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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

In brief: Unattended car briefly stolen

An attempted car theft early Sunday morning in north Spokane ended with one man in custody.

Spokane police say Jeffrey Walters, 29, tried to steal a car on the 1300 block of East Lacrosse Avenue. The car’s owner had started her car around 5 a.m., then went back inside her house, said Cpl. Tracie Meidl. She returned to find a man in the 2007 Mazda, backing it up. She attempted to stop him, but he managed to drive off, police said.

Around 9 a.m., Spokane police spotted the car near Hamilton Street and Jackson Avenue. They gave chase to Illinois Avenue and Market Street, where at least one of the wheels was damaged, said Senior Patrol Officer Mike McCasland.

After a short foot pursuit, Walters was taken into custody and charged with first-degree robbery, police said.

Post Falls

Man wants city to license cats

A North Idaho man has asked the Post Falls City Council to require cats to be licensed and spayed or neutered if they’re let outside.

Jax Clay says wandering cats are turning vegetable gardens and kids’ play areas into litter boxes.

Clay said he loves cats but that the city’s residents need to be responsible pet owners.

Post Falls Police Chief Cliff Hayes said he’s waiting for direction from the City Council about cat licensing.

Sandpoint

Pack River Delta gets restoration

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game has started a restoration project on the 640-acre Pack River Delta at Lake Pend Oreille.

The agency, along with Ducks Unlimited, Avista Corp. and other groups, is installing logs and other structures to prevent the delta from eroding.

The goal is to redirect and slow the flow of the Pack River before it reaches the main part of the lake.

Work will also be done to increase the height and stability of a small network of disappearing islands that are used by waterfowl and other birds.

Lewiston

Ex-sheriff charged with felonies

Former Nez Perce County Sheriff Jim Dorion has been charged with three felony counts of accessory to burglary.

The Idaho attorney general’s office filed the complaint Friday in 2nd District Court.

Dorion had filed to run for a second term as sheriff but took a 90-day paid medical leave in May of 2008 after disclosing he had been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer.

County commissioners say they were unable to verify the claim and declared the post vacant in September after failing to reach Dorion, then 48, several times. Commissioners then appointed a new sheriff.

Dorion’s current health and whereabouts are unclear.

Ontario, Ore.

Researchers tout soybeans as crop

Oregon State University researchers say that soybeans are a potentially valuable new crop for the Pacific Northwest, especially in Malheur County in Eastern Oregon.

Steve Norberg, a field crops and watershed agent for the OSU Extension Service, said that his 10 years of experience with soybeans in the Midwest have shown him that Oregon farmers could be very successful raising the crop.

Norberg said soybeans are easy to grow and many farmers already have the machinery to plant and harvest them.

Another benefit is that soybeans require less fertilizer and can help control at least one kind of noxious weed.

Port Angeles, Wash.

Teen mom’s trial postponed

The trial of a 16-year-old Port Angeles girl accused of drowning her infant son in a toilet has been postponed until April 20. It was scheduled to begin today.

Lauryn Last will be tried as an adult in Clallam County Superior Court on the charge of first-degree murder, with a second-degree murder option, in the Dec. 30 death of her child.

The Peninsula Daily News reported prosecuting attorney William Payne Friday asked Superior Court Judge Ken Williams to postpone the trial because the state is still waiting for reports.

From staff and wire reports