Chelsea Bannach

A federal judge has denied the motion for a new trial for convicted former Spokane Police officer Karl F. Thompson Jr.

A teenager accused of attacking a woman walking on the Centennial trail near Mission Park was charged in Spokane County Superior Court today.

A bizarre mallet attack along the Centennial Trail might help Spokane police crack a homicide case that’s gone unsolved since May. A teenager arrested Thursday in what appears to be a stranger-on-stranger assault and robbery near Mission Park may be connected to the slaying of 55-year-old Sharlotte McGill, police confirmed Friday.

Something as small as beef jerky can make a big difference to airmen stationed thousands of miles from home. Jessica Davidson learned just how such treats are appreciated Tuesday at Fairchild Air Force Base. The 18-year-old is a recent graduate of Lewis and Clark High School, where she chose as her senior project to raise money to assemble care packages and send them to troops at the Transit Center at Manas in Kyrgyzstan.

The Spokane City Council will consider a resolution Monday to appoint Frank Straub as director of law enforcement, not chief of police. To become police chief, Straub needs to be commissioned in Washington by attending a police academy or receiving a waiver, said city spokeswoman Marlene Feist. Straub and Mayor David Condon are hopeful the state Criminal Justice Training Commission will grant him a waiver based on his background so he doesn’t have to attend a five-month training course.

Thousands of people packed picnics and set up lawn chairs this Labor Day for the Spokane Symphony at Comstock Park. “It’s really a gift to the community,” symphony spokeswoman Annie Matlow said of the free concert. “It’s a concert where we get to play some great music, where people can come out and have a great time.”

The Coeur d’Alene Music Festival got off to an ambitious but somewhat slow start, a reflection of the struggle local musicians face in an area some say is saturated with good artists but lacking a cohesive music scene. “In this area we have cultivated the idea that local music is not worth going to see,” said organizer Aaron Birdsall, lead singer of the local rock trio Flying Mammals. “There are amazing bands here who are signed on major labels that tour and play all over the country, except in town.”

A fire that broke out in a Spokane home killed four dogs and two cats and displaced the two adults and child who lived there. The Spokane Fire Department responded to the fire at 1914 E. Hartson Ave. about 10:42 a.m. Friday, according to Battalion Chief Steve Sabo.

They huffed and puffed, heaved and hoed. The men and women had a mighty task ahead of them: drag a Boeing 727 aircraft 12 feet down the tarmac.

For several years, the Riverfront Park powwow was threatened by funding shortfalls. Last year, the powwow didn’t happen.