Brian Coddington

Twelve high school students have been arrested in connection with a series of spring break explosions in the Spokane Valley that damaged three vehicles and a house. Joshua D. Vande Vanter, 18, made his initial court appearance Thursday, accused of first- and second-degree arson, and possessing an explosive device.

An armed man held up a Spokane Valley beauty supply store Saturday evening, escaping with an undisclosed amount of money from the cash register. The robber entered Sally's Beauty Supply, 1405 N. Argonne, about 5:30 p.m. He walked directly to the rear of the store, where he pretended to examine a product.

A fight that started outside a State Line Village dance club ended in gunfire early Saturday in front of a Spokane Valley sports bar. No one was injured by the 2:15 a.m. shooting in front of Players and Spectators, 12828 E. Sprague, and no arrests have been made.

For the second time in as many weeks Spokane County commissioners postponed a decision on an out-of-state developer's plan to build a $5.4 million shopping center at the intersection of Highway 27 and 32nd Avenue. Commissioners, who are considering an appeal by the developer for a seven-acre zoning change on the intersection's southeast corner, need more time to consider testimony, they said Tuesday.

As many as 17 bored high school students may have been involved in a string of small explosions that damaged three vehicles and a home in Spokane Valley neighborhoods, sheriff's officials said Monday. All of the students - ages 16 to 18 - attend Central Valley and University high schools and were on spring vacation, said sheriff's Capt. Doug Silver. "A number of them said they were bored and were looking to have some fun," Silver said. Detectives initially thought there were three blasts, but on Monday connected a fourth explosion - already under investigation - to the others. It is not yet known how many of the teens were involved in each incident.

Nearly $400,000 in federal community development money will help pay for Spokane Valley water treatment improvements as well as sewer and well construction. The grant money is part of $2.18 million Spokane County receives annually from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for projects to benefit low-income residents.

An elderly Otis Orchards man found dead in his garage appears to have been beaten to death, sheriff's detectives said Thursday. Detectives expect an autopsy today will confirm that 75-year-old Henry Heid died from several blows to the head. Heid's body was found Wednesday afternoon by his younger brother and two family friends. The victim was lying on his back on the floor of the garage, near the right rear of his pickup truck. Blood was splattered around the truck. One of Heid's shoes was next to the driver's door.

The death of a 75-year-old man whose body was found Wednesday in an outbuilding on an Otis Orchards farm is being investigated as a homicide, sheriff's deputies said. The victim, identified as Henry R. Heid, was bleeding from a head wound, sheriff's spokesman Dave Reagan said.

A fight at a Spokane Valley apartment complex involving nearly 30 people ended early Sunday with a stabbing and four arrests. The stabbing victim, a 30-year-old airman from Fairchild Air Force Base, was taken to a local hospital for treatment of a minor wound in his side, according to the sheriff's department.

A woman who was getting a ticket because of her unruly dog was arrested Tuesday morning for allegedly biting a sheriff's deputy. Carol Libutti, 49, of 11706 E. 31st, was arrested on charges of third-degree assault, failing to sign a ticket, obstruction of justice and resisting arrest, a county jailer said.

A string of related explosions this week in tidy Spokane Valley neighborhoods has authorities worried that whoever is responsible is becoming increasingly brazen.

A fire that gutted a Spokane Valley duplex Thursday afternoon may have been intentionally set, fire officials said. Valley Fire Deputy Fire Marshal Eric Olson called in a dog trained to sniff out accelerants, such as gasoline, from the Post Falls Fire Department to search for the cause. Results of that search were not available.

Floodwaters that had already washed over part of a county road near Newman Lake on Friday were creeping closer to a state highway. But Department of Transportation spokesman Al Gilson was optimistic that water would not reach Trent Avenue near Starr, the county road that is under water.

Ellen Suckow had all of her belongings packed in her 1987 Subaru when the car was stolen. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

A little flooding at Moab Junction didn't stop Danny Ulvan from crosisng the road. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

A suspected drunken driver led Washington State Patrol troopers on a high-speed chase through several Spokane Valley neighborhoods last week before crashing his car into a ditch north of Millwood. Speeds reached 80 miles per hour during the six-mile pursuit, said WSP Sgt. Chris Powell.

1. Motorists drive through Millwood at the end of a work day. Drivers who used to avoid Argonne because of the railroad crossing are taking advantage of the underpass. Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review 2. Traffic flows through the new underpass on Argonne Road. Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review

1. Top, Sheriff's deputies arrest Brandon Belstad Wednesday morning after he surrendered. Photos by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review 2. At right, deputies guard a woman and her young daughter during a standoff with her son near University High School.

County commissioners approved a plan this week to dig brush and silt out of Chester Creek in hopes of stopping the flooding that has plagued residents along Dishman-Mica Road.

Longtime Spokane Valley activist Al Lewis died at his home on Wednesday, just two days after he was diagnosed with liver cancer. He was 54. His death shocked friends and colleagues, who remembered him for his dedication to his family and to the community.

After three months of waiting for Valley residents to come to her, Spokane County Commissioner Kate McCaslin decided Wednesday night was a good time to go to them. Making good on a campaign promise to facilitate community involvement, McCaslin gathered county staff members, convened a town hall-style meeting at Horizon Junior High, and then listened for two hours while Valley residents quizzed her about the proposed Valley Couplet, mass transit, growth management, responsible growth, sewers, deteriorating roads and Mirabeau Point.

Neighbors sandbag near Newman Lake to divert runoff from homes and businesses. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

Fifteen goats died early Sunday in a fire that ripped through the barn where they were kept. A neighbor discovered the fire in the barn behind the house at 26505 E. Rowan about 4 a.m. and called firefighters. The barn was already engulfed by flames, said Eric Olson, Valley Fire deputy fire marshal.

One at a time. Cathy Perry hands a sandbag to Joe Roszina as the two work to protect a home from the encroaching runoff at Trent and Starr Road on Monday. Overflow from nearby Newman Lake has residents scrambling to place sandbags around houses and mobile homes to divert water. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review