In brief: Crash kills two on icy I-90 near Cataldo

Snow and ice Tuesday contributed to an accident on Interstate 90 near Cataldo, Idaho, that killed two people.

The fatal collision at about 10:30 a.m. started when an eastbound Nissan Pathfinder lost control on ice and crossed into westbound traffic lanes, where it was struck by a semitruck.

The Nissan driver, Benjamin Mullican, 39, and passenger Korie Mullican, 36, both of Post Falls, died at the scene, the ISP said.

In Spokane, the evening commute was complicated by slick roads and slide-off crashes, including a three-car collision that blocked traffic on westbound I-90 just east of Division Street about 4 p.m.

The Washington State Patrol responded to 35 accidents in Spokane County between 2 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. There were 90 accidents on Spokane County roads during that same time period.

Staff report

Others nearby during killing

A 48-year-old man was near several others in a crowded apartment when he was shot to death, according to court documents.

Arnold Lomasson died Friday at an apartment building at 2228 N. Astor St. after police say he was shot in the head by Brandon Mellon, 26. Lomasson’s girlfriend and two other occupants were nearby when Lomasson was shot in a bedroom, and a neighbor reported seeing three or four people flee the apartment after the screams began.

Capt. Joe Walker with the Spokane Police Department said Monday the building is a known “problem area,” and witnesses said the apartment is frequented by meth users.

The witness also said drugs were not present at the time of the shooting, however.

Mellon took off in a stolen car before being apprehended in Pasco, police said. He shot himself in the leg and is being treated under guard at a hospital in Oregon, awaiting extradition on a first-degree murder charge.

Detectives recovered multiple bullet fragments at the scene, as well as a sawed-off shotgun, according to court documents.

Kip Hill

Officials close icy forest road

Several vehicles slid off icy roads in the Idaho Panhandle National Forests last week, causing officials to lock gates on Nettleton Gulch forest road until conditions change.

“The weather’s recent freeze-thaw cycle has melted snow on hillsides during the day, which is re-freezing across forest roads at night,” U.S. Forest Service spokesman Jason Kirchner said Monday.

Several accidents were reported last weekend, including along Bunco Road and Nettleton Gulch, where emergency vehicles and tow trucks also slid off the roads as they responded to other vehicles in distress.

Staff report

Democrat to rerun for schools

BOISE – A Democrat who campaigned unsuccessfully to lead Idaho’s public schools in 2006 says she’ll try again to win the seat.

Jana Jones, a former teacher and school administrator from Idaho Falls, announced her run Tuesday.

Jones lost eight years ago to current Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna, a Republican.

The vote that year was 51 percent for Luna and 49 percent for Jones.

Associated Press