Stories by Thomas Clouse for the Spokesman-Review

News > Spokane

$30 million water lawsuit over Spokane water bills plows forward

UPDATED: Thu., Jan. 17, 2019

A $30 million lawsuit challenging the way Spokane charges county residents for city water is coming to a utility bill near you.

News > Spokane

Former Spokane chef sentenced to 20 years for enticing minors for sex acts

UPDATED: Fri., Jan. 11, 2019

A longtime Spokane chef has been sentenced to 20 years in prison on federal charges that he enticed two girls, ages 13 and 15, into making explicit videos and tried to do the same with a third. The girls live in Las Vegas, Atlanta and Houston.

News > Spokane

United flight out of Spokane strikes bird diverts to Seattle

UPDATED: Fri., Jan. 11, 2019

A United Airlines jet that took off Friday morning from Spokane struck a bird and then faced visibility problems at the airport that prompted the pilots to divert to Seattle, an airport spokesman said.

News > Washington

Former Tonasket officer says mayor asked him to change name because ‘Jose’ sounded too Hispanic

UPDATED: Thu., Jan. 10, 2019

The city of Tonasket has disbanded its police department and a City Council member has called for the mayor to step down after an officer came forward with allegations that the mayor instructed him start using the name “Joseph” because “Jose” sounded “too Hispanic.”

Sports > Area sports

Sources: Pat Whitcomb fired as North Idaho wrestling coach amid academic integrity investigation

UPDATED: Tue., Jan. 8, 2019

According to multiple sources, North Idaho College has fired the longtime wrestling coach Pat Whitcomb following an external review that found possible violations of academic integrity within the athletics Department.

News > Spokane

Spokane Police charge third suspect in fatal drive-by shooting from July

Mon., Jan. 7, 2019

A Pierce County juvenile, who was linked by witnesses and fingerprints to a fatal drive-by shooting that occurred last summer in Spokane, appeared in court on Monday on the charge of first-degree murder.

News > Crime/Public Safety

Mead teacher charged with sexual misconduct with student remains on payroll

Sun., Jan. 6, 2019

A Mead High School teacher, who is charged with felony sexual misconduct with one of his students, remains on the school district’s payroll and will likely receive a full year’s worth of salary before his case goes to trial later this year.

News > Crime/Public Safety

Adult film actress from Post Falls pleads not guilty to murder-for-hire charges

UPDATED: Wed., Jan. 2, 2019

An adult film actress from Post Falls made her first appearance in federal court in Coeur d’Alene on Wednesday and pleaded not guilty charges that she tried to hire someone to kill another person.

News > Spokane

Lynn Everson provides safety and support through needle exchange program

Sun., Dec. 30, 2018

For the past three decades, Lynn Everson has greeted society’s outcasts with a cookie, a clean needle and a welcome ear.

News > Weather

Snow hits Spokane and North Idaho just as commuters head home for weekend

UPDATED: Fri., Dec. 28, 2018

A winter storm will bring snow accumulations throughout the Spokane and North Idaho region and is expected to hit just as commuters head home from work Friday afternoon.

News > Spokane

Ready for Grandma duty: Superior Court Judge Clark retires after 25-year run on the bench

Fri., Dec. 28, 2018

All 4 feet 11 inches of Superior Court Judge Ellen Kalama Clark, including her thick-soled tennis shoes, walked around the corner one early morning at the Spokane County Courthouse and encountered a group of juvenile boys outside of Juvenile Court.

News > Spokane

Planned $15M behavioral health building at Spokane VA Medical Center canceled

Wed., Dec. 26, 2018

While discussions and promises of moving to 24-hour urgent care has dominated much of the discussion around Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center, the leadership has continued to pursue other construction projects needed to upgrade and support the hospital as it moves forward.

News > Spokane

WSU investigation finds Jason Gesser violated sexual harassment policy

UPDATED: Thu., Dec. 20, 2018

Alyssa Bodeau didn’t know how her life would change after she decided to come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against former Washington State University quarterback Jason Gesser.

Sports > EWU football

Status of Eastern Washington football standout Jay-Tee Tiuli uncertain following felony arrest

UPDATED: Thu., Dec. 20, 2018

The playing status of Eastern Washington star defensive tackle Jay-Tee Tiuli remains in question following his arrest earlier this month for felony assault after a police officer said he witnessed Tiuli kicking his brother in the head, which rendered him unconscious.

News > Spokane

Post Falls adult film actress charged with attempted murder for hire

UPDATED: Wed., Dec. 19, 2018

Federal agents arrested a Post Falls adult film actress Wednesday morning at Spokane International Airport on charges that she tried to hire someone to kill a person.

News > Crime/Public Safety

Convict linked to two unsolved Spokane cases has parole denied in Idaho

UPDATED: Fri., Dec. 14, 2018

A man who is a suspect in the 2010 disappearance of a Spokane woman and the 2012 killing of another has been denied parole by Idaho officials and must remain in prison for his conviction stemming from a 2014 attack against a Coeur d’Alene woman who was twice choked unconscious.

News > Idaho

Bonner County election officials discover 396 uncounted ballots from November election

UPDATED: Fri., Dec. 14, 2018

Bonner County elections officials noticed something was wrong on Wednesday when they tried to balance the number of registered voters against the number of ballots counted.

News > Nation

House passes farm bill, sending it to Trump’s desk

UPDATED: Wed., Dec. 12, 2018

The House easily passed a compromise farm bill Wednesday, sending the massive legislative package that reauthorizes agriculture programs and food aid to President Donald Trump for ratification.

News > Spokane

Judges overturn attempted-murder conviction in baseball bat attack on EWU student

UPDATED: Wed., Dec. 12, 2018

A man who joked on tape about whether his baseball-bat beating caused his victim to become “retarded” had his conviction for attempted first-degree murder vacated by the state Court of Appeals.

News > Military

Citing medical records project, Mann-Grandstaff VA delays 24-hour urgent care to 2020

UPDATED: Thu., Nov. 29, 2018

The promised 24-hour urgent care at Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center has lost its urgency with the challenge of the hospital becoming the pilot project for the U.S. Department of Veterans Veterans Affairs’ $10 billion effort to update its electronic medical records, the new VA director said.

News > Spokane

Convicted tax-evading Spokane CPA seeks relief from federal prosecutors

UPDATED: Tue., Nov. 27, 2018

After pleading guilty in 2016 to filing false tax returns for his businesses, a Spokane certified public accountant was back in federal court Monday arguing about the $400,000 in restitution that he agreed to pay and against a request by government attorneys to interview him under oath about the extent of his business dealings.

Sports > WSU football

Washington State’s Gardner Minshew, and his mustache, leave Martin Stadium with myriad memories

UPDATED: Fri., Nov. 23, 2018

He took Pullman by storm, but Washington State quarterback Gardner Minshew’s final game in Pullman was doomed in the Apple Cup on Friday by a storm that only the Palouse could produce.

Sports > WSU football

Snow be gone: Washington State crews clear Martin Stadium field at halftime of Apple Cup

UPDATED: Fri., Nov. 23, 2018

Once the band exited stage left, the plow crews began work of allowing fans to again see the yard lines and end zones in the 111th Apple Cup.

Sports > WSU football

Red-zone fumble keeps Washington State off the board in first quarter for sixth straight Apple Cup

UPDATED: Fri., Nov. 23, 2018

The failed WSU drive was set up by a Skyler Thomas interception of Jake Browning.

News > Spokane

Colfax officials drop ‘Minshew’ from mustache giveaway to comply with NCAA rules

Thu., Nov. 22, 2018

Only on the Palouse can the craze over the facial hair of a Heisman trophy-candidate quarterback lead to a cease-and-desist letter and nearly lead to an NCAA rules violation.

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