In brief: Schools bill pulled from Senate

BOISE – The main school reform bill being pushed this year by Idaho state schools Superintendent Tom Luna was pulled from the Senate on Wednesday and returned to the Senate Education Committee.

“We still have a little bit of work to do on this,” Senate Education Chairman John Goedde, R-Coeur d’Alene, told the Senate.

Although SB 1113 will be reworked, Luna’s two other reform bills, SB 1108 to limit teacher contract rights and SB 1110 on performance pay for teachers, remain on the Senate calendar and could be debated as soon as today.

SB 1113 sought to increase class sizes in grades 4-12 and eliminate hundreds of teaching jobs in the next two years, to save millions that would be funneled into technology upgrades, a laptop computer for every high school student, online courses and teacher performance pay.

Motor home chase ends with arrest

A police chase with a motor home Tuesday night ended with a Spokane Valley man’s arrest after the rig tried to ram a patrol car, officials said Wednesday.

Michael Manuel Chavez, 56, was booked into jail on a second-degree assault charge after the chase, according to a news release.

The chase began when Spokane County Sheriff’s Sgt. Doug Marske, who was parked on the side of Willow Road, avoided a collision. After other near-collisions, the chase ended with the motor home turning southbound on Farr Road before pulling into a yard on a private road.

The driver exited the vehicle and walked into a home, which officers surrounded.

Chavez exited the home with a baseball bat and commanded his dog to “get ’em” while pointing at police, but he eventually invited them into the home and was arrested, according to a news release.

Police say Chavez had trouble standing, had slurred speech and smelled strongly of alcohol.

Officer loses job over Taser joke

A veteran Post Falls police officer and former “Officer of the Year” has lost his job for using his Taser while joking around with a friend on duty.

Ian Johnson, a 15-year veteran of the force, was fired by Police Chief Scot Haug last month for poor decision-making.

Johnson told the Coeur d’Alene Press his friend had jokingly asked to be Tasered – and so after making a call at his friend’s office in December, Johnson pulled his stun gun and clicked the trigger. Johnson said the Taser was 10 inches away and other precautions were taken to blunt the shock.

Johnson said his friend wasn’t hurt and that he’d never intentionally Taser a friend because it’s a painful experience.

During an investigation, Johnson called the encounter a “stupid joke that went bad.”

Report of armed man closes street

Spokane police responded to a report of a suicidal man with a gun near Manito Park about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, blocking off a portion of Bernard Street while they searched.

Because the man was reportedly armed, several officers went to the location, said Officer Jennifer DeRuwe, police spokeswoman. The man was found dead in his car of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Iditarod racer to speak at lunch

Rachael Scdoris, a visually impaired dog sled racer who took part in the famed Iditarod event, is scheduled to be the keynote speaker at the Kids at Heart fundraising lunch on March 3.

The luncheon benefits Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital. It will be held at 11:30 a.m. in the Spokane Convention Center.

Scdoris was born with a rare vision disorder and is legally blind. She’s been racing sled dogs since the age of 11.

A minimum donation of $100 is requested for the luncheon. For reservations or information, visit www.kidsatheart charitylunch.org or call (509) 474-2819.

Immigration focus of Friday event

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will conduct an open house at its Spokane Field Office on Friday to educate the public on immigration issues.

Attendees will learn how to apply for residency and citizenship, how to apply for a passport and how to avoid being exploited by fraudulent preparers, among other issues.

The open house is from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Spokane Field Office, 920 W. Riverside Ave., Room 691. Bring photo identification to enter the U.S. Courthouse building, where the office is located.

Bill would allow giving blood at 16

BOISE – Idaho teens may soon have the option to donate blood, but only after getting approval from an adult.

On Tuesday, the Senate Health and Welfare Committee signed off on a bill that would allow teens as young as 16 to donate blood after getting permission from a parent or legal guardian.

The bill passed the committee unanimously and now moves to the full Senate.

Under existing state law, donors must be at least 17 years old. Donors at that age do not need permission.