In brief: Author will read from Joe Hill bio

Author William M. Adler will be at Auntie’s Bookstore today to read from his acclaimed new biography of songwriter and labor organizer Joe Hill.

Adler said he devoted most of a chapter in the book to the 1909-’10 free speech fight waged in Spokane by the Industrial Workers of the World, also known as the Wobblies. He did so “principally because Hill was there during the lead-up to the fight and because it was then that the IWW virtually invented the use of music as both a weapon of social protest and as a tool for organizing workers,” Adler said in an email.

Hill was executed in Utah in 1915 after being convicted of murder. The book, “The Man Who Never Died,” makes the argument that Hill was innocent, based on new documents Adler uncovered.

His talk at Auntie’s, 402 W. Main Ave., will begin at 2 p.m. Call (509) 838-0206 for information.

City drops claim against detective

The city of Spokane has withdrawn a motion seeking to add a claim of malicious prosecution in its answer to a lawsuit by a Spokane police detective.

Attorneys for the city filed the motion in response to an accusation of witness tampering leveled by Detective Jay Mehring at police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick. Mehring has filed a $3.5 million lawsuit against the city and the chief. He was placed on unpaid leave after he was accused in 2007 of threatening the life of his then-wife. He was later acquitted.

The detective is suing in Spokane County Superior Court over his treatment by the city.

Landlord charged with assault

SANDPOINT – A North Idaho landlord accused of trying to tear down a house while his tenants were still inside will stand trial Oct. 25.

Paul Fagerlie Finman, 56, faces three counts of aggravated assault in Bonner County. He has pleaded not guilty to charges that he used a tractor to dismantle the house while a woman and her two children were inside, the Bonner County Daily Bee reported.

No one was injured.

Finman claims the family had been evicted and that he didn’t know anyone was in the house when he started tearing it down on Oct. 8, 2010. But a judge two weeks ago denied a motion seeking to dismiss the case, noting that an eviction order gave the family until Oct. 31, 2010 to leave.

‘Bicycle bandit’ going to prison

The “bicycle bandit,” who robbed nine banks in Spokane and fled by bike, has been sentenced to 17 years in federal prison.

Lucas G. Woodard, 34, was sentenced Thursday after previously pleading guilty to the armed robberies, according to a news release from the U.S. attorney’s office for Eastern Washington.

Woodard robbed nine banks between December 2009 and October 2010, when he was arrested after fleeing a Washington Trust Bank branch at 1906 W. Francis Ave.

Spokane police Sgt. Jason Hartman, who was off-duty at the time, heard radio traffic about a bank robbery, saw Woodard fleeing the scene, and steered his patrol vehicle into the path of Woodard’s bicycle. When Woodard fell to the ground, a Glock 9 mm semi-automatic pistol and some rounds of ammunition fell out of his backpack.

Hartman received department commendations for his actions.

Hunters have killed 33 wolves

Hunters bagged 33 wolves in Idaho through the end of September, according to the Department of Fish and Game.

No quotas were set for the state’s second public wolf season, which runs through March 31. However, wildlife managers said they will be monitoring the number of wolves killed to stay well above the federal minimum population requirement of 150 wolves and 15 breeding pairs statewide.

About 1,000 wolves inhabit the state’s forests and grasslands. During Idaho’s last public hunt, 188 wolves were killed.

The use of electronic calls is being allowed this year, along with a trapping season in parts of the state.