Region in brief: Train derails, slides down embankment
Two railroad engines and a boxcar came off the tracks Wednesday about nine miles south of Northport, Wash.
The derailment was reported about 11 a.m., after the cars – owned by Kettle Falls International Railways – slid about 50 feet down an embankment toward the Columbia River, officials said.
The state Department of Ecology is responding to determine any environmental damage. No significant fuel was reported leaking from the engines, which contain about 4,000 gallons of diesel fuel, officials said.
Two railroad workers received minor injuries, said Rick Anderson, with Stevens County Emergency Services. A landslide over the tracks may have been a cause.
Sara Leaming
Jones Pharmacy prepares for closure
Patients filling prescriptions at Jones Pharmacy on Spokane’s South Hill are now being referred to Sixth Avenue Pharmacy for that service.
After operating at 906 S. Monroe St. for nearly 40 years, the business stopped handling prescriptions Wednesday and plans to close its doors next month.
Sue Kellogg, one of two pharmacists at Jones Pharmacy, said owner W.D. Evans arranged the transfer of prescriptions to Sixth Avenue Pharmacy starting today.
Kellogg said the store inside Jones Pharmacy will continue operating into September. Sales and rentals of home medical equipment, such as wheelchairs, crutches or walkers, will end over the next week or so, she said.
“We were the largest home medical equipment provider around here,” Kellogg said.
Sixth Avenue Manager Jennifer Dailey said her business will expand sales and rental of home medical equipment to pick up demand resulting from Jones’ closure.
Tom Sowa
Sinbad cancels show at Knitting Factory
Comedian Sinbad’s appearance tonight at the Knitting Factory Concert House in Spokane has been canceled.
The comedian’s management cited “unforeseen circumstances” in explaining the cancellation, according to the Knitting Factory.
A later Sinbad show is a possibility, but no date has been set.
Ticketholders who charged tickets online or by phone from TicketsWest will receive an automatic refund. Others should call TicketsWest at (509) 325-SEAT or (800) 325-SEAT.
Staff reports
Man accused of rape pleads not guilty
A 21-year-old Spokane man pleaded not guilty Wednesday to second-degree rape of a woman who said she was sexually assaulted at a party.
Anthony J. Wilson appeared Wednesday before Superior Court Judge Ellen Kalama Clark. His trial is set for Oct. 26.
The alleged victim told police that she attended a party on Oct. 10 in the 12200 block of East First Avenue. After the encounter, she completed a rape kit at a hospital but did not immediately call law enforcement.
She called deputies a month later when she saw Wilson at a bar. During an interview with detectives, Wilson admitting having sex with a woman when she was unconscious but said he couldn’t remember what happened, according to court records.
The rape charge was filed after a DNA sample was taken.
Thomas Clouse