In brief: More liquor stores open on Sundays
An additional 29 state liquor stores will open for Sunday sales beginning July 15, according to a press release from the Washington State Liquor Control Board.
In 2005, the Legislature approved a pilot program to allow 20 state liquor stores to open on Sundays. That program returned $7.5 million in revenue.
The 2007-09 state operating budget expanded Sunday liquor sales, bringing the total to 49.
In Spokane, the additional store is at 5004 E. Sprague Ave.
To view the list of state and contract liquor stores and their open hours, visit www.liq.wa.gov.
Open burning banned for dry conditions
Fire agencies in Kootenai County have put a stop to open burning because of hot weather, dry conditions and high fire danger.
Open burning of any kind, including yard waste, is now prohibited. Use of permitted burn barrels is allowed, but be vigilant in monitoring them and keep a water supply and firefighting tools on hand. The Northern Lakes Fire District and the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department also have issued burn bans.
Campfires may still be used, but campers must keep the fires small and have water and a shovel on hand.
Canadian fisherman drowns on Clark Fork
A Canadian fly fisherman on the Clark Fork River drowned Friday morning.
Edward Stover, about 35 and from Alberta, Canada, was fishing using a float tube. It appears the tube flipped over and Stover, strapped in with a safety belt, was unable to right himself, the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office said.
He was found in the river about 11:14 a.m. . Stover was taken to Bonner General Hospital in Sandpoint, where he was pronounced dead.
Information sought on bank robber
The same day Secret Witness began offering a $1,000 reward for help in capturing the “Grocery Store Bandit,” he may have struck again. A robber matching his description hit a Washington Mutual at 2215 W. Northwest Blvd. at 3:30 p.m.
Spokane police said they are investigating whether it could be the same man.
The “Grocery Store Bandit” is black, 6-foot-2 to 6-foot-4, with a thin, athletic build and a light complexion. He is believed to be in his late 20s or early 30s and may have a mark on his right cheek. At times he wears hats and wigs. Friday’s robber shares similar characteristics and was wearing a red and white shirt with the number “7” on it and a beanie-type hat.
According to the FBI, the man has robbed a dozen banks, many inside Northwest grocery stores, between Jan. 20 and June 29. In Spokane, they included a Washington Trust Bank on March 26, a Farmers & Merchants Bank on April 21 and a Wells Fargo bank on June 29.
See the man’s various disguises at spokesmanreview.com. Anyone with information is asked to call Secret Witness at (509) 327-5111.
Compiled from staff reports