September 25, 2008 in City

Falling temperatures are filling shelters

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Area homeless shelters already are beginning to feel the change in seasons as more of Spokane’s poorest residents try to come in from the cold.

With overnight lows in the 30s and rain earlier this week, the Union Gospel Mission filled more than 150 beds, up from a summer average of 105, said development director David Wall.

He said the mission’s Crisis Shelter for Women and Children, which has 50 beds, has been filled to capacity for quite some time.

“Turning away a woman with a child is the most difficult thing we have to do,” Wall said.

The House of Charity has been at or near its 108-bed capacity this week, director Ed McCarron said.

Colder weather, he said, “just increased the number of people we turn away.”

The Truth Ministries homeless shelter also “filled up pretty quick” this week, according to director Marty McKinney, who said all but four or five of the East Sprague Avenue shelter’s 41 beds were occupied Tuesday night.

“It’s normal for this time of year,” McKinney said.

Kevin Graman

Spokane Valley

80-year-old died of gunshot wounds

The Spokane Valley man killed this past weekend died from gunshot wounds to the head, the Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office said Wednesday.

Kenneth Cross, 80, was found dead in his bedroom closet Saturday evening, the apparent victim of a daytime burglary.

The killer remains at large, and no suspects have been named.

Cross was found after anticipated calls to his girlfriend never came.

Cross and his 82-year-old Greenacres girlfriend called each other every morning and again at lunchtime. So when he failed to call or show up, she asked neighbors to check on him in his home at the corner of Boone Avenue and Wilbur Road.

When they didn’t find Cross, she went to the home and discovered his body half-hidden under a pile of clothing. Evidence shows the house had been ransacked, authorities said.

Staff reports

Spokane

Son charged in fire at his family’s home

Authorities arrested a man on a first-degree arson charge for allegedly setting fire to his parents’ home in north Spokane on Wednesday morning.

Jeffrey McPherson, 29, was booked into Spokane County Jail, authorities said. McPherson lived in the home, and he and his parents escaped without injury.

Firefighters responded to 2630 N. Cuba St. about 5:25 a.m., said Spokane Fire Assistant Chief Brian Schaeffer. Damage made the house unlivable, and the Red Cross is assisting the residents.

The blaze appears to have started in the basement, Schaeffer said.

The estimated damage was $60,000.

Fire officials would not say how the fire was set.

Jody Lawrence-Turner

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