Man in jail after car chase with police
A 28-year-old man was booked into jail Wednesday following a police chase that began after an officer saw a Cadillac collide with another car at Lincoln Street and Indiana Avenue around 7:30 a.m.
Officer Keith Cler pursued the Cadillac, which sped north on Lincoln, police spokesman Dick Cottam said.
The chase went toward Officer Paul Taylor, who was on foot, and he stepped into the street, trying to wave the driver to a stop. But the driver veered toward Taylor and the officer had to jump aside, Cottam said.
Eventually, the driver slowed and jumped from the moving Cadillac at West Carlisle Avenue. The car continued into a yard and hit the front porch of a house where no one was home, Cottam said.
Officer Glenn Bartlett quickly caught the driver, identified as Brian M. O’Neill Jr. He was arrested on charges of felony eluding and second-degree assault and could face charges of hit and run, obstructing, driving with a suspended license, reckless driving and driving under the influence, Cottam said.
O’Neill, who has 14 previous convictions, said he has been on drugs for several days, Cottam said. There were no injuries in the original collision, he said.
Fun for all ages starts tonight at Valleyfest
Tonight’s “Hearts of Gold” parade will kick off Valleyfest’s 16th annual festival, which continues through Sunday.
The parade starts at 7 p.m. at Spokane Valley City Hall, 11707 E. Sprague Ave., and will end at University Road. It features more than 100 entries, including a 35-foot long inflatable balloon and 2,000 people.
Valleyfest continues Saturday at Mirabeau Point Park from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. with 130 booths featuring nonprofit organizations, arts and crafts, entertainment, and food.
A fun run and pancake breakfast start at 9 a.m. Free trout fishing for ages 14 and under starts at 10 a.m. in the Mirabeau Springs Pond. Throughout the day there will be a classic car show, a wine tour and a Valley YMCA open house.
The grand opening celebration for CenterPlace, the Valley’s new community center, starts at noon.
The Geoffrey Castle Band, featuring Roger Fisher and Mike Derosier, original members of the rock band Heart, will perform from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on the Mirabeau Meadow Stage.
A Trailfest ride, bike and skate event starts at 9 a.m. Sunday at Mirabeau Point Park.
Spokane Transit Authority will provide free shuttle service from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Saturday from the Spokane Valley Mall park-and-ride lot and the Pinecroft Business Park at Mirabeau Park. Parking is free.
For more information call Valleyfest, 922-3299 or visit the Web site, www.valleyfest.org.
Streets closed for work on Deaconess
Fifth Avenue will be closed today between Wall and Lincoln streets so that crews can work at Deaconess Medical Center.
Patients and visitors can still get to the hospital. Flaggers will direct them through the barricades.
On Monday, Lincoln will be closed and Fifth will be reopened.
Musical show benefits area organizations
Employees of Sacred Heart Medical Center, along with their families, friends and other volunteers, are preparing for the ninth annual Heart Follies musical revue.
Proceeds from the Broadway-style song-and-dance show “Postcards from the Heart” will benefit Spokane’s Women’s and Children’s Free Restaurant, as well as the Sister Peter Claver Endowment.
A cast of some 200 medical professionals and others will put on the show.
A full dress rehearsal takes place at 7 p.m. Friday at the Spokane Opera House, with shows at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday.
Tickets are $10 for the matinee and $15 for the evening show, available through TicketsWest at 325-SEAT or www.ticketswest.com.
Severed cable cuts phone service in Idaho
Service was disrupted for about 30,000 Verizon customers in Idaho on Thursday when a Highway 95 road construction crew accidentally cut a major fiber-optic cable south of Coeur d’Alene.
Verizon spokesman Kevin Laverty said the cable was cut around 8 a.m. and the company dispatched technicians and crews to splice the line back together. Customers in the affected area, south of Highway 95 and Setters Road and in the Silver Valley, were unable to make or receive long-distance calls. Some high-speed Internet services were also disrupted.
Customers also were affected in southern Spokane County and Whitman County, Laverty said.
Laverty said Thursday’s incident was the second construction-related service disruption of the summer.
Service to the Silver Valley was restored by 2 p.m. and service was restored to customers in Plummer, Worley and south to Moscow by 4 p.m.
Stensgar re-elected president of group
Worley, Idaho Ernie Stensgar, former chairman of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, was re-elected this week to his third term as president of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians.
The organization is holding its annual meeting at the Coeur d’Alene Casino and Hotel, where its various committees are considering and passing resolutions that could result in new legislative initiatives.
Stensgar also is a board member with the National Congress of American Indians. Stensgar served as the Coeur d’Alene Tribe’s chairman for 20 years. Chief Allan was elected the tribe’s chairman in May.
Independent film needs extras to volunteer
An independent film being produced in Coeur d’Alene is looking for extras to populate sets for the next few weeks.
Though they won’t be paid, extras will be fed.
The film, “Amber and Thayer,” is based on a childhood experience of the writer and director, Regina Crosby, a Coeur d’Alene High School graduate.
The story is a “tragic yet uplifting teenage romance,” according to a statement released by the film crew. She was the popular girl; he was the rebel. They bonded in a creative writing class.
For more information and to volunteer, call (208) 667-1504.