In brief: Woman dies in crash; driver, 26, arrested

A 42-year-old Spokane woman riding in the rear of a sport coupe was killed Thursday night when its speeding driver lost control and crashed into a tree on Magnesium Road on Spokane’s North Side.

Tina L. Patterson died shortly after arriving at a hospital. An autopsy showed she died of brain contusions due to a fractured skull.

Spokane sheriff’s Detective Dave Thornburg said witnesses reported that the driver of the 1994 Mazda MX6 was speeding on Magnesium Road shortly before the 11 p.m. crash between Crestline and Market streets.

The driver, Lyle Eutsler, 26, was taken to a hospital, where he was in serious condition Friday, Thornburg said.

A 21-year-old woman in the front passenger seat suffered minor injuries.

Investigators learned that Eutsler and the two passengers had been at a birthday party earlier and that Eutsler had consumed alcohol before the crash, Thornburg said.

Eutsler was arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide. Results of a blood sample taken from Eutsler will take six to eight weeks to process, Thornburg said.

Help sought in finding missing CdA man, 71

Coeur d’Alene police detectives are asking for the public’s help in locating a missing 71-year-old man.

Francis “Frank” Clark was last seen at Kootenai Urgent Care in Coeur d’Alene on Sunday. His neighbors and family have not heard from him since. Investigators have checked his last known address in the 800 block of North Seventh Street in Coeur d’Alene and have no other leads on his whereabouts.

Clark is white, 5-foot-10, 140 pounds with hazel eyes and grayish-brown hair. He does not drive and uses a taxi to get around. He walks with the help of a walker. It is not known what type of clothing Clark was wearing.

Anyone with information about Clark is asked to contact the Coeur d’Alene Police Department at (208) 769-2320.

Raw goat milk sold in area is recalled

The Lucky Hook Dairy of Moses Lake is recalling some raw goat milk due to concerns about possible contamination with antibiotic residue, which can cause adverse health effects in people who are sensitive to antibiotics.

The Lucky Hook Dairy Raw Goat Milk with the expiration dates Feb. 24 and Feb. 25 has been recalled. Later dates have been tested and no residues were found. The recalled milk, which comes in half-gallon containers, was sold at the Fresh Abundance store at 2015 N. Division St. in Spokane.

Antibiotic residues can cause severe allergic reactions in people who are sensitive to antibiotics. Symptoms of an allergic reaction can include hives and difficulty breathing.

Consumers who purchased the milk are urged to return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. For more information, contact the company at (509) 431-7329.

Luna education plan to undergo changes

BOISE – The controversial school reform plan proposed by state Superintendent of Schools Tom Luna is being sent back to the drawing board for at least some changes, Senate Education Chairman John Goedde said Thursday.

Goedde, R-Coeur d’Alene, said there are “enough small corrections” needed in the bills that his committee can’t vote on them as written; he expects new versions to be introduced next week.

The decision comes after three days of long, well-attended public hearings in the state Capitol’s largest hearing room, at which those testifying were overwhelmingly against the plan. It calls for providing every high school student with a laptop computer, tying teacher pay to performance, trimming teacher contract rights and requiring more online classes; the plan is funded by raising class sizes in grades 4-12 and shedding roughly 800 teaching jobs over the next two years.