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

In brief: Many forest areas closed over holiday

From Staff Reports

Some 70 fires are burning 80,000 acres on the Idaho Panhandle National Forests, and many areas will remain closed to public access over Labor Day weekend.

“The decision to close large areas of the Idaho Panhandle National Forests has been a very difficult one given the impacts to local communities and citizens,” said Mary Farnsworth, forest supervisor, in a news release. “However, the safety of the public and firefighters is our priority. We will continue to monitor the fire activity within these area closures with the intent to reduce the size of them as soon as it is safe to do so.”

For information on closures, visit www.fs.usda.gov/IPNF.

Mayor won’t appeal rights initiative

Spokane Mayor David Condon has decided against appealing a decision by a Superior Court judge allowing Envision Spokane’s Worker Bill of Rights to appear on November’s ballot.

Condon said he stood behind his decision to challenge the initiative, which would amend the city charter to require large employers to pay workers a “family wage,” ensure equal pay for equal work regardless of gender or race and add protections against termination. The measure would make the rights of corporations secondary to people’s rights.

Condon said he “initially had the confirmation” from City Council President Ben Stuckart to challenge the initiative in court after the city’s hearing examiner determined there were legal flaws in the initiative. But Stuckart, who opposes the Bill of Rights, said in July that he would not support a city lawsuit. Instead, he supported the addition to the ballot of “advisory questions” that will ask voters if the city should raise taxes to pay for Envision’s measure, or if other city services should be cut to pay for it.

Shooting suspect pleads not guilty

Edward Bushnell, the man accused of fatally shooting William Poindexter on July 21, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder.

Bushnell, 27, bonded out of Spokane County Jail on Aug. 22. He appeared in court Tuesday alongside his lawyer, Rob Cossey. Bushnell was arrested immediately after the shooting and charged with second-degree murder. His charge later was increased to first-degree murder, though his bond was reduced from $500,000 to $300,000.

According to court documents, Bushnell told police he was walking down the street and saw Poindexter grab a woman and throw her. He told police he intervened and fought with Poindexter, then shot him three times in the back as Poindexter and the woman walked away, court records say.

Bushnell’s trial is set for Jan. 18.

Man held in rape, drugging case

A man accused of drugging a woman for a week and raping her while she was unconscious is facing charges of second-degree rape and unlawful imprisonment.

Gary W. French, 53, is being held on $20,000 bond in the Spokane County Jail.

The woman told police she was at French’s apartment in the 100 block of South Havana Street where the two smoked marijuana and ate pizza. She said she fell asleep in a recliner and woke a week later, half naked and with duct tape over her mouth. She said her only hazy memory during that week was of French taking her into the bathroom, according to court documents.

When the woman woke up, French was asleep. She said she dressed and ran to a neighbor’s, where she called her mother to take her to the hospital. Her mother told police that she hadn’t heard from her daughter for a week, which was unusual, according to court documents.

French reportedly admitted to police that he injected the woman with methamphetamine approximately 20 times “because she was unable to do so herself,” according to court documents. He also told police that he repeatedly had sex with the woman and twice hid her in his bathroom when he had visitors.