Stories by Chad Sokol for the Spokesman-Review

News > Spokane

Joe Harrington tapped to lead U.S. attorney’s office in Spokane for third time in a row

Sat., May 5, 2018

Joseph Harrington has led the federal prosecutor’s office in Spokane for more than a year, even though no president appointed him and no Senate committee has confirmed him.

News > Spokane

Judge bows out of cat pee case involving Spokane County judge, citing conflict of interest

UPDATED: Fri., May 4, 2018

A case that began with cat pee on a judge’s porch took another unusual turn Friday when the judge hearing the case recused himself due to a potential conflict of interest. As it turns out, both judges have been represented by the same attorney in separate legal matters.

News > Crime/Public Safety

Father, son injured when tire falls off passing car on I-90 in Coeur d’Alene

UPDATED: Fri., May 4, 2018

A father and son were injured Friday morning when a tire came off a passing sedan, bounced across the median and smashed the roof of their pickup truck on Interstate 90.

News > WA Government

Farm groups, fearing a trade war, voice concerns to McMorris Rodgers

UPDATED: Fri., May 4, 2018

U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers said Thursday she is concerned about the potential impact of President Donald Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs and his withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, but encouraged by the influence of some of Trump’s pro-trade advisers and appointees.

News > Spokane

Cat pee on Spokane County judge’s porch prompts suit; court seals case

UPDATED: Tue., May 8, 2018

A Spokane County Superior Court judge sued his neighbor over cat pee, then successfully argued to have the case records sealed from public view. A hearing on Friday could determine whether those records stay hidden.

News > Spokane

Nuclear experts on mission to educate young people

UPDATED: Fri., May 4, 2018

Two experts, including a Gonzaga University alumna who grew up in the Tri-Cities near the Hanford reactor site, are on a mission to educate young people about foreign diplomacy and nuclear arms control.

News > Education

Kevin Brockbank chosen as president of Spokane Community College

UPDATED: Wed., May 2, 2018

Kevin Brockbank, the acting president of Spokane Community College, has been selected to lead the college permanently following a nationwide search.

News > Spokane

Promoter abruptly cancels Super Oval events at Spokane County Raceway

UPDATED: Wed., May 2, 2018

The main promoter at the Spokane County Raceway in Airway Heights abruptly canceled more than a dozen weekend events scheduled through the 2018 racing season, potentially dealing a major financial blow to the raceway’s leaseholder.

News > Spokane

Waste-transfer station in Colbert reopens after pesticide leak sickens workers

UPDATED: Tue., May 1, 2018

Three workers sickened by a pesticide leak at a Spokane County waste facility were released from area hospitals Monday evening.

News > Spokane

Children report two women tried to lure them into a car in north Spokane

Mon., April 30, 2018

Spokane police are investigating a reported kidnapping attempt in which two women tried to lure children into their car in the Nevada Heights neighborhood.

News > Spokane

Jury clears bounty hunter for role in Spokane motel standoff

UPDATED: Mon., April 30, 2018

A bounty hunter was cleared of wrongdoing Monday after a nine-day trial over his role in apprehending two people at a Spokane motel in 2016.

News > Spokane

Toxic leak sickens three workers at North County Transfer Station in Colbert

UPDATED: Tue., May 1, 2018

Three workers were hospitalized Monday afternoon after a hazardous substance was released at the waste-transfer station in north Spokane County.

News > Education

State STEM scholarship expanding to encompass new skills

UPDATED: Fri., May 4, 2018

Thanks to bipartisan support in the Legislature, the $200 million public-private scholarship program is being expanded to help students gain specialized skills at community and technical colleges – skills such as nursing, welding and metal fabrication that are in high demand and don’t require four-year degrees.

News > Spokane

In a first, Spokane Community College graduates deaf commercial truck driver

UPDATED: Sat., April 28, 2018

Justin Brooks became the first deaf student to graduate from Spokane Community College’s commercial driving program, overcoming a disability that once disqualified him from becoming a trucker.

News > Education

WSU, Mike Leach face lawsuit over football player’s dismissal

Thu., April 26, 2018

A lawsuit claims that Washington State football coach Mike Leach has selectively enforced his own team rules, and that the university failed to provide due process before revoking a student-athlete’s financial aid – again shining a spotlight on how the school responds to criminal allegations.

News > Spokane

‘Gang’ fashion prompts armed confrontation with Pullman teens; man sentenced to 31 months in prison

UPDATED: Wed., April 25, 2018

A 22-year-old man was sentenced Monday to 31 months in prison after he pointed a gun at some teenagers in a Pullman apartment complex, thinking they were part of a gang.

News > Spokane

Public memorial Thursday for late Davenport Hotel doorman John Reed

UPDATED: Tue., April 24, 2018

A public memorial is planned for John Reed, the longtime doorman at the Historic Davenport Hotel who died last month at age 88.

News > Spokane

Man surrenders to deputy’s dog after three-hour hunt in north Spokane County

Mon., April 23, 2018

A burglary suspect led authorities on a three-hour manhunt and surrendered when a sheriff’s deputy threatened to unleash his canine partner last week in north Spokane County, the sheriff’s office said in a news release Monday.

News > Spokane

Man hospitalized, charged with DUI after crash in Pend Oreille County

Mon., April 23, 2018

A 26-year-old man was hospitalized and charged with driving under the influence Monday after crashing his car on a highway in Pend Oreille County.

News > Crime/Public Safety

Second man pleads guilty to North Idaho road rage murder

UPDATED: Mon., April 23, 2018

An Idaho man pleaded guilty Monday to murder and robbery in the killing of a man that was sparked by road rage in 2016. Justin Roy Booth now faces life in prison for the killing of William “Bo” Kirk, an X-ray technician once described by his son as “the ultimate family man.”

News > Spokane

‘Me too’ activist Tarana Burke, Pulitzer winner Ronan Farrow garner big crowd at Gonzaga appearance

Sat., April 21, 2018

During an hourlong conversation moderated by KHQ’s Stephanie Vigil, Tarana Burke and Ronan Farrow, who have been regarded as leaders of the #MeToo movement, dissected what the movement means, where it’s headed and what more must be done to change how society responds to sexual violence and harassment.

News > Spokane

Stoneman Douglas High student speaks as students, teachers rally

Fri., April 20, 2018

Following another round of student walkouts Friday morning, student-activists took center stage at an afternoon gathering of the Washington Education Association, the state’s biggest teachers union, in Spokane’s Riverfront Park.

News > Spokane