Thorburn replaced on state health board
Gov. Chris Gregoire has appointed a longtime hospital administrator and consumer representative as the new chairman of the state Board of Health, replacing Spokane’s fired health officer, Dr. Kim Thorburn.
Treuman Katz, 64, will head the group, which includes nine appointed members and the state secretary of health.
Katz is the former president of the Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle, where he was also chief executive officer for 25 years. He served as the top executive for 11 years at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Katz is one of two appointees who represent consumers.
Gregoire appointed Thorburn, now 56, in July 2005. She resigned from the state board in December, after the Spokane Regional Health District board of directors voted to end her nine-year contract as local health officer.
The state board includes members of local city and county health boards, four people with experience in health and sanitation, the two consumer representatives and a local health officer.
The health officer’s position remains vacant.
– JoNel Aleccia
Lane closures to affect downtown
Stevens Street will be reduced by one lane from 9 a.m. to noon today near Second Avenue.
Second Avenue will also be reduced to one lane from 1 to 3 p.m.
Both lane closures are necessary for fiber cable splicing work. Motorists should expect delays.
– Amy Cannata
Liberty Lake
Man arrested after 120-mph chase
Officers arrested a Liberty Lake man early Monday after a chase that exceeded 120 mph.
Liberty Lake police saw a Cadillac Escalade about 1:30 a.m. traveling very fast on the city’s off-ramp from Interstate 90. The driver ran a red light and continued down Appleway while police pursued.
The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office used a spike strip to puncture three of the SUV’s tires, according to a release from Liberty Lake police.
Police say the driver, Kahale N. Rogan, 28, ran from officers, who eventually used a Taser to stop him. Rogan was charged with attempting to elude police, second-degree assault, reckless driving, obstructing law enforcement and DUI.
– Amy Cannata
Moscow, Idaho
Fire destroys locker room sauna
A sauna fire in a women’s locker room caused an estimated $100,000 in damage to the University of Idaho’s Physical Education Building over the weekend.
The fire was reported shortly after 8:30 a.m. Saturday, and firefighters quickly knocked it down, according to the Moscow Fire Department.
The wooden sauna was destroyed, and smoke and heat damaged the locker room. The rest of the building had only “light exposure” to the smoke, the department said in a news release.
The cause remains under investigation.
– Shawn Vestal