Property taxes due by Friday

The deadline is looming for Spokane County residents to pay the second half of their property taxes.

Taxes must be received at the Spokane County Treasurer’s Office by Friday. Mailed checks must be postmarked by Friday, said Bob Wrigley, chief deputy treasurer.

Residents can call the office at (509) 477-4713 to check the status of their bills. But he suggested folks with Internet access go to www.spokanecounty.org and click on Treasurer’s Office. Checks can be mailed to: Spokane County Treasurer, 1116 W. Broadway Ave., Spokane, WA 99260.

Man sentenced for child porn

An Airway Heights man will spend almost eight years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography.

James Dale Midwell was sentenced to 95 months in prison this week by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Fred Van Sickle. The judge also ordered Midwell to a life term of court supervision after he’s released.

The 35-year-old restaurant cook was arrested by Airway Heights police in October 2005 during a rape investigation involving a 15-year-old girl, authorities said.

During that investigation, he surrendered his personal computer to Airway Heights police. A forensic examination of the computer revealed 54 images and 10 video files of child pornography, authorities said.

Midwell pleaded guilty in state court in March 2006 to one court of third-degree assault with sexual motivation and one count of communication with a minor for immoral purposes. He received a sentence of 48 days in jail for those crimes.

After an investigation by the FBI, he was indicted in November 2007 on a charge of possession of child pornography. He pleaded guilty to that charge in May.

Man gets 10 years in cocaine case

A 10-year prison term was ordered this week for Jason Brent Matson, of Tri-Cities, who was caught a year ago with 77 pounds of cocaine in Danville, Wash., near the U.S.-Canadian border.

Matson, 28, pleaded guilty in August in U.S. District Court to possession with intent to deliver 31 kilograms of cocaine.

He was sentenced Tuesday in Spokane by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Fred Van Sickle. Matson will be on court-supervised release for five years after he gets out of prison.

Authorities say they believe Matson intended to meet someone who planned to smuggle the cocaine into Canada.

U.S. Attorney Jim McDevitt said the case was “one of the largest seizures of cocaine in this district.”

Spokane

Contractor breaks gas line in street

A ruptured gas line shut down a busy north Spokane street for several hours Wednesday.

A contractor digging in the middle of Holland Avenue broke the line about 3:45 p.m., said Avista spokesman Hugh Imhoff. About 10 homes were without heat as crews worked to fix the line, which took several hours.

Holland Avenue was closed from the Newport Highway to Nevada Avenue.

Coeur d’Alene

Winter sport swap planned Saturday

Skiers and snowboarders can buy or sell equipment and clothing Saturday at the Winter Swap at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds.

The sale of new and used equipment benefits volunteer ski patrols at Lookout Pass and Silver Mountain resorts. People interested in selling items should bring them to the fairgrounds between 3 and 8 p.m. Friday.

Merchandise is accepted on consignment only, with 20 percent of the price withheld.

The swap will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is $4, with children 12 or younger free with a paying adult.