Wilson Criscione

Voters in two northern Spokane County fire districts that were slammed in two recent storms won wide support for tax proposals in Tuesday’s primary. Both tax proposals easily surpassed the 60 percent threshold needed to pass.

Leonard Christian was appointed a state representative early this year to fill a vacancy created by the retirement of state Rep. Larry Crouse. Diana Wilhite is a former Spokane Valley mayor who has been active in local politics for decades. Bob McCaslin, a kindergarten teacher with the Central Valley School District, shares the name of his late father who served in the state Senate for more than 30 years.

As a round of cars passed Douglas Seibold and his crinkled cardboard sign that read “anything is nice?” at Division and Third, he finished the last of his late-morning beer and tossed the empty Rolling Rock tall can in the trash. Seibold has been panhandling on downtown Spokane streets for several months. At nights, he finds a bed at Spokane’s House of Charity, a shelter that lets people in sober or not. During the day he’s out on the street asking for money.

The 6th Legislative District is bound for another expensive campaign season, as Democrat Rich Cowan challenges incumbent Republican state Sen. Mike Baumgartner in November. Although they are the only two candidates in the race, making the Aug. 5 primary election almost inconsequential, they have already raised over $400,000 combined.

A reputed drug trafficker linked to a major Eastern Washington methamphetamine ring pleaded guilty to federal charges on Thursday. Rafael Villa-Rico could face up to life in prison when sentenced in October, but the standard sentencing range is 14 to 18 years, authorities said. He was arrested on Jan. 2 and charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute over 50 grams of methamphetamine following an earlier Tri-Cities raid that yielded about 4 pounds of the drug.

Five weeks before she starts her new job leading Eastern Washington University, Mary Cullinan already is facing doubts from EWU’s faculty. Cullinan was selected by EWU’s board of trustees earlier this month to replace retiring university President Rodolfo Arevalo. Cullinan is the president at Southern Oregon University, where earlier this year she was given a vote of no-confidence by the faculty senate.

Classmates at Lakeside High School were invited to write condolences to the family of Casey Burt, the 17-year-old who drowned in an Alaska river after a fishing boat capsized on Sunday. The school was open Thursday morning, one day after Alaska troopers recovered Burt’s body following a search effort by other fishermen, friends and family members.

Casey Burt, a 17-year-old from Nine Mile Falls, is missing after a fishing boat overturned in Alaska on Sunday. Burt was on a 26-foot skiff with three other commercial fishermen when it capsized and threw all four into the Ugashik River near Pilot Point, according to Tim DeSpain, a spokesman for the Alaska State Troopers.