Some offices closed for Veterans Day

The following offices and services in the region will be affected by the Veterans Day holiday today.

Spokane County

“Federal, Spokane County and city of Spokane Valley offices are closed, but the city of Spokane is open for business today.

“Parking meters don’t have to be plugged.

“Waste Management will pick up garbage and recycling as usual, as will the city of Spokane.

“State liquor stores will be closed.

Kootenai County

“City, county, state and federal offices will be closed.

“All Kootenai County, city and rural garbage pickup is unaffected.

“State liquor stores will be open.

In both counties, post offices will be closed with express mail delivery services only, and most banks will be closed.

– Staff reports

Spokane

Smoldering cigarette blamed for porch fire

A cigarette may be to blame for a fire that burned the porch of a northeast Spokane home early Saturday morning.

Firefighters responded to a home at 1222 N. Madelia about 5 a.m. When fire crews arrived, smoke was showing from the front area of the home, officials with the Spokane Fire Department said.

The fire was extinguished quickly, containing the damage to the front area of the home including the porch and some siding, officials said.

All the residents of the home were outside when fire crews arrived, and no injuries were reported.

Cause of the fire is believed to be a smoldering cigarette, officials said.

– Sara Leaming

Pullman

Drug arrests made in ongoing investigation

Two men were arrested on drug charges last week and more arrests are expected after a months-long investigation by a drug task force into alleged trafficking at a Pullman apartment complex.

The Quad Cities Drug Task Force executed a search warrant Thursday at 1915 NE Terre View Drive, where officials were investigating the alleged trafficking of marijuana, cocaine and Ecstasy, task force officials said.

Arrested on multiple felony drug charges and booked into the Whitman County Jail were apartment residents Jesse J. Kure, 21, and Lewis A. Young, 19. Both men appeared in Whitman County Superior Court on Friday and are being held on $50,000 bond.

Officials with the task force said the investigation is ongoing, and more drug-related arrests are expected.

The drug task force, partially funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, is comprised of 13 local law enforcement agencies working to combat narcotics distribution in southeastern Washington and western Idaho.

– Sara Leaming

Boise

Lawmaker will seek ‘revolving door’ policy

A Boise lawmaker wants state government officials to wait a year after leaving their posts before they can go to work in the private sector as lobbyists.

Senate Minority Caucus Chair Kate Kelly, D-Boise, said she will introduce a “revolving door” bill in the 2008 Legislature.

“To me, it’s an important issue,” Kelly said. “It’s about your government officials and it’s about ethics.”

Earlier this month, Gov. Butch Otter’s top aide, Jeff Malmen, quit to go to work as a lobbyist for the company that owns Idaho Power Co.

Idaho has no revolving door laws that limit officials such as Malmen from immediately going to work at private sector jobs in which they could be lobbying state government. Washington state also lacks such prohibitions.

In the last 18 months, at least eight ex-lawmakers or staff for Otter and former Govs. Dirk Kempthorne and Jim Risch became lobbyists.

A similar revolving door bill never got a hearing in the last legislative session earlier this year.

– Associated Press