Week in Review
What a difference four years makes. As a candidate making Northwest campaign swings in 2000, George W. Bush vowed that the four Snake River dams in Eastern Washington would not be breached. Salmon were in trouble, but America could save its natural resources and its power-producing dams, too, Bush said. That was soothing news to folks in Lewiston and the Palouse, who have come to rely on the barge traffic the dams make possible. Today, salmon runs are indeed healthier. Many scientists say that’s largely because ocean conditions have improved. The currents could eventually reverse themselves, but fishermen are enjoying longer, more-productive seasons in the meantime, and river communities are benefiting from increased tourism. So dams aren’t the talk of this year’s campaign. In fact, many Northwest residents may have missed Tuesday’s announcement that the federal government plans to take dam-breaching off the table as a tool for salmon restoration. Environmentalists told the Associated Press they’ll fight the decision.
MONDAY
“ Forest Service green is giving way to Forest Service white. The federal agency now purchases only white vehicles because they cost less and hold their value better.
“ The Kalispel Tribe plans to develop a shopping mall with a big-box store next to its Northern Quest Casino, within the boundaries of Airway Heights. And the Spokane Tribe wants the town to annex 145 acres primed for commercial development. Both parcels are heading for tax-exempt status, and are exempt from local and federal environmental regulations and building permits.
TUESDAY
“ Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Co. unveiled its new Rathdrum Prairie high-speed fueling station. Trains will refuel with 10,000 gallons of diesel within 45 minutes, shaving eight hours off the typical fuel stop. The $42 million project was opposed in 1997 by citizens groups and some elected officials who feared it would threaten the aquifer.
“ A $300,000 motor home stolen in Louisiana was recovered when the owner of a Spokane Valley RV dealership became suspicious of two men who tried to sell him the 43-foot vehicle at a bargain price. The 2005 Mountain Aire features such amenities as a plasma TV, custom paint job and canopies that automatically retract.
“ Washington state has agreed to pay $4.5 million to the parents of a Spokane girl who suffered a fractured skull this year at a day-care business with a history of complaints. The parents had argued that the Department of Social and Health Services could have prevented the injury had it acted sooner and revoked the license of Danette Zaring, who faces charges of first-degree assault.
WEDNESDAY
“ Washington will join the Colville Confederated Tribes’ recent lawsuit against Teck Cominco Ltd., a Canadian mining company that has polluted the Columbia River for decades. Legal experts say it’s the first time a foreign company has been sued under U.S. Superfund cleanup laws.
“ Spokane Public Schools students scored better than ever last year on SAT tests, which help determine whether a student is admitted to a particular college. The nationally administered tests will change next year, and a perfect score will be 2,400 instead of 1,600.
“ Joe Genova, the founder of Ron’s Drive-In, died Monday at age 89. Genova operated the drive-in from 1958 until 1995. It didn’t have indoor seating until 1979, but was the center of teen activity in the Spokane Valley.
“ A teen is in critical condition after his friend crashed a stolen car in north Spokane. The driver faces felony charges of car theft, vehicular assault and eluding a police officer. Both boys are 16 and had been at a party where a third teen noticed her keys were missing and her car gone.
“ Many Washington doctors will ask their patients to sign a petition favoring malpractice reform. Initiative 330 would cap so-called pain and suffering damages. Doctors blame their rising malpractice insurance premiums on large jury awards and out-of-court settlements to injured patients.
“ About 20 percent of Idaho seniors took the SAT test last year, about 7 percent more than the previous year. They tested higher than the national average.
THURSDAY
Americans may grouse about the high price of gasoline, but few will let the cost of driving keep them home during the Labor Day weekend. The AAA expects a record 34.1 million people to hit the road for trips of more than 50 miles.
“ A jury of nine commissioned officers found Army Spc. Ryan G. Anderson guilty of attempted treason. Anderson’s attorney had argued that the Washington State University graduate is a mentally troubled chronic liar, not the military expert and Muslim extremist he claimed to be when he met with undercover military counterintelligence agents he thought were terrorists. He was sentenced to life in prison.
“ A Spokane Valley man apologized for setting fire to his girlfriend’s house after an argument. The woman, who had gone to get her children from day care, lost everything when the rental burned.
“ Results released this week showed most Spokane County schools saw increased scores on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning tests taken last fall. The tests are taken in fourth, seventh and 10th grades. Passing the WASL is a graduation requirement, starting with this year’s freshman class.
FRIDAY
As local GOP supporters cheered President Bush’s televised speech at the Republican National Convention, labor organizers went door-to-door in Spokane, urging union members to help defeat him.
“ The uncle of a murder victim is being accused of using her name to scam eight Spokane and Coeur d’Alene businesses who say they’ve gotten nothing after giving the Rev. John Stone money for benches that would advertise their businesses and alert the public to missing children. Stone, who lives in Arizona, started the Valiree Jackson Charitable Foundation after the 9-year-old Spokane Valley girl was killed by her father in 1999. Brad Jackson is serving 56 years in prison.
“ There are 250,000 acres of private forestland in Spokane County, and much of it is showing the impact of diseases, weed infestations and overcrowding. Washington State University is offering a six-week forest stewardship course in Spokane.
COMING UP
“ Idaho’s Shoshone County is a haven for ATV riders from across the nation. Learn how that’s stressing law enforcement, in Tuesday’s Spokesman-Review.