In brief: Overloaded circuit causes fire
An overloaded electrical circuit caused a fire Saturday that displaced four Spokane residents.
The Spokane Fire Department responded to a house fire at 1307 E. Walton Ave. in Spokane at 8 a.m.
The first crews found smoke and flames coming from the roof vents. The homeowner met them outside and told them all occupants had gotten out of the house safely, according to a Fire Department news release.
Four adults and several pets will be displaced from the home until extensive repairs can be made.
Capt. Kevin Smathers of the department’s Special Investigation Unit determined the cause of the fire was an overloaded electrical circuit, the news release said.
Damage to the house was confined to part of the roof, attic and an interior wall, in addition to water damage. The damage was estimated at $30,000.
Driver crashes into two stopped cars
A 28-year-old Newport, Wash., woman faces vehicular assault charges after a three-car crash near Day-Mt. Spokane Road on Friday night, police said.
Jennifer C. Ellington was southbound on Newport Highway in a 2007 Chevrolet just north of Day-Mt. Spokane Road about 6:30 p.m. when she rear-ended a 1998 Mercedes ML320 driven by Albert R. Westover, 41, of Newport, that was stopped at a traffic light, the Washington State Patrol said. The force of the impact pushed Westover’s car into the rear of a 1991 Honda Civic driven by Jamie Cutshall, 18, of Usk, Wash., which also was stopped at the light.
Ellington and her passengers, a 15-year-old girl and a 9-year-old boy, were injured in the crash, as was Westover. Ellington was treated at the scene. The others were transported to Providence Holy Family Hospital. Cutshall and her passenger, a 15-year-old girl, were not injured. All three cars were totaled, the WSP reported.
Troopers said in a news release that drugs or alcohol may have been involved in the crash.
Arrest made after man stabbed
Police arrested a man after he allegedly stabbed another man at a party Friday night.
The men were at a party on the 3700 block of East Fairview Avenue when they began to fight, according to a Spokane Police Department news release.
Robert Harding, 25, allegedly stabbed the victim in the side a single time with a knife about 10:20 p.m.
Harding was arrested and booked into jail for second-degree assault.
The victim’s injuries were treated at the scene, police said.
Hatchery fish help feed hungry
TILLAMOOK, Ore. – Hatchery-raised coho salmon are helping to feed the hungry in Tillamook on the Oregon Coast.
About two years ago, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife staff offered the North County Food Bank hatchery-raised coho salmon from the Waterhouse Falls fish trap on the north fork of the Nehalem River.
Bill Campbell, retired director of the Tillamook County Department of Community Development, said all those fish were just going to waste, so he enlisted local processor Darus Peake, owner of the Tillamook Bay Boathouse, to process the fish.
The Oregonian reported that the processed fish are now being delivered to the food bank and officials are trying to find other ways to get the food into the community where it’s needed.
Pumpkins destroyed at church; teen arrested
MISSOULA – An 18-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the destruction of more than 100 pumpkins at a Missoula church.
Police Sgt. Travis Welsh told the Missoulian that Alex Miller, of Lolo, was arrested Friday and charged with misdemeanor criminal mischief stemming from Sunday’s pumpkin slaughter at Missoula Alliance Church.
Church leaders said they arrived Monday to find about 120 of the 1,500 pumpkins hacked to pieces with a knife. Members of the congregation grew the pumpkins and were selling them in hopes of raising up to $20,000 for the church’s overseas missions.
John Bradford, who supervises the pumpkin patch, estimated the damage at about $1,000.