February 2005 driest on record
Monday afternoon’s drizzle wasn’t enough to keep Spokane from breaking a record for the driest February on record.
The National Weather Service in Spokane reported that two-hundredths of an inch of rain had fallen at the Spokane International Airport by Monday evening, bringing the month’s total to .04 of an inch.
The record-low February precipitation had been .09 inches, set in 1920 and 1929. Records have been kept since 1881.
According to weather service technician Bob Bonner, March should be fairly typical. The average precipitation for March is 1.53 inches.
Student brings pellet guns to school
A student recently brought two pellet guns to Stevens Elementary School and showed them to another student, Spokane Public Schools spokeswoman Terren Roloff disclosed Monday.
No threats were made with the guns, which were reported to school officials by the second student, Roloff said.
Roloff said she could not discuss the discipline the student received for the Feb. 18 incident. Generally, a student who brings such weapons onto school grounds could face a short-term expulsion of 10 days or less, or in an extreme case, emergency expulsion.
Dingus sworn in to CV school board
Tom Dingus was sworn in Monday as the new member of the Central Valley School District Board of Directors.
Dingus replaces outgoing board member Craig Holmes, who resigned in January after nine years with the five-member board.
Dingus, 41, will represent residents in the western part of the school district’s boundaries, and will serve until the seat is up for election in November, at which time he can decide to run.
“I’ve always been interested in the education of children and I knew that someday I would want to do this,” Dingus said. “I was just waiting for the right time.”
Dingus, who is originally from Zillah, Wash., is a certified public accountant in private practice in the Spokane Valley. His clients are mostly health care agencies and non-profit organizations.
He and his wife, Wendy, have two daughters, Olivia, 7, and Claire, 4.
Man reportedly assaulted in Pullman
Pullman Police are investigating a man’s report that he was assaulted by armed strangers in his own apartment on Monday.
The victim, who was not identified in a press release, told police that three men wearing ski masks broke into his downtown apartment about 3 p.m. One of the intruders struck the victim on the head several times with the butt of a semi-automatic handgun, police reported.
The suspects reportedly fled on foot, leaving behind a loaded gun magazine and a delivery bag from Papa John’s Pizza. The victim was treated for minor injuries at Pullman Regional Hospital.
It was unclear whether anything was stolen or what prompted the attack.