Firefighter injured in house blaze
A Spokane firefighter was injured as she and other firefighters battled a house fire Monday morning.
Firefighter Andrea Kernkamp suffered a dislocated knee and was taken to an area hospital. She was expected to be released Monday, Brown said.
Battalion Chief Dan Brown said the fire was reported at 7:05 a.m. at 2812 E. Fifth Ave.
Crews searched the home and began to fight the fire. The woman who lives in the two-story home was not injured. However, the fire extended to the second floor and roof and it took about 40 minutes before firefighters had the blaze under control, Brown said.
The house was extensively damaged from the fire that started on the back porch. Fire investigators were on the scene but had not determined the cause, Brown said.
Judge delays espionage case
For the fourth time, a federal judge has delayed the trial of a former Spokane couple accused of stealing and distributing top-secret national security documents.
Rafael Davila and his former wife, Deborah Cummings, were scheduled to stand trial in Spokane on Feb. 7, but that date was vacated late last week at the request of their respective defense attorneys, Mark Vovos and Christian Phelps.
The attorneys, who have not asked for separate trials, said they still need additional time to prepare adequate defenses for their clients.
U.S. District Court Judge Robert Whaley granted the defense request and set a new trial date of June 6.
Davila, a former Washington Army National Guard intelligence officer, and Cummings, a former special education teacher, are charged with delivery or attempted delivery of documents relating to the national defense and disclosure of classified information.
The pair, arrested by FBI agents on Feb. 4, 2003, are now both out of jail.
The case is being prosecuted under strict security provisions of the Classified Information Procedures Act, which governs the handling of top-secret government documents.
Moscow man charged in stabbing
A 22-year-old Moscow, Idaho, man has been charged with stabbing a man Monday morning in Pullman.
The 22-year-old victim, who has not been identified, underwent surgery and received treatment for knife wounds to his neck, chest and face, Moscow Police Lt. David Lehmitz said in a press release.
The 911 call came into police at 2:01 a.m. and officers responded to the 1200 block of West A Street, Lehmitz said.
Officers found the victim and he was transported to Gritman Medical Center.
The victim and witnesses told police that an argument escalated into a fight between the victim and Travis Allen Van Caster. Officers located Van Caster and arrested him on the charge of aggravated battery, Lehmitz said.
Detectives continue to investigate the case. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Tyson Berrett at (208) 882-2677.
Chase Youth Awards nominations open
Nominations for the 2004 Chase Youth Awards are now open. The Chase Youth Awards recognize youth, middle school and teen contributions in the categories of citizenship, courage, community service, creativity, diversity, leadership and personal achievement.
Parents, teachers, friends and family may nominate someone they believe is deserving of recognition.
Every nominee automatically receives an invitation to attend a public ceremony at the Spokane Opera House on March 24.
The nomination forms are available at local libraries, schools and community centers. Online nominations may be submitted at www.chaseyouth.org.
The deadline for nominations is Monday.
For more information call 625-6440.
CV School District to hold facilities meeting
The Central Valley School District will hold the fourth in a series of 12 community meetings tonight to present the district’s proposed facilities concept.
The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. at Greenacres Elementary School, 17915 E. Fourth Ave.
Students, parents and residents in the Greenacres community are urged to attend to learn more about the proposal created to address the building needs of the district over the next six to eight years, said Melanie Rose, district spokeswoman.
Tonight’s meeting is being held in partnership with Greenacres Middle School, Rose said.
The district is currently in the process of seeking community input on the proposed facilities concept, which includes building two new schools and remodeling others.
The school board voted in November to take the concept out to the community for input before taking action on the plan.
A community-based committee will begin meeting to review the comments collected at the meetings, before making a recommendation to the school board in March.
The next meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Feb. 1, at North Pines Middle School, 701 N. Pines Road.
Comments are accepted online, by e-mail, or in written correspondence. For more information call 228-5405 or go online to www.cvsd.org.
Missing man’s truck found
Matlock, Wash. The pickup truck of a missing Tumwater man has been found on a remote logging road near the Mason-Grays Harbor county line, but the owner remains missing, investigators said.
Brush pickers found the white Dodge truck belonging to Samuel Witcraft, 34, on Friday, apparently abandoned with the keys inside and no sign of damage or violence, Mason County Sheriff Steven C. Whybark said.
“More and more it doesn’t look like a suicide situation,” Whybark said. “The sense is this is a vehicle that’s just been dumped there. Whether he did it or somebody else did it, that’s what we don’t know.”
The location is 20 miles from where Witcraft was last seen January 3 when he left a logging site near Matlock to contact someone in Grays Harbor County for welding work on his logging equipment and never arrived.
Permanent water chlorination approved
Lacey, Wash. The City Council has agreed to permanent chlorination of the city’s water system, which serves about 50,000 customers in and out of the city limits.
Mayor Virgil Clarkson said it’s the right move in the interest of public health.
For more than a year, the city has been trying to rid the water system of coliform bacteria. Tests conducted in September 2003 discovered an unacceptable number of contaminated samples. The bacteria can indicate the presence of more dangerous types of coliform, such as E. coli and fecal coliform, which can sicken people, officials said.
The city had drained a large underground reservoir, disinfected wells, flushed water pipes and investigated possible unlawful connections in an effort to avoid state pressure to chlorinate permanently. It had also temporarily chlorinated a large portion of the system.
The city had given “110 percent” to addressing the problem, said Denise Lahmann, regional manager of the state Health Department’s Office of Drinking Water.