In brief: Emergency service still at backup spot
Emergency reporting services in Spokane County still operated out of a backup location Wednesday as technicians continued to work on restoring the main 911 calling system and try to determine the cause of a 38-minute failure Monday night.
Spokane County, which oversees the system, didn’t give any estimate for when the main center, 1620 N. Rebecca St., will be back in use. Meanwhile, 911 operators continue to work out of a smaller station about nine miles north of Spokane.
Non-emergency reporting system Crime Check, part of the main system that also includes 911, was also operating out of the backup center Wednesday.
Motorcycle shop, eatery damaged
A motorcycle shop and restaurant were damaged in an early morning fire Wednesday in Spokane Valley.
Firefighters responded shortly before 4 a.m. to 17927 E. Appleway Ave., the location of Hell Yeah Cycles and the Handle Bar restaurant, said Pat Schaffer, a captain with Spokane Valley Fire Department.
The building had been remodeled several times and included a vertical log structure inside, he said. “There are so many void spaces in a building like that,” Schaffer said. “We were on offensive for over an hour, which is very unusual.”
Some 30 firefighters responded.
Schaffer said firefighters also pulled out a half-dozen motorcycles, a couple of them in various stages of being rebuilt. Due in part to the complicated structure of the building, the fire took almost two hours to get under control, Schaffer said.
The businesses have been open about seven weeks, and the co-owners showed up at the fire. “It’s kind of a sad story,” Schaffer said. “They do have insurance, though, so that’s good.”
Investigators are still working to determine the fire’s origin. No one was injured.
Labor and Industries director resigning
OLYMPIA – Gov. Chris Gregoire said Judy Schurke is resigning as director of the Washington state Department of Labor and Industries, effective Dec. 31.
The governor praised Schurke on Wednesday for her efforts to streamline business practices at the agency and champion “lean management.”
Gregoire also said she was pleased to have had Schurke at her side during negotiations on what the governor called “the most significant reforms to the workers’ compensation system in its 100-year history.”
An interim replacement will be named.