Man seriously injured in crash
A man is in serious condition after a 17-year-old ran a stop sign early Thursday and broadsided his car.
Shawn Lutz, 28, was taken to Deaconess Medical Center with severe injuries, said Trooper Mark Baker, of the Washington State Patrol.
The teen was booked into Spokane County Juvenile Detention Center on one count of vehicular assault, Baker said. The police report said reckless driving caused the collision; alcohol was not considered a factor.
A Spokane police officer spotted an erratic driver near East Dalke Avenue and North Nevada Street about 3:10 a.m. and attempted to make a stop, authorities said. The driver apparently saw the lights and went through the stop sign. The officer was a block away.
The teen crashed into Lutz’s driver-side door, officials said.
Cocolalla, idaho
Two-car collision closes Highway 95
Four people were injured Thursday evening in a two-car crash on U.S. Highway 95 near Cocolalla, Idaho, that closed the highway for hours in both directions.
Police were called at 6:25 p.m. to the scene in Cocolalla, which is about 13 miles south of Sandpoint, according to an Idaho State Police dispatcher.
The crash, involving a car and a pickup, was cleared just after 9 p.m.
Inland Northwest
Officials urge flu shots for kids
The Washington Health Department is pushing parents to get flu shots for their kids.
The department, which recommends that all children between 6 months and 18 years receive a flu vaccine, has distributed 9,000 fewer doses of the vaccine for kids this year, according to a department news release.
Last year, two children in Washington died of influenza, the release said.
State health officials recommend that people go to their regular health care provider for the vaccination. The Family Health Hotline can be reached at (800) 322-2588. The Spokane Regional Health District also provides the vaccine. Appointments can be made by calling (509) 324-1600.
Across the border, the Panhandle Health District in Hayden is offering the vaccine without an appointment for $25. Adults can get a flu shot between 9 and 11:30 a.m. and 1 and 4 p.m., according to a district media. The district office is at 8500 N. Atlas Road.
Coeur d’Alene
Parade starts holiday season
Coeur d’Alene officials are preparing for the start of the holiday season a parade today.
The 50-minute parade starts at 5 p.m. on Sherman Avenue at Eighth Street and heads west to Government Way.
Festivities continue in front of the Coeur d’Alene Resort about 6 p.m. Fireworks are scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
Sherman between Eighth and 15th streets will be closed at 3 p.m., police said in a news release. The rest of the parade route will be blocked at 4 p.m.
Kalispell, Mont.
Police investigate shooting of infant
Police investigating the shooting of a hospitalized Kalispell infant said they are skeptical the parents are telling the whole story.
Flathead County Undersheriff Pete Wingert said police are still asking a lot of questions, and trying to corroborate evidence back to the witness statements.
Police responded to a report Tuesday afternoon that the 1-year-old baby had been shot with a .22-caliber pistol. The girl was flown, in stable condition, from Kalispell Regional Medical Center to a Spokane hospital later in the evening.
The mother told police that the 1-year-old was left with a 2-year-old girl in a truck, while the parents piled brush on a piece of property south of Kalispell.
The mother said a gun was regularly stored beneath the passenger’s seat, but was kept unloaded.
Police are skeptical such a small child could load a gun. “That’s a lot of fine motor skills for kids that age,” Wingert said.
When the mother heard the gunshot, he said, she and her husband rushed to the truck, discovering the infant with a bullet wound that entered near the chin and exited at the left jawbone.