Region in brief: Gonzaga professor confirmed as judge

Gonzaga law professor Rosanna Peterson was confirmed Monday to the federal bench for the Eastern District of Washington.

The confirmation vote in the U.S. Senate was unanimous.

“Rosanna Peterson is a leader in the Washington state legal community,” U.S. Sen. Patty Murray said in prepared remarks. “She is a great lawyer, teacher and mentor, and I believe she will make an exceptional federal judge.”

Peterson, who previously worked in private practice in Spokane, is Eastern Washington’s first female federal judge.

Staff report

Task force raised record on King Day

The Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations raised a record amount of money at its annual gala on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The annual fundraiser, which includes a dinner and live and silent auctions, raised around $15,000, said Tony Stewart, a founding member of the task force.

“We had a tremendous outpouring of support,” Stewart said. “I think when there are certain crises, people tend to rally. It’s the largest one we’ve ever had.”

Since spring, racist literature has been distributed to neighborhoods in Spokane and North Idaho, and police are investigating several incidents of racial harassment.

Alison Boggs

Ballot title has incorrect figures

Stevens County officials warned Monday that there’s a mistake on the county’s Feb. 9 election ballot.

An advisory question asks whether voters favor a 0.10 percent sales tax for county chemical dependency and mental health programs.

The ballot title incorrectly says a yes vote would recommend “an increase from 0.076% to 0.077%” – understating the rates by a factor of 100.

Actually, the rate would rise from 7.6 percent to 7.7 percent.

Auditor Tim Gray said no corrected ballot will be issued. The vote has no legal effect because county commissioners will make the decision.

John Craig

Lewis and Clark senior dies in crash

A Lewis and Clark High School senior was killed in a single-car crash Saturday just north of Spokane County.

Dillon Simpson was on his way to see a cousin in Inchelium about 8:30 p.m. when he reportedly hit a slick spot on Blue Creek Road and crashed, school officials said.

The Stevens County Sheriff’s Office confirmed there was a fatal crash but did not release any other information.

Simpson started attending Lewis and Clark his junior year, school officials said. Previously, he was a student at Mt. Spokane High School.

Staff report