetta, Idaho, knocked out power and spurred some residents to voluntarily evacuate Tuesday afternoon, but authorities quelled the blaze within five hours.
Local fire departments and the Idaho Department of Lands brought in ground crews, five air tankers and two helicopters to attack the blaze, said Jim Newton, IDL state duty officer. No structures burned, and there were no injuries.
The fire was reported at 3:15 p.m. and was being mopped up by 8:45 p.m., said dispatcher Kathy Gaia at the Latah County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities closed Highway 3 for several hours.
About 1,400 Avista Utilities customers lost power, but most had it back by 9:15 p.m., spokesman Hugh Imhof said.
– Nick Eaton