Amy Cannata

The driver accused of crashing a stolen vehicle into a Spokane police patrol car last week, prompting an officer to shoot at him, has been formally charged with assault and other crimes. Nineteen-year-old Taylor J. Davis was charged Wednesday with two counts of first-degree assault and one count each of theft of a motor vehicle and possession of a stolen motor vehicle, Spokane County sheriff's Sgt. Dave Reagan said.

Two Spokane Valley security company employees were arrested Wednesday on charges of setting a company car on fire and reporting it stolen to cover up a crash that occurred in an area one employee was not authorized to patrol. Daniel N. Hulse was driving the State Protection Services Taurus on Nov. 21 when he crashed it while driving in an area where the company has no properties to protect, Spokane County sheriff's Sgt. Dave Reagan said. Worried about getting in trouble, the 27-year-old called fellow State Protection Services employee Jeremy W. Valliere for help, Reagan said.

Hanukkah, Human Rights Day, winter break, the Islamic holy day Eid al-Adha, first day of winter and Kwanzaa all made the list, but Spokane Public Schools snubbed Christmas. Yuletide was left off a list of "important dates" in a December newsletter sent to elementary school students' families, drawing complaints from some parents that in an age of political correctness, Christians are being overlooked in favor of other cultures and beliefs.

Get that flu shot now or start stockpiling sick time for later. The Spokane Regional Health District has confirmed its first local case of influenza this winter season. A man in his mid-40s is the unlucky first victim, and health officials are urging people to get flu shots before the height of the flu season hits.

Grant County officials are stepping up safety education efforts for non-English speaking residents after three children of migrant workers died Monday night of carbon monoxide poisoning caused by a gas generator used to power an electrical heater inside their home south of Royal City. The children, ages 4 months to 8 years, were found unresponsive by their parents about 9 p.m. along with a 13-year-old sister and 21-year-old cousin, according to the Grant County Sheriff's Office.

It's the kind of winter crash that sticks in a trooper's mind – the kind he never wants to see again. "There was one lane on Highway 195 south of Colfax that all the vehicles were traveling in, but there was one gal who decided she wanted to go faster," Washington State Patrol Trooper Mark Baker said.

The Spokane Police Department revealed its tactics for dealing with protesters Monday when an officer showed a video detailing how police removed and arrested three people who chained themselves to Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena doors in September to protest a circus. The video, which was played during the Spokane City Council's Public Safety Committee meeting Monday morning, showed police officers contacting the protesters, asking them to leave and then cutting through the chains when they refused to unlock themselves.

Not snow, not heavy traffic and not heavy gas prices will keep us from traveling over Thanksgiving to visit family and friends and taste those lumpless mashed potatoes only grandma can make. Just be sure you're ready for all three downsides to Thanksgiving travel.

A Spokane inmate escaped custody for a short time Friday. Jeffrey F. Matlock, 33, escaped Department of Corrections custody about 9:30 a.m. while he was being transported from Geiger Corrections to the Spokane County Courthouse. Matlock pushed down a corrections officer, who was injured slightly, then ran east, wearing a black-and-white shirt and pants, and handcuffs attached to a belly chain.

Two children were temporarily repossessed along with their father's SUV Thursday morning, after he left them in the vehicle while he ran into a store for doughnuts. The man repossessing the vehicle didn't notice the kids until he arrived at the repo lot. That man called Spokane police about 7:40 a.m. when he realized the children were in the vehicle. The 5- and 7-year-olds' father called police about the same time, reporting his car had been towed from the parking lot in front of the Fred Meyer store on Thor Street.

In the warmer months of the year, Teri Hansen bikes to her job supervising the clinic at the dental hygiene school at Spokane's Riverpoint campus. During the cooler months she takes the bus. "I love it. It's like play," said Hansen of her bike commute from the West Central neighborhood.

Spokane parking meter rates will increase by as much as 25 percent next week when downtown parkers will also have to pay for two additional hours each day. Instead of feeding meters between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., motorists will have to start paying at 8 a.m. and continue until 7 p.m. Changes take effect Tuesday after a parking meter holiday on Monday, for Veterans Day.

Most people don't want to listen to endless chatter about how cute Billy is or Aunt Mabel's goiter while strapped into a cramped airline seat. You may soon have no choice on some overseas flights.

A rape suspect was in custody Thursday night, following an earlier attack. Kevin A. Thompson, 20, is accused of raping a woman in her Whitworth-area home early Thursday. Thompson was expected to be booked into Spokane County Jail on a charge of first-degree rape, said Spokane County Sheriff's Office spokesman Sgt. Dave Reagan.

A semi truck crash into a downtown Spokane fire hydrant Thursday afternoon caused some scary moments for several electricians in a nearby building when a broken water pipe sent thousands of gallons of water rushing into the basement. David Willis had his hands in a large electrical panel in the basement of the building on the northwest corner of First Avenue and Bernard Street when he heard a loud boom and water exploded into his face from a pipe just a foot away.

A 16-year-old DeSmet, Idaho, driver was killed Tuesday evening during a high-speed chase on U.S. Highway 95 in Benewah County. An Idaho State Police corporal patrolling the southern part of the county about 7:25 p.m. saw Ethan Horlacher approaching at a high rate of speed, Capt. Clark Rollins said. When the officer pulled over, Horlacher raced past.

Cabela's may be the beginning of the road for many hunters, but it's the end of the hunt for Post Falls officials eager for a new Interstate 90 interchange. Funding for a Bates Road interchange wasn't going to be coming from the state, so Post Falls was stuck, said City Administrator Eric Keck.

Firefighters and volunteers from several Washington cities and fire districts are heading south to help California crews battle fires and assist those displaced by the disaster. The Washington Department of Natural Resources sent an Eastern Washington safety officer to California on Tuesday, said DNR Fire Prevention Coordinator Steve Harris.