Noam Chomsky to speak at Gonzaga

The doors open at Gonzaga University’s Martin Centre at 6 p.m. today for those wishing to attend the lecture by Noam Chomsky, a renowned linguist and leading U.S. dissident intellectual.

Chomsky’s speech, “America’s Quest for Global Dominance,” the first in the fledgling Gonzaga Faculty Speaker Series, begins at 7 p.m. It is free and open to the public.

Rumors that tickets are sold out are untrue because tickets are not being sold, said Susan English, a GU instructor and member of the faculty committee bringing Chomsky to Spokane.

With the exception of reserved seating for university faculty, admission is on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets for the purpose of counting the audience at the insistence of the fire marshal will be distributed to those first in line, English said. After inquiries from as far away as British Columbia, Idaho and central Washington, she said, it was decided to make bleacher seating available.

The center can accommodate 2,600 people for tonight’s event. Saving seats for late-comers will not be allowed, English said.

Chomsky, 76, a professor of linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is a prominent critic of U.S. foreign policy.

He is also scheduled to speak in Pullman on Friday at 3:30 p.m. in the Beasley Performing Arts Coliseum at Washington State University.

Cab driver reports being robbed downtown

A taxi cab driver told Spokane police on Wednesday morning that a knife-wielding man robbed him.

The 35-year-old Yellow Cab driver said the man waved him over at Third Avenue and Lincoln Street at about 4 a.m. Wednesday. The man got into the cab, saying he wanted to go to the area of 2000 West 17th Avenue, police spokesman Dick Cottam said in a press release.

When the driver arrived at the address, the passenger put a knife to his throat, Cottam said. The man demanded the driver’s money and took a small amount of cash, Cottam said.

The driver suffered a 2-inch cut to the side of his neck and small cut on the back of his hand during the incident. Afterward, the suspect ran west on 17th Avenue, Cottam said.

The driver described the man as a black male in his mid-30s. He stood about 5 feet 10, 190 pounds with shoulder length hair. He was wearing a red flannel shirt, Cottam said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the TIPS line, (509) 242-8477.

GU to host CROP Hunger Walk on Sunday

CROP Hunger Walk ‘05 – a fund-raiser to alleviate poverty locally and throughout the world – will be Sunday at Gonzaga University’s Martin Centre.

Registration and entertainment by Kids & Company, vocalist Merridee Joy and others will start at noon. The two-kilometer and 10-kilometer walks along the Centennial Trail will start at 1 p.m. and will be led by the Angus Scott Bagpipe Band.

Proceeds help the work of Church World Service, a nonprofit organization that aids the needy in 50 countries. Twenty-five percent of the money raised will benefit local organizations including Second Harvest Inland Northwest, Interfaith Hospitality Network of Spokane, Mid-City Concerns Meals on Wheels and Spokane Valley Meals on Wheels. Cans of food for Second Harvest also will be collected during the event.

Entrants don’t need to have sponsors in advance; they can get sponsors afterward or they can even sponsor themselves.

Spokane is one of more than 2,000 communities that sponsor a CROP Walk annually. Last year, participants in Spokane raised a record $27,943.

The event is a project of CWS and the Interfaith Council. For more information, call (509) 326-5656.

Sheriff’s deputy injured in motorcycle crash

A Spokane County sheriff’s deputy suffered minor injuries when he lost control of a brand new Harley-Davidson motorcycle and crashed at about noon on Wednesday.

Deputy Brad Nave was thrown from the motorcycle, which flipped, and was initially unconscious, Undersheriff Dave Wiyrick said.

Nave and Deputy Randy Stezlecki were ferrying two new motorcycles back from Montana to Spokane and had just come through Thompson Falls Pass on their way to Kingston, Idaho, Wiyrick said.

Wiyrick said Nave was going around a curve when he hit some gravel on the highway and the bike began fishtailing. Nave went off the side of the motorcycle as it flipped.

“He had his helmet on but he lost consciousness for a short period of time,” Wiyrick said. “He was up walking around but they transported him as a precaution.”

The new motorcycle suffered extensive damage. It’s part of a lease program where the Sheriff’s Office gets use of the motorcycles for about $500 or $600 for a year, Wiyrick said.

“The bike isn’t the issue. We just wanted to make sure he’s OK,” he said. “He’s very lucky.”

Registration open until day before Kids Run

It’s not too late to sign up for America’s Kids Run, which will be held Saturday.

The event, formerly called Junior Bloomsday, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. So far, about 3,000 children have registered, and organizers expect another 500 or so to sign up by Saturday.

To participate, sign up at the Ag Trade Center Friday between 2 and 8 p.m. It now costs $10 per child.

Local participants must pick up their race numbers Friday, also during those times at the Ag Trade Center. Children must have their race numbers to run.

Only out-of-town participants may pick up their numbers at Joe Albi Stadium, where America’s Kids Run will be held, on Saturday starting at 8 a.m. Registration isn’t allowed Saturday.

The event starts at 8:45 a.m. with the Middle School Championship, the only timed race of the day. After that, wheelchair participants start the course at 9, followed by 12-year-olds down to 5-year-olds throughout the day. The courses range from a half mile to two miles, depending on age.

For more information, visit www.americaskidsrun.org.

Trooper injured when suspect rams patrol car

A suspect rammed a Washington State Patrol car early Wednesday, seriously injuring a trooper’s hand.

The male suspect, described as white, between 18 and 20 years old, wearing blue jeans and a dark coat, remained at large, officials said.

About 4 a.m., the trooper, whose name was not released, was patrolling in the area of Loretta Drive and 32nd Avenue when he saw two men who appeared to be car prowling, police said.

One suspect fled on foot, said Jeff Sevigney, a Washington State Patrol trooper. The other suspect jumped into a white truck and sped away.

The trooper stopped the truck at 17th Avenue and Pines Road where he cornered the suspect in the truck, Sevigney said. The suspect then rammed the trooper’s car several times.

Sevigney said the trooper would likely need to have surgery on his hand.

Anyone with information as to the whereabouts of the suspect should call (509) 456-4101.

Trial in Idaho student’s slaying delayed

Moscow, Idaho A judge has delayed the murder and conspiracy trial of three Washington state men accused in the shooting death of a University of Idaho student last fall.

The new trial date of Sept. 19 is exactly one year after Eric McMillan, 19, was killed. Police say he was shot twice – once in the chest and once behind the ear – with different weapons.

Brothers Matthew R. Wells II and James J. Wells, both of Seattle, and their nephew, Thomas J. Riggins of Kent, Wash., had been scheduled for trial in May.