New soccer facility topic of meeting
A community meeting is planned for 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Gonzaga University on a proposal by the university to develop a new soccer facility on the Spokane River shoreline. The meeting is scheduled for Room 111 of the Jepson Center.
The university has applied with the city of Spokane for a shoreline substantial development conditional use permit to demolish existing soccer and tennis facilities and to develop the new facility in phases.
It would include seating areas, a press box, locker rooms, a training area, restrooms, concession areas and lighting, according to documents at City Hall.
Police chase ends in hit-and-run
Police were looking Tuesday night for a man involved in a hit-and-run that injured two people in the Logan neighborhood.
An officer saw a late 1970s Toyota two-door sedan being driven erratically and started a chase that approached 65 mph through a residential neighborhood, said Spokane Police Cpl. Jim Muzatko. The eastbound Toyota hit a southbound Cadillac at Liberty Avenue and Pittsburg Street, sending the Cadillac into a front yard. The Toyota spun 180 degrees and the driver jumped out, vaulted a five-foot fence and took off.
A female passenger in the Cadillac hit the windshield. She was taken to Sacred Heart Medical Center. The driver suffered minor injuries from the airbag, Muzatko said.
The suspect is white, in his 30s, with a full beard and light brown hair. He lost his shoes in the crash, so he was running barefoot. The license plate on the Toyota did not match the vehicle identification number, Muzatko said.
Earlier Tuesday, police chased another driver in the same area when Officer Devin Presta noticed a stolen Honda Accord. That driver, 21-year-old Zachary J. Shackle, was caught and arrested after he abandoned the car in the 500 block of East Rich Avenue. No one was injured in that chase.
Shackle was booked into jail on suspicion of taking a motor vehicle without permission and a Department of Corrections warrant.
Historic auto club to gather at garden
Members of the Historic Auto Society of Spokane and the Inland Empire are journeying to the newly opened Moore-Turner Heritage Gardens on Sunday where about two dozen historic autos are expected to arrive at 10 a.m.
The club is celebrating its 50th anniversary and is making the trip from Sullivan Park in Spokane Valley to the heritage gardens near Seventh Avenue and Stevens Street.
The heritage gardens opened to the public Aug. 18 for weekends only and drew nearly 1,000 visitors in the first four days. The garden will be open for only four more days this season, including Saturday and Sunday and Sept. 29 and 30. The garden is expected to be open longer next year.
Lynn Mandyke, project director for the restored estate garden, said the addition to the city park system has been met with enthusiasm, and many residents have asked for more information about the history of the gardens and the nine years it took to restore them.
Olympia
First life sciences grants awarded
Six life sciences research teams, including one at Washington State University in Pullman, will receive grants that total $4.5 million, the state announced Tuesday.
They are the first recipients of the Life Sciences Discovery Fund, a program the Legislature started in 2005 to increase competition in life sciences and improve health care in Washington. This first installment is funded by corporations and foundations, instead of state money.
The WSU project, which received $750,000, aims to develop new treatments and preventions for heart attacks, according to the LSDF.
A University of Washington project, with a goal to standardize surgical procedures among many statewide hospitals, received the most money with $1.35 million. A statewide “medication management” project, based at Qualis Health in Seattle with a cooperating organization in Yakima, received $530,000.
The other recipients are: a UW program researching breast cancer, a diabetes project at the Seattle-based Pacific Northwest Research Institute, and a stroke research venture based at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle.
WALLA WALLA
Officer accused of misconduct fired
A police officer accused of sexual contact with an underage girl in his patrol car while on duty and other sexual misconduct has been fired.
According to a municipal news release, Raymond M. Clayton, 38, a police officer since 2000, was fired Monday following an internal investigation into reports that he “had been involved in a number of inappropriate sexual activities and inappropriate contacts with the public while on duty.”
The investigation began June 27, Clayton was placed on paid leave July 24, and the probe was completed Aug. 30.