Region in brief: One-car crash victim identified
A 58-year-old man who died Tuesday after crashing his car into a railroad bridge abutment in northeast Spokane was identified Thursday.
Spokane police said Steven L. Walters died after driving his car into the bridge abutment that crosses over Napa Street, just south of Trent Avenue.
Walters was transported to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.
It is not clear what caused the crash, but investigators do not believe there is anything criminal involved.
Concert to benefit Curlew fire victims
The Curlew, Wash., community is hosting a benefit concert Saturday at the town’s Civic Hall to raise funds for the victims left homeless by a devastating apartment fire.
The event begins at 6 p.m. and will feature live music, a spaghetti feed and silent auction.
All proceeds will go to the residents, as many as 30, left homeless in the blaze at the Old Curlew School Dec. 22.
Kelly Brown and her two grandchildren, Gail and Helen Ryken, ages 2 and 3, were killed in the blaze. The children’s mother, Amanda Brown Ryken, is still recovering from severe burns at a Seattle hospital.
A fund has also been set up to assist with medical costs and funeral arrangements for the Ryken family. Donations can be made at any Washington Trust Bank branch, or by mail in care of the Curlew Ryken Family Victim Fund, P.O. Box 2127, Spokane, WA 99210.
New Year’s alcohol deaths: none
The Washington State Patrol reported no alcohol-related fatal car accidents in Spokane County over the New Year’s holiday.
There were 257 arrests and 33 collisions involving drunken drivers statewide, but no traffic-related deaths from 4 p.m. Dec. 31 through Jan. 3, the WSP said.
Last year 291 Washington state drivers were arrested on DUI charges, and 42 crashes were reported involving drunken drivers. Of those crashes, five were fatal.
The WSP said the figures may change, as some local agencies throughout the state have not yet submitted their reports.
Catholic Charities’ collection short
Catholic Charities is making a last-ditch push for donations, as its annual fundraising drive languishes behind its goal.
The nonprofit organization is nearly $200,000 behind its goal of $750,000 for its annual Christmas Collection, said executive director Rob McCann. Catholic Charities just sent a final letter to past donors, a “gentle reminder” that they can still give, he said.
If the fund doesn’t come nearer to its goal, it faces the prospect of layoffs or program cuts, McCann said. The organization laid off about 20 employees in 2009.
The Christmas Collection is separate from the Christmas Bureau, which provides holiday meals and gifts to needy families in the area. The collection helps to fund Catholic Charities’ network of shelters, social services and other programs.
Crisis nursery sees increased demand
The Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery saw a dramatic increase in the number of children it served in 2009, which its director attributes to the economic downturn.
The nonprofit shelter for children at risk of abuse or neglect provided 84,399 hours of care to 4,167 children last year compared with 80,480 hours of care to 3,602 children the previous year.
The nursery cares for children from birth to age 6 for up to 72 hours. The children are placed in its care voluntarily by families in crises such as homelessness, poverty, substance abuse and domestic violence.
“About 50 percent of these families live on less than $5,000 a year,” said director Amy Swanson. The economy has limited the services provided by other social service agencies, Swanson said, “which in turn impacts these families.”
CdA warming sites still open tonight
With continuing cold weather, two Coeur d’Alene warming centers are remaining open through Saturday morning.
The Fresh Start warming center, 1524 E. Sherman Ave., will be open with hours from 8 p.m. tonight to 2 p.m. Saturday. The St. Vincent de Paul warming center, 117 E. Walnut, will also be open, with hours from 7 p.m. tonight to 8 a.m. Saturday.
Both centers offer food and drinks, showers and other services. Fresh Start can be reached at (208) 664-9798; St. Vincent at (208) 664-3095.
Farmer fined for burning straw
Whitman County grain farmer Monte Roth and Roth Farms, Inc. was fined $40,000 by the Washington Department of Ecology for illegally burning three large, wet piles of wheat and grass straw without a permit.
The fires were burning or smoldering between April 27 and May 1 of last year near a home adjacent to the property. The neighbor said one of the fires was within 100 feet of his home.
Roth did not return phone calls for comment. He can appeal the fine to the Ecology Department or the state’s Pollution Control Hearings Board.
More charges filed in police shooting
TACOMA – Pierce County prosecutors have filed more charges against two brothers accused of helping Maurice Clemmons after he killed four Lakewood police officers.
Twenty-year-old Eddie Lee Davis, who had been charged with one count of rendering criminal assistance, is now charged with four counts, plus three counts of first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm and one count of possession of a stolen firearm.
Twenty-two-year-old Douglas Davis, who had been charged with one count of rendering criminal assistance, is now charged with four counts, plus two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm and one count of possession of a stolen firearm.
The News Tribune of Tacoma reports both men pleaded not guilty Thursday and are being held on $1.5 million bail.