Region in brief: Woman, boyfriend get prison in embezzlement

A Spokane woman and her boyfriend who paid for a trip to the Super Bowl and other luxury items with more than $800,000 in embezzled funds from a Spokane business will spend time in prison.

Michelle A. Wing, 34, will spend more than six years in a federal prison after pleading guilty to six counts of bank fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit fraud, a judge ruled Monday.

Kenneth A. Marsh, 40, was sentenced to 14 months in prison last week. He pleaded guilty to two counts of filing false income tax returns.

Wing was ordered to pay more than $755,000 in restitution and Marsh more than $165,000 for money they stole from Centaur, which provided administrative services to two advertising companies, E. Media and Power Marketing Services.

Wing was hired as Centaur’s bookkeeper in April 2006 after working as a temporary employee since December 2005.

She and Marsh used fraudulently opened credit cards to pay for Hawaii vacations, jewelry, private school tuition and plane tickets.

Wing forged the signatures of Centaur owners to pay the bills, according to federal court documents.

The scheme fell apart after an accountant noticed the checks. The two were charged in November.

CdA man dies of injuries from motorcycle crash

PORTLAND – The Oregon State Police says a motorcyclist from Coeur d’Alene died Monday of injuries sustained in a Sept. 18 crash on Interstate 5 between Salem and Portland.

Lt. Gregg Hastings said David Bowyer, 44, had been at Legacy Emanuel Hospital since the crash that injured 10 of 26 motorcyclists traveling together.

The motorcycles were heading northbound in a formation of two columns when traffic ahead began to slow. The first two motorcycles avoided a collision with a sport utility vehicle, but the followers could not react in time and crashed into the SUV and each other.

The crash remains under investigation.

Suspect in wife’s slaying jailed on $500,000 bond

A man who police say called 911 after killing his wife will remain in jail on $500,000 bond.

A judge increased Craig R. Cosby’s bail from $250,000 during his first appearance Monday on a second-degree murder charge in Stevens County Superior Court.

Cosby, 68, was arrested Saturday in the front yard of his home in the 1200 block of Overlook Boulevard in Marcus, a small town along the Columbia River in northern Stevens County.

His wife, Susan May Cosby, 53, was found dead of gunshot wounds in the home, according to the Stevens County Sheriff’s Office.

Windstorm, cold weather head for Inland Northwest

Forecasters said Monday another windstorm – weaker than the weekend’s – will hit the Inland Northwest on Wednesday.

A hard freeze is expected by Friday night. Frost was expected in Spokane and Coeur d’Alene Monday night and this morning.

High temperatures were expected to reach only 50 in Spokane on Friday and the middle 40s in North Idaho. Lows were forecasted to reach 24 in Spokane. The normal high and low are 64 and 39 respectively.

Winds on Wednesday could reach the teens to 20 mph in the Okanogan, Bonners Ferry and Sandpoint areas, forecasters said.

A dust storm Sunday closed Interstate 90 between Ritzville and Moses Lake.

Avista plans to test algae in Long Lake for toxicity

Avista Corp. plans to begin testing algae in Long Lake for toxicity as part of water quality monitoring in the reservoir behind Long Lake Dam.

The monitoring will be discussed at a 6:30 p.m. meeting on Wednesday at Lakeside Middle School, 6169 Highway 291, Nine Mile Falls. The monitoring will be part of discussions about Avista’s new license for the Spokane River dams, and what conditions the utility will be required to meet over the next 50 years.

Last week, a toxic algae bloom prompted authorities to warn people to stay out of the reservoir, and to keep their pets away, too.

The bloom was reported by a Nine Mile Falls resident. Neither the Washington Department of Ecology nor the Spokane Regional Health District tests Long Lake’s algae for toxicity.

Two arrested after residents report Honda being stripped

A man and a woman were arrested early Monday after residents in the 2400 block of West Dean Avenue reported that a Honda was being stripped of its parts.

Officer Sean Wheeler arrived to the 1:20 a.m. call from neighbors and arrested Krystal F. Elder, 24, and Brandon T. Voss, 25.

Voss and Elder were booked on charges of possession of a stolen vehicle. Two others escaped, police said.