Propane-burned man transferred to Harborview
A Coeur d’Alene man who was burned Friday when a propane tank in his car exploded has been transferred to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
Michael R. Brandt, 41, was listed in serious condition late Saturday.
He reportedly lit a cigarette while sitting next to a full propane tank in his car in the parking lot of the Cedar Motel at 316 Coeur d’Alene Lake Drive, police said.
Witnesses pulled Brandt from his burning Chevy Lumina, which was totaled. He was sent to Kootenai Medical Center after the 2:24 p.m. incident and then airlifted to Harborview a few hours later.
Motorcyclist crashes twice
A Newport man was injured Friday night when he crashed his 1985 Harley-Davidson motorcycle near Priest River.
Jade Schauss, 31, was traveling south on Old Priest River Road south of the Merritt Bridge when he crashed, according to the Idaho State Police. He then continued down the road for more than a mile before losing control again and going off the road into a barbed-wire fence about 11:45 p.m.
Schauss was taken to Newport Community Hospital for treatment, then transferred to Deaconess Medical Center, where he has since been released. Police reported that alcohol was a factor.
Ship docks – with dead whale
VANCOUVER, B.C. – A cruise ship arrived at the Port of Vancouver with a dead whale on its bow.
The Princess Cruise Lines’ Sapphire Princess was docked at the Canada Place terminal Saturday with the whale stuck to its front. It wasn’t immediately known when it arrived or when the collision occurred.
Tourists visiting one of the city’s most impressive downtown destinations took pictures of the whale. Several employees at Canada Place, home to the Vancouver Convention Centre and the Pan Pacific Hotel, also walked over to stare at the animal.
The terminal draws thousands of passengers traveling to Alaska every summer.
Grizzly cubs go to Memphis
BILLINGS – Three orphaned grizzly bear cubs left ZooMontana on Friday headed for the Memphis Zoo in Tennessee, where they will be star attractions at the new $16 million Teton Trek exhibit opening in October.
The 2-month-old cubs, two males and a female, were brought to ZooMontana in Billings after their mother was shot in northern Wyoming by a hiker after the hiker was mauled and suffered broken ribs.
Jackie Worstell, executive director of ZooMontana, says one cub weighs about 40 pounds and the other two about 20 pounds.
She says the Memphis Zoo was first on the list to receive orphaned bears.
Surgery help is fast, furious
NAMPA, Idaho – More than $84,000 was raised in 27 hours in southwest Idaho to pay for brain surgery for a man who suffers from severe cluster headaches.
The fundraiser organized by Nampa-based Impact Radio Group raised the money by Thursday afternoon for Ryan Stockdale.
Doctors say an experimental procedure costing about $80,000 could cure the cluster headaches, also called “suicide headaches,” that Stockdale has experienced the past five years.
An insurance company earlier this week denied coverage for the procedure.
Stockdale and his wife, Karia Stockdale, are packing for a trip to California for the surgery they hope can be performed next week.
The Stockdales and their four children were featured in 2007 on “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” a TV program that builds new homes for struggling families.
“Look at what our community did,” a grateful Karia Stockdale said. “They built a house in a week, and they raised enough money for a brain surgery in a day. I don’t think there’s any other community who could do this.”