Thomas Clouse

The horde of floating craft looked like a cross between “Waterworld” and a Macy’s parade. As they have for decades, boaters on Loon Lake decked out their watercraft in stars and stripes and topped the event off with a war of water balloons as they paraded along the docks on Independence Day.

A mentally ill felon from Spokane who has a history of threatening violence and escaping custody was arrested Tuesday in connection with the June killing of a Lake Stevens, Wash., woman, who was found bound with electrical cords and stabbed to death. Based on a DNA match linking him to the electrical cords, Snohomish County detectives have charged Anthony E. Garver, 25, with first-degree murder in connection with the slaying of 20-year-old Phillipa S. Evans-Lopez, who was discovered dead June 17 inside her home.

Brothers who steal together may get to stay together – for an extended period of time. Spokane brothers Donald G. Myhren, 31, and 27-year-old Dustin J. Myhren pleaded guilty Tuesday to a wide swath of home break-ins across Spokane County that included the theft of thousands of dollars worth of jewelry, a firearm and other loot. Twice, authorities said, homeowners who confronted the burglars were threatened at gunpoint as the brothers fled.

Federal budget cuts totaling 23 percent over two years could mean attorneys who are appointed to represent the poorest defendants in Eastern Washington’s federal court will receive pink slips in the next four months. Andrea George, executive director of Federal Defenders of Eastern Washington and Idaho, said she will be forced to lay off employees, if the automatic budget cuts, known as sequestration, take effect at the beginning of the fiscal year on Oct. 1.

The man killed Sunday near Colville had raised his arms in the air and asked his brother if he was going to shoot, according to court documents released Thursday. The answer resulted in first-degree murder charge against Eric M. Harris, 48. Court records indicate that Harris and his brother, Larch Harris, split the estate of their father, who recently died.

A fire caused serious damage to a lower South Hill home today while the homeowner was outside on his porch.

A federal judge Wednesday weighed legal punishment of an admitted embezzler against compassion for a mother trying to provide daily care for her terminally ill son. Federal defender John “Jay” McEntire asked U.S. District Court Judge Edward Shea to allow his 61-year-old client, Corine Bullard, to serve her prison term during the weekends to allow her to work and care for her son, 44-year-old Shaun Moore.

A Spokane man pleaded guilty today to stabbing his stepgrandfather and stepfather in two separate incidents in January and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

The city of Spokane has agreed to pay $49,500 to a guest of the Davenport Hotel who suffered shoulder injuries when he was tackled by police in 2008. Charles J. Potter was charged with obstruction of justice and resisting arrest in connection with an August 2008 confrontation in which he expressed concern about how police were treating two young men they were arresting. He was acquitted by a Spokane Municipal Court jury, then sued officers Corey Lyons and Jake Jensen in U.S. District Court.

Dressed in a blue shirt with a big, white kitty on the front, 3-year-old Danika Packard sat on the courtroom bench eating cereal from a plastic baggy and smiling at anyone who caught her attention. The happy little girl gave no indication of the horror she and her parents endured last year when a drunken driver crashed into her father, Danny Packard, as he rode his bicycle, and then ran over Danika, who was riding in a specially equipped trailer. The impact disintegrated Danika’s helmet as the driver, Timmy Ngoc Nguyen, 23, kept driving and returned to the apartment where he and fellow Gonzaga University law students were taking part in a “Beer Olympics.”

The man who died last week following a confrontation with Spokane County sheriff’s deputies outside a South Hill gym stopped breathing after being put into a chokehold, according to new details released Thursday. The deputy who used the hold, technically referred to as a lateral vascular neck restraint, did so only after 34-year-old William Berger kept struggling despite three shocks with a Taser, investigators said. During that struggle, Berger also reportedly grabbed a Taser and tried to use it on one of the deputies, according to Washington State Patrol Trooper Jeff Sevigney.

New details released today indicate that the man who died last week following a confrontation with Spokane County Sheriff's deputies stopped breathing after one of the deputies put him in chokehold designed to restrict blood flow to the brain.

A former Spokane man persuaded 50 investors to pay about $1.5 million to build an ethanol plant on the West Plains that never materialized, according to an indictment unsealed in federal court Wednesday. Robert J. Braun, 53, faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $5 million after he was indicted on 27 felony counts of wire and securities fraud.

The Stevens County Sheriff’s Office has completed its sexual misconduct investigation of Colville police Officer Rex Newport and has turned the case over to prosecutors. Stevens County Prosecutor Tim Rasmussen said he has formally requested that the state Office of Attorney General handle charging decisions and any potential prosecution of the longtime officer.

The Stevens County Sheriff’s office has completed its sexual misconduct investigation of Colville Police Officer Rex Newport and has turned the case over to prosecutors.

A man has died after he was shocked with a Taser during a confrontation Thursday night with Spokane County sheriff’s deputies outside a South Hill gym. The Washington State Patrol has been named the lead investigating agency after Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich requested its help as part of the local critical-incident protocol.