In brief: Purchase of land for library OK’d

A vacant lot near Sprague and Conklin could become the home of a new Spokane Valley library.

Library district board members Tuesday authorized the purchase of 2 acres southeast of the intersection for a proposed 15,000-square-foot branch library.

Roughly $450,000 from the district’s reserves will be used to buy the land in the next three months if research confirms it is suitable for the project, library officials said.

The district is preparing to present voters with a $30 million levy to replace the Spokane Valley Library with a larger building, construct the new branch near Greenacres and expand the Argonne branch library in the coming years.

At the meeting, the board also approved the potential levy area and tentatively selected March 11 as the election date.

– Peter Barnes

Coeur d’Alene

Chandelier falls, injures two

A chandelier fell 36 feet at actor Dennis Franz’s estate on Lake Coeur d’Alene on Wednesday, injuring a 70-year-old woman and a toddler the woman was holding.

Both suffered lacerations, according to emergency dispatchers. The woman and the 2-year-old girl were conscious when emergency crews arrived on scene.

Known for his role as Detective Andy Sipowicz on the TV drama “NYPD Blue,” Franz owns 82 acres of waterfront property near Kidd Island Bay.

The property was formerly Campfire’s Camp NeeWahLu.

Additional details were unavailable .

– Taryn Brodwater

Okanogan County

Taser failed to stop chase

A deputy’s Taser failed to stop a foot chase that ended instead in a fatal shooting Monday in Okanogan County, the sheriff said Wednesday.

Sheriff Frank Rogers said it was unclear why the Taser did not shock Bradley L. Behrens.

Monday’s shooting began after five teenagers stole two cars and raced them down rural roads near Omak, ramming them into each other and causing one of the vehicles to roll over, Rogers said. Behrens, 18, of Okanogan, crashed the second vehicle in an orchard several miles outside Omak. Police spotted him when he returned to town, and he ran, Rogers said.

During the chase, sheriff’s Deputy Tony Hawley tried to Taser him, but Behrens grabbed a pistol from his waistband and kept running, Rogers said.

Behrens stopped in a residential yard and pointed the gun at Hawley, who shot once, killing Behrens, Rogers said.

A 16-year-old girl injured in the rollover crash was treated and released. She and a 16-year-old boy have not been booked into juvenile detention, Rogers said.

Martin A. Aguilar and Justin A. Lambert, both 18 and of Okanogan, face charges of first-degree robbery, reckless driving, possession of stolen property and two counts of second-degree theft. Aguilar also faces a charge of resisting arrest, Rogers said.

– Nick Eaton

Spokane County

Upriver Drive, trail to reopen

After nearly two months of construction, a section of Upriver Drive and the Centennial Trail will reopen today at noon.

The road and trail had been closed since May between Hodin Drive and Bessie Road so construction crews could install new water and sewer lines, according to a Spokane County news release.

Traffic had been routed around the construction, but that will clear up today.

– Nick Eaton