In brief: Judge rules against Kelley recall petition

TACOMA – A judge ruled Thursday that a recall petition filed against indicted state Auditor Troy Kelley did not meet the legal threshold necessary for backers to begin collecting signatures from state voters.

The ruling by Pierce County Superior Court Judge Frank Cuthbertson came after an hour of arguments over the filing by Will Knedlik, who says he will appeal the decision to the state Supreme Court.

In his petition for recall, Knedlik accused Kelley of several violations of the terms of his office, including inadequate auditing, abuses of power and violating the state constitution by living in Tacoma instead of Olympia.

Kelley is currently on unpaid leave from the agency after pleading not guilty in federal court to 10 felony counts, including allegations that he failed to pay taxes.

Helicopter crash starts fire in forest

The crash of a helicopter near the U.S.-Canadian border Thursday evening sparked a small fire in the Colville National Forest.

The helicopter was part of a logging operation near Pierre Lake and the Laurier border crossing. The pilot was transported to a hospital in Colville and is reportedly “doing fine,” said Franklin Pemberton, a Forest Service spokesman.

Initial estimates indicate the 50-acre fire is burning in steep, rugged terrain. About 100 firefighters and equipment are on the scene.

Late Friday, the Forest Service reported significant progress was made in fighting the fire during the day. It was listed as 10 percent contained.

The Forest Service is advising members of the public to stay out of the Pierre/Summit Lake area during the fire. Agency officials closed the Pierre Lake Campground.

StoryCorps is coming to Spokane Falls Community College and is looking for people to share their stories. The national nonprofit travels the country recording groups of two people who know and care about each other talking about their shared histories. The recordings are archived in the Library of Congress, and in some cases, portions are played on National Public Radio’s “Morning Edition” show.

In Spokane, StoryCorps is looking for veterans and active-duty military members to take part in the Military Voices Initiative, as well as people in the LGBTQ community for the Outloud project. Recording dates for Military Voices are May 19-20, and for Outloud on May 21-22. 

All interviews will take place in the Veterans Resource Center on SFCC’s campus. To register contact Britni Weaver at britni. weaver@sfcc.spokane.edu.

North Side fire destroys garage

A city of Spokane work crew spotted flames coming from a two-car detached garage in north Spokane on Friday afternoon and called 911.

The garage was fully involved when crews arrived, said Spokane Fire Department Battalion Chief Steve Sabo. “It was quite a show,” he said.

Firefighters were able to keep the flames from spreading, but the garage, at 1508 E. Joseph, is a total loss. The cause of the fire was under investigation. No one was injured.

“The fire appears to have started on the outside of the structure,” Sabo said.