Haz-mat trucker cited for drinking
The Washington State Patrol cited a truck driver for driving after drinking Wednesday morning when he was stopped while hauling hazardous materials across Idaho-Washington border.
Boyd D. Harper, 61, or Riverton, Utah, was pulling a semi-trailer with a load of corrosive materials.
He was stopped at the Spokane Port of Entry for a random inspection when a trooper detected the smell of alcohol.
Harper admitted to drinking the night before, and a portable breath test found alcohol in his system.
Harper was not legally intoxicated, but drivers are not allowed to have any alcohol in their system while operating commercial vehicles.
spokane
Troopers, police capture felon
State troopers helped Spokane police capture a wanted felon Wednesday who had eluded authorities earlier in the day.
The felon was arrested shortly after he broke into a house to use the phone, officials said.
Alfred Jordan, 31, was booked into Spokane County Jail on warrants for escape and drug possession and new charges of eluding police and burglary.
A Washington State Patrol trooper spotted Jordan early Wednesday in a car, which had been involved in a pursuit by Spokane police. They had ended the chase shortly after midnight, said WSP spokesman Trooper Jeff Sevigney.
After losing sight of the car, a trooper found it abandoned in the 1800 block of East Cataldo, Sevigney said.
The suspect was tracked to a nearby home by a Spokane police dog.
Jordan was arrested after being treated and released at a hospital for dog bites, Sevigney said.
Wanted man booked into jail
Cory Clint Hayes was booked into Spokane County Jail late Tuesday after an announcement by the Secret Witness organization that the 29-year-old was wanted for multiple crimes.
Hayes, a Spokane resident, was being held on $113,050 bail for three counts of possession of a controlled substance, vehicle theft and second-degree rendering criminal assistance, according to the Spokane County Jail roster.
Work will close McClellan lane
Southbound McClellan Street will be reduced by one lane through the end of the week between Eighth and Ninth avenues in Spokane.
The closure near Sacred Heart Medical Center will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. today through Friday.
Crews are repairing a light pole.
Washington, D.C.
Congresswoman will speak today
U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers is expected to speak sometime this morning against the House resolution opposing the buildup of U.S. troops in Iraq.
She was originally on the list for Wednesday afternoon, but the schedule for floor debate was interrupted and speaking times revised.
A spokeswoman said McMorris Rodgers is scheduled to speak sometime between 7 and 9 a.m., Pacific time.
That schedule is subject to change, but by this morning her office should have a window of about 30 minutes in which she’ll be speaking.