In brief: St. Vincent closing last thrift store

St. Vincent de Paul will close the last of its two thrift stores in the coming months.

Executive Director Adrienne Brownlow said the century-old organization plans to focus on its charity work, which provided 60,000 families with emergency food supplies or services last year.

“It’s kind of sad, but our business just keeps getting bigger,” Brownlow said. “Poverty is not going away. We will be focusing entirely on our charity.”

The nonprofit closed its store at 2901 E. Trent Ave. last month. Its store at 2106 N. Monroe will close after the remaining inventory is sold.

St. Vincent, which has been a presence in the city since 1893, is the oldest charity in Spokane.

“We have a huge ministry serving the poor,” Brownlow said. “We’ll be around for another 100 years.”

– Benjamin Shors

Nine Mile Falls

Man hospitalized after car rollover

Two men were injured in a one-car rollover crash Wednesday near Nine Mile Falls.

Authorities say they suspect alcohol was a factor.

The crash occurred about 7:39 p.m. in the 21500 block of South Bank Road, said Spokane County Fire District 9 Deputy Chief Doug Bleeker.

The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office said the pair was returning to Spokane after an outing to shoot a shotgun.

When firefighters arrived, the driver was out of the car, but crews had to cut the passenger out.

The 20-year-old passenger, Mark A. Woods, of Airway Heights, was severely injured, and was sent to Seattle for reconstructive surgery on his face. He was listed in stable condition, Sgt. Dave Reagan, a sheriff’s spokesman, said in a press release.

The 21-year-old driver, Kevin A. Hillebrandt, of 7011 N. Atlantic in Spokane, was treated at a Spokane hospital and released, Reagan said.

Hillebrandt was driving Woods’ Pontiac Fiero and lost control on a curve, causing the car to flip onto its roof, Reagan said.

– Dan Hansen