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

In brief: Stevens County investigating unlawful credit card charges

From Staff And Wire Reports

The Stevens County Sheriff’s Office would like to hear from people who have unauthorized credit card charges from a business called Uptowngirl in Kettle Falls.

A resident of the Colville area called the sheriff in May after finding 20 credit card transactions from the business totaling more than $11,000 in a two-week period, according to a Sheriff’s Office news release.

The business is registered to Julie Mattingly, who operates marketing businesses including Tupperware, It Works, Thirty One and Do Terra under the Uptowngirl umbrella, according to the news release.

Avondale Lake tests positive for potentially toxic algae

A second North Idaho lake has tested positive for blue-green algae, which can produce dangerous toxins.

A health advisory was issued Tuesday for Avondale Lake by the Panhandle Health District and the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality. An advisory for Fernan Lake is also in effect.

People should avoid swallowing or inhaling the lake water and avoid direct contact with water containing visible algae. Consuming water containing high levels of blue-green algae toxins has been associated with damage to the liver and nervous system. Children and pets are particularly susceptible.

EWU providing hardship grants for students affected by fire

Eastern Washington University is sending financial aid counselors and outreach teams to Wenatchee to help students affected by the Sleepy Hollow fire.

Those affected by the wildfire, which destroyed more than two dozen homes and forced numerous evacuations, could be eligible for university hardship grants. About 140 EWU students are from the Wenatchee area, including 18 incoming freshmen and 22 transfer students, according to the university.

“Our intent is to minimize the devastating effects that our students are facing so that their success in college continues with as little interruption as possible,” EWU President Mary Cullinan said.

The EWU Student Hardship Fund was created last year following the devastating Carlton Complex fires and is designed to help students and their families cope with unexpected setbacks in an effort to help keep college careers on track. The grant amounts can vary depending on circumstances and are funded by contributions to the EWU Foundation.

Girl Scouts refuse $100,000 from anti-transgender donor

SEATTLE – The Girl Scouts of Western Washington said it has returned a $100,000 donation because it came with the provision that the money couldn’t be used to support transgender girls.

The group said it returned the money in late May after the donor had asked that the gift be sent back unless the group guaranteed it would not be used to benefit transgender girls.

“Girl Scouts is for every girl, and that is every girl regardless of race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion. Every girl is every girl,” Megan Ferland, CEO of the Girl Scouts of Western Washington, said in an interview Tuesday. “It was a sad decision, but it was not a difficult decision. There was no way I would be put in a situation of refusing a girl participating because of a gift. It was really that quick.”

The local council has transgender girls participating in the Girl Scouts, said Kate Dabe, the council’s vice president of marketing and communications.

On Monday, the group set up a crowdfunding campaign asking for help to fill the gap. “Help us raise back the $100,000 a donor asked us to return because we welcome transgender girls,” it said on its fundraising page on Indiegogo.com.

By Tuesday afternoon, thousands had given more than $185,000.

“We are astounded,” Dabe said. “We were prepared for a 30-day campaign. We raised our goal in a day.”

Dabe declined to share details about the donor, citing privacy concerns.