Stories by Sydney Brown for the Spokesman-Review

News > Crime/Public Safety

Court docs: 11-year-old Airway Heights girl, shot in chest by mom’s husband, ran to neighbor for help

UPDATED: Wed., July 28, 2021

A man suspected of shooting his wife and her 11-year-old daughter early Tuesday continued to evade police Wednesday afternoon, according to Airway Heights police.

News > Crime/Public Safety

‘His laugh was so contagious’: Fiancee of fatal victim from Spokane Valley bar shooting remembers Daniel Martinez as kind, fun-loving

UPDATED: Wed., July 28, 2021

Daniel Martinez had a lot of jobs in his life, but he was most passionate about his role as a barber at Exclusive Barbershop on Argonne Road, those who knew him say.

News

Court docs shed some light on fatal shooting at Ichabod’s on Saturday

UPDATED: Tue., July 27, 2021

A fight involving several people at Ichabod’s East quickly escalated into a night that ended in gunfire, a man’s death, one man in serious condition and two people arrested, according to court documents.

News > Crime/Public Safety

Spokane police say elderly man with dementia found safe in Metaline Falls

UPDATED: Sat., July 24, 2021

Spokane police say a 79-year-old man whose family said he went missing Saturday morning has been found safe in Metaline Falls.

News > Crime/Public Safety

Fire that prompted Silverwood Theme Park evacuations now 75% contained as other area fires burn

UPDATED: Sat., July 24, 2021

A fire that started near Silverwood Theme Park on Friday afternoon was 75 acres and 75% contained, according to the Idaho Department of Lands Saturday evening.

News

Suspects arrested after one dead, two wounded in Friday night shooting at Spokane Valley bar

UPDATED: Sat., July 24, 2021

One person died and two went to the hospital after a shooting early Saturday morning at a bar on Sprague Avenue in Spokane Valley.

News > Pacific NW

Thousands forced to evacuate Silverwood Theme Park as wildfire quickly spreads

UPDATED: Fri., July 23, 2021

Thousands of people were forced to evacuate Silverwood Theme Park late Friday afternoon as a rapidly expanding wildfire approached.

News

Family of Sally Jackson remembers her activism, wit during memorial service Saturday

UPDATED: Sun., July 25, 2021

When asked how many of them were taught to swim by Sally Jackson or had a family member who had been, nearly every hand went into the air.

News > K-12 education

Spokane Public Schools paid $275,000 to family of student restrained by resource officer

UPDATED: Fri., July 23, 2021

Spokane Public Schools paid $275,000 to a student and his family involved in a 2019 excessive force incident at Ferris High School where a school resource officer pinned a student to the floor to stop a fight.

News > Crime/Public Safety

As police-reform laws go into effect, sheriffs and activists disagree on their effectiveness

Fri., July 23, 2021

A group of 20 sheriffs and police chiefs expressed concern at a news conference Thursday about police reform legislation they say will hurt their ability to do their job, while community activists and families affected by police violence say this should only be the start of accountability.

News > Crime/Public Safety

Spokane Valley deputy found justified in November fatal shooting

UPDATED: Thu., July 22, 2021

The Spokane County Prosecuting Attorney has decided not to file criminal charges against a Spokane Valley police officer who fatally shot Nicholas Kausshen last November following a high-speed chase involving multiple patrol officers.

News > Crime/Public Safety

Police arrest driver on suspicion of assault after car crashes into bike

UPDATED: Thu., July 22, 2021

Spokane County sheriff’s deputies arrested a driver after a vehicle hit a bicyclist who was transported to a hospital with possible life-threatening injuries Tuesday.

News > Crime/Public Safety

Fast-moving fire on Spokane Reservation in Stevens County grows to 200 acres

UPDATED: Wed., July 21, 2021

A fire on the Spokane Reservation in Stevens County grew to 200 acres Wednesday evening and caused immediate evacuations for residents in the area.

News > Spokane

Spokane police host crisis-intervention training to prepare for mental health calls; ‘It makes it much more real’

UPDATED: Wed., July 21, 2021

Officers tested their de-escalation tactics during mock scenarios that replicated mental health calls during a crisis intervention training program put on by the Spokane Police Department on Wednesday afternoon.

News > Crime/Public Safety

Hot, dry conditions fuel several wildfires in Eastern Washington, Idaho

UPDATED: Tue., July 20, 2021

Fires continued to torch the Spokane region Tuesday, with no relief in the near future due to expected dry lightning storms, hot temperatures and low humidity.

News > Crime/Public Safety

Fire torches garage on West Plains and completely destroys camper

UPDATED: Wed., July 21, 2021

A fire on Westbow Boulevard on the West Plains torched a residential garage, the truck inside it and a nearby camper on Tuesday morning.

News

‘Unprecedented conditions’ lead to resource shortages for firefighting agencies

Tue., July 20, 2021

Local fire agencies have put out the call for more support staff as they continue to battle what officials have called an unusually intense wildfire season amid a shortage of workers.

News

Spokane reopens cooling center location Sunday due to heat warning

UPDATED: Sat., July 17, 2021

With temperatures expected to stay in the mid- to upper 90s Sunday, the city of Spokane promised 1,000 spots at the Looff Carrousel cooling center from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.

News > Crime/Public Safety

Fires grow in Washington, Idaho with heat advisory in place

UPDATED: Sat., July 17, 2021

As the Chuweah Fire in Okanogan County torched more than 30,000 acres Friday, other fires in Eastern Washington and North Idaho also tested fire departments.

A&E > Art

Annual sale of bowls made by Spokane artists returns with 2,000 items at Manito Park

UPDATED: Mon., July 19, 2021

Within an hour of opening, Karen Mannino’s collection was running low. She placed more intricately designed bowls on one of the tables at Manito Park as shoppers perused a selection of more than 2,000 premade ceramic bowls from Spokane-based Urban Art Co-op.

News > Religion

Spokane Valley pastor’s social media apology for ‘one-piece swimsuit only’ rule goes viral

Sat., July 17, 2021

A Spokane Valley youth pastor’s social media post went viral after he apologized for setting a rule at the summer camps he supervised that girls could only wear one-piece bathing suits.

News > Crime/Public Safety

New fires erupt, prompting immediate evacuations near Rice and Winthrop as forecast remains unclear

UPDATED: Sat., July 17, 2021

For the first time in about a month, the National Weather Service in Spokane said the area saw an average temperature, as the high Friday at the Spokane International Airport was 84, and the average for July 16 is 85.

News > Spokane

On a ‘round-the-world’ journey, international runner completes her 395th marathon in Spokane

UPDATED: Thu., July 15, 2021

As she finished her 395th marathon, Marie Leautey, of France, found herself greeted by several Spokane distance runners who met her on the Sunset Highway on Thursday afternoon.

News > Crime/Public Safety

Wildfires grow in Washington, Idaho as forecast shows some signs of relief for Spokane

UPDATED: Thu., July 15, 2021

A red flag warning remained in place for much of Eastern Washington through Thursday as firefighters continued to manage numerous wildfires in the region, including a new one near Metaline Falls that spurred evacuations.

News

Area fires grow as heat, smoke linger in Spokane region

UPDATED: Wed., July 14, 2021

Several wildfires continued to burn in the Spokane region Wednesday as lingering heat and drought challenged firefighting efforts. Here’s an update on the regional wildfires:

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