Teacher dies in boating accident
Republic residents are mourning the drowning of a high school teacher in a boating accident, and school officials are bringing in counselors for students and staff when they return to school Monday, the school district said.
Dan Walling, an English teacher in the Republic School District for five years, died in a boating accident Friday on Lake Roosevelt, according to the district’s principal, Shawn Anderson.
Ted Torzewski, who teaches vocational education in the district, was injured in the accident and was in critical condition at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane on Saturday night.
Anderson said he knew few details about the accident. Officials with the Lincoln County and Ferry County sheriff’s departments referred questions to the National Park Service; officials with the Park Service could not be reached Saturday.
Anderson said Walling was an avid outdoorsman who had a wife and three children.
“He was an extraordinary teacher,” he said. “He was our debate coach, and he did a phenomenal job with the debate team. They were very competitive even against the larger schools.”
A crisis team from Educational Services District 101 will be brought in to help students and staffers, and a wall of remembrance is being created.
“Our hearts are reaching out,” Anderson said. “Small communities – you know how they are. We’re very close-knit.”
Shawn Vestal
Spokane County
Slick road a factor in I-90 wreck
Three California men were injured early Saturday when they slid on an icy portion of Interstate 90 and rolled in the median, according to the Washington State Patrol.
The single-car wreck occurred about 7:30 a.m. five miles west of Spokane. The driver of a 2002 Toyota, Steven Albert Gabelein, 19, lost control on a slick patch before entering the median, WSP said. He was taken to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center, where he remained in serious condition Saturday night.
Two passengers were treated and released from the hospital. The car was totaled, WSP said.
Staff reports