Yard waste meeting planned

Since a ban on burning took effect in Spokane County’s small towns this year, many people who live a long way from a transfer station are looking for new ways to dispose of yard waste.

A public meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Fairfield Community Center to talk about options like chipping.

As part of state air pollution regulations phased in over several years, burning is now prohibited in all incorporated cities and towns and their adjacent urban growth areas.

State and local elected officials will join representatives from the Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency, the Department of Ecology and the regional solid waste system to answer questions and review options.

The community center is located at 304 E. Main Street.

Robber of adult store sought

A gunman robbed the Hollywood Erotic Boutique in Spokane Valley on Sunday.

The store clerk told police that the robber seemed too nervous to talk, but the clerk saw a semiautomatic pistol and emptied the cash register. No shots were fired. At least one customer was upstairs in a viewing area, and the robber motioned to the customer to stay put, said spokesman Sgt. Dave Reagan of the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office.

Police could not find the robber, who was described in a news release as a 6-foot-tall white man with a heavy build.

Teen injured in I-90 crash

A Spokane teen was seriously injured Sunday afternoon in a rollover crash on Interstate 90 west of the cty.

Seventeen-year-old Jacob L. Howard drove his Chevy Blazer off the freeway near Four Lakes about 11:30 a.m., according to a Washington State Patrol press release.

Howard rolled the SUV before hitting a rock embankment.

I-90 traffic was halted for about 15 minutes so that a medical helicopter could take Howard to Deaconess Medical Center, where he remained in serious condition Monday night.

The Washington State Patrol is continuing to investigate what caused the crash.

Injured cyclist to be cited in crash

A bicyclist who suffered minor injuries when he crashed into a car late Monday will be cited for being at fault.

The rider was southbound on Division Street about 10:50 p.m., when he ran into a car turning from Empire Avenue onto Division and flipped over his handlebars, said Spokane police Officer Paul Carpenter.

He was taken to a hospital.

Not only was the rider at fault, but it is illegal to ride a bike on that portion of Division, Carpenter said.

Coeur d’Alene

Black Rock project advances

A county hearing examiner has recommended approval of the proposal to expand the Black Rock luxury golf retreat after the state changed the development’s water permit.

Hearing Examiner Lisa Key continued the public hearing twice, declining to make a decision on the 1,100-acre expansion until the Idaho Department of Water Resources weighed the issue.

Developer Marshall Chesrown requested to change Black Rock’s permit designation to municipal use from the current irrigation classification. He never asked for more water, just a change in where it’s used.

The change will mean that Black Rock actually reduces the number of acres irrigated from 668 acres to 545 acres, resulting in less water use than the original permit, according to the June 7 state order.

The Kootenai County Commission will now make the final decision.

It’s unknown if opponents of the project will request another public hearing.

OLYMPIA

Rossi committee to be reviewed

Democrats on Monday accused the Republicans’ 2004 candidate for governor, Dino Rossi, of using his nonprofit foundation to finance an ongoing campaign and to pay himself a $75,000 annual salary.

The state Public Disclosure Commission will review the 64-page complaint.

Democrats said Rossi is using the Forward Washington Foundation to skirt stringent disclosure requirements as he continues a “perpetual” campaign for governor.

In the 2004 election, Democrat Chris Gregoire defeated Rossi by 133 votes out of 2.8 million ballots cast, after three vote tallies and a court challenge.

The Democrats said Rossi is a declared candidate for 2008, based on a PDC filing he made in late 2004, and remains so today. That means Rossi should be fully disclosing all of his political contributions and expenses, they said.

Rossi said he was advised by the PDC in late 2004 that creating an ‘08 committee was the only way he could continue to collect and spend contributions related to the ‘04 court challenge.

“Their whole argument is based on how somehow I am a declared candidate. Well, I’m not,” said Rossi, who accused Gregoire of orchestrating the complaint. “This is more harassment than anything else.”

OREGON CITY, Ore.

Missing woman’s body found

A boater at a marina reported bumping something metallic below the surface, and detectives say it was the Honda Accord that Dena Kline was driving when she disappeared in February.

The body in the car was identified Monday through an autopsy as that of Kline, an 80-year-old cancer patient from Wilsonville.

“It all matches – the clothes, the car, the ID she had with her,” said Detective Jim Strovink of the Clackamas County sheriff’s department.

The car had been in 20 feet of water, but the Willamette River has fallen recently.

The night before her family reported her missing, Kline was pulled over twice for erratic driving.

Her daughter, Kathy Lundahl of Post Falls, Idaho, said officers described her as “confused” but competent to drive. But Lundahl said she doesn’t see why her mother was allowed to continue driving.

“The way I was brought up, if we see anybody who needs help – especially a senior – we help them,” she said. “Why somebody didn’t help her is beyond me. What were they thinking?”