Chad Sokol

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News >  Spokane

Rep. Matt Shea endorsed training children to fight in holy war

UPDATED: Thu., Aug. 15, 2019

Leaked emails, first reported by The Guardian on Wednesday, as well as a video on Shea’s public Facebook page, reveal the Spokane Valley lawmaker has had close ties with a group that trained children, teens and men in their early 20s for religious combat.

News >  Spokane

Care provider for Spokane adults with disabilities accused of neglect, abuse one year after sister company shut down

UPDATED: Wed., Aug. 14, 2019

A year after shutting down a troubled provider of in-home care for people with developmental disabilities, the Washington Department of Social and Health Services is cutting ties with the provider’s sister company, citing similar problems of neglect, abuse and mismanagement that allegedly resulted in one woman’s death.

News >  Crime/Public Safety

Spokane woman rescued three hours after boat sinks in Potholes Reservoir

UPDATED: Mon., Aug. 12, 2019

The woman, whose name was not released, wore a life vest and held on to a gasoline can for flotation, according to the Grant County Sheriff’s Office. She was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle to be treated for hypothermia and inhalation of gas fumes.

News >  Spokane

Spokane police investigating rumors of neo-Nazi ‘hate camp’

Sat., Aug. 10, 2019

“Our intel suggests it is being held outside Spokane County,” said a spokesman for the Spokane Police Department.

News >  Spokane

‘Not in my backyard’: Kootenai County residents mount opposition to planned inmate re-entry center

UPDATED: Fri., Aug. 16, 2019

The proposed facility is one of several projects aimed at reducing overcrowding in the state’s prison system, where roughly 62% of inmates are held for probation or parole violations – a higher rate than any other state in the country.

Sports >  Outdoors

Spokane helicopter crew rescues three hikers in Cascades after death of fourth hiker, a UW professor

UPDATED: Thu., Aug. 8, 2019

When helicopter crews in Western Washington were unavailable Sunday, a team from the Spokane area jumped into action to rescue three hikers from a peak in the Central Cascades.

News >  Spokane

Ecology Department warns of possible water restrictions in parched Little Spokane River Basin

UPDATED: Tue., Aug. 6, 2019

Water users in the Little Spokane River Basin may have to curb their consumption if water levels dip much lower, the state Department of Ecology has warned. The agency said Monday it had sent letters to 172 junior water rights holders in the parched watershed, warning it may have to impose water-use restrictions this summer.

News >  Spokane

Woman, 93, dies following Sunday crash in Chattaroy

UPDATED: Mon., Aug. 5, 2019

The Washington State Patrol reported the death of Alvera Quaschnick on Monday.

News >  Spokane

Police arrest four after burglary at Arc of Spokane thrift store

UPDATED: Mon., Aug. 5, 2019

Spokane police say they arrested four people and recovered hundreds of dollars’ worth of stolen merchandise after responding to an alarm at the Arc of Spokane thrift store late Sunday, using a police dog to apprehend one suspect who hid in a bush.

News >  Spokane

Prosser officer shot in leg during foot chase

UPDATED: Mon., Aug. 5, 2019

The officer was transported to Prosser Memorial Hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, the city of Prosser said in a news release. The suspect had not been arrested as of 5 a.m.

News >  Spokane

Washington Supreme Court declines to hear lawsuit over Spokane immigration initiative

UPDATED: Tue., Aug. 6, 2019

The high court’s refusal to hear the case ends two years of litigation and permanently precludes the immigration measure from appearing on voter ballots. “This is absolutely the correct decision,” said the director of the Spokane’s Center for Justice.

News >  Crime/Public Safety

Former manager of Spokane tire store ordered to pay $186,000 after pleading guilty to theft

UPDATED: Fri., Aug. 2, 2019

Among other schemes, Will B. Clark, 46, was accused of pocketing cash from customers and then “zeroing out” their invoices to make it appear no sale had occurred.

News >  Crime/Public Safety

Detectives seeking witnesses to fatal drive-by shooting in Wandermere

UPDATED: Fri., Aug. 2, 2019

The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office said anyone who recognizes the pair should call Detective Kirk Keyser at (509) 477-6611.

News >  Spokane

Motorcyclist dies in crash near Moses Lake

Thu., Aug. 1, 2019

Jackie Baker, 51, of Moses Lake, was pronounced dead at the scene.

News >  Spokane

Jerry Gardner, longtime Cheney police chief who inspired a novel, dies at 78

UPDATED: Thu., Aug. 1, 2019

Gardner started his law enforcement career as a patrol officer in Southern California in the 1960s, confronting gang violence and riots against police. So the small town of Cheney might have seemed an odd fit.

News >  Crime/Public Safety

Medical examiner says woman died after taking fentanyl in Spokane County Jail

UPDATED: Tue., July 30, 2019

Sharona Carroll was the 13th person to die in the county’s custody since 2015, and at least the second inmate whose death was linked to contraband drugs.

News >  Spokane

Turf battle between Stevens County judges headed to Washington Supreme Court

UPDATED: Sat., July 20, 2019

The Washington Supreme Court has agreed to review the matter and sort out which judges have jurisdiction over initial court hearings, which often determine if a person will be let out of jail while awaiting trial.

News >  Spokane

City of Spokane faces second lawsuit over handling of homeless camp, demonstration

UPDATED: Fri., July 19, 2019

An attorney with the nonprofit Center for Justice filed the lawsuit Wednesday on behalf of Richard Dahl, a homeless man who lived in the tent city dubbed “Camp Hope” until police cleared it out in early December.

News >  Spokane

Spokane firefighters faced HR investigation for calendar featuring ‘inappropriate sexual poses’

Wed., July 17, 2019

The calendar featured three firefighters from Fire Station 4, near Browne’s Addition. Records show they were accused of “engaging in horseplay with city equipment and resources” in order to make the calendar, which the firefighters union defended as a harmless joke.

News >  Spokane

Spokane County hosting two more public forums on jail facilities

UPDATED: Wed., July 17, 2019

Spokane County officials plan to host two additional public forums to gather feedback as talks continue about the size of the county’s jail facilities.

News >  Spokane

Homeless family sues over handling of tent-city protest outside Spokane City Hall

UPDATED: Tue., July 16, 2019

The lawsuit, filed last week in U.S. District Court in Spokane, denounces the city’s handling of the encampment dubbed “Camp Hope,” where homeless people slept and demonstrated through late November and early December.

News >  Crime/Public Safety

Two ATF agents struck by shrapnel, suspect injured in Moses Lake gunfight

UPDATED: Tue., July 16, 2019

The agents’ injuries were not life-threatening, and they had been released from a hospital by noon Tuesday. The suspect was seriously injured and airlifted to a Spokane hospital, where his condition was not immediately available. Officials have not released any of their identities.

News >  Spokane

Spokane County gets iPads, cloud app to streamline property valuations

UPDATED: Mon., July 15, 2019

Assessor Tom Konis said the CAMACloud Mobile Assessor app will spare appraisers the tedious task of driving back to the office to manually upload photos and input notes on thousands of residential and commercial properties.

News >  Spokane

Fire destroys Coeur d’Alene motel long slated for redevelopment

UPDATED: Mon., July 15, 2019

Firefighters responded around 8:30 a.m. to the old Garden Motel at 1808 Northwest Blvd. to find flames climbing through the roof of the building. The blaze was extinguished later Sunday, and investigation into the cause began Monday.

News >  Crime/Public Safety

Wildfire burns 7,800 acres in Grant County

UPDATED: Tue., July 16, 2019

A wildfire that started Sunday near Mattawa in Grant County has burned roughly 7,800 acres of grass and sagebrush, created whirlwinds of smoke and prompted home evacuations.