September 18, 2008 in City

Blue-green algae blooms spotted

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Blue-green algae blooms have been spotted in Fernan and Hauser lakes, and in Lake Cocolalla, all in Idaho. Since the algae can release toxins, people should avoid swimming in areas where the blooms are visible and keep their dogs out as well.

The blooms are generally green and may form thick mats along shorelines, according to the Panhandle Health District and the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, which issued the joint advisory. They look like surface scum – or split pea soup.

Swallowing water with blue-green algae can cause skin irritation, inflammation of the stomach or small intestine, or liver damage, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Anyone who develops symptoms should seek medical care. Boiling or filtering water won’t remove the toxins.

Spokane County

Police say man’s running ad scam

A pizza parlor, a sports bar and a sandwich shop are among Spokane-area businesses that have been bilked out of hundreds of dollars by a man claiming he’s raising money for two youth sports associations.

The man, who uses the names Scott Williams and Jeff Brooks when making his pitches, asks businesses to buy ads to be printed in a sports magazine, said Sgt. Dave Reagan, spokesman for Spokane Valley police and Spokane County Sheriff’s Office. He claims to represent the Spokane Valley Junior Soccer Association and Spokane Youth Sports Associates.

“The ads have not appeared, and the printing company he cites has no information about such a magazine or advertising program,” Reagan said. “Both sports organizations say the pitch is a fraud and that neither is currently conducting fundraising.”

In one of the pitches, the man claimed to be the parent of a Shadle Park High School student, officials said.

Police ask anyone with information to call (509) 242-8477.

Beach reopens at Harvard Road

A beach along the Spokane River at Harvard Road has reopened for public use.

The Washington Department of Ecology closed the beach this summer while 1,000 tons of metals-laced soil and sand was being excavated and replaced with clean material. Over decades, lead, arsenic, zinc and cadmium have washed downstream from the Coeur d’Alene basin mining district and been deposited along the shoreline. Contaminant levels were higher than the threshold set to protect human health and the environment.

Three other Washington beaches on the Spokane River underwent similar cleanups in recent years.

The project also improved trout spawning habitat and the boat launch at Harvard Road.

Spokane

Cop who shot man to appear in court

A suspended Spokane police officer who was legally drunk when he shot a man in the head last year was expected to get a reminder in court today to stay in contact with his attorney.

The county prosecutor’s office wanted to revoke James “Jay” Olsen’s bond, citing his lack of contact with his attorney, Rob Cossey, in documents filed Friday with the court.

But Olsen met with Cossey that day, and Deputy Prosecutor Larry Steinmetz withdrew his request. Instead, Olsen will be reminded of the conditions for his release on $25,000 bond at a 9 a.m. hearing in front of Superior Court Judge Jerome Leveque, Cossey said.

“He never left town. He never ran. He just was not getting his mail as frequently as I would have liked,” Cossey said.

Olsen is on unpaid leave with the Police Department pending the outcome of his first-degree assault and reckless endangerment charges in connection with his Feb. 26, 2007, shooting of Shonto Pete.

He told police Pete tried to steal his truck, but a jury acquitted Pete in October.

Olsen’s trial is scheduled for Nov. 17. He has pleaded innocent.

Post Falls

Police seek owner of boa constrictor

An 8-foot boa constrictor turned up in a Post Falls yard Tuesday night, and the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department is asking for help in returning it to its owner.

Deputies and animal control officers found the boa in the 13600 block of Bodine Avenue, which is just north of Post Falls, said Capt. Ben Wolfinger, Sheriff’s Department spokesman. When they arrived, the non-native snake was curled up under a tree.

The snake was taken by a veterinarian from North Idaho Pet Emergency clinic until Wednesday, when animal control officers found shelter for it.

Anyone with information about the snake’s owner is asked to call (208) 446-1300.

SEATTLE

Death row inmate loses appeal

Washington state’s longest-serving death row inmate has lost another appeal.

U.S. District Judge Robert S. Lasnik rejected Jonathan Lee Gentry’s claims that he didn’t get a fair trial.

At age 52, Gentry has been on death row since 1991, when he was convicted of raping and killing 12-year-old Cassie Holden of Pocatello, Idaho, in Bremerton.

Ruling on a petition filed by Gentry’s lawyers in 1999, Lasnik on Monday gave the defense until next month to ask him to reconsider some parts of his decision.

Defense lawyer Scott Englehard says claims of police and prosecutor misconduct will be pursued in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. A state assistant attorney general, Paul Weisser, says the case will be in appeals at least two more years.

From staff and wire reports

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