In brief: S-R preparing Memorial Day tribute
The Spokesman-Review is preparing its annual Memorial Day tribute to service members who have died in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
If you know of a military service member from the Inland Northwest who died in the past 12 months, please let us know by emailing addyh@spokesman.com, or calling Addy Hatch, (509) 459-3805.
The “Faces of the Fallen” will appear on the front page of the newspaper on May 30, and online at spokesman.com the same day.
Contest winner to throw at M’s game
One lucky Inland Northwest athlete will throw out the first pitch at a Seattle Mariners game as winner of a contest offered by Silverwood Theme Park.
At the Athol amusement park at noon June 4, college, high school and middle school athletes will compete by throwing pitches through a strike zone.
The winner will throw out the first pitch at the Seattle Mariners’ June 17 game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Safeco Field. The winner also will receive round-trip airfare for two to Seattle, one night lodging, $100 in spending money and two box seats to watch the game, a Silverwood news release said.
Parents or coaches can call (208) 683-3400, ext. 109, or email sheila@silverwoodthemepark.com to register their athletes. Discount admission will be offered for competitors and their coaches, the release said.
Suspects stuck after interstate chase
A father and son became stuck in the mud Tuesday after leading police on an interstate chase after stealing merchandise from the Walmart just east of the Idaho-Washington border.
Michael R. Dyczok, 64, and Michael Dyczok Jr., 35, were arrested near East Wellesley Avenue and North Harvard Road just before 11 p.m. after speeding away from Post Falls police.
A Walmart employee told Post Falls police the men had filled storage containers with merchandise earlier that day and placed them near the fire exit. Police saw the men grab the containers and flee through the fire exit, then speed away in a blue Volkswagen Jetta.
But they drove down a dead-end road just across the Washington border and got stuck in mud, police say. Liberty Lake police assisted with the arrests.
The men were booked into jail on charges of eluding police and tampering with evidence. The younger Dyczok also faces a charge of driving on a suspended California license.
Paving will restrict I-90 traffic
Westbound traffic on Interstate 90 at the Washington Stateline Port of Entry will be reduced to one lane today through as late as Monday morning to allow for paving.
The lane closure will provide workers with room to pave the new access lanes for the port weigh station. The closure, which began at 7 p.m. Thursday, will be in effect 24 hours a day until the work is finished.
The Washington Department of Transportation warned drivers that the closure could cause delays or traffic stoppage, and that they might consider taking an alternate route.
Teen arrested on gun-related charges
A 14-year-old East Valley student was arrested on a series of charges after he allegedly took a .40-caliber handgun to school last week.
The boy was booked into the Spokane County Juvenile Detention Center on Wednesday for unlawful possession of a firearm on school property, second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm and felony harassment.
Authorities said the boy took the gun wrapped in a T-shirt to Harmony High in the East Valley School District. The gun was passed to another student and then a third student, who gave it to an adult.
School Resource Deputy Scott Streltzkoff later learned that the boy who was arrested recently threatened the father of a friend after the dad told him to stay away from the family’s home.
A witness said the boy had made threats that he was going to get a gun and shoot the father, according to a news release.
Women’s event raises $266,000
The Women Helping Women Fund raised $266,000 at its annual luncheon Monday. Country singer Naomi Judd was the speaker.
Attendance, at 1,650, was just slightly up from last year, but the luncheon raised $24,000 more than the 2010 luncheon and easily surpassed its goal of $250,000.
The donations are distributed to 22 programs in the Spokane area that help vulnerable women and children.
Greyhound Park hopes to lick record
The Greyhound Park and Event Center in Post Falls on Saturday will be the site of a world record attempt – for the largest gathering of people continuously licking ice cream for one minute.
The sponsors, the Boys & Girls Club of Kootenai County and the Post Falls Food Bank, said in a news release that they’re trying to beat the 2,694 people in Rock Island, Ill., who last year attempted to win a place in the Guinness Book of World Records by licking ice cream together.
The event begins at 10 a.m. with the countdown to the record attempt at 10:59 a.m. The event will include vendors, live music, a climbing wall, and, of course, free ice cream for everyone, the release said.