In brief: Interim president named to LCSC post
LEWISTON – The Idaho State Board of Education has named Tony Fernandez the president of Lewis-Clark State College.
Fernandez was provost and has served as interim president of LCSC since July, after Dene Thomas left for the presidency of Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colo.
In a teleconference Wednesday, the Idaho Board of Education unanimously voted to give the job to Fernandez.
He was chosen over two other finalists: Stephen Condon, former president of Tennessee Wesleyan College in Athens, Tenn., and Lynn Gillette, provost and executive vice president of Sierra Nevada College in Lake Tahoe, Nev.
Shortly after Thomas announced he was leaving, several faculty members urged school officials to save the money that would be spent on a national search and give the job to Fernandez.
WSU veterinary team offers free pet clinic
Homeless and low-income residents with pets are encouraged to bring their animals to a free clinic provided by the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine.
Limited care for up to 200 dogs and 200 cats will be provided by veterinarians and veterinary students from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday at the WSU Veterinary Specialty Clinic, 218 E. Spokane Falls Blvd.
The team also will examine small mammals such as gerbils, Guinea pigs and hamsters, but ferrets are the only exotic pets that will receive vaccinations.
Animals should be friendly and properly restrained. Owners should bring their pets’ health records if available.
Canadian indicted on drug charges
A Canadian man arrested with 71 pounds of cocaine near the U.S. border last month faces at least 10 years in prison under a grand jury indictment filed Tuesday.
Jonathan Darren Smith, 39, has been in custody without bail at the Spokane County Jail since Feb. 16, when a border patrol agent spotted him on the east side of Highway 395 near the Laurier border crossing, according to federal court documents.
Investigators found 30 packages of cocaine in two backpacks.
Smith declined to talk to investigators. His trial on one count of possession with intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine is scheduled to begin May 10. The charge carries 10 years to life in prison.
According to Canadian news reports, Smith was arrested with $165,000 in undeclared U.S. currency when he tried to enter British Columbia in 2007. He was convicted in 2009.
He has not yet had a bail hearing in this case. He’s represented by Jeffrey Niesen.
St. John-Endicott closes schools for flu
The St. John-Endicott School District has canceled classes as influenza has sickened dozens of students in rural Whitman County.
The closure is expected to last through the rest of the week.
State health officials said this week that the flu season is expected to last for several more weeks.
Parents can call the district at (509) 648-3336 or (509) 657-3523.
Man charged with beating 4-year-old
A Spokane Valley man already accused of abusing his dog has been charged with felony assault against a child.
Jeffrey S. Brown, 40, is accused of beating his 4-year-old stepson at the home they shared with Brown’s wife and the couple’s 18-month old son at 14819 E. Fourth Ave.
Brown remains in Spokane County Jail on $50,000 bond after appearing before Superior Court Judge Greg Sypolt Wednesday on one count of second-degree assault of a child. That’s in addition to $10,000 bond already imposed for a first-degree animal cruelty charge.
According to court documents, Brown’s wife, the victim’s mother, noticed unusual bruising on the boy Dec. 27 and took him to a hospital, then fled Spokane with her children “in cooperation with Child Protective Services.”
Brown was arrested in February after animal protection officers said they found his 1-year-old dog with a broken femur.
Brown released ownership of the dog to SCRAPS, and the organization paid for the dog to be treated.