In brief: Spokane man, 19, dies after crash with semi

A Spokane man died after his car collided head-on with a semitruck on Trent Avenue in Spokane Valley Wednesday morning, the Washington State Patrol said.

Michael A. Corder, 19, was driving west on Trent near Campbell Road just before 5 a.m. when his 1996 Subaru Impreza crossed the center line east of Campbell Road, WSP said.

His car collided with an eastbound Freightliner Boom Truck driven by Cory S. Beckham, 37, of Spokane. Beckham suffered minor injuries.

Corder died from his injuries at a local hospital, WSP said.

Both drivers were wearing seat belts.

Kip Hill

Former prosecutor charged in criminal case

A former Spokane County deputy prosecutor was charged with rendering criminal assistance to a felon, the state attorney general’s office announced Wednesday in a news release.

Marriya Wright faces the gross misdemeanor following her resignation from the prosecutor’s office last month. The charge carries maximum penalties of 364 days in jail and a fine of $5,000.

Authorities searched the Spokane County Jail cell of inmate Matthew Baumrucker – who has the word “criminal tattooed across his forehead – in April after jail employees noticed Wright made frequent visits to the 31-year-old, though she was not involved professionally in his case. Baumrucker was arrested in March facing charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

A jail guard told investigators he saw Baumrucker with a photo of Wright, who is a competitive bodybuilder, in a bikini. The pair met multiple times in an interview room at the jail where attorneys and inmates are able to exchange documents, according to court records.

Kip Hill

Idaho reports year’s first influenza death

The first confirmed flu death in Idaho of the flu season has been reported in Kootenai County.

A 65-year-old woman died from complications associated with the flu, the Panhandle Health District said in a news release.

The woman, who is not being identified, was also the first confirmed case of the flu in Idaho this season.

The Health District recommends that anyone older than six months receive a flu vaccination. Infants and the elderly face a higher risk of complications from influenza.

A flu shot clinic is scheduled for Friday and Oct. 24 from 1:30 to 4 p.m. at the Panhandle Health District’s Hayden office at 8500 N. Atlas Road

Nina Culver