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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Justice hit on bicycle recovering

Compiled from staff and wire reports The Spokesman-Review

Boise Idaho Supreme Court Justice Roger Burdick is recovering from surgery after being hit by a car in Coeur d’Alene, court spokeswoman Patricia Tobias said.

Burdick was riding his bicycle through a Coeur d’Alene intersection on Monday when he collided with the car, Tobias said. Few details were available.

Burdick suffered a broken tibia – the shinbone – and had surgery Thursday to repair it, she said.

The Idaho Supreme Court justices were in Coeur d’Alene this week to hear cases.

Fire breaks out at former station

A small fire broke out in a former Spokane County District 4 fire station in Chattaroy late Wednesday.

An alarm system in the building, now occupied by Chattaroy Rentals, alerted the owner to the blaze at 10:27 p.m. He drove to the building and put out much of the flames with a fire extinguisher, said fire information officer Pat Humphries.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, he said.

“The amount of damage was minor, but could have been significant if we did not have the alarm system,” Humphries said.

The building, built around the 1950s, was a fire station until 1995, he said.

Woman faces charges for alleged assault

A Spokane woman is accused of assaulting a man who lost a testicle because of injuries sustained in the alleged attack.

The victim was attacked by the woman, whom he knew, the evening of Sept. 17 at a home, according to court documents. The woman, Jane E. Pemberton, allegedly took the man by the throat and hit him, according to court documents. As he tried to get away, she grabbed his crotch and started “twisting,” court records say.

When he tried to call 911, Pemberton, who will turn 52 on Saturday, ripped the phone from the wall, documents state.

Pemberton, who was jailed Wednesday, also is accused of trying to steal the man’s wallet.

A bartender who saw the victim on the evening of Sept. 18 called police after seeing his bruised face.

The victim saw a doctor on Sept. 19 and was told that his left testicle would have to be removed.

Pemberton, who declined a jailhouse interview, was booked on charges of first-degree assault, harassment and attempted first-degree robbery. Bail has been set at $100,000.

YWCA event to feature Rita Moreno

Actress, singer and dancer Rita Moreno will be this year’s speaker for an annual YWCA event honoring women, the organization announced Thursday in a press release.

Moreno, who won an Academy Award for her role as Anita in the 1961 movie “West Side Story,” will speak Oct. 18 at the Spokane Convention Center. She will be keynote speaker of the 2005 Women of Achievement Luncheon.

The event raises money for the YWCA’s domestic violence program and services for homeless children. Minimum donation to attend the event is $100.

Moreno also has won a Tony, a Grammy, two Emmys and a Golden Globe award. She was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004 by President Bush.

People interested in attending can contact Jenni Knoll at 326-1190, extension 156.

CdA espresso stand robber sought

Coeur d’Alene police are looking for a man who held up an espresso stand on Thursday.

A man reportedly came to the window of Latte Lane, 510 E. Best Ave., and told the clerk she had 30 seconds to hand over money, according to a press release. The barista told police that the man had his hand in his pocket and acted like he had a weapon.

She handed over a blue bank bag with money and three checks and the man left on foot, police said.

The suspect is described as 6 feet tall, 26 to 27 years old, with short brown hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a blue baseball cap, blue jacket and jeans.

Anyone with information is asked to call Coeur d’Alene police at (208) 769-2330 or the tip line at (208) 769-2296.

UI wins grant to study pathogens

Moscow University of Idaho disease researchers have won a $10.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop a center to study how pathogens interact with their hosts on the molecular and cellular level.

The grant is for the next five years. Among other things, it will help scientists doing research on a virus known as human cytomegalovirus, a common infection that can damage hearing, sight and mental capacity if contracted by babies. It’s closely related to herpes, and causes as many as 4,000 birth defects annually in the United States.

“Receipt of this grant is a powerful return on our investment that meets our long-term strategic plan to promote science and technology in Idaho,” said Tim White, the university president, in an e-mailed statement. “It will foster basic scientific research at the U of I to broaden understanding of a human virus that is the leading cause of viral birth defects each year.”

University agriculture officials say the grant also will allow the university to expand its research programs and recruit top researchers and students.

I-5 traffic stalled when man climbs sign

Tacoma Southbound traffic on Interstate 5 near the Tacoma Dome was stalled for more than an hour Thursday afternoon after a man climbed onto a traffic sign over the freeway.

The man did the same thing a year ago. In both cases, he was talked down by Washington State Patrol Trooper Johnny Alexander, who used a fire truck ladder to reach him.

On Thursday, the man draped a banner off his perch about 3 p.m., about 30 feet above the freeway lanes. It apparently made a reference to President Bush, but was otherwise unintelligible.

The man was taken into custody just after 4 p.m. His identity was not immediately available.

At the height of the backup, traffic stretched from the Tacoma Dome north to Southcenter Mall in Tukwila – nearly 20 miles.

State Patrol spokesman J.J. Gundermann said the man apparently had gone off medication to treat mental illness.

Seattle-area woman Bush’s pick for ambassador

Seattle President Bush says he plans to nominate Susan McCaw, wife of wireless entrepreneur Craig McCaw, as U.S. ambassador to Austria.

The president of COM Investments and managing partner of Eagle Creek Capital, Susan McCaw has also served as a principal at Robertson Stephens & Co., a director of corporate development at Resna Industries and a business analyst for McKinsey & Co.

She received her bachelor’s degree from Stanford University and her master’s degree from Harvard Business School.

Her husband founded McCaw Cellular Communications, which later became AT&T Wireless and is now part of Cingular Wireless. He is chief executive of Kirkland-based Clearwire, which is rolling out wireless broadband service around the world.