In brief

Truck driver arrested after trailer kills man

A man died after being hit by a flatbed trailer early Friday morning, and the driver was arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide.

Police are withholding identity of the victim until his relatives are notified.

Investigators identified the driver of the pickup towing the trailer as Craig A. Schiering, 42, of Spokane. Officers recovered prescription medication from Schiering, and investigators are looking into whether that played a role in the incident, Spokane police spokesman Sgt. Dave McCabe said.

Spokane police responded about 2:40 a.m. to a convenience store parking lot in the 9700 block of North Division on a report that a pedestrian had been run over by a trailer, McCabe said.

Investigators determined that a man in his mid-20s had been talking to the driver of the truck. When the truck pulled away, the trailer struck the man, knocking him down, McCabe said. The man suffered severe head injuries and was taken to a hospital, where he died.

– Jody Lawrence-Turner

Carrousel reopening after repairs

Repairs are finished to Spokane’s Looff Carrousel in Riverfront Park, and the ride reopens today with a return to its classic roots.

The 1909 Carrousel was closed for repairs during much of the month. Workers were trying to fix the main electric drive motor, but instead park officials decided to use the ride’s original drive system, said Dale Larsen, events coordinator for Riverfront Park.

The original system was used from 1909 until 1987 and features a manual shift lever that engages a belt, which then drives the gears that spin the ride.

The Carrousel, a National Historic Landmark, is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the park.

– Christopher Rodkey

RICHLAND

Report cites problems at Hanford waste plant

A waste treatment plant under construction at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation faces 28 technical issues that could prevent it from reliably treating radioactive waste, a team of experts concluded in a new report.

However, the experts also concluded the problems are fixable.

The plant is being built to treat highly radioactive waste left from decades of plutonium production for the nation’s nuclear weapons arsenal. The waste is currently being stored in 177 underground tanks.

Since late 2004, technical and management problems have pushed the cost estimate for the plant from $5.8 billion to more than $10 billion. The start date also has been pushed from 2011 to 2017.

The Energy Department, which manages Hanford cleanup, commissioned the latest $4 million independent study to help restore credibility in the project amid skyrocketing costs. The panel of 30 scientists and engineers spent nearly five months answering the question, “Will this plant operate?”

Design of the plant is about 70 percent complete, while about 30 percent of it has been built.

The one-of-a-kind plant will use a process called vitrification to convert waste into glasslike logs for permanent disposal in a nuclear waste repository. Once completed, it will stand 12 stories tall and be the size of four football fields.

Cleanup of the 586-square-mile Hanford site is expected to total $50 billion to $60 billion, with completion by 2035.

– Associated Press