Book TV bus to visit libraries
The Book TV Bus will visit libraries in North Idaho Wednesday and Thursday. The bus will be at the Coeur d’Alene Public Library, 201 E. Harrison Ave., Wednesday from noon to 2 p.m., and at the Post Falls Library Thursday from 4 to 6 p.m. The Post Falls Library’s Courtyard Concert series featuring the Panhandle Polecats will follow beginning at 7 p.m.
The Book TV Bus has been touring the nation since 2005 promoting C-SPAN2’s weekend-long programming of nonfiction books and authors and collecting interesting literary programming from communities around the country.
The bus is a customized, 45-foot-long motor coach with a mobile television production studio and media demonstration center on board, giving the crew a venue to conduct author interviews and the public a glimpse into TV production and Book TV’s programming.
In addition to the library stops, the bus will be at the farmers’ market on Fifth Street between Sherman and Front avenues in Coeur d’Alene Wednesday from 4 to 6 p.m. On Thursday the bus will be at the Time Warner Cable office, 2305 W. Kathleen Ave., from noon to 2 p.m.
Addy, Wash.
Man found dead in his driveway
Detectives are investigating the homicide of a 64-year-old man found dead in his driveway Sunday afternoon.
David T. Buchanan was discovered in the 1900 block of Marble Valley Basin Road in Addy, said Stevens County Sheriff Craig Thayer. The home is about a quarter-mile down a private road.
An autopsy is planned, Thayer said. Police refused to comment about how the man was killed. The FBI and Washington State Patrol are assisting in the investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call (800) 572-0947 or (509) 684-2555.
Spokane
Vandals slash tires on North Side
More than 30 tires were slashed during a vandalism spree late Sunday or early Monday in a North Side neighborhood.
And business shot up for some Spokane tire dealers Monday.
“We had probably about six sets (of slashed tires),” said Poor Boys Tire and Automotive owner Nancy Masingale.
A knife thought to have been used to damage the tires was recovered and was being checked for fingerprints, said Spokane Police Department spokesman Officer Paul Taylor.
Taylor reported that the damaged vehicles were in a wide area, from the 2400 block of North Atlantic to the 2100 block of West Gardner.
Anyone with information is asked to call (509) 242-8477.
Scraps has profile on MySpace
Beyond ex-girlfriends, estranged high school buddies and favorite pop singers, it’s now possible to add animals to that growing MySpace list.
The Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service has created a profile for Scraps, the agency’s “spokes-dog,” on the popular social networking site. Through a blog and a “pet of the month” feature, organizers say they hope to target a young audience more accustomed to interactive Internet sessions than hardback pet manuals. The goal, they say, is to instill an understanding of pet ownership.
Olympia
Driver shot after high speed chase
A state trooper shot and killed a motorist Monday evening after a chase near Olympia, a State Patrol spokeswoman said.
According to the patrol’s account, a trooper was responding, emergency lights flashing, to a report of a collision and was traveling south on U.S. Highway 101 at about 5:30 p.m. As he tried to pass one vehicle, it accelerated and took off at about 90 mph. The trooper followed.
The fleeing vehicle used the highway shoulder to pass other vehicles along Highway 101 until it came to Steamboat Island Road, where other troopers had set out spike strips to pop its tires, Trooper Brandy Kessler said.
The trooper followed the fleeing vehicle onto a gravel road, where it came to a stop.
Kessler reported that “shots were fired” and a man was killed. The trooper was not injured.
She would not say whether the dead man had been armed.
Neither the trooper nor the man who was shot were immediately identified.
Portland
Amtrak route partially restored
Using substitute equipment, Amtrak restored about half its Cascades route Monday between Eugene, Ore., and Vancouver, B.C., and planned to restore service fully by Thursday, a spokeswoman said.
The service was interrupted last Friday after an inspection of the railcars built by Spanish manufacturer Talgo Inc. found cracks in the suspension system of a passenger car.
“All the parties involved decided that, in an abundance of caution, it was the most prudent thing to do to take the cars out of service,” said Nora Friend, a spokeswoman for Talgo.
A spokeswoman for Amtrak in Oakland, Calif., Vernae Graham, said the rail passenger service added two trainsets on Monday, running six trips – three each way – between Portland and Seattle.
That allowed service also to be re-established to Eugene, she said. A trip between Seattle and Vancouver had continued running because its equipment was not affected.
Another train was to go into operation today between Portland and Seattle, and a fourth was to begin on Thursday, Graham said. In the meantime, Amtrak planned to start bus service today from Bellingham and Edmonds to get passengers to Seattle, she said.
Those additions would restore the Cascades operation fully by Thursday, but the schedule will be slightly different, meaning passengers should check for updated schedule information, she said.
Amtrak said the substitute train service would operate at reduced speeds and would not include some of the amenities of the regular Cascades service such as business class, movies or bicycle accommodations. There will also be limited seating for the mobility impaired, Amtrak said.
From staff and wire reports