In brief: Registration starts for kindergarten, 1st grade

Spokane Valley schools are now registering kindergarten students and first graders new to the districts for the 2007-2008 school year.

Kindergarten students must be 5 years old on or before Aug. 31, and first graders must be 6 by that time.

Current immunization records, an original state-certified birth certificate and proof of residence, such as a current utility bill, are required to register.

“Central Valley School District begins registration today and is expecting at least 900 students to enroll.

Parents are encouraged to enroll early to select from half-day morning, half-day afternoon, or all-day, tuition-based kindergarten classes with extended child care. The options vary by school.

Registration takes place at elementary schools during school hours, Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., except for students living in the Greenacres and Liberty Lake enrollment areas. Those students will register at and attend the Central Valley Kindergarten Center at 1512 N. Barker Road.

Kindergarten students in the University Elementary enrollment area will register at and attend Ponderosa Elementary.

For more information about kindergarten options visit www.cvsd.org or call (509) 228-5425.

“West Valley School District begins registration today for kindergarten and new first-grade students. Registration continues from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays through Fridays at the schools. For more information, call the district at (509) 924-2150 or visit www.wvsd.com.

“East Valley School District will begin registering kindergarten students and new first graders on Monday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at neighborhood elementary schools. For more information call the district at (509) 924-1830 or visit www.evsd.org.

Spokane

Sex offender charged with assault

A 26-year-old registered sex offender is facing burglary and multiple assault charges after prosecutors say he broke down the door of a house and beat the occupants inside with a baseball bat.

Jesse Grant Azure is charged with first degree burglary, as well as two charges of assault and harassment, according to court documents filed Tuesday.

On Jan. 23, Azure kicked down the door at 1404 E. Providence , where his uncle Patrick Day and cousin Nathan Day lived, the documents allege.

Once inside, Azure – accompanied by two others – told his uncle and cousin that he was going to kill them, documents state.

Azure attacked Patrick Day and the fight was taken to the front yard, according to court documents. When Nathan Day tried to interfere, Azure allegedly grabbed a baseball bat and hit Nathan Day in the stomach.

As he was leaving, Azure threatened to come back and burn the house down, according to the documents.

Azure was arrested Tuesday and was still being held in the Spokane County Jail on a $100,000 bond. Azure also faces charges from earlier this month for failing to register as a sex offender. He was convicted of charges related to child rape.

EPHRATA, Wash.

Drug charges dropped against fire crew boss

Charges of possessing marijuana and drug paraphernalia have been dismissed against a former U.S. Forest Service fire crew boss who was cited while on his way home from a federal arraignment on manslaughter charges.

Ellreese Daniels, 46, of Lake Wenatchee, is charged in U.S. District Court in Spokane with involuntary manslaughter in the deaths of four firefighters in the 2001 Thirtymile fire. He is also charged with seven counts of making false statements.

The unrelated marijuana and paraphernalia charges stemmed from a Jan. 4 incident when a Washington State Patrol trooper stopped the vehicle he was riding in on Interstate 90 and cited him for having an open container of beer, and for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

He settled the open container citation by paying a $101 fine, according to court records.

An arrest warrant was issued after he failed to appear in court for arraignment on the other citations Feb. 13.

On Monday, Grant County Court Commissioner Douglas Earl dismissed the charges and quashed the arrest warrant, said Teresa Bushey, the court’s administrative assistant. No reason was given for why the charges were dismissed.