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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Motorcycle crash kills man, 32

A man died and a woman was seriously injured Thursday evening when they crashed their motorcycle at Glenrose Road and 21st Avenue.

A witness called for emergency help about 9 p.m.

According to a news release from the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, the couple were headed home from a South Hill bar when the crash happened. The motorcycle, a 2003 Honda CBR11XX, was newly purchased.

Skid marks at the scene indicate that the driver didn’t try to turn at the curve at that intersection, but rather slid through it, then swerved left, throwing the driver, 37-year-old Christopher D. MacDonald, of Spokane, and his 32-year-old passenger to the right.

The 32-year-old woman remains at a Spokane hospital, where she is in serious condition.

Both were wearing helmets. According to the Sheriff’s Office release, speed and alcohol appeared to be factors in the crash.

Amy Cannata

Kootenai County

Dry conditions prompt burn ban

No burning will be allowed in Kootenai County beginning at dusk July 27.

Hot weather and dry conditions prompted fire officials to issue the ban, according to Kootenai County Fire and Rescue news release.

Anyone looking to burn yard waste or other debris before that date is asked to use caution, not leave the fire unattended and to properly extinguish it when finished.

If weather conditions are right, even warm embers can unexpectedly ignite and cause a large wildfire, the release noted.

The ban is expected to last until fire season ends in late fall.

Meghann M. Cuniff

TACOMA

Woman sentenced for ecoterrorism

A federal judge sentenced a Seattle woman to five years in prison Friday and demanded she repay more than $7 million for her role in the 2001 ecoterrorism arson of the University of Washington’s Center for Urban Horticulture.

Jennifer L. Kolar, 33, pleaded guilty to two counts of arson, conspiracy, attempted arson, and using a destructive device. She will remain out of custody until September, when she reports to prison.

Kolar started the UW fire by placing an incendiary device in a professor’s office. The radical Earth Liberation Front claimed credit for devastating fire, saying at the time – mistakenly – that researchers there were genetically engineering poplar trees.

The horticulture center was rebuilt at a cost of more than $7 million.

Kolar’s sentence resulted from a plea agreement reached in 2005. In exchange for a shorter sentence, she testified against Briana Waters, who was convicted of arson in March and sentenced last month to six years in prison.

Under the terms of her plea agreement, Kolar faced five to seven years in prison. Prosecutors requested a seven-year term.

Another participant in the UW arson, Lacey Phillabaum, faces three to five years when she is sentenced in August; she also testified against Waters. Justin Solondz, accused of building the incendiary device, is a fugitive and believed to be out of the country.

Associated Press