In brief: Avista requests cut in natural gas rates

Avista Corp. seeks to lower natural gas rates by 4.4 percent this fall.

The move would drive monthly bills below $60 for the average residential customer.

The Spokane-based utility filed its rate request Thursday with the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission. The company already lowered gas bills by 6.4 percent last spring.

This latest request would save the average customer $2.58 per month, lowering their bill to $58.18.

The rate decreases are due to continuing declines in the wholesale price of natural gas.

John Stucke

West Central council moves to rescind AIA

The West Central Neighborhood Council is sending a letter to the City Council and the Washington State Liquor Control Board asking that the voluntary alcohol impact area in the neighborhood be rescinded.

That decision was made at a neighborhood council meeting Wednesday evening.

A group of West Central convenience store owners led by Danny Ghebreab, owner of the Super C store on North Ash Street, and neighborhood council member Cheryl Steele organized the opposition to the impact area designation.

Ghebreab said that after the liquor law changed to allow hard liquor sales in large grocery stores, it’s not fair to limit the sale of alcohol in small convenience stores.

Steele said it’s important to keep the small grocery businesses thriving because many residents rely on them for their daily shopping.

The voluntary ban aims to curb sales of high-alcohol, single-serving beverages such as cans of malt liquor in an effort to cut down on public intoxication. A mandatory impact area is in effect downtown and going into effect Saturday in the East Central neighborhood.

Pia Hallenberg

Idaho woman dies in single-car crash

A Priest River, Idaho, woman was killed Wednesday night when her car went off the road and into an embankment.

Laurie Lamphere, 58, was driving south on East Side Road in Priest River about 6:30 p.m. when she “failed to negotiate a curve,” a news release from the Idaho State Police said.

Lamphere was wearing a seat belt, the release said.

Staff report