Woman dies in crash, brother is charged
One day after being released from jail, a 21-year-old Bonners Ferry man is accused of causing a car crash that killed his younger sister.
David Weaselhead Jr. is now back in jail on charges of vehicular manslaughter and endangering a child, according to a deputy at the Boundary County jail. Weaselhead drove his pickup off Cow Creek Road about 4 a.m. Friday, ejecting and killing his 18-year-old sister, Kasandra Weaselhead, according to an Idaho State Police report. The crash remains under investigation, but authorities believe alcohol was a factor, according to the report.
The crash also injured two other passengers in the vehicle, Jacqueline Littlebird, 17 and Kendra Cook, 16. Both were treated for minor injuries and later released from the Boundary Community Hospital, according to the police report. Cook was not wearing her seat belt, neither was Kasandra Weaselhead.
Weaselhead, the driver, also sustained minor injuries. He had been released from jail the day before the crash after serving three weeks on misdemeanor burglary, unlawful entry and resisting arrest charges. The bond on his current felony charges is set at $500,000.
Smokey Bear sign cut down and stolen
The U.S. Forest Service wants its Smokey Bear sign back. The large wooden sign was chopped down and stolen sometime last week from outside the agency’s ranger station at Priest Lake, Idaho.
The action is not only a theft, it’s the theft of a safety-inspiring symbol that ranks only behind Santa Claus and Mickey Mouse in terms of recognition, according to a statement from Waylon Meek, forest protection officer for the Priest Lake District.
Meek said he was “extremely disappointed that vandals could be so callous as to steal one of our American icons.”
Not that it’s the first time Smokey has been abducted in these parts.
Last year, someone stole two six-foot-tall aluminum cutouts of the famous bruin from the fire-danger sign in Springdale, Wash. The year before that, according to newspaper archives, a version of the bear went missing in Cheney, Wash., but was recovered days later.
Forest Service officials believe the Priest Lake theft occurred Sept. 26 or Sept. 27. Anyone with information is asked to call Meek at (208) 443-2512.
1,400 without power after car accident
Power was out for about 1,400 Avista customers Monday evening in the Spokane Valley when a driver ran into a power pole near the intersection of Sands Road and Bowdish.
A car hit the pole around 5:45 p.m., and crews were able to restore power in about 30 minutes, said Avista spokeswoman Laurine Jue.
There was no report on the condition of the driver of the car.
Customers between 16th and Dishman Mica Road to the north and Mohawk Drive to the south, as well as between Locust Road and Horizon Hill were without power.
Spokane County hires new facilities director
Spokane County has hired Ronald E. Oscarson as its new director of facilities.
Oscarson, who previously worked as the district facilities maintenance manager for Community Colleges of Spokane, will start at the county on Oct. 10.
He will manage the county’s Facilities Department which designs, constructs and maintains all county-owned buildings and grounds.
Oscarson is a retired Washington Air National Guard lieutenant colonel. He served as a navigator and flight commander in the 141st Air Refueling Wing.
He is a registered mechanical engineer and earned his bachelor’s degree from Washington State University.
Online chat today with Brian Benzel
Spokane Public Schools Superintendent Brian Benzel is taking questions today for his monthly online chat from noon to 1 p.m. Questions can be submitted sooner through the online link at www.spokaneschools.org /Interview. The chats occur on the first Tuesday of each month. Transcripts from previous interviews can also be found on the Web site.
Seniors visit college representatives today
Thousands of seniors from more than 50 high schools will attend the annual Spokane National College at the Convention Center in downtown Spokane today. The free event is sponsored by the Pacific Northwest Association for College Admissions Counseling and will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Representatives from 125 colleges attended last year.