In brief: Recreation sites getting spring facelift

Thu., April 19, 2012

Popular recreation sites around Spokane will be getting a major spring facelift this weekend from volunteer efforts supported by grants totaling $20,000 from Recreational Equipment, Inc.

Projects the Spokane outdoor equipment store is supporting in partnership with local groups include:

• Centennial Trail, 9 a.m. Saturday – The 20th annual Unveil the Trail event, supported by a $5,000 REI grant to the Friends of the Centennial Trail, taps volunteer groups to spruce up sections of the 39-mile paved trail along the Spokane River. Preregister to join a group and get a free lunch, (509) 624-7188.

• Mirabeau Point boat access, 9 a.m. Saturday – A $10,000 REI grant to the Spokane River Forum funded an overhaul of the Spokane River access for rafts, canoes and kayaks last fall. Volunteers plan to finish the work and prepare the area for hydroseeding, which is being funded by the Spokane Canoe & Kayak Club.

• Dishman Hills, 1 p.m. Sunday – Hundreds of volunteers already are signed up for the Earth Day work project to pick up litter, restore habitat, improve trails and other projects based out of Camp Caro in Spokane Valley. The project is backed by a $5,000 grant to the Dishman Hills Natural Area Association. Preregister for T-shirt and food at www.rei.com/Spokane.

Riverside school levy a dead heat

Voter support for a three-year, $8.6 million educational programs and operation levy in Riverside School District stood 50-50 as of Wednesday afternoon.

Additional ballots counted in the Tuesday vote showed 2,135 voters in favor of the levy and the same number opposed. KREM-TV reported Wednesday evening the district had 200 ballots left to count.

The levy was trailing slightly Tuesday night. In February, voters in Riverside rejected two levies, a capital facilities levy and the operations levy. The school board decided to not bring the operations levy back up for a vote, and lowered the levy rate for the operations levy.

Police seek help in CdA gym thefts

Coeur d’Alene police are asking for help identifying men believed to be responsible for thefts at local gymnasiums.

At least two gyms have reported at least four thefts since March 20 in which thieves walk into the gyms and steal keys and wallets from the men’s locker rooms, according to the Coeur d’Alene Police Department. Gyms 360 Fitness and Peak Fitness have reported the thefts.

They used the keys to prowl vehicles in the parking lot.

Surveillance video and photos show the suspects driving a dark-colored compact car. View the video and photos online at www.spokesman.com/blogs/sirens.>

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

Sex offender arrested in park

A Spokane sex offender is in jail after police say he posed for sexually explicit photos in Riverfront Park Tuesday afternoon.

James Ray Febus, 36, told police that “there was really no full nudity” involved, but Spokane police Officer Shawn Pegram showed him photos to the contrary, and Febus asked for a warning and said it had been an “error in judgment,” according to court documents.

Febus was arrested for suspicion of indecent exposure, which is a felony because he has previous sex offense convictions for third-degree rape of a child and failure to register as a sex offender.

Police were called to the park about 3:45 p.m. after a security officer on a bicycle saw Febus exposing himself to another man, identified as Richard Craven, who was taking photos in a seating area overlooking the falls. The officer said anyone in the area could have seen Febus’ genitals.

Febus was sentenced in April 2009 to prison for failing to register as a sex offender. He was convicted of the same crime in 2002 and 2005. He was sentenced to 26 months in prison in 1997 for third-degree rape of a child.

Traffic stop leads to 10 pounds of pot

A Coeur d’Alene man was arrested in southern Oregon Wednesday with 10 pounds of marijuana.

Robert J. Nuszkiewicz, 50, was stopped for a traffic violation about 9:30 a.m. on Interstate 5 near milepost 90 in the Canyonville area.

An Oregon State Police drug dog discovered the marijuana inside the van. Nuszkiewicz was the only occupant.

He was booked into the Douglas County Jail, then ordered to appear in Douglas County Circuit Court at a later date for unlawful possession and delivery of marijuana.

He has no serious criminal record in Idaho or Washington.

Police raid home in Browne’s Addition

Spokane Police drug detectives and SWAT team raided a home in Browne’s Addition Wednesday evening, arresting a 53-year-old man and removing two children from the house.

The raid in the 1600 block of West Pacific Avenue followed several undercover heroin purchases in recent weeks, police said. Police began investigating the home after numerous neighbor complaints. A small amount of heroin was found at the house and William Reyes was booked into jail for one felony count of possession of a controlled substance.