Baldwin stopping here
If it seems as though the Inland Northwest has been demoted to Nowheresville as far as the presidential campaign is concerned, take heart. The Spokane area will once again be a stop for a presidential candidate today.
Not John McCain or Barack Obama, however.
Chuck Baldwin, the Constitution Party’s presidential nominee, will attend a fundraising dinner at 5:45 p.m. at Percy’s Café Americana, 10512 E. Sprague Ave., Spokane Valley, and a rally at the adjacent Decades Banquet Facility at 7:30 p.m.
Baldwin and his vice presidential nominee Darrell Castle are on the ballot in Washington and Idaho.
Today last day to register
It’s still not too late for Washington residents to register to vote in the Nov. 4 election. Better move fast, however. Today is the deadline.
In Spokane County potential voters will need to present themselves in person at one of the following five locations from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today:
•The STA Plaza in downtown Spokane.
•The North Spokane Library, 44 E. Hawthorne Ave.
•St. Mark’s Church, 316 E. 24th Ave.
•Spokane Valley CenterPlace, 2426 N. Discovery Place.
•St. Anne’s Church, 712 E. Lake St. in Medical Lake.
Or, head to the Elections Office, at 1033 W. Gardner Ave. in Spokane, which will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. today.
New voters don’t need picture ID to register, but they do need to enter a number from one of three types of identification: a Washington driver’s license, a state ID card or a Social Security card.
Idaho voters can request an absentee ballot in person at their county elections office. In Kootenai County, they also can request one at the Coeur d’Alene, Post Falls, Rathdrum or Athol city halls. Or they can go to their polling place on Election Day, register and mark a ballot. But they must bring valid ID, such as a driver’s license or state ID or a document with a current address along with a picture ID.
Graham, Wash.
Three girls die in house fire
Three young sisters who were visiting their father’s house during the weekend died in a house fire that broke out early Sunday in Graham. The girls were age 10, 11 and 13.
The girls’ father and stepmother escaped the blaze.
Graham Fire and Rescue deputy chief Gary Franz said the body of the third sister was found in the burned-out house about 12:30 p.m., about 12 hours after the bodies of the first two sisters were located.
Franz said the girls’ birth mother lived in the area, but he did not know where.
“This has just been tragic from the get-go,” Franz told the News Tribune. “The fire was just too far ahead of us to do anything.”
Firefighters found the girls’ father trying to rescue his children by using a ladder to reach a second-floor window. Franz said firefighters took over the rescue effort.
Portland
Four killed in car crash
Three men and a woman died early Sunday when a pickup struck their car from behind on Interstate 84 east of Pendleton, the authorities said.
The driver of the pickup, John C. Carlgren, 46, of Carlton, has been jailed on accusations of manslaughter and drunken driving, said Sgt. Gregg Hastings, an Oregon State Police spokesman.
Hastings said the westbound Dodge Dakota struck a Chevrolet Beretta driven by Jessie Klien, 29, of Hermiston, shortly after midnight. The Chevrolet traveled across the westbound lanes and came to rest on the left shoulder, and the pickup ended up on the right shoulder.
Klien and his three passengers died at the scene.
The passengers have been identified as Michelle Sawyer, 29, of Lynnwood, Wash.; William Johnson, 24, of Boardman; and Fred A. Young Jr., 31, of Boardman.