In brief: Sen. McCaslin hospitalized
OLYMPIA – Bob McCaslin, the state senator and Spokane Valley city councilman, was hospitalized Thursday after experiencing shortness of breath and dizziness. He needs an aortic valve replacement and may miss the remainder of the short legislative session.
Booker Stallworth, a McCaslin aide, said the senator was returning from lunch with a staff member when he mentioned the symptoms. McCaslin wanted to return to his office, but the staff member took him instead to Providence St. Peter Hospital, where he was admitted.
“He’s known about the need for valve replacement surgery but had hoped to put it off until after the session,” Stallworth said. That doesn’t appear possible, and doctors in Olympia were coordinating with McCaslin’s doctors in Spokane in an attempt for him to return home for the surgery.
McCaslin, 83, is “resting well and in good spirits,” Stallworth said.
Sierra Club to honor ‘heroes’
Four people will be honored as “Watershed Heroes” tonight by the Sierra Club and the Center for Environmental Law & Policy Center.
The event at the Patsy Clark Mansion from 7 to 10 p.m. is open to the public.
Ken Lustig and Stan Miller will be honored for their work to protect the Rathdrum Prairie-Spokane Valley Aquifer. Lustig directed the aquifer protection program for the Panhandle Health District. Miller served as Spokane County’s program manager for water resources.
Michael Pickering, an angler, called attention to a pipe spewing raw sewage into the Spokane River. His actions led to a settlement between the Sierra Club and the city of Spokane that stepped up efforts to prevent sewage overflows into the river.
Scott Chaney noticed toxic algae blooms last August on Long Lake. He sent water samples to a King County lab, which confirmed the bloom and led to state agencies issuing warnings about lake use.
For more information about the event, or to reserve a seat, call (509) 209-2899.
Drugs, money, car seized in bust
A drug bust in Spokane that uncovered crack cocaine targeted members of the gang that detectives believe has ties to an unsolved homicide last month.
Sheriff’s detectives raided two homes Wednesday as part of an ongoing investigation into suspected drug dealing by members of the Atlantic Drive Crips gang, according to a search warrant filed in Spokane County District Court.
Andrew T. Burns, 35, of Los Angeles, was arrested at 14827 E. Mission Ave. in Spokane Valley, where detectives seized crack cocaine, money and a 2006 Dodge Charger, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Detectives also seized marijuana from a home at 2502 E. Marshall Ave. The investigation stems from tips that Atlantic Drive members were selling large amounts of crack cocaine, according to a search warrant.
Affiliates of that gang were present at a party on Jan. 17 that ended with the shooting death of 38-year-old John S. Williams III. Drug or gun charges have been filed against at least two partygoers, but no one has been charged with murder.