January 14, 2010 in City

Region in brief: State unemployment payouts hit high in ’09

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The state of Washington paid a record $3.97 billion in unemployment benefits to 470,231 people last year, the Employment Security Department said Wednesday.

Of that, $219.5 million was distributed to 30,335 jobless workers in Spokane County, which ranked fourth among all counties in benefits received.

In adjacent counties, distributions were: Pend Oreille, $7.7 million; Stevens, $26 million; Lincoln, $3.5 million; and Whitman, $4 million.

Statewide unemployment rates for 2009 ranged as high as 9.3 percent, a level Washington had not reached since it began tracking numbers in 1976.

The rate for Spokane County reached 8.7 percent in October.

Bert Caldwell

Retired nurse to help in Haiti devastation

A retired nurse from Harrison, Idaho, is on her way to Haiti this morning as part of a disaster relief medical team sent in the wake of Tuesday’s destructive earthquake.

Deanna King is making her 18th volunteer trip with Medical Teams International. She’s served on medical missions to Kosovo, Iraq, a number of African countries and Sumatra, Indonesia, after that country’s devastating 2004 tsunami.

King said she expects the circumstances in Haiti to be similar to those in Sumatra, in terms of sheer level of casualties and devastation. However, she added, “I think it’s going to be a bit different because (the damage) is over the whole country, rather than just along the coast.”

King joins two doctors and two other nurses on the medical team expected to arrive in Port-au-Prince on Friday. She retired from the University of California-Irvine Medical Center and has lived in North Idaho for 12 years.

Carolyn Lamberson

Police seek clues on rape near NorthTown

Spokane police detectives are seeking help in identifying a suspect in the sexual assault of a 16-year-old girl Jan. 1 near NorthTown Mall.

The rape reportedly occurred during the middle of the afternoon, police said. The attacker was last seen by residents walking west toward the mall from Mayfair Street and Walton Avenue, which is to the east of the mall, Officer Jennifer DeRuwe said Wednesday in a press release.

The man was described as white, in his late teens to early 20s and skinny with sunken cheeks, short hair and bright green eyes. He was wearing a hooded sweatshirt, baseball hat and jeans.

The police sexual assault unit is handling the case. Anyone with information is asked to call (800) 222-8477 or (509) 327-5111.

Staff reports

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