In brief: Barker I-90 ramps closed for repaving
A repaving project on Interstate 90 from Barker Road to Stateline will bring closures today to the Barker Road ramps.
Barker’s eastbound on-ramp and off-ramp will be closed from 7 to 11 p.m.
State transportation officials said the schedule was subject to change. Crews will be working from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. during the project, with a 60 mph speed limit on lanes that have been ground down.
Trial delayed for driver in fatal crash
The trial date for the teen driver accused of vehicular homicide in the deaths of two girls in Spokane Valley has been pushed to October, one year after the fatal crash.
Preston Maher, 16, appeared in Spokane County Superior Court on Wednesday with his attorney, Phillip Wetzel, to request a continuance of his trial in the deaths of McKenzie Mott and Josie Freier, both 15. The girls, both students at University High School, were killed in a crash on Oct. 5 at what was known to some as the “Ponderosa Jump,” according to court documents. That stretch of road has since been flattened to prevent future incidents.
Wetzel requested more time to review city engineering records in preparation for trial, which was originally scheduled to begin next month. Deputy Prosecutor William Reeves, speaking on behalf of a half-dozen family members who sat in the gallery Wednesday, said they would prefer the proceedings to begin as soon as possible.
“Their lives have been on hold for a considerable period of time – several months – in this case,” Reeves said.
Family members wore T-shirts with images of Mott and Freier on the backs, and the date of their deaths.
Judge Annette Plese on Wednesday granted the motion to continue, ruling that the need for the defense to be prepared for trial and avoid further appeals outweighed concerns about a delay.
Collision starts fire, injures three
A pickup truck containing a family of four from Penticton, British Columbia, was hit by a semitruck Wednesday after the pickup’s driver allegedly ran a stop sign on state Highway 20 just south of Cusick in Pend Oreille County, according to the Washington State Patrol.
The 2013 Toyota Tundra pickup caught fire after the collision, and the flames spread to nearby grass.
The Tundra, driven by Rajeev Sheoran, 41, was heading east on McKenzie Road shortly after 10 a.m. Wednesday and failed to stop at a stop sign at Highway 20, authorities said. His truck was hit by a 2014 Peterbilt driven by Kenneth E. Unrein, 53, of Athol, Idaho, who was northbound on Highway 20.
Ritvy Sheoran, 38, and Ria Sheoran, 10, were taken to the Newport Hospital, and from there the 10-year-old was taken to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane. Aaron Sheoran, 6, was also taken to Sacred Heart. Unrein and Rajeev Sheoran were uninjured.
Rajeev Sheoran is facing charges of failure to yield and negligent driving, the WSP said.