In brief: Bush pardons Spokane attorney
President Bush pardoned 15 people Tuesday, including a Spokane attorney, and commuted the prison sentence of another.
The pardon list includes William L. Baker, of Spokane, who was convicted of distributing a controlled substance and falsifying records in Wyoming in 1980. He was sentenced that July to two years in prison and a year of parole.
Baker operates a law office in Spokane, where he has a practice that includes general criminal defense work and domestic violence and personal injury cases, according to his phone book ad.
Baker could not be reached for comment.
Bush has been stingy about handing out such reprieves. With about nine months left in his administration, he has granted 157 pardons. That’s less than half as many as Presidents Clinton or Reagan issued during their time in office. Both were also two-term presidents.
Most of those on Bush’s most recent pardon list were convicted of white-collar or drug offenses. He commuted the sentence of a Virginia woman who has served 16 years of a 23-year drug sentence.
One name notably absent from the list was star pitcher Roger Clemens. The FBI is investigating whether Clemens lied to Congress about steroid use. An attorney for his trainer has predicted Clemens will be pardoned because of his friendship with the Bush family.
Clemens has not been charged with a crime.
Spokane Valley
Intruders elude restaurant manager
A Spokane Valley restaurant manager chased two intruders early Monday, until his car got stuck in a field.
The manager of the Peking Palace, 11110 E. Sprague Ave., told Spokane Valley police Officer Tanya Walker the restaurant’s alarm was activated about 3 a.m. Monday. The manager, whose name was not released by police, went to the restaurant and found two men inside. The men ran, and the manager gave chase. They escaped when his car got stuck.
A security camera recorded one of the burglars breaking into an empty cash register while the second filled a cup from the soft drink machine, Sgt. Dave Reagan wrote in the press release.
Spokane
Area IRS office open Saturday
Looking for help on your tax return?
Spokane’s IRS office will be open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday to help people file their returns, which could bring an economic stimulus rebate of at least $300.
About 380,000 Washingtonians who qualify for the rebate aren’t normally required to file a tax return, according to a news release from the IRS. To qualify, people must have a net tax liability on their 2007 tax return or have at least $3,000 of qualifying income.
The office is at 920 W. Riverside Ave. It will also be open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 12 and will stay open an hour longer during its regular weekday hours, operating from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., starting Monday.
Boise
Measure forbids abortion coercion
The Idaho House on Tuesday passed a bill that would make it a crime to coerce a woman into having an abortion.
Opponents said the bill is inconsistent because it doesn’t also prohibit coercing a woman to not have an abortion. But Rep. Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d’Alene, said, “What I’m trying to do is protect a woman’s right to keep her baby.”
HB 654a would be the first of its kind in the country. It outlaws coercing a woman into having an abortion by physical harm or threats of harm.
“I think we should support this,” said Rep. Ken Andrus, R-Lava Hot Springs. “It’s a very good thing to protect women’s rights.”
The bill passed 55-11 and now moves to the Senate. All North Idaho representatives voted in favor of the bill.