Sara Leaming

Avista Utilities crews restored power to all but about 35 of 3,500 customers who were without power for about an hour this evening in east central Spokane.

Legislative budget cuts mean the Department of Natural Resources will have fewer inmate work crews trained to fight forest fires this year. Operations were closed and crews cut from two prisons in Snohomish and Kitsap counties, as well as from other facilities, officials said. In the past, in partnership with the state Department of Corrections, the DNR maintained 48 10-person inmate firefighting crews stationed at various correction facilities throughout the state. About 16 crews were cut total.

Patrons in a Spokane Valley pub thought the meat salesman was legit when he walked into the bar a month ago selling frozen steaks. “He had a little uniform on and sounded like he really knew his meat,” said Jackie Christenson, bartender at the Trent N’ Dale pub on East Trent Avenue.

Patrons inside a Spokane Valley pub thought the meat salesman was legit when he walked into the bar a month ago selling frozen steaks. “He had a little uniform on and sounded like he really knew his meat,” said Jackie Christenson, bartender at the Trend N’ Dale pub on East Trent Avenue.

A Mead man left paraplegic and widowed by a motorcycle accident June 2 is suing the Spokane stockbroker allegedly responsible for the crash. Gary G. Keller is seeking damages for personal injuries inflicted by 42-year-old Jon A. Strine, according to documents filed in Spokane County Superior Court on Monday. Strine’s wife, Anja B. Krammer, is also listed as a defendant.

The Kootenai County Sheriff's Department has located a 38-year-old Hayden woman reported missing Tuesday.

Kootenai County Sheriff’s deputies removed an explosive device from a home near Harrison after it exploded, damaging the mailbox.

Avista has restored power to about 1,200 customers in Airway Heights.

Kootenai County sheriff’s deputies investigated two collisions Friday involving personal watercraft on North Idaho waterways, one in which a 14-year-old girl was sent to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. The first occurred about 11:40 a.m. on the Spokane River near the Mill River Condominiums. Scott D. Williams, 53, and Jason R. Owens, 25, both of Coeur d’Alene, were riding on Sea-Doo watercraft when Williams made an aggressive turn with a large amount of spray, police said. Owens drove through the spray and struck Williams’ watercraft, ejecting Williams. Neither man was injured. The watercraft were towed to shore.

At least five members of a San Diego church group who spent more than a week volunteering in North Idaho have tested positive for the H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu. More than 100 members of the religious group arrived in Bonners Ferry by chartered bus sometime last week. The group hosted various events in the community, including barbecues for law enforcement, and completed volunteer projects, including ramp-building for people with disabilities, Panhandle Health District officials said.

Crime Stoppers of the Inland Northwest is offering a cash reward for information that leads to the arrest of four fugitives wanted on various crimes and believed to be hiding in Spokane and North Idaho. Kevin M. Harding, 33, is wanted for first-degree theft. He has a 19-year criminal history, including a previous conviction for theft.

Grant County Sheriff’s officials are investigating a drive-by shooting at a Schawana, Wash., home early Sunday after a 21-year-old man was shot and bullets came within inches of a six-month old child.