Fairchild store broken into
The Basic Exchange store, known as the BX, at Fairchild Air Force Base was shut down Thursday as investigators tried to determine who broke into the store and stole expensive items, a base spokesman said.
The Air Force’s Office of Special Investigations is gathering information after someone broke into the store Wednesday night. The BX sells a variety of goods, including electronics, clothing and jewelry, 2nd Lt. Ethan Stoker said.
Only those people with base IDs can shop at the store, he said. It’s expected to open for normal hours today.
Investigators didn’t want to say what was stolen or how much it was worth other than to say it’s a “high dollar value,” Stoker said.
Asked if the thief lives on the base, Stoker said he couldn’t confirm that because people can get on base if they are with someone with a military ID.
“They feel pretty confident that they are going to catch the person,” Stoker said.
Car hits pole, knocks out power
Avista crews were working late Thursday to restore power to 443 customers northwest of Spokane.
The outage occurred just after 7 p.m., when a car crashed into a power pole along state Highway 291 near the Nine Mile Falls Dam, said Debbie Simock, Avista spokeswoman.
Workers planned to be at the scene through the night to replace the pole, and expected power to be restored by about 4 a.m., Simock said.
Spokane residents improve after crash
The conditions of seven Spokane residents hospitalized after a Florida car crash that killed one of their relatives have improved.
The victims were taken to Tampa General Hospital after Tuesday’s accident, which killed Kathleen Heitner, 54, also of Spokane.
The family was on vacation and headed to the Disney World area.
The hospital reported Thursday afternoon that Stephanie Heitner, 32, Chris Heitner, 32, and Zachary Cornell, 10, have been released. Brant Heitner, 12; Jordan Reiner, 14; and Sarah Cornell, 30, were listed in good condition.
David Cornell, 29, was listed in serious condition.
Deputies cleared in shooting inquiry
TacomaThree Pierce County sheriff’s deputies were justified in shooting to death a drunken, agitated and suicidal man who pointed a rifle at them south of Puyallup, authorities have decided.
Deputies Brent Van Dyke, Joe McDonald and Brian Thompson were cleared in separate investigations by the medical examiner’s and prosecutor’s offices into the death of Billy Floyd Carter, 46. Van Dyke and Thompson joined the sheriff’s office four years ago and McDonald is an 11-year veteran.
“There are no facts, evidence or statements in dispute,” Prosecutor Gerald A. Horne said Wednesday. “The deputies involved acted in strict conformity with state law.”
Tulalip Tribes face housing sanctions
Tulalip Disarray in the Tulalip Tribes’ low-income housing program has resulted in more than $4.8 million in sanctions by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Citing “serious outstanding performance issues” in tribal management of low-income housing grants from 1999 to 2004, federal officials announced the action Wednesday and Tulalip officials immediately said they would appeal to an administrative law judge.