Services shut down for Independence Day
In observance of the July Fourth holiday, Spokane City Hall will be closed today, along with other city facilities, including the garbage transfer stations and the waste-to-energy plant.
Spokane Public Library branches will also be closed, but the city’s golf courses and swimming pools will be open, according to a city press release. Parking meters will not be in operation on Independence Day, and garbage pickup and curbside recycling will be delayed for a day.
City officials noted that fireworks are illegal within city limits. The fine is $513. Residents can turn in unwanted fireworks at any city fire station.
To report violations, contact the Fireworks Tip Line at (509) 625-7059.
Port Angeles, Wash.
Head-on crash kills 3 on U.S. 101
A fiery head-on vehicle crash killed three Monday and closed U.S. Highway 101 between Port Angeles and Sequim for five hours, the State Patrol said.
A westbound vehicle crossed the centerline and collided with an eastbound SUV around 1 p.m. about six miles west of Sequim, State Patrol Lt. Clint Casebolt said.
The driver of the westbound vehicle was ejected, Casebolt said. He was airlifted to Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center and treated for severe leg injuries. A passenger in the westbound vehicle was trapped and died at the scene. Officials said two people died in the eastbound vehicle, including a 7-year old girl.
CASTLE ROCK, Wash.
Four killed when Amtrak train hits car
A southbound Amtrak train collided with a Honda Accord on Monday, ripping the car in two and killing four people, authorities said.
One person was found dead inside the car and three people were ejected from the vehicle in the 4:40 p.m. crash, BNSF Railway spokesman Gus Melonas said.
According to the train crew, a northbound train had just passed, and the car apparently entered the crossing as soon as that train was clear, just as a southbound train approached on the second set of tracks, Cowlitz County sheriff’s Capt. Mark Nelson said.
A 44-year-old woman, a 17-year-old woman and two men, 18 and 19, died in the crash. The women were mother and daughter.
The accident temporarily shut down BNSF’s double main line that carries 60 trains daily between Seattle and Portland. Both sets of tracks had reopened by 9:30 p.m., he said.