Sara Leaming

Authorities are looking for a 38-year-old Spokane man accused of stealing the identity of an elderly man with dementia and spending more than $80,000 in the man's name, Spokane police reported Tuesday. William Lee Roberts has been charged with 23 felony counts in the case, including residential burglary, first-degree identity theft, numerous forgeries, theft and possession of stolen property, said Dick Cottam, police spokesman. The victim died of natural causes in May.

The Washington State Department of Ecology announced Thursday that it has ordered a northeast Spokane business to allow cleanup efforts on its property near the Spokane River. Brown Building Materials, 112 N. Erie St., has not allowed access to the site for cleanup activities of coal tar waste found on the site, and the state has had to force its hand, said Jani Gilbert, a DOE spokeswoman.

About 150 U.S. Marine Corps reservists based in Spokane have been deployed to Iraq, a Marine spokesman confirmed Wednesday. "This unit has been mobilized, and everyone here has been put on active duty," said Capt. Matthew Nation, inspector instructor for the 5th Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment, based in North Spokane.

A 64-year-old Spokane man is out of jail on bail after being arrested Thursday for having sex with a 15-year-old girl who had been living with him. Donald E. Evans, considered a family friend of the victim, is accused of having sex with the girl since she was 12 years old, court records state.

Two of four boys accused of burning a cross on the lawn of an Elk, Wash., family with two African American sons pleaded guilty Tuesday to felony charges in Spokane County Juvenile Court. The two boys, both 17 years old, were originally charged with three counts each of felony malicious harassment stemming from the April 18 incident.

The weather may have kept most boaters off area waters this past weekend, but it may be the price of gas that keeps them ashore next weekend. Boaters all over the region are feeling the pinch as gasoline prices remain more than $2 a gallon in most Washington and Idaho cities. On the water, the price for a gallon of gas is about 20 cents to 40 cents more than the street price in some places. Compared with last year, gas is almost a dollar more in most places.

It's time to stop and smell the lilacs. Spokane's 66-year-old annual tradition kicks off Saturday with a new car show, followed by the 2004 Lilac Parade and ending with a brand-new fireworks show.

A 15-year-old Spokane boy was sentenced Thursday to 31 years in prison for his part in the shooting death of a 22-year-old man during an alleged drug robbery. Aro T. Williams-Walker, who will turn 16 on May 19, will be in his mid-40s when he is released from prison.