In brief: Girl dies after being hit by car on Monroe Street
A young girl died Saturday morning after being hit by a car on North Monroe Street on Friday, Spokane police said.
About 6:30 p.m. Friday, a woman and her young son and daughter were crossing Monroe at Mansfield Avenue when they were struck by a white station wagon. The driver is cooperating with police and no charges have been filed, according to a news release. Witnesses at the scene said the children looked about 5 years old.
The mother remains in critical condition, according to a police news release. Her son is expected to recover.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone who saw the accident is encouraged to call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233.
Man charged with child trafficking
SANDPOINT – A North Idaho property owner who won a U.S. Supreme Court decision against the Environmental Protection Agency has been charged in federal court in North Dakota with child trafficking.
Court documents say 47-year-old Michael Thomas Sackett and another man on Oct. 13 attempted to entice a girl they knew to be under 18 to engage in a commercial sex act, the Bonner County Daily Bee reported.
On Friday, a federal judge granted Sackett a conditional release. He must remain at a residence he keeps in Williston, N.D.
Michael and Chantell Sackett won a victory in March 2012 when the Supreme Court ruled that property owners have a right to prompt review by a judge when the EPA issues a compliance order.
Hanjin: Leaving Portland
PORTLAND – A South Korean shipping line that badly needs to cut costs plans to leave the Port of Portland, threatening the Northwest economy, increasing costs to big importers and putting at risk the viability of the port’s international container terminal.
The Oregonian reported Hanjin Shipping Co. Ltd., the Port of Portland’s biggest trans-Pacific container carrier, has made plans to pull out of Portland.
A Hanjin spokesman said container handling costs and low longshore labor productivity made Portland too expensive.
The longshore union and the port operator, locked in a contract dispute, blamed each other for Hanjin’s decision.
Hanjin has lost more than $100 million this year.
Officer, K-9 injured in crash
PUYALLUP, Wash. – A police officer and his K-9 partner are recovering from an accident involving an impaired driver.
The Puyallup Police Department said an intoxicated driver went through a stop sign and struck a patrol car early Saturday morning. Both the officer and his K-9 partner were taken to nearby hospitals and treated for minor injuries.
The driver has been arrested and charged.
Effort to recall trustee launched
SANDPOINT – A recall effort has been launched against a Lake Pend Oreille School District trustee who introduced a plan to arm teachers.
The Bonner County Daily Bee reported that supporters have about 70 days to collect the necessary 105 signatures to cause a special election on whether to recall Steve Youngdahl.
Backers of the recall say Youngdahl presented faulty information in his initial policy proposal having to do with mass shootings stopped by police and those stopped by civilians.
Tom Bokowy is one of the recall leaders. He said arming teachers creates more problems and greater risk than not arming them.
Youngdahl said the information he supplied is valid.
Deer collisions increase in fall
MOUNT VERNON – Deer collision rates increase on Washington roads during fall with changes in deer and driver behavior, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife cautioned in a notice this week.
This time of year, deer generally move to lower elevations for foraging, often near roads and human development. It is also breeding season, when deer tend to move around more.
Shorter daylight hours also mean more people driving in the dark.
Fish and Wildlife said deer collisions increase in the fall, and elk collisions tend to be highest in winter, which was documented with an analysis of state Department of Transportation data on deer and elk carcass removal on roadways across the state. Also according to the data, the majority of sites with high animal collision rates are associated with speed limits faster than 50 mph.
Lawsuit: Fire marshal negligent
GREAT FALLS – The former Great Falls fire marshal is being sued by the family of a man who suffered fatal injuries when he fell out of a rolling chair in September 2012.
The Great Falls Tribune reported Chris Jones’ lawsuit alleges Doug Bennyhoff exhibited negligence and caused the death of his father, Orville Jones. Orville Jones died Sept. 21, 2012, of brain injuries suffered six days earlier when he fell face-first onto the sidewalk as Bennyhoff was wheeling an intoxicated Jones home in a bar chair.
Chris Jones alleges Bennyhoff minimized Orville Jones’ injuries when he called 911 and did not say how they occurred.
In response to the August lawsuit, Bennyhoff acknowledges that he did not tell medical responders that Oliver fell from a chair, but he denies knowing that Oliver hit the sidewalk head-first.
Setback delays mine opening
TROY, Mont. – A northwestern Montana copper and silver mine that has been shut down since December due to rockfalls and cave-ins will remain closed at least another year due to another setback.
Mine officials said the Troy Mine will remain closed until the end of 2014 so a new haul route can be built, the Flathead Beacon reported.
Recent inspections found that the Lower Quartzite haulage route was unstable and unsafe.
Revett President John Shanahan said the company plans to spend $12 million building a new haulage route.
The company laid off 100 workers in May from the mine that opened in 1981.