In brief: Masked man robs 76 gas station

A man robbed the 76 gas station at Magnesium Road and Nevada Street early Saturday morning.

The clerk told police that a man walked in about 1:45 a.m. armed with a handgun. He demanded cash and fled in an unknown direction, Spokane police said in a news release.

The clerk described the man as about 6 feet tall, of medium build and “possibly Middle Eastern.” He was wearing a blue or black hoodie, dark jeans or sweatpants, and a scarf or mask hiding his face, police said.

Spokane police used a K-9 team and the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office helicopter to try to track the robber, but could not find him. Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to call Crime Check, (509) 456-2233.

Banquet will fete anti-hate work

The Gonzaga University Institute for Hate Studies will honor Partners with Families and Children: Spokane and Mary Stamp, editor of the Fig Tree, at its third annual Take Action Against Hate Banquet.

The banquet will take place from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Cataldo Hall Globe Room. Doors open at 5:45 p.m.

Partners with Families and Children: Spokane and Stamp will receive the Eva Lassman Take Action Against Hate Award, presented annually to an Inland Northwest individual and organization committed to challenging hatred, according to a Gonzaga University news release.

Partners with Families and Children: Spokane offers services to at-risk youth, the news release said. The Fig Tree covers “faith in action” and connects the faith and nonprofit communities.

Tickets are $50 each and tables start at $400. To buy tickets, go online to https://commerce. cashnet.com/GIHS. For more information, call the Institute for Hate Studies at (509) 313-3665 or email againsthate@gonzaga. edu.

UO security will become police

PORTLAND – The State Board of Higher Education has voted to allow the University of Oregon to convert its public safety officers into full-fledged police with the same authority as city cops.

The decision Friday came after board members grappled with questions about guns and police on campus. Some said they were concerned about a recent Oregon Court of Appeals decision prohibiting universities from sanctioning students for carrying guns on campus.

Authorized under a law approved this year by the state Legislature, UO’s new police force will be phased in over six years. University officials will have to go back to the higher education board for the authority to arm their officers.