Jonathan Brunt

A mining company agreed Wednesday to tighten environmental standards at a mine in northeastern Washington. The company, Teck Cominco American, negotiated the stronger regulations with the state and three groups that challenged a wastewater permit Teck Cominco was issued for its Pend Oreille Mine, north of Metaline Falls.

The man accused in March of raping two adult sisters while impersonating a police officer has filed a $1 million claim against the city of Spokane. All charges against Preston Tensley were dropped April 1 after the women told media and other authorities that they had not been raped. Spokane police, however, still believe the twin sisters were attacked by Tensley, as one of the two indicated in a 911 call.

Opponents of an ordinance that extends benefits to unmarried partners of city employees filed a referendum petition Friday seeking to overturn the measure. Members of a group called Choice of the People now have a month to gather 5,145 signatures to force the measure onto the ballot this year.

The Spokane Community Holocaust Memorial, which was dedicated Thursday evening, honors not just the 6 million Jews killed in Nazi concentration camps, but those who lived. "It was important to remember that there are survivors and families of victims in Spokane," said Pam Silverstein, who led the committee that worked for the memorial. "It wasn't just an event that affected Jews that live elsewhere."

Police believe a con artist has targeted widows in an attempt to get personal identification information and use it to commit fraud. A woman whose husband died last month recently received a call from a person claiming to be from an area hospital, said Spokane Police fraud detective Stacey Carr at a press conference Wednesday. The caller said she needed the woman's husband's birthday and Social Security number for insurance paperwork.

Police believe a con artist has targeted widows in an attempt to get personal identification information and use it to commit fraud. A woman whose husband died last month recently received a call from a person claiming to be from an area hospital, said Spokane Police fraud detective Stacey Carr at a press conference Wednesday. The caller said she needed the woman's husband's birthday and Social Security number for insurance paperwork.

Police apprehended four people Thursday whom they believe are responsible for a series of violent robberies of homes in Spokane and Kootenai counties. "The community is significantly safer than it was two days ago," said Al Odenthal, Spokane's deputy police chief.

The teenager shot Wednesday in a north Spokane alley has died. Police have not identified the teen, but neighbors said he was Frank Silva, a former student at Holmes Elementary and Glover Middle schools.

A teenager was clinging to life Wednesday night after he was shot in broad daylight Wednesday in a north Spokane neighborhood. The victim, who was not identified by police, was with a man and another teen in an alley behind 2410 W. Boone Ave. when an argument arose, Spokane police Chief Roger Bragdon said.

A third North Side casino employee in less than two weeks has been arrested on charges of stealing money from the business. More than $235,000 has been stolen from Classic Rock Casino at Lilac Lanes, 1112 E. Magnesium Road, since 2003 in separate incidents, according to police and Washington State Gambling Commission reports.

A Spokane man charged with attempted first-degree murder said Monday that he felt threatened when he stabbed another man who is now hospitalized. "I am sorry for what I did. I'm mostly sorry for the kid that was stabbed," said Jason D. Flett, 18. "It was self-defense, but I'm just sorry about it."

A former Ferris High School student is under arrest after allegedly threatening to go to the school and kill people if his friend, who was arrested last month in connection with an attempted murder case, is given a lengthy prison term. The 15-year-old was booked into Juvenile Detention on a felony count of harassment. He is friends with Jacob Carr, 14, who is accused of taking a gun to Ferris High School on March 24 with the intention of killing his former teacher, Michelle Klein-Coles, and himself. He faces a count of first-degree attempted murder.

A Colbert man who works as a professional grant writer is facing charges that he stole thousands of dollars from a nonprofit organization that hired him to raise money. Samuel Mahaffy, 52, is accused of stealing $26,000 from Spokane-based Center for Justice, which provides legal assistance to the poor and works on civil rights, environmental and other issues. The money was given to Mahaffy in 2002 to be used as a matching fund for a grant that would have enabled the organization to hire another attorney, according to a police investigation detailed in court documents.

A lawsuit filed in federal court Wednesday alleges that hundreds of former CEDU Educational Services employees are owed health care and 60 days of wages. CEDU, which operated schools for children with behavioral problems, announced last month that it was going out of business immediately, causing the closure of its four programs in North Idaho and the loss of 300 Idaho jobs. Nationwide, about 300 CEDU students, including those in Idaho, were sent home.

A man was arrested early Saturday on charges that he tried to set fire to the northwest Spokane home where he lives with his girlfriend and their two children. Police say the man, Gregory Brimer, also is a suspect in two fires that caused severe damage to two garages in the same vicinity. No one was injured in any of the blazes.

The mother of the teenager accused of attempting to kill a Ferris High School teacher last month says the profile of her son painted by police and media reports is not the fun-loving boy she knows. "Jacob and I are pretty close. When I get home from work he's always there and he's always, 'I love you, mom,' and, 'Hi mom,' " Audrey Schmidt said. "He just adds to my life so much. He just puts so much humor into our lives. He's always goofing around and making people laugh."