Body found after fire to be autopsied

The identity of the person who died Friday in a Spokane Valley fire likely will not be confirmed until an autopsy is performed, Spokane County sheriff’s spokesman Cpl. Dave Reagan said Saturday in a press release.

Firefighters were called about 9 p.m. Friday to a fire at 2612 N. McMillan. The residence, which consisted of two mobile homes connected in an L shape, was engulfed in flames by the time crews arrived.

The body was found in a bathtub after the blaze was out, Reagan said. An autopsy likely will be performed Monday.

Fire investigators have not determined a cause, Reagan said.

Sheriff’s detectives have assisted in the investigation and as of Saturday morning had found no evidence that it was set on purpose, Reagan said.

Man suffers brain injuries in motorcycle crash

A Spokane man was injured Saturday afternoon when he lost control of his Suzuki motorcycle in northwest Spokane County.

The rider, Thomas P. Quinn, 44, skidded 40 feet and flipped twice while he was southbound on a curvy portion of South Bank Road about a half-mile south of Waterview Drive, Spokane County sheriff’s Deputy Tom Edelbrock said.

Emergency crews were called to the scene about 3:30 p.m.

Quinn, who was wearing a helmet, suffered bruises to his brain and internal organs, sheriff’s spokesman Cpl. Dave Reagan said in a press release. Quinn was taken to a Spokane hospital by helicopter and expected to be held overnight for observation.

He was given a $153 speeding ticket.

Blaze destroys 24 collectible cars in Valley

A Saturday morning blaze destroyed 24 collectible cars stored in a metal outbuilding at a man’s Spokane Valley home.

No one was hurt in the fire, Spokane Valley Battalion Chief Eric Olson said. The car owner’s name was not available.

Spokane Valley firefighters responded to 215 S. Henry Road about 4:51 a.m. to find a metal-sided, 120-foot-long shop engulfed in flames, Olson said.

Olson said the estimated loss was between $250,000 and $500,000. Whether the man had insurance was unknown.

No cause of the fire had been determined Saturday, officials said. The blaze remains under investigation.

Mountain Home base may host fighter jet

Boise The Pentagon is considering Idaho’s Mountain Home Air Force Base as a future home for the military’s next-generation tactical fighter jet, according to a new report sent to Congress.

The prospect that the Joint Strike Fighter – also known as the F-35 – may be stationed at Mountain Home could take some of the sting out of the prospect of losing 569 jobs and 36 fighter jets from the southwestern Idaho base under the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure recommendations that are awaiting congressional approval.

In the report by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission that President Bush forwarded to Congress Sept. 15, the panel wrote that while Mountain Home will lose some of its weapons systems under the plan, “the Air Force indicated that the base is being considered as a potential location for the bed-down of the Joint Strike Fighter as well as a training ground for international squadrons.”

Police investigate high school ‘hit list’

Blaine, Wash. Police in this Northwest Washington town on the Canadian border are investigating the discovery of a so-called hit list at Blaine High School.

The note, found Wednesday in a school hallway and turned in to administrators Thursday, warned that several students would die Friday.

The list contained the names of 12 students and the school principal. It had “hit list” written across the top and the words: “You will die on 10/21.”

There was also a drawing of a stick figure with a gun.

Administrators gave the note to police, who increased patrols at the school Friday, although many students opted to stay home, including those named on the list.

“We can’t find any commonality in terms of any one thing that would make all of those kids potential victims, but we are investigating,” police Chief Mike Haslip told KING-TV of Seattle.

“A K-9 (dog) team from the Bellingham Police Department came and helped us out checking the locker halls for nitrates, looking for the possibility of ammunition,” Haslip said.

Nothing was found.

“Whoever wrote this note wrote it in a fashion that it is a felony,” he said. “It’s a serious crime.”

Alaska slashes prices for ferry tickets

Ketchikan, Alaska Officials say an off-season 30 percent round-trip fare reduction on Alaska Marine Highway System ferries will help boost ridership and revenue on the state’s water transportation routes.

The cuts announced this week are the latest marketing effort by Robin Taylor, deputy commissioner of the Alaska Department of Transportation, since he took over as head of the ferry system in March.

“We need revenue,” Taylor said “We need it desperately.”

The price cuts are a way to bring in passenger revenue to offset recent fuel cost increases and to improve winter service, officials said. The fares are effective Nov. 1 to March 31.

Taylor said he didn’t know how well the cuts will work, but signs are encouraging. Reservation lines have been “flooded with winter round-trip reservations” since the discount fares were announced, Taylor said.

Most people buying the discount tickets are Alaskans, system officials said. Many people are taking the ferry to the Lower 48 because fare cuts have made the trip cheaper than flying, said marketing manager Vern Craig.

The ferry system later might try more fare promotions, he said.