Region in brief: Judge denies delay in boys ranch trial
The first of the sexual abuse lawsuits against Morning Star Boys’ Ranch will begin as scheduled on Jan. 4, a Spokane County Superior Court judged ruled Wednesday.
Judge Kathleen O’Conner denied a request to delay the case of Kenneth Putnam, a former ranch resident who claims to have been abused by the ranch’s former director, the Rev. Joseph Weitensteiner, during a boating trip in the 1980s. Putnam’s is the first of 18 separate civil claims brought against the ranch.
Attorneys for Putnam and 14 of the other plaintiffs had sought to delay their cases after it was reported by The Spokesman-Review that the ranch had transferred the bulk of its assets, including $12 million in securities and real estate worth at least $3.5 million, to the Morning Star Foundation.
Daniel Fasy, a Seattle attorney representing Putnam, said he needed time to amend the complaint to include the foundation. Otherwise, he said, the trial would result in “a paper verdict.” O’Connor denied the motion, saying that the ranch’s finances were not material to the issue of whether it is liable for the alleged abuse.
Former Luna chef is not ‘Top Chef’
Michael Voltaggio, a chef de cuisine from Los Angeles, is the winner of Bravo’s “Top Chef” reality show, beating out former Spokane chef Kevin Gillespie.
Gillespie, who was at Luna in 2007, now is the chef and partner in the Woodfire Grill in Atlanta. He was one of three finalists on the popular reality show, which crowned Voltaggio the winner during Wednesday’s season finale.
Avista: Energy use near record levels
Cold weather has Avista customers using near-record amounts of electricity and natural gas, the Spokane-based utility said Wednesday.
Tuesday saw the utility’s fifth-highest peak demand for electricity and third-highest for natural gas, Avista said in a news release. The all-time highest peak load for electricity came on Dec. 16, 2008, the day before a record snowfall.
More energy use because of the cold – and holiday lights – could mean higher bills, the release said.
The utility advised customers to make sure fireplace dampers are closed; a chimney can draw off as much as 25 percent of the heated air in a home. Ventilating fans can pull a houseful of warm air out of a home in an hour, the release said.
Information sought in harassment cases
Crime Stoppers of the Inland Northwest is offering a cash reward for information that leads to the arrest of anyone involved in two recent incidents of malicious harassment in Coeur d’Alene.
The first incident occurred Nov. 19, when a swastika sticker was placed on the entry to Human Rights Education Institute at 414 Mullan Road.
On Dec. 4, an Idaho man of Middle Eastern heritage reported his vehicle, parked at the corner of 3rd Street and Coeur d’Alene Avenue, had been spray painted with swastikas and racial slurs. A tire had also been slashed.
The two incidents have been labeled hate crimes by the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations.
Anyone with information is asked to call (888) 667-2111 or leave tips online at www.crimestoppersinland northwest.org.
Cold forecast to make way for weekend snow
The arctic push that brought single-digit cold to the Inland Northwest this week will slowly give way to a pattern of snow and cold through the middle of next week. Snow accumulations should be on the light side, forecasters said Wednesday.
Lows tonight will again be in the single digits and highs about 19, to be followed by a slight warming with highs in the 20s and lows in the teens Friday through Sunday.
Snow will fall mainly from Spokane southward on Saturday and Sunday. Chances of snow Saturday and Sunday range from 30 percent to 50 percent, according to the National Weather Service.
Driver blames caffeine in pedestrian collisions
COLFAX, Wash. – The Idaho motorist accused of striking down two pedestrians on the Washington State University campus may be suffering from “caffeine psychosis,” his lawyer said.
The lawyer for Dan Noble, 31, of Moscow, said Tuesday that his client was known to consume large amounts of energy drinks and coffee.
Attorney Mark Moorer told Whitman County Superior Court Judge David Frazier that the caffeine could have accounted for Noble’s strange behavior. Frazier ordered Noble held without bail until his mental state can be evaluated.