In brief: Help us compile a list of noteworthy displays
Residents of the Inland Northwest have been busily decking their halls, and we want to know all about it.
If you or your neighbors have a noteworthy holiday display this year, share the details with Spokesman-Review readers. Go to www.spokesman.com/ holidaylights/ and click on the “Tell us about it” link. There, you’ll be asked to provide an address for the festive home, as well as a brief description of the display. We’ll need your contact information, too, but don’t worry – we’ll keep that information to ourselves.
The list will be posted at spokesman.com/holidaylights, where you can see all of the addresses, sort them by neighborhood or even create maps for your own personal tour.
We’ll publish a roundup of the decorated homes on Dec. 15 in the Today section.
Police say suspect had several ounces of heroin
An extensive investigation by the Spokane Police Department led to the arrest of a Spokane man who had thousands of dollars worth of heroin in his home.
Members of the department’s Special Investigations Unit executed a search warrant about 11 a.m. Friday at Kevin L. Schimpfs apartment and found more than $5,000 worth of heroin. Schimpf, 54, was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to deliver, police said.
Three other adults also were arrested at the same apartment, at 1322 N. Wall St., on outstanding warrants.
Police conducted an undercover heroin trafficking investigation that led them to the address. They found more than 3 ounces of heroin, which is typically broken down and sold for about $60 a gram in the Spokane market, police said.
Schimpf is a repeat offender with more than 25 years of criminal history in Spokane County, according to news archives.
Woman who tortured girl gets 30 years
EVERETT– A 35-year-old Mukilteo woman was sentenced Thursday to 30 years in prison for starving, beating and burning a 10-year-old girl.
Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Michael Downes told Mary Mazalic her actions were “stark proof of how low humans can sink.”
Mazalic was convicted in September of child assault, criminal mistreatment and witness tampering, the Daily Herald reported.
The abused girl is the adopted sister of Mazalic’s boyfriend, 43-year-old Derron Alexis, who is awaiting trial. She was sent to live with the couple in Mukilteo in 2010. She weighed only 51 pounds when she was rescued in August 2011 and is now living with foster parents.
Japan donates millions for tsunami cleanup
Japan is providing $5 million to the U.S. to help with collection and disposal of marine debris from its 2011 tsunami disaster.
The Foreign Ministry announced the donation to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Friday. Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda informed Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton of the plan during a meeting in September on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.
A huge tsunami triggered by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake on March 11, 2011, off Japan’s northeastern coast killed or left missing more than 18,000 people and washed millions of tons of debris into the sea.
NOAA has said it expects some of the debris to wash up on U.S. shores over the next several years. Japan’s donation will help fund its monitoring, removal and processing.
About 70 percent of the tsunami debris is said to have sunk, but a few items have been confirmed as having floated across the Pacific, including a large plastic bin used to transport seafood that landed in Hawaii, a fishing dock found on the Oregon coast, buoys and other flotsam and jetsam.
Man badly burned making hashish oil
PORTLAND – A medical marijuana patient suffered severe burns to the upper half of his body in an explosion caused by his attempt to make hashish oil, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said Friday.
Nicholas Broms, 22, was in stable condition at Portland’s Legacy Emanuel Hospital. The explosion heavily damaged his apartment, tearing out the back wall, blowing the windows out and sending household items across a 50-foot area.
It’s unclear if the incident will be treated like a kitchen accident or if Broms will face criminal charges. Broms can legally possess marijuana, but the Sheriff’s Office contends it’s illegal to change its composition in a way that places people in danger.
Sheriff’s Sgt. Bob Ray said the incident remains under investigation.
The explosion happened late Thursday at an apartment complex near Beaverton. Residents of three adjoining apartments were evacuated, but no one else was hurt.