In brief: Donations sought for youth center
The city of Spokane’s Parks and Recreation Department is urging the public to donate to the Northeast Youth Center after a fundraiser was robbed July 17.
The benefit car wash at the Yoke’s parking lot on North Foothills Drive aimed to raise money to send low-income kids to camp this summer, but a man stole the cash box and fled in a waiting car, described as a burgundy Chevy Lumina.
“Saturday’s fundraiser was the only one scheduled,” the Parks and Recreation Department said in a news release. “The need remains.”
To help the Northeast Youth Center, mail or bring donations to the parks and recreation reception desk on the fifth floor of City Hall, 808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. An account also has been set up at Banner Bank.
Anyone with information on the robbery is asked to call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233.
PORTLAND – The lead agency investigating the disappearance of a 7-year-old boy says it is making what it called significant progress in the investigation, but did not provide details.
The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office on Friday issued a written response to journalists’ questions.
One of the questions was whether investigators are any closer to discovering what happened to Kyron Horman since his disappearance on June 4.
The agency responded that it continues to make significant progress but it refused to provide details.
The statement also said the boy’s stepmother – Terri Horman – has sometimes been cooperative with police but other times she has not.
The boy’s birth parents have said they believe the stepmother was involved in the boy’s disappearance. Police have not named her as a suspect.
Liquor sales lands on ballot twice
OLYMPIA – A second initiative to privatize state liquor sales will be on the ballot in November.
Initiative 1105 would allow for private liquor sales, ending the current state monopoly. Wholesalers would distribute liquor, like they do with beer and wine under the current system.
The state Elections Division said Friday that it checked a 3 percent random sample of the nearly 360,000 petition signatures submitted for I-1105. The error rate was about 18.5 percent.
The other liquor initiative, I-1100, would privatize liquor sales and dump the state rules requiring separate wholesale and retail systems for alcohol.
Squad blows up portable toilet
LAKEWOOD, Wash. – A bomb squad has safely destroyed a suspected explosive device that was found in a portable toilet Friday morning in Lakewood.
Assistant police Chief Mike Zaro said about 50 people were evacuated from nearby homes and businesses as a precaution while the bomb squad worked.
He said a worker found the device that looked like a pipe bomb.
The fuse apparently went out and it did not detonate.