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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

In brief: New STEM college named at Eastern

From Staff And Wire Reports

Eastern Washington University has reorganized several of its existing programs into a newly named College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.

The move was approved Friday by the university’s board of trustees and prompted, in part, by last year’s creation of a health sciences college, which pulled away the school’s nursing and other health-related science programs onto EWU facilities at the University District campus in downtown Spokane.

The new STEM college will remain at the Cheney campus and consist of the biology, chemistry, biochemistry, computer science, engineering and design, geology, mathematics, physics and environmental science departments.

The college’s dean, Judd Case, told trustees the new name helps emphasize Eastern’s commitment to the kind of science-based skills many Northwest employers say are in short supply.

Repayment plan signed for victims of scam

When Doris Nelson is released from federal custody in 2022, half of her paychecks will go to paying back victims of her loan shop scam.

U.S. District Court Judge Robert H. Whaley signed off on the repayment plan Thursday. Nelson, 55, has reported to SeaTac federal detention center in Seattle to begin serving her nine-year prison sentence on 110 counts of mail and wire fraud, according to jail records. An appeal of her sentence has been filed by attorney Jeffry Finer in the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Finer said Friday that the total amount of restitution, which could be as high as $45 million, would depend on the decisions in dozens of bankruptcy proceedings naming Nelson’s former business, the Little Loan Shoppe on Broadway Avenue. The more money that is ordered to be paid to the bankruptcy trustee, the less Nelson will be ordered to pay to victims.

Finer said Nelson has “no assets at this point.” The Securities and Exchange Commission also settled its complaint against Nelson on Thursday, preventing her and her employees from engaging in any future fraudulent economic activity.

Driver detained after high-speed chase

A fugitive was taken into custody Thursday afternoon following a short chase in Hayden.

A Kootenai County sheriff’s deputy and his partner attempted to stop a car on Hayden Avenue, near Ramsey Road, for a minor license plate violation. The driver, Leslie H. Kneeland, 28, of Post Falls, sped away, reaching speeds in excess of 70 mph in a residential neighborhood, the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office reported in a news release.

He abandoned the car in the middle of the street and fled on foot, the sheriff’s office said. Deputies chased him through yards, over fences and found him in the backyard of a residence in the 9900 block of North Meadow Way.

He was booked into jail on felony eluding, obstructing an officer, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia charges. Additionally, Kneeland had five outstanding warrants for his arrest.